While no two trips are alike, there are a few, stalwart items that I can’t live without on the road. Some are expected (noise canceling headphones), but some, like the one I’ll share today, are not. Today, that item is: carabiners.I’ve been a fan of carabiners since middle school, when it was “cool” to clip all your keys to the belt loop on your jeans with a carabiner. Though I no longer wear my keys as an accessory (was that ever really cool?), my affinity for carabiners has only blossomed.
My carabiner collection grew exponentially when I took on indoor rock climbing as a hobby, which had the added bonus of helping me feeling less like a poser for owning so many. Shortly thereafter, I would learn the true value of carabiners as a travel accessory.
Here are six ways I’ve used carabiners while traveling:
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Hanging on to my wet shoes that I didn’t want to put into my bag
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Keeping my headphones accessible
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Making my keys easy to find inside my bag
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Securing hats that I don’t want to crush in my suitcase
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Keeping my camera gear secure in the water
I typically have 1-2 small carabiners and at least two big ones (sometimes more) clipped to my bags when I travel. And the one time I mysteriously forgot them? I needed them more than ever.
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- Keeping those wet, sandy extra flip flops out of my bag. Thanks, carabiners
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- Travel pillow? Clipped. Trucker hat that I don’t want to crush? Also clipped!
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- Hat and visor stay handy without tying up my hands!
Luckily, carabiners are SUPER easy to find and range in price from a few dollars to a lot more. I like to get mine from an outdoor store, as those tend to be of higher quality.
Here is a link to a search at my favorite outdoor store, REI, to get you started on your collection:
Happy climbing…errr…traveling!
jz
Suitcase Confidential 
Also love carabiners but want to suggest an additional clip— the humble old fashioned plain wire shower clips. They are light weight, fit through holes that the thicker clips cannot. Favorite use is keeping my fishing “towel” handy.
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Love this tip! Thanks for sharing. 🙌🏻
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