Backpack or suitcase? This travel hybrid tops my list of packing essentials

Your Euro summer, sorted with BAGSMART.

I had just turned 20 when I embarked on my first solo travel trip. After what can only be described as minimal planning, I settled on a four-week European jaunt through the big three: France, Spain and Italy. For luggage, I made a last-minute decision to take my threadbare sleepover duffle and one of my mum’s old roller suitcases, janky wheels and all. 

It was less than a week before the inevitable happened: sprinting for a train in Paris, my duffle caught a metal door handle and immediately split, sending novelty T-shirts, underwear and bikini tops flying across the floor of the Gare du Nord. 

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Later, after paying too much for an impractical replacement, the wheels literally fell off. Dragging my suitcase through a narrow cobblestone street in Rome, one of the plastic wheels hit a snag, rendering my suitcase entirely immobile. Did I mention it was a 35-degree day? 

It was a trip that taught me many things: always wear sunscreen, pack a portable charger and, most importantly, choose your luggage wisely. For my next European rendezvous, I’ll be opting for the smartest option: a travel hybrid bag from ultra-intelligent luggage brand Bagsmart. Designed as the perfect flexible carry-on, it’s a three-in-one bag that shifts easily between backpack, roller and hand-carry mode.

A serious level up from my high school overnighter, Bagsmart’s Blast 43L Roller Backpack is engineered to get you smoothly from A to B, even when cobblestone streets are involved. Don’t be fooled by the sleek appearance – it comes equipped with all kinds of ‘I didn’t know I needed that’ bells and whistles, like an RFID-blocking pocket for card safety, an elastic water bottle pocket, a lockable padded laptop compartment and three reinforced grab handles for easy lifting. 

If you’re taking on all-terrain hostel travel, it’s the easiest way to avoid luggage faux pas. Let’s say you’re choosing to travel light, with just the 43L Blast Backpack for a week or two (the Currant Red shade is my fave, particularly as I’m prone to spillage). You pack everything in the zippered mesh pockets and roll around the airport, converting it into a backpack for easy trekking to your final destination. For more leisurely transit, you opt for hand-carry mode: it looks like a chic satchel, but holds everything. 

Longer holiday ahead? The Mix + Match Roll & Roam set is made for one-to-two-week trips. It comes with that same Blast 43L Roller Backpack and an additional Blast Pro 38L Travel Backpack – a smaller version, sans wheels. While it doesn’t come with wheels, the Travel Backpack is an ideal option for day trips and overnighters, and it can expand from 28 to 38L depending on your itinerary. 

It’s equipped with wet and dry pockets, a flexible internal divider, tech compartments and stash pockets. Paired with the size and hybrid versatility of the Blast 43L Roller Backpack, this duo will get you where you need to go – even if you have to sprint.  

To browse the Bagsmart collection, head here.