You know how traveling itself can kind of be a pain in the you know what, and any sort of little tool or hack to make it easier is worth shouting about from the rooftops? This is how I feel about the Adélie Bag from Flyte, a business designed to create bags specifically suited to active lifestyles.
When I was hunting around for a carryon to bring with me for a 9 day trip to Hawaii, I kept coming across bags that seemed ok but were shown in use almost exclusively as gym bags. I really needed something with functionality for air travel, specifically suited to fit under the seat in front of you. The Adélie Flyte bag seemed to fit the bill so I was super excited to give it a try.
The bag is both gorgeous and so thoughtfully designed. It’s sturdy but not bulky and has pockets, zippers and compartments that are actually useful. I’ll outline my favorite features below AND show you what I packed inside (hint: it’s a lot!).
The Adélie Flyte Bag As A Carry On
Features to Love:
Exterior zipper pocket. This fits my iPad and a book perfectly. The zipper is long and actually opens the full length (pet peeve- when zippers look long but stop at a certain stitching point and don’t extend like they should). The luggage zipper pocket is great as a little slide compartment too for a book or magazine when not in use on your suitcase!
Side pocket that fits a full size hydro flask. This is a must for air travel. I drink a ton of water and those tiny airline cups just do not cut it. Filling up the hydro flask is so much better, especially on really long flights!
Interior with no giant dividers. I’ve found bags with interior dividers to be more of a hinderance than a help. When packing for a long flight or trip, the contents seem to change a lot and be an unpredictable size. Permanent bag dividers can cause issues when puzzling everything in.
Luggage slide pocket. I can’t live without this pocket for travel after traveling with it. It makes it so easy to walk around the airport and keep everything safe, secure, and together.
Permanent snap closure band. I think these bands are designed to keep the shoulder straps attached but I LOVE that this snaps around my headphones. I’ll pop these on before we board so they’re instantly accessible and not shifted down to the bottom of my bag. The bonus is that this particular snap band is permanently stitched onto the bag so it can’t get lost!
What To Pack In Your Carry On Bag
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- Trtl Neck Pillow. This thing was FAB-U-LOUS. It might sound silly but sit in the car with it sometime before you leave and play around with it. You need to figure out how to get it situated comfortably and takes a little fiddling. I probably annoyed the person next to me getting comfortable but once I did I was actually able to sleep a little bit which is huge for me!
- Rad and Happy sunshine pouch. I kept my planner, watercolor supplies, passport and book in here. Such a perfect (and happy!) pouch for travel items.
- Clear toiletries bag. This is kind of a given how for air travel and carry on toiletries of any kind.
- Facial cleansing wipes. I never fly without these. The ones I linked are hydrating too which my favorite part when your skin feels dry flying for a long time! You never know how gross you’ll feel or if you get stuck anywhere and need a refresh. So useful.
- Slipper socks. Mine are called “reading socks” and they’re from Barnes and Nobles (thanks Mom!). They definitely kept me so much warmer on my flights. Cold feet is the worst especially when going from a frozen tundra to a tropical island and back. (I never travel with boots or heavy warm shoes on trips like this for space saving reasons so these kinds of socks are a must!
- Good headphones. I say “good” because I personally wouldn’t travel with $300 headphones just incase they get lost damaged or stolen. These work really well, are comfy, noise canceling, and the battery lasts forever! At $50 they’re a good middle of the road pair for travel especially if you’re like me and earbuds hurt or annoy you after awhile!
- Camera gear. This will be different for everyone but I was able to fit my Sony mirrorless, favorite lens, and new macro lens in the Flyte bag safely tucked away in their neoprene sleeves (Grey gear organizer is old but this one is similar).
- Hydro flask.
- Jewelry case. Mine is from Made By Mary but this one is similar!
- iPad and charger
- Reusable snack bag. Love having this to store any snacky type things that I can’t finish- those cellophane bags and plastic wrappers always rip apart and spill in my bags which is obviously super annoying.
- Bite toothpaste. This is kind of random but the best thing! Not a liquid, can’t spill, so tiny and perfect for using on the go. You can even compact it down further by only packing as many bites as you need.
Hope this review of the Flyte Bag was helpful if you are considering purchasing one! You can always shoot me a message on Instagram if you have any other questions or are curious about any features I didn’t cover.
Maureen OConnor says
I love the look of this bag! Thank you for your review.