We Evaluated Over 1,500 Products in 2023—Here Are Our Top Selections

As 2023 comes to a close and everyone reflects on the past year, Dinogo is also revisiting our journey. Our editors explored every continent this year—most brought products to test—ensuring we truly discover the cream of the crop through extensive hands-on trials. With a tremendous effort from various teams, we tested over 1,500 products this year, surpassing our 2022 count. 

We wore hundreds of sneakers while sightseeing, hiked countless miles in outdoor gear, struck numerous suitcases with baseball bats, and utilized various accessories to enhance travel comfort. Each item was tested for at least six months, both in our New York City lab and in everyday situations. From Rio de Janeiro to Tokyo, Cairo to London, these are just a few of the adventures we embarked on to evaluate luggage, shoes, clothing, and more. Keep scrolling for a quick overview of the winners from each test and find links to detailed articles on all the products that achieved top ratings this year.

Luggage Options

Top Tumi Luggage

Tumi luggage is an investment, and after testing 13 bags from this brand, we found that the Dual Access 4 Wheeled Carry-On is truly worth the price. It features a cleverly designed removable suiter for packing delicate items like jackets, slacks, or even a long dress. Additionally, this suitcase is robust, glides effortlessly, and includes a dual-access compartment for easy retrieval of items without fully unzipping the bag.

Top Béis Luggage

This lightweight, stylish Béis weekender surpassed our expectations during testing. The structured design features a wide-mouth opening for easy packing of all your essentials for a weekend trip, while the dedicated shoe compartment at the bottom keeps clean clothes separate from footwear. Additionally, we appreciate that it can be carried as either a tote or a duffel, complete with a removable (and padded!) shoulder strap.

Top Delsey Paris Luggage

Delsey impressed us during testing by excelling in our durability assessments (which included striking the bags with a baseball bat multiple times). The Chatelet Air 2.0 21-inch carry-on caught our attention with its beautiful vintage style and made packing effortless with its spacious compartments and multiple internal pockets. We appreciate the compression flaps that significantly save space, as well as the USB charging port for recharging a phone battery while traveling. We're confident this bag is built to endure, showing no signs of wear during our tests.

Top Garment Bag

Whether for weddings, business trips, or a simple getaway, this roomy and practical garment bag from Mark & Graham is perfect for any occasion. It accommodates a full suit, two floor-length dresses, a button-down shirt, two pairs of shoes, and various accessories, essentially acting as a carry-on suitcase tailored for delicate garments. Additionally, the bag exudes sophistication and can be personalized with initials for a special touch. 

Bags

Top Fanny Pack

The Dagne Dover fanny pack features the brand's signature neoprene material, which is both lightweight and protective. This pack has ample space for essentials like a passport, wallet, phone charger, snacks, and headphones. Even after spilling coffee and water on it, the neoprene fabric successfully repelled all liquids, keeping the bag in excellent condition despite heavy use.

Top Sling Bag

More athletic and durable than your average fanny pack, this sling bag from The North Face is compact, comfortable, and surprisingly spacious. We managed to fit a tablet, snacks, and a wallet with plenty of room to spare in the 9-liter main compartment. The strap and back panel are well-padded, ensuring that our shoulders felt no burden or strain while carrying it. 

Top Travel Purse

This spacious shoulder bag serves as an ideal personal item, keeping all your in-flight and road trip essentials conveniently organized. We especially appreciate the dedicated laptop pocket, which safeguards your delicate tech, along with several other pockets designed for effortless organization on the go. Best of all, the bag is roomy yet lightweight, featuring a trolley sleeve for easy transport on top of your suitcase. 

Top Travel Tote

For those seeking a spacious tote, the MZ Wallace option stands out as both stylish and practical for travel. It features a padded laptop pocket made from soft quilted material and ample pockets for organizing smaller items. This tote is incredibly lightweight and includes a removable shoulder strap for added versatility, making it comfortable to carry for extended periods. 

Top Crossbody Bag

The Baggu Nylon Crescent Bag stands out as one of the most adaptable travel bags we reviewed this year. Fashionable, lightweight, and easy to pack into a larger suitcase, it has all the right features to excel in our tests. The thick, adjustable strap ensures comfort for long wear, while the spacious main compartment easily accommodates daily essentials with extra room. Plus, it's machine-washable and can compress to a small size for convenient storage in your larger bag during travel. 

Top Laptop Backpack

Perfect for air, train, or road travel, the Solo backpack is designed to keep laptops safe on the move, scoring top marks in all testing areas. It features a padded pocket for laptops up to 15.6 inches, along with USB and headphone ports, catering to the needs of both commuters and travelers. Despite its compact appearance, we were impressed by its capacity. The recycled polyester fabric is lightweight, comfortable, and extremely durable, as confirmed by our lab and real-world evaluations.

Top Mini Backpack

This foldable mini backpack from Paravel excels in portability, collapsing to occupy almost no space in a larger bag. Despite its compact size, it can hold several daily essentials such as a tablet, wallet, passport, and headphones, with extra room available. Additionally, we appreciate the hidden pocket at the back, perfect for securing valuables like cash and important documents. 

Accessories

Best Toiletry Bottles

This set of four toiletry bottles provides the perfect solution for traveling with even the most fluid liquids. We tested the two 2-ounce and two 3-ounce bottles with various cosmetics like micellar water and shampoo, and they didn’t leak at all, even under pressure. Plus, it’s hard to beat the durability and easy-filling design at such an affordable price under $20. 

Best Travel Belt

We were pleasantly surprised by how slim and comfortable this RFID-blocking money belt feels when worn under clothing for extended periods. It fits snugly against the skin, and even when loaded with valuables like passports and cash, it remains hidden beneath clothing. Additionally, it features a double-release button closure for enhanced security while traveling, a rarity among similar products we tested. 

Best Jewelry Case

This sleek jewelry case features a distinctive oval design that surprisingly accommodates more jewelry than it appears. It includes specific compartments for rings, bracelets, and necklaces, while the flexible structure allows for bulkier items like watches or thicker bracelets to fit comfortably in the main section. Additionally, the high-quality leather offers a luxurious feel, making this case as fashionable as it is practical. 

Top Makeup Organizer

We selected the Béis cosmetic case as our top choice after it demonstrated remarkable ease of packing during our lab tests. The roomy main compartment accommodates a variety of cosmetics, from full-sized bottles to travel-sized products, complete with a detachable flap for makeup brushes. Additionally, the mirror on the inside flap was a delightful feature that consistently impressed us during our continued use after the initial evaluation. 

Top Sunglasses for Women

Stylish, sturdy, and effortlessly chic, we can’t get enough of these square cat-eye sunglasses from Raen. The materials are tough and long-lasting while remaining lightweight, ensuring they don’t pinch at the nose. With five beautiful color options available, you can’t go wrong with any choice. Plus, the slim case makes traveling with this pair a breeze. 

Top Sunglasses for Men

Raen sunglasses impressed us during our men's eyewear tests, with the Aren polarized model taking the lead. Just like the women's version, the premium and robust materials stood out from the start. The acetate frames are incredibly lightweight, providing comfort for hours, and the lens shape is both unique and flattering. 

Top Luggage Tracker

Travel + Leisure editors agree: a luggage tracker is essential, and Eufy's model outperformed others in our testing. Pairing it with your phone takes just seconds, and it seamlessly integrates with the iPhone's Find My app for easy tracking. Besides fitting into suitcases, it features a hole for attaching to keys or headphones, making it versatile for various uses. 

Top Passport

This passport wallet is ideal for keeping essential items like multiple passports, cash, IDs, and credit cards safe within a secure zipped compartment. We love that it’s not only great for international travel but also serves as a stylish clutch for dining out or running errands. Its premium look and feel, paired with high-quality materials, make it a worthy investment. 

Best Travel Adapter

Essentially the only travel adapter you’ll ever need, this one is compatible with over 150 countries and can charge up to six devices simultaneously. Still not convinced? Its ultra-compact design makes it perfect for packing in a carry-on, and the various prongs are easy to swap out as necessary. 

Best Gloves for Winter

These all-weather gloves from Head are crafted to keep your fingers warm in extreme conditions, and our tests confirmed their effectiveness. They are waterproof, windproof, and insulated, fitting true to size with options ranging from XS to XL in black and gray. We especially appreciate how easily they slip on and off without sacrificing comfort or fit. 

Best Travel-size Sunscreen

After testing this sunscreen in Hawaii, it emerged as the top choice. The Babo Botanicals formula goes on like a moisturizing lotion and leaves no greasy residue or white cast on the skin once applied. With its concentrated formula, the 3-ounce bottle offers great value and longevity. 

Best Reef-safe Sunscreen

With strict regulations in Hawaii aimed at preserving reefs and marine life, Maui Naturals offers a sunscreen that aligns with these standards. This locally-made product is free from harmful chemicals yet still delivers all the essential features of a good sunscreen, including a smooth application, pleasant scent, and moisturizing effect. During testing, we found it to be effective without leaving a white residue, making it suitable for sensitive skin as well. 

Shoes

Best Hiking Boots for Women and Men

Our top pick for hiking boots suitable for both men and women, the Merrell Moab 3 Mid boots stood out in our evaluations. They were comfortable from the start on a four-hour hike and demonstrated full waterproofing with outstanding traction. Additionally, their design provides excellent arch support, enhancing comfort over time. 

Top Hiking Shoes for Men and Women

Merrell has established itself as a leading brand in hiking footwear, impressively ranking among the best in our evaluation of 46 pairs. It's no wonder that the Speed Eco shoes for both men and women emerged as our top choice. They offer immediate comfort due to their excellent arch support, and even in sweltering heat, they remain remarkably breathable and flexible. 

Top Hiking Sandals for Men and Women

Crafted with ultra-durable Vibram soles, these unisex hiking sandals provide stability, comfort, and style for your outdoor adventures. They offer impressive grip both in and out of water, with excellent traction on slippery surfaces. Plus, the adjustable T-strap allows for a customizable fit for optimal comfort and support. 

Top Water Shoes for Men

OluKai is one of our top footwear brands, and these trendy water shoes have captured our hearts. They cleverly avoid the typical water shoe appearance, featuring a mesh upper for effective drainage and a wet-grip rubber outsole for excellent traction, making them ideal for both land and water activities. Additionally, the drop-in heel design allows for easy on-and-off wear.

Best Comfortable Flats for Women

Flats made a stunning return in 2023, prompting us to test 29 pairs to identify the top contenders. These square-toed flats from Vivaia excel in comfort with their cushioned midsole, making them ideal for bustling around New York City. The water-repellent knit upper held up perfectly even during a downpour, and the adjustable straps can be customized by creating holes wherever necessary for the perfect fit. 

Most Comfortable Slides for Women

Planning a warm-weather getaway in 2024? These rubber and vegan leather sandals are the most comfortable and stylish option we tested, making them a must-have in every color. They come essentially pre-broken in and are ready for wear, plus the waterproof materials allow them to withstand water without damage. We also appreciate their chic design, perfect for both day and night wear for added versatility while traveling. 

Most Comfortable Slides for Men

Some brands truly excel in crafting comfortable footwear, and OluKai is definitely one of them. Taking the lead for men's comfortable slides, the MahaOlu sandals offer a more refined look compared to typical sandals. Their stylish yet cozy materials allowed us to wear them for two consecutive weeks, and they still appeared as good as new. 

Best Snow Boots for Women

Wearing these boots straight out of the box, we were thrilled to discover they needed no break-in time. The thick rubber outsoles provide excellent traction, while the midsoles are equipped with comfortable OrthoLite sock liners. Additionally, the faux-shearling lining gives them a stylish edge over typical snow boots.

Best Snow Boots for Men

These Columbia rain boots effortlessly tackle puddles, rain, and even shower streams. Their waterproof exterior combined with an insulated interior makes them ideal for keeping your feet warm and dry in bad weather. Additionally, they fit true to size and arrive ready to wear, which is a huge plus.

Top Waterproof Boots for Men

These lace-up Carhartt boots provide exceptional comfort from the start, allowing us to wear them for over 10 hours without any pain. We also tested them in the rain, and the brand's Storm Defender waterproof breathable membrane kept our feet dry. Available in both soft and steel-toe options, they cater to various needs. 

Apparel

Top Fleece Jacket for Women

This adaptable Patagonia fleece is a favorite of ours, praised for its comfort and warmth, making it suitable for both slopes and streets. Crafted from 100% recycled polyester, it maintained its fresh look after weeks of wear and multiple washes. The pullover style is convenient for easy wear, and the snap buttons extend up the collar for added warmth on cooler days. 

Top Fleece Jacket for Men

This zip-up jacket from The North Face kept us warm in freezing and milder conditions, ensuring we felt cozy without overheating. Made from soft polyester and nylon, it remains breathable for more intense activities. We particularly appreciate the color-blocking design, adding a stylish touch to casual outfits. 

Top Rain Jacket for Women

To evaluate rain jackets, T+L editors stood under streams of water for several minutes to check for leaks. This Outdoor Research jacket kept us completely dry, no matter how hard we tried. Its Gore-tex-finished synthetic fabric is both flexible and lightweight, allowing for easy packing into a suitcase or backpack without taking up much space.

Top Rain Jacket for Men

In line with our previous testing, the men’s Foray Super Stretch rain jacket from Outdoor Research also impressed us. Rain and water slid effortlessly off the Gore-tex material, keeping the interior completely dry. The flexible synthetic fabric allows for full range of motion, making this jacket ideal for both intense activities and casual outings. 

Top Swimsuit for Men

These Vuori swim trunks feel like you're wearing waterproof lounge shorts due to their comfort and stretch. We appreciate that they look great on land while providing high-quality, stretchy material for swimming in any water. Plus, they dry quickly, which is a definite advantage. 

Top One-piece Swimsuit for Women

The Amalfi one-piece from Andie is available in a variety of sizes, fabric colors, textures, bottom coverage options, and torso lengths, allowing for a nearly personalized swimsuit without breaking the bank. It fit both of our testers, who have different body types, perfectly, offering ample support and flexibility for comfort and style.

Best Bikini

This bikini top, along with the matching bottoms, features a two-layer blend of nylon and spandex that provides both comfort and support, whether you're swimming in the ocean or relaxing on the sand. We love the crisscross back tie that adds extra stability, and while the swimsuit fits true to size, adjustable straps are always a bonus. During our tests, this bikini also dried remarkably quickly.

Best Travel Pants for Women

Lululemon is a brand that consistently impresses us with its travel gear, particularly with comfortable pants like the high-rise joggers. These joggers resemble sweatpants but offer a much more polished appearance for travel, allowing you to enjoy both style and comfort. The waistband and ankle cuffs provide ample stretch, and we love that they come in a wide range of sizes (0 to 20) and two different lengths (25 and 28 inches).

Best Travel Pants for Men

These chino-style pants for men from Lululemon provide such comfort that we were surprised they aren't just sweatpants. We wore them for our weekly commutes as they were polished enough for the office, and they certainly offer more stretch and breathability compared to standard pants.

Best Packable Jacket for Men

This adaptable puffer jacket from Eddie Bauer is perfect for travel in any season, easily fitting into a backpack without occupying much room. With 650 down-fill insulation, it provides warmth without being bulky or overly warm during our tests. As a reputable outdoor brand, Eddie Bauer delivers high-quality materials and an excellent fit that reflect their commitment to durability and comfort.

Best Packable Jacket for Women

We were thoroughly impressed by this Columbia rain jacket during our tests, particularly because it packs into itself, shrinking down to a fraction of its original size. This makes it easy to fit into a small shoulder bag, which can be invaluable if you find yourself caught in an unexpected downpour while traveling or hiking. The jacket runs true to size and is available in a wide range of colors, adding to its versatility for every traveler.

Best Down Jacket

This down jacket is lightweight, warm, and stylish, meeting all our expectations during testing. It's designed to keep you comfortable in temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit, and we found that it really delivers warmth in cold conditions. Its slim silhouette is flattering, and the curved hemline at the hip allows for excellent mobility.

Best Puffer Jacket

The Alo cropped puffer jacket is incredibly cozy and warm, featuring thick synthetic down-fill material. It includes a removable hood for added warmth and a cinched hem to keep cold air out. We found it ideal for various activities, making it a stylish and comfortable everyday choice for warmth.

Outdoor Gear

Best Hiking Daypack

After using this backpack on multiple long and challenging hikes, it quickly proved its value. The backpack is incredibly comfortable, featuring adjustable straps on the shoulders, chest, and hips, along with ample padding throughout. Additionally, the various pockets and the included hydration pack helped keep everything organized with plenty of extra space.

Best Beach Shade

This beach umbrella is incredibly easy to set up and secure, allowing you to enjoy shade on sunny days effortlessly. We tested it in strong winds, and it remained firmly anchored in the sand. Plus, the UPF 50+ fabric kept us safely sheltered from the sun's rays even during hot weather. 

Best Beach Towel

This luxurious Turkish towel is soft, highly absorbent, and spacious enough for several people. Made from organic cotton, it feels thick and premium yet remains lightweight, making it easy to pack in a suitcase. We took it on a weekend getaway, and it fit perfectly in our carry-on without occupying much space at all.  

Best Tent

Incredibly simple to set up, this Nemo tent can be assembled in no time and is packed with clever features. We camped on a windy beach with it, and it held up perfectly against strong gusts, looking pristine even after rough weather. Notable features included multiple gear pockets, smooth zippers, and a unique pocket that converts a headlamp into a tent lantern.

Our Testing Process

In 2023, Dinogo evaluated over 1,500 products through 50 distinct tests in our New York City lab and real-world environments, exceeding the number of items tested in 2022. Thanks to our dedicated research coordinators, lab producers, photographers, assistants, product testers, editors, and writers, we incorporated testing notes into numerous articles to ensure we recommend only the finest products available. 

From striking luggage with baseball bats to assess durability to standing under showers in rain jackets to evaluate waterproofing, we push products to their limits to see which exceed our expectations and which do not. We wear shoes for extended periods to determine comfort levels (with many blisters resulting from testing over 200 pairs this year) and don jackets in harsh weather to ensure warmth and protection. We tackle 5-plus mile hikes to test footwear, pants, and backpacks, and we spend hours in cars, planes, trains, and buses evaluating travel-ready clothing. We often utilize thermometers, infrared readers, timers, and luggage scales to gather numerical data on the products we assess, rating each item with a consistent system.

As travel experts, we take products with us to test whenever we travel the world, and this year alone, we evaluated items on nearly every continent. Whether in our lab or daily life, products are tested for six months or more, with our articles continuously updated with new testing insights. 

Why Trust Dinogo

Anna Popp is a commerce writer at Dinogo, primarily focusing on tested content. With three years of product testing experience, she has participated in almost every travel test since joining the team a year and a half ago. Anna collaborated closely with T+L editors and the testing team to review product notes and curate our annual list of the best items tested throughout the year.

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