This couple invented a clever backpack that helps travellers to get around airlines’ one-bag rules

Check-in baggage charges are the bane of most travellers’ existence, but a clever piece of luggage is being touted as a solution to the one carry-on bag rule. Wool & Oak’s husband and wife duo, Johnathan Webster and Gizem Mut-Webster, have invented pieces of luggage that can be paired with each other to bring two bags joined together as one aboard flights.

The story began after Johnathan and Gizem travelled through Europe and took 20 flights in just three weeks.  They ended up determined to find a solution to avoiding long lines and waiting times, stringent bag policies and heavy luggage fees. Johnathan was formally trained in fashion design in Rome, and he and Gizem began to brainstorm a clever solution, wanting to create a piece of luggage that not only looked sleek but could defy the baggage policies and headaches travellers typically encounter.

Having come up with the idea for their luggage range, their company was born through Kickstarter crowdfunding and is based in Brooklyn, New York. They now have a range of bags, and each has a set of zippers so two can attach to each other to form one sleek bag. So while from the outside it looks like a regular backpack, it handily unzips into two separate bags.

Johnathan has taken nearly 60 flights over the past two years and has successfully avoided checking his luggage by using the bag. He claims that he’s used the bags to store as much as two weeks’ worth of luggage, and estimates he’s saved hundreds of dollars in luggage fees, in cases where the airline allow travellers to carry just one piece of luggage onto the plane. “I haven’t been caught yet,” he says.

The company has now launched its third appearance on Kickstarter, with the Duffle Backpack Sport. It takes the functionality and versatility of the original Duffle Backpack to a more adventure-ready form. It’s designed to be rugged and adaptable to any situation.

Check out Wool & Oak’s new Duffle Backpack Sport on Kickstarter here and its full range of products on its website here.