Our top 5 eco-friendly luggage picks

We are a wasteful society. Looking at plastic bag consumption alone, Americans use around 14,000,000,000 plastic bags per year, which in turn require 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture. According to Waste Management, only 1% of those plastic bags are returned for recycling — the rest end up in landfills or as litter. (Side note: Please use reusable shopping bags.)

It's a hard pill to swallow, sure, but the truth is that we have a lot of work to do when it comes to living more eco-conscious lifestyles. While some of the changes needed aren't completely in our control and need to happen at government levels, there are plenty of small edits that we can apply to our personal habits that have the potential to do some good for our Earth.  Read more...

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IMAGE: Patagonia

BEST DUFFEL BAG

Patagonia Black Hole Wheeled Duffel Bag

Patagonia's duffel roller is perfect for weekend getaways and is ethically made in every step of its design process.

• Material: 100% postconsumer recycled polyester
• Dimensions: 21.6 x 14 x 9.5 inches
• Capactity: 37L
• Weight: 7 lbs

$299 from Patagonia

IMAGE: Paravel

BEST USE OF MATERIALS

Paravel Aviator

Feel good rolling through the airport with a Parabel bag not only because it looks great, but also because of its recycled water bottle design.

• Materials: Recycled polycarbonate shell
• Dimensions: 22.7 x 14.7 x 9.6 inches
• Capacity: 53L
• Weight: 8.5 lbs

$275 from Paravel

IMAGE: Samsonite

BEST BUDGET PICK

Samsonite Eco-Nu Expandable Spinner

This relatively affordable bag from Samsonite is made from recyclable materials and still manages to be super durable — it has a ton of space, too.

• Materials: Recyclex, 100% recycled PET plastic
• Dimensions: 16.25 x 11.25 x 22.75 inches
• Capacity: 68L
• Weight: 7 lbs

$140 from Samsonite

IMAGE: Everlane

BEST TOTE

Everlane ReNew Transit Weekender

This Everlane tote will fit effortlessly into your daily lifestyle and still gets the job done on longer trips — shopping sustainably has never looked so good.

• Materials: 100% recycled polyester and renewed plastic bottles
• Dimensions: 14.2 x 7.3 x 19.5 inches
• Capacity: 27L
• Weight: 2 lbs

$88 from Everlane

IMAGE: United By Blue

BEST BACKPACK

United By Blue Westward Convertible Tote Pack

When you purchase this bag, United By Blue will remove a pound of trash from the ocean — plus, the bag is ethically made, high-quality, and looks really cool.

• Materials: 100% recycled polyester
• Dimensions: 12.5 x 14.5 x 5 inches
• Capacity: 10L
• Weight: 2 lbs

$108 from United By Blue

IMAGE: by Humankind

BEST DOPP KIT

by Humankind Dopp Kit

If you're a traveler, you need a Dopp kit — by Humankind's version is made from recycled bottles, fights spills, and has plenty of room.

• Materials: Post-consumer recycled plastic bottles
• Dimensions: 9.5 x 6 x 4 inches
• Capacity: 0.2L
• Weight: 0 lbs

$30 from by Humankind

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