Life
Whether you're traveling with slacks, dress shirts, blouses, or a wedding gown, a high-quality garment bag is the key to keeping your dressier items looking neat and clean. But not all garment bags are created equal. The best garment bags for travel are made out of top-grade materials and designed with features that help keep everything in place.
First, let's talk about materials. The best garment bags will have a thicker fabric to protect your clothing. A great way to evaluate this is to look at the denier count. This is a metric that indicates how thick each fiber is within a woven material. Fabrics in the 1,200-plus range are going to be ideal for garment bags. It's also great if the material is abrasion-resistant or made with a water-repellent coating.
Additionally, you'll want your garment bag to have some sort of mechanism to hold your clothing in place. This could be a buckle, a set of straps, or another system to keep them from moving around and getting wrinkled. Depending on your needs, you may also want organizational components, like pockets, pouches, or mesh compartments.
There are tons of options out there, so to help you make a decision, I've rounded up the best garment bags for travel with all of these features. The first two options may be small enough to be used as carry-on items, depending on the airline, while the last two may need to be checked under the plane.
1
The Overall Best Garment Bag
Maximum length: 43 inches
What's great about it: Small enough to meet most airline restrictions, this carry-on garment bag offers a great combination of quality and value. With more than 1,400 reviews and an impressive 4.5-star rating, the popular bag is made with tough, 1,800-denier polyester yet still has a sleek design. It has heavy-duty, snag-free zippers and a water-resistant coating that'll protect against any rain showers you may encounter while en route to your destination. The inside features a soft lining to cradle your garments and a secure buckle to hold them in place. On top of all of that, the bag features interior zippered pockets, an exterior pouch, and a convenient detachable shoulder strap.
What fans say: "This bag was amazing!! We could fit my husband's tux, two of his suits with shirts and three of my dresses in the bag with no issues. It was lightweight and easy to travel with. The extra straps in the case held all the clothing in place perfectly and the zipper closure held up beautiful so we had no issues with carrying it all over the airports."
2
The Best Convertible Garment Bag
Maximum length: 37.5 inches
What's great about it: Made with a super versatile design, this convertible carry-on bag is a garment bag and a duffel bag all in one. It's constructed with a top-grade polyester-jacquard blend that's strong and rugged. Not only that, but the material is also abrasion-resistant with a water-repellent coating, so your garments will be protected from any wet elements. When rolled up as a duffel bag, it has a 45-liter capacity, making it the perfect size for weekend getaways and business trips. It also has a shoe pouch, a passport pocket, and removable shoulder strap. Even better: this may work as a carry-on item for some airlines (be sure to check the particular airline's size restrictions).
What fans say: "This is hands down amazing!!! I was able to transport my bridesmaid and rehearsal dinner dresses, shoes plus soo much more. It easily fit in the overhead bins on the planes and was easy to carry with the shoulder strap. The pocket to attach to my luggage was awesome once I picked up my checked bag. The quality of this bag was more than I had expected. Would recommend this a million times over again. Well worth the money!!!"
3
The Best Wheeled Garment Bag
Maximum length: 44 inches
What's great about it: If you're looking for a garment bag that you can roll rather than carry, this convenient wheeled luggage case is the perfect choice. It's made with strong, 1,200-denier polyester, plus EVA foam for extra protection. The sleek suitcase, which boasts more than 1,400 reviews on Amazon, also has zippered mesh pockets, a removable shoulder strap, and tie-down straps for holding your clothes in place. Meanwhile, the smooth, roller wheels help it glide along effortlessly. The only drawback is that this one is too large to use as a carry-on size, so you will need to check it for airline travel.
What fans say: "AWESOME! Excellent quality and LOADS of room for multiple dresses, shoes and underthings. this bag is my absolute favorite! It's summer and in my house that means sun dresses... when we travel, which we do a LOT, it's great to have the ability to grab the clothes, hangers and all and then just transfer to the closet ... The quality and construction of this bag is amazing! And the price is an extra bonus."
4
The Best Full-Length Garment Bag
Maximum length: 72 inches
What's great about it: Designed especially for transporting weddings gowns, bridesmaid dresses, or any other floor-length gowns, this travel garment bag is great for preserving extra-long garments while you travel. It measures an impressive 72 inches in length — one of the longer travel bags out there — and is made from durable fabric that's both water- and abrasion-resistant. Also it offers a transparent vinyl pouch you can use for labeling, and the bottom section boasts a large panel for extra space. Just keep in mind that due to its size, this is one that you will need to roll up or put inside another bag for air travel.
What fans say: "Great bag for the price. Had to travel with my wedding dress on a plane and it was perfect. The material held up and you couldn’t see through the bag."
Bustle may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was created independently from Bustle's editorial and sales departments.
