When our boys (now nearly 6, nearly 5 and nearly 3) first got old enough that it made sense to pack them each a bag when we went away, we found it hard to find something suitable. We ended up using some transparent plastic rectangular zippered bags with handles, which had originally held mattress covers when on sale in a shop. These were just the right size, and it turns out that having a transparent suitcase for kids is really rather handy for a number of reasons.

However, mattress cover bags were not really designed for reuse and, despite the liberal application of clear Duck tape and cardboard patches, soon they were definitely showing the wear and tear.

All their birthdays are in a 40-day period over Feb/March, so we decided we’d get them all transparent suitcases this year. After all, someone must sell those, right? Turns out, not. Most people apparently don’t want strangers peering at their dirty underwear in the airport security queue. Funny, that.

So I came up with a hack. Start with a “Really Useful” box of an appropriate size. (You’re better off with an original; these are much imitated but never bettered.) We used their 21 litre box; you may want larger or smaller. Such a box can be carried by the sides, but not with one hand, and the span is a bit tough for the younger ones. So we need something else.

Remove any ugly sticky labels the shop may have attached, and drill a couple of holes half way up one side at the edges of the central section.

I find drilling plastic is a slightly uncertain art; if you use too much speed you’ll melt it, and if you press too hard you can crack it, or get stuck swarf. I did get swarf stuck around the holes so they weren’t clean, but mostly cleaned that up with a little light Dremel-ing.

Next, you need some plastic pipe – wide enough that it’s comfortable to hold, but narrow enough that the handles don’t protrude too far or that little hands can’t get around it. I bought this, as being cheap and about the right size. Cut it to a length around 4cm short of the hole-to-hole distance.

Then, you need some plastic rope – I bought 6mm plastic rope (and drilled hole sizes to match) but anything strong enough to take the weight will do, as the kids aren’t holding it directly. (We could have done that, but it’s not very easy on the hands.)

Plastic rope is cheap and strong, but has the disadvantage of fraying ends, of not taking knots well, and I didn’t want to try melting it to itself. After a bit of thought, it turned out that electrician’s tape bound tightly round stops the ends fraying, and the same technique can be used to join a length of rope to itself. (My wife pointed out, as I proudly displayed the finished work, that I should have sourced some white electrician’s tape. Oops.)

So cut the rope to a generous length (3 times the hole-hole distance), bind round one end and trim, and place through the holes and the pipe. Then, inside, pull the rope tight so each loose end almost reaches the opposite hole, mark the spot, bind round again and cut at the top of the bind. You now have nicely-finished rope and a handle – the only remaining job is to stop it coming out of the holes.

Loosening it off some (you need enough play for kids to get their hands under the handle, and if it’s too tight you can’t get the roll of electrician’s tape round behind it) put a small piece of tape to join the two ends at the point half way between the holes. Having this makes it much easier to do the wind-round binding without the rope slipping.

Then, starting at once end with a few turns on top of itself, spiral-wind the electrician’s tape around both pieces, proceeding from one loose end to the other, making sure to pull it tight all the time. The result is a binding which I hope will support the weight of any sensible thing they are considering putting in there – and, if it turns out not, I can pull the tape off and try something else.

The finishing touch is to personalise them – it was harder than I thought to find name stickers of the right size, as most are too tiny (designed for books or small objects) or too large (designed for walls). But Amazon came to my rescue, and I ordered 3 of these (well actually, I ordered another item from the same company, but that’s what they sent me, and it worked perfectly!), which come in pairs, and I used their favourite colours. I placed one on the lid and one just above the handle.

Being sure to apply the decal from one side to the other rather than from sides to middle (to avoid unsightly creases), I lined them up, stuck them on, rubbed them down hard, removed the backing paper and Bob is your mother’s brother.

As well as doubling as under-bed storage when not travelling, and being neat and eye-catching when out and about, these also stack nicely in the car, easing the complex problem I face whenever the whole family has to fit everything they need for a week in our Ford Galaxy. I hope they enjoy using them for many years :-) Cost per suitcase: ~£15.