A Travel Suitcase is your trusted companion, ensuring your belongings are safe and organized; travels.edu.vn understands that selecting the right suitcase can significantly impact your journey, turning potential travel hassles into smooth sailing. That’s why it’s crucial to consider top-rated luggage brands, luggage sets, and luggage options, focusing on quality, durability, and features that align with your travel needs.
1. Our Testing Process (Video)
Luggage testing is serious business at T+L. Over the years, they’ve managed to test 454 carry-on bags. The criteria they consider most important for a carry-on is capacity, organization, design, maneuverability, durability, and value, so they make sure to select ones that perform well in all of those categories. Before packing each carry-on, they weigh them with a luggage scale to see if their actual weight matches up with what the manufacturer has listed. Next, they fill each carry-on bag with enough clothing and accessories for a four-day trip. This includes six shirts, three pairs of pants, five pairs of socks, five pairs of underwear, two jackets, and two pairs of shoes, plus one small and one large toiletry bag. They then analyze how easy the bag’s zippers and compartments are to close and whether or not they need to utilize any expandable features.
After packing the carry-ons full, they push and pull them over carpet, concrete, and hard floors to see how well the wheels glide, and also take a stroll through their obstacle course to see how each bag handles tight twists and turns. They place each carry-on into our overhead bin on our simulated airplane set (yes, those are real plane seats!) to ensure it fits. They then put the durability of each bag to the test by hitting it a few times with a baseball bat and throwing it off a counter to see how well it can withstand wear and tear.
After each lab test, T+L editors take these suitcases on real world trips over the course of six months, and we update our results with long-term insights to ensure our recommendations still stand. We will continue to update this list with new results as we test more carry-ons.
Luggage Testing at a Glance
454 Carry-on bags tested
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123 Luggage brands evaluated
3 Years of testing
2. Tips for Buying
2.1. Decide between hardside vs. softside
Choosing between a hardside and softside travel suitcase mostly comes down to preference, but there are several important factors to consider. A hardside suitcase will fare better than a softside bag when it comes to protecting any delicate items inside your bag, and they’re arguably more sleek looking. However, hardside luggage is more prone to getting scuffed, scraped, and dented, and can show more wear and tear over time. Softside suitcases don’t get as beat up as quickly, and also offer more flexibility for overpackers. However, the fabric exterior is less protective and may not be the best choice if traveling in inclement weather. Consider the nature of your upcoming trips and what factors are most important to you before deciding.
2.2. Look for a lightweight construction
The importance of lightweight luggage cannot be stressed enough. If your travel suitcase is already light to begin with, you won’t have to worry about carrying a bulky suitcase around in the event you overpack. Weight also affects the maneuverability of the suitcase and how easy it is to lift it into overhead bins. The wheeled carry-on suitcases we tested ranged from 4.36 to 12.9 pounds. Anything heavier than that is likely not the best choice to bring on board.
2.3. Decide if you want extra organizational features
Most carry-ons have a main compartment with one or two mesh pockets for organization. If you like to stay highly organized while traveling, look for carry-ons that offer even more compartments. This may include a shoe separator, a laptop sleeve, a laundry bag, additional zippered sections, exterior pockets, and even an AirTag holder.
3. Our Top Picks
Best Overall:
Samsonite Freeform Carry-on Spinner at Amazon $200 $135
Best Overall, Runner-up:
Tumi Alpha International Dual Access Carry-on at Amazon $779
Best Expandability:
Away The Carry-On Flex at Away Travel $325
Best Budget:
Amazon Basics Expandable Hardside 21-inch Spinner at Amazon $64
Best Design:
Dagne Dover Smaller Seattle Carry-on Luggage at Dagnedover.com
Most Durable:
Samsonite Proxis Global Carry-On Spinner at Samsonite
Most Spacious:
July Carry-on Max at July.com
Best Softside:
Away The Softside Bigger Carry-On at Away Travel $245
Best Compression:
Briggs & Riley 22 Inch Spinner at Amazon $649
Best With Brakes:
Aer Carry-On Max at Nordstrom $319
4. Best Overall
4.1. Samsonite Freeform Carry-on Spinner
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$200 $135 at Amazon
Why We Love It- It has incredible capacity for a carry-on of its size.
What to Consider- The outer shell became a bit scratched after months of traveling.
For the past couple of years, the Samsonite Freeform Carry-on Spinner has come out on top as T+L’s favorite travel suitcase — and for good reason. When testing it in our New York City lab, we loved its organization, capacity, and value. We’ve now tested this bag three times in our New York City lab, and each time we were blown away by its surprising capacity, offering ample packing room for trips up to a week. If you tend to overpack or plan to do some retail therapy during your travels, the expandable zipper unveils an extra inch of depth which gives you wiggle room to fit any shopping hauls and souvenirs you plan to take back home. We were able to pack enough clothes for a four-day trip, including two pairs of shoes, multiple jackets, and two toiletry bags — all without having to use the expander.
In terms of maneuverability, it handled tight turns like a champ and went over our simulated concrete curbs without incident. We also gave it a few whacks with a metal baseball bat and noticed that the slight bend of the exterior shell made this suitcase impervious to dents while still protecting its contents (a win if you ever decide to take the gate agent up on the offer to check your bag). Although we did notice the Samsonite Freeform showed a few surface scratches after six months of consistent travel, we still consider it the gold standard for a hardside travel suitcase. It may be too large for some overhead compartments, so always check the dimensions of your airline before flying.
The Details: Hardside | 23 x 15 x 10 inches | 6.5 pounds | Expandable (1 inch) | Polycarbonate | 4 dual spinner wheels
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5. Best Overall, Runner-up
5.1. Tumi Alpha International Dual Access Carry-on
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$779 at Amazon
Why We Love It- It has access points to store grab-and-go items and also has a removable garment bag.
What to Consider- The protective edges and ballistic nylon details make it heavier than the average softside suitcase.
Coming in right behind our beloved Samsonite Freeform is the Tumi Alpha Dual Access Carry-on. This close contender fell just short of our Best Overall slot due to its heaviness and lack of open packing space, but it’s a sophisticated piece of luggage that’s in a league of its own when it comes to organization and helpful features. For starters, it has a built-in front access pocket, which allows you to quickly grab items like a light sweater or your in-flight essentials without having to unzip your entire suitcase in the middle of the airport. There’s also another small exterior pocket for stashing smaller belongings like a travel umbrella, as well as a built-in USB port you can connect to your own portable power bank. Perhaps the biggest selling point of this suitcase is the removable garment sleeve, which makes this bag the perfect companion for business trips or destination weddings. While the garment sleeve and three mesh zip pockets are no doubt useful, they will eat into the bag’s overall capacity, so you’ll have to pack strategically. Thankfully, you can always rely on the Tumi Alpha’s expandable zipper to grant you 2 extra inches of depth if things get tight.
In terms of durability, we couldn’t ask for more. T+L Associate Editorial Director and Tumi loyalist Morgan Ashley Parker took this suitcase for a spin in our testing lab, and after hitting it with a bat several times, she noticed there were no scuffs or dents to speak of. “As someone who owns a Tumi bag that has lasted 16-plus years (and still kicking), I know the durability will extend beyond our lab tests,” says Parker. “I truly can’t imagine a world in which this would puncture or rip. This is great for people who are reluctant to try a softside bag as there’s more ‘give’ than a hardside bag, but it’s so durable that it performs and holds up like a hardside bag would.”
While Tumi’s coveted suitcases are certainly a splurge, they’re a worthwhile investment for someone who wants a durable and versatile suitcase they won’t have to replace for a very long time. The brand also offers extra peace of mind with its generous five-year warranty.
The Details: Softside | 22 x 14 x 9 inches | 10.7 pounds | 35-liter capacity | Expandable (2 inches) | USB port | Ballistic nylon | 4 dual spinner wheels
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6. Best Expandability
6.1. Away The Carry-On Flex
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$325 at Away Travel
Why We Love It- The expandable zipper unveils 2.25 inches of packing space (more than your typical expandable spinner!).
What to Consider- Depending on your airline’s carry-on rules, you may be required to check it once fully expanded.
Stroll through any airport, and you’ll see loads of passengers toting one of Away’s signature striped suitcases. After personally testing dozens of Away products, I can assure you’ll have no regrets hopping on the Away trend. The brand’s built-to-last luggage can always be counted on to help overpackers travel more efficiently, and The Carry-On Flex is a testament to that. Offering a generous 2.25 inches of extra packing space with its expandable feature, this is the exact kind of travel suitcase to bring on trips where you want extra room for those “just in case” items.
Inside The Carry-on Flex, you’ll find an open compartment with a mesh divider and another compartment opposite of that with a mesh pocket and compression straps to help you pack down all your belongings for an easier close. We enjoyed floating this compact suitcase through the obstacle course in our testing lab thanks to its easy-gliding 360-degree wheels. It also showed minimal damage after our table drop and baseball bat tests — a good indicator that the exterior will stand up to the roughest of handling.
The only downside of the Away Carry-on Flex is that some international airlines may be strict about bringing it on board once fully expanded. So if you’re planning on using the bag’s full capacity, be prepared to part with it at the gate.
The Details: Hardside | 21.7 x 14.4 x 9 inches | 7.9 pounds | 39.8-liter capacity (unexpanded); 46.7-liter capacity (expanded) | Expandable (2.25 inches) | Polycarbonate | 4 dual spinner wheels
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7. Best Budget
7.1. Amazon Basics Expandable Hardside 21-inch Spinner
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$64 at Amazon
Why We Love It- It’s lightweight and offers impressive capacity for its size.
What to Consider- The color options are limited.
You might have assumed that finding a budget suitcase means you have to sacrifice on the quality front, but Amazon’s slate of luggage continuously proves that theory wrong. After testing their 21-inch expandable hardside spinner in the T+L lab, I’m convinced the retailer’s wallet-friendly suitcase is the best you can buy on a budget. For starters, it offers the same capacity as suitcases that are more than double the price. Inside, you’ll find an X compression strap and a mesh zip divider that makes storing underwear, socks, and swimsuits a breeze. The bag has four “feet” on its right side to keep it propped up horizontally on an airport scale or in the trunk of a car. Though the telescoping handle was a bit wobbly, I was able to adjust between the three handle heights with ease. We do caution that, like other expandable suitcases, it would be at risk of being flagged by airline staff because it looks much wider in its expanded state.
We tested the Amazon Basics 21-inch carry-on three times in our lab just to make sure we still loved it over the years. Though it got a bit scuffed from our bat tests during its second round of testing, it proved easy to buff the scratches out by hand. Considering all you get for under $100, you can’t go wrong taking the plunge on this affordable yet solid option.
The Details: Hardside | 21.7 x 14.8 x 10 inches | 6.8 pounds | 34-liter capacity | Expandable (2 inches) | Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) | 4 dual spinner wheels
