Smith-Corona Skyriterthe carry-on

The Skyriter started in 1949 as the 2Y series and ran through the early 1960s, sold to travelers who wanted something flat and light enough to carry onto a plane, which is where the name comes from. It is all metal rather than the plastic that came later, so it stays sturdier than its size suggests, and the keys strike with more authority than you expect from something this small. The carriage is short and the spools are tiny, so it asks for Skyriter-specific ribbon, and most people treat it as a letters-and-notes machine rather than a full-length-manuscript one. As a coffee-shop or travel companion next to a heavier machine at home, it is one of the standard recommendations for good reason.