This Béis Bag Helps Travelers Avoid Luggage Fees

As a travel journalist, I basically live out of my suitcase for a third of the year, so I choose my luggage carefully. Because I fly so frequently and have airline status, I usually check bags for free on both national and international flights — but the extra space can sometimes be more of a hindrance than an advantage. I often need to pack a lot of different items to accommodate a variety of activities or destinations on one trip, which means I risk overpacking when filling a big checked bag and getting stuck with excess baggage fees or being forced to re-pack at the airport. When this happened to me once, I didn’t have the money for extra fees or the time to drop stuff at home, so I threw away some of the things I’d hoped to bring on my trip.

But, since I started using the Béis Large Check-in Roller three months ago, packing has been a lot less stressful. I haven’t had to worry at all about my suitcase being over the allowed weight. That’s because this Béis bag has a weight indicator, which turns red if the suitcase weighs 50 pounds or more. So now when I pack, if it turns red, I simply readjust how I’ve packed and move more items to my carry-on roller or duffel bag — and avoid any stress at the airport. I’ve successfully packed up to two weeks’ worth of clothes and never paid a baggage fee.

Béis Large 29-inch Check-in Roller

I often stack trips and go on back-to-back adventures, so I need to pack a wide variety of clothes and accessories. For example, in January, I went from a snowstorm in Jackson Hole to sunny days in Honolulu within 24 hours and had to pack a coat and sweaters alongside sleeveless shirts and shorts.

Because I was traveling to two very different climates, I had to fit a lot of clothes and gear into my Béis suitcase, and the weight indicator let me know it all fit without being too hefty. This meant I could breeze into the airport without worrying about my bag — and focus instead on the fun activities ahead. 

Béis Large 29-inch Check-in Roller

Another feature that makes this self-weighing Béis suitcase helpful for heavy packing is that it has an expandable section that I can simply unzip if I need an extra two inches of space in the bag. That comes in handy when I can almost close it — but not quite. I don’t have to move everything around and reorganize it to make it zip; I simply expand the bag instead.

Sometimes it’s nice to carry a big suitcase even when I’m not packing much in it, too. On a recent trip to Charleston, South Carolina, I used my Béis checked bag and appreciated that I could rest my often-heavy duffel bag on top of the suitcase. I pushed all my belongings without carrying anything heavy as I strolled through the airport.

I highly recommend using packing cubes when packing this large bag because of its spacious interior. There’s enough room to arrange the cubes exactly how you want; you can easily include clothes on one side of the suitcase and accessories on the other. Simply mix and match the packing cubes to however feels most organized to you, and then packing and unpacking is simple.

I can even easily fit the big yearly journal that I use to write about all my travels. I pack it by wrapping a sweater around the journal, and the sturdy bag protects the book, so it stays looking great upon arrival.

Béis Large 29-inch Check-in Roller

So far, I’ve carried my Béis spinner on over a dozen trips, and it still looks brand new. I got the olive green color (which is currently sold out), and it doesn’t show any scrapes, black splotches, or wear and tear the way I find luggage usually does after being checked even a handful of times. It’s available in other colors, including cobalt blue, maple, black, glossy pink, and beige.

You don’t need to carry a huge suitcase to have concerns about your bag’s weight, though. When you’re packing a lot, you can easily go over weight limits with smaller bags. Also, depending on the airline, even cabin bags can have different weight limits. These other Béis suitcases also have the handy built-in weight indicator and come in a variety of sizes. You can also always opt for a luggage scale instead if you aren’t looking for a new suitcase right now. Read on for some of our favorite picks.

Shop More Self-weighing Bags at Béis: 

Béis 21-inch Carry-on Roller

Béis 26-inch Expandable Check-in Roller

Shop Luggage Scales at Amazon:

Etekcity Luggage Scale

Samsonite Manual Luggage Scale

Travel Inspira Luggage Scale

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