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Crew™ versapack™ carry-on rolling tote, atlantic® ultra® lite 4 20" carry-on hardside spinner, crew™ versapack™ max carry-on rollaboard®, maxlite® 5 22" expandable carry-on rollaboard®, crew™ versapack™ rolling underseat carry-on.

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The Best Carry-On Luggage

By Kit Dillon

Kit Dillon is a writer focused on bags and travel gear. He has worked for Wirecutter for a decade and lost count of the number of bags he has tested.

Traveling well is not always easy. Keeping your suitcase with you when you fly not only protects your belongings from loss or damage but may help you avoid extra fees as well.

If you decide to do so, you need a good carry-on bag.

Over the past 10 years, we’ve handled, tested, and traveled with 67 bags from more than 35 brands, and we remain convinced that the Travelpro Platinum Elite offers the best balance of value and quality for most travelers.

It packs five days’ worth of clothes into standard US carry-on dimensions 1 and has premium touches you might expect from a $600 bag at about half the price.

It’s a bag that you can rely on for life, even if it’s damaged by airlines —a rarity at any price.

Everything we recommend

Travelpro Platinum Elite 21″ Carry-On Spinner

The best soft-sided carry-on.

This spinner carry-on offers the best balance of size, value, reliability, and durability, plus high-end details. It’s backed by a lifetime warranty.

Buying Options

Travelpro Platinum Elite 22″ Carry-On Rollaboard

A bit more capacity and extra wheel durability.

This two-wheeled carry-on bag isn’t as maneuverable, but it offers slightly more space, a garment folder, and larger, more durable wheels.

Away The Carry-On

The best hard-sided carry-on.

This great-looking and relatively resilient piece of hard-sided luggage has top-of-the-line components—including wheels as smooth-rolling as any we’ve tested.

Away The Bigger Carry-On

Slightly more room, but you might get checked.

With more capacity than Away’s standard carry-on, this suitcase is sized appropriately for most flights. On smaller planes, though, you may get gate-checked.

Budget pick

Travelpro Maxlite 5 21″ Carry-On Spinner

Lightweight and appealingly inexpensive.

Remarkably well priced for a reputable brand, this is an ideal lightweight pick and provides many features of luggage costing nearly twice as much.

Upgrade pick

Briggs & Riley Baseline Essential 22″ Carry-On Expandable Spinner

A soft-sided carry-on that fits more in less.

This carry-on bag offers superlative build quality, plenty of expandable room, and a uniquely effective compression system. It’s a buy-it-for-life suitcase.

Briggs & Riley Baseline Essential 22″ 2-Wheel Expandable Carry-On

More room, bigger wheels, less maneuverability.

If you’re willing to give up maneuverability for more space and bigger wheels, this is also a great option.

Carl Friedrik The Carry-On

A more luxe hard-sided carry-on.

Luxury touches and a strong polycarbonate and aluminum design give this bag a standout look with exceptional feel and performance. It does cost nearly $200 more than the comparably sized Away bag, though.

Yeti Crossroads 22″/35L Wheeled Luggage

A bag built for tough conditions.

A polycarbonate back and rugged wheels make this design suited for rougher travel over difficult surfaces. However, it has a limited warranty, and it’s somewhat unwieldy to handle.

What to consider

Four-wheel bags, aka spinners, are easier to maneuver down tight airplane aisles, but two-wheel bags will always be more durable .

Hard-sided looks better to most people, but soft-sided luggage withstands the bumps and knocks of travel for longer .

Plenty of reputable brands offer lifetime warranties; it’s generally worth paying a little extra for the peace of mind .

Depending on where you travel, you might need to look for specialty luggage sizes .

We’ve also included picks that stood out for their form and individual functionality: an upgrade with best-in-class compression, a pick made of polycarbonate , an upgraded hard-sided case with latch closures and an aluminum frame, a rolling soft-top hybrid , and a budget pick that’s also the best ultra-light suitcase we can find.

Travelpro’s Platinum Elite line of luggage is still our top pick after 10 years of testing. It addresses the concerns of most travelers for an affordable price while offering the best warranty against potential airline damage in the industry (as long as you register the luggage within 120 days of purchase, which you can do in minutes).

The Platinum Elite features smooth-rolling, replaceable wheels, as well as solid and comfortable telescoping handles and a hard-wearing nylon exterior propped up by a solid internal chassis. Instead of chasing the smart-bag moment, Travelpro added an exterior pocket with a USB pass-through extension that lets you insert your own battery pack for charging your phone. And weighing less than 8 pounds when empty, the Platinum Elite is dead in the center of average weight for bags this size.

In our view, soft-sided luggage lasts longer and shows less wear, but if you prefer the look of a hard-sided bag, Away’s The Carry-On is our choice. Like our other picks, this bag stands out for its high-end components: YKK zippers, smooth-running wheels, and a well-braced handle. Its strong but flexible polycarbonate shell shows scratches—however, after seven years of using the Away Carry-On, our testers have found that it is capable of enduring most of the trials of travel with fewer knocks than other similar models we’ve tested.

Away also makes a slightly larger version of the same model: The Bigger Carry-On . It conforms to carry-on size for most major airliners, but you might be asked to gate-check it on smaller planes.

Similar to our soft-sided picks, this Away bag is backed by a limited lifetime warranty. And though the coverage doesn’t explicitly protect against airline damage, it does apply to any damage that an airline could possibly dish out—specifically, but not limited to, the shell cracking or wheels breaking off.

Some companies have tried to shave off a few pounds from their standard luggage designs to make so-called ultra-light luggage. The Travelpro Maxlite 5 21″ Carry-On Spinner is the best of these bags we’ve seen, and it comes with the pedigree of our top pick but not quite as strong a warranty.

The Maxlite 5 is just over 2 pounds lighter than our top pick—that’s the weight of two or three pairs of jeans. It’s not a huge difference, but if you have trouble lifting luggage over your head and prefer an easier-to-manage suitcase, the Maxlite 5 may be your choice. This bag is also the best one we’ve found under $200, with almost all the benefits of luggage nearly twice the price.

For the more frequent flyer who is willing to invest in a higher-quality bag, we recommend the Briggs & Riley Baseline Essential Carry-On . Every detail of this bag, from the zippers to the wheels to the wrinkle-resistant suit compartment, is made to the highest standards, and it has a higher proportion of usable space than any other spinner bag we tested.

Briggs & Riley boosts this extra capacity with a ratcheting compression system that easily presses an entire extra outfit (if not more) into the same external dimensions as most other carry-ons. It’s simple, impressive, and unmatched by any other brand’s compression system.

The Expandable Spinner version is also the only spinner luggage model we tested with a built-in garment folder, which helps shirts and pants stay wrinkle-free if you pack them well. If things go awry, Briggs & Riley has a catalog of replaceable parts and a global network of repair centers , as well as a reliable lifetime warranty covering repairs for airline damage.

For some people, Carl Friedrik’s The Carry-On may be worth the extra cost. Behind the maturity of Italian leather accents and polish of higher-end Hinomoto wheels, the Carl Friedrik Carry-On bypasses the biggest compromise in most polycarbonate designs: the stitched-in zipper. Incorporating an aluminum frame around the center of the case and two latch locks, it feels comfortingly secure and well structured where other luggage tends to sag or bend away.

There’s a potential catch, however: The flex in a polycarbonate design (and most luggage, incidentally) is its strength. The more robust a piece of luggage becomes—by replacing, for instance, a zipper with an aluminum frame—the greater the chance that if something hits the case hard enough, the frame can bend or break. That said, you need to hit a frame like this with an extreme amount of focused force for that to happen. And Carl Friedrik provides a lifetime warranty that appears to cover airline damage in the event that an airline doesn’t compensate you within 14 days.

The Yeti Crossroads 22”/35L Wheeled Luggage represents the best of a relatively niche type of luggage design. Call it a hybrid model—a blend of a soft-sided luggage on top and hard-sided luggage on the back—that lends itself to fairly specific circumstances. It’s ideal for tough roads, broken streets, and slamming your luggage into uneven curbs with abandon. Do most people need this kind of luggage for their day-to-day travel? Absolutely not, and it can feel heavier than it really is. But if you do, this is the best there is—at least for the moment.

The Yeti Crossroads has everything you might expect from a brand that has built its reputation for over-the-top toughness and durability. The two heavy-duty wheels are among the largest and broadest that we’ve seen. Externally, Yeti blends a polycarbonate shell back with a water-resistant 700-denier nylon front and waterproof zippers. However, Yeti backs its luggage with only a three-year warranty and no mention of airline damage. That’s very limited protection, especially for the conditions this bag was designed for and definitely in comparison with the standards that our other picks set.

The research

Why you should trust us, how we picked and tested, our pick for the best carry-on luggage: travelpro platinum elite, our pick for the best hard-sided carry-on luggage: away the carry-on, budget pick: travelpro maxlite 5 carry-on spinner, upgrade pick for the best carry-on: briggs & riley baseline essential, upgrade pick for the best hard-sided carry-on: carl friedrik the carry-on, also great for tough conditions: yeti crossroads 35l wheeled luggage, other good carry-on luggage, what to look forward to, the competition.

I’ m a senior staff writer at Wirecutter, and ha ve been covering luggage and travel bag design here for about a decade. I’ve written guides to everything from packing cubes and checked luggage to duffle bags and underseat luggage .

For this guide, I’ve done the following over the years:

• I have personally researched, tested, and compared hundreds of bags.
• I’ve spoken with plenty of experts: flight attendants for major airlines, product designers and creative directors for luggage and gear companies, and travel and gear writers. My conversations with these people have helped shape our coverage, and we owe much to their collective knowledge.
• Like all Wirecutter journalists, I review and test products with complete editorial independence. I’m never made aware of any business implications of my editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards .
• In accordance with Wirecutter standards and to avoid any conflict of interest, I don’t own stock or have any other financial interest in a company or industry that I cover or am likely to cover.

In the 10 years we’ve been covering this category, luggage has evolved, and so has our thinking about what makes the best carry-on for most people. After spending well over 200 hours doing research and interviews and easily twice that time conducting hands-on testing, we’ve seen a few truths become clear.

First, at a certain threshold—roughly over $200—most luggage is fine. It will more than likely get you from point A to point B without incident many times a year for many years. What distinguishes great luggage from everything else is mostly an attention to detail—the quality of a bag’s handle, its wheels, the frame, and stitching—and a company’s guarantee that it will stand behind its product.

Every year we try to refine our testing and find new ways to consider what it means to be the best luggage. We’ve weighed and measured suitcases, comparing our results with company claims. We’ve calculated true internal capacity with hundreds of Ping-Pong balls 2 and some decently complex math for a writer to scratch out. We’ve packed and unpacked more bags than I care to remember. We’ve studied and compared wheel bearings, wheel sizes, pocket counts, pocket quality, the curious subtleties of garment bags that will (or more often won’t) keep your clothes wrinkle-free, the strength of warranties, and repairability.

We believe that any maximally sized carry-on should be capable of holding enough clothes to last you five days with room to spare for miscellaneous necessities. Most years we aim to have two testers, one male and one female, pack two bags individually as if headed to the same wedding. 3 What we included isn’t representative of a family traveling or a couple splitting a bag, but we erred on the side of bulky, and we hope it gives you a clear idea of how much of your own stuff these bags will hold.

We looked at how each bag loaded. Was there an easy way to keep smaller items (such as socks and underwear) organized? Did it have compression straps to keep things in place? Were the straps thick enough to avoid creasing the clothes? Just how much would the bag compress? How much room was left over? Once packed, was the bag prone to tipping over?

Over the years I’ve torn bags apart to see how the frames were put together, taken apart wheels, dismantled handles, and more or less treated luggage as poorly as one person could. I’ve wheeled loaded bags around many neighborhoods, looking at how well each bag rolled and how well it handled broken sidewalks, uneven pavement, grass, bricks, dirt, and curbs. I’ve dragged bags up and down two flights of concrete stairs, noting how easy this task was and how much damage the bags sustained. For our finalists, I’ve repeated the torture test along a second, even rougher route because I like the sound that polycarbonate luggage makes when it bounces down cavernous stairwells.

In fall 2023, we asked a panel of paid testers with a wide range of body types, dexterities, and mobilities to examine our picks and share their perspectives. We’ve incorporated their feedback in this review.

The Travelpro Platinum Elite 21″ Carry-On Spinner is our pick for a soft-sided carry-on; if you need a little more room, we also recommend the Travelpro Platinum Elite 22″ Carry-On Rollaboard .

It has a history of great performance. Travelpro’s Platinum Elite line has been our top pick for almost every iteration of this guide because it addresses the concerns of most travelers for an affordable price: In addition to smooth-rolling, replaceable wheels, it features solid and comfortable telescoping handles and a hard-wearing nylon exterior propped up by a solid 7.8-pound internal chassis. Travelpro backs it all with a lifetime warranty that covers airline damage and shipping to the repair facility (as long as you register the luggage within 120 days of purchase).

It’s sized to maximize your space, but you do have options. Officially, the Platinum Elite measures 23 by 13.5 by 9 inches. Some sharp-eyed readers will notice that these actual dimensions, which include the handle height, exceed the 22-inch height limit for carry-ons on most domestic airlines. In reality, any luggage manufacturer maximizing its overhead allowances will push handles into the gray area between a case’s stated dimensions and its true overall dimensions. Travelpro, if anything, is being more honest in reporting the bag’s true 23.5-inch height than many other brands. As you can see in the photo below, the Travelpro’s frame fits into the American Airlines baggage caddy located at check-in, as it does in most standard-size caddies.

I’ve personally traveled with Travelpro carry-ons this size for more than 45,000 miles spread across 50 flights, from regional to long-haul to international routes, and I’ve never had an issue fitting within gate-side luggage sizers. If you’re nervous about getting caught at the gate or often fly in very small regional planes, Travelpro makes a 20-inch Platinum Elite as well as a slimmer international size, but they hold less (naturally) and lack a suiter insert.

It moves well across most surfaces and through most situations. The spinner bag’s configuration stands out in particular because of its MagnaTrac wheels, which magnetically snap into a forward position when the bag is moving. The small tracking assistance makes a large difference when you’re navigating the Platinum Elite through a crowded airport or down a busy street. It also has an easy-to-use, removable garment bag. After years of testing, we think the superior maneuverability of spinner luggage, along with improvements in manufacturing processes, makes four-wheel bags a better choice for most people. However, if you prefer slightly more packing capacity (the equivalent of squeezing in two more sweatshirts), larger wheels that run more smoothly over rough terrain, and a more protective built-in garment folder, 4 you may appreciate the two-wheeled 22-inch version of the Platinum Elite. One of our paid testers, who’s 6-foot-6, told us that although he could see the appeal of a spinner, “I would still choose the two-wheeler. It has a little more space, and when you’re my size, packing is just so horrible.”

It keeps clothes compacted but not creased. Inside, the Platinum Elite has a pair of tie-down straps and two broad panels with pockets that cinch down, similar in design and function to what you’d find in much more expensive Briggs & Riley luggage . Compared with the simple tie-down straps you often find in cheaper luggage, the panels do a great job of keeping things compacted without creasing clothes—a problem we’ve encountered in numerous other bags we’ve tested. Beyond that, the Platinum Elite’s internal organization system is about average. It will be familiar to anyone who has used a suitcase before, which means there’s no learning curve for optimizing the storage capacity. One long mesh pocket sits on one of the bag’s sides, and a smaller removable transparent plastic bag sits on the other side for easy TSA inspection of toiletries.

It’s tough yet flexible. The exterior is made of a hard-wearing nylon fabric, a key feature of all the bags we’ve tested. It hides scuffs and scratches, and it’s much more versatile than hard-sided bags. An expansion zipper lets you increase storage by about 30% in a pinch—although the bag is no longer carry-on compliant at that point. We prefer to use the expansion zipper as something of an ad-hoc compression system: We unzip the expansion zipper while packing the bag and then zip it at the end, tamping everything down tight. The Platinum Elite carry-on also has a variety of convenient exterior pockets, including two in the front, suitable for a sleep mask and other small miscellaneous items, and one on the side for a battery, though it can fit a bit more if necessary. It also has an accordion pocket on the front for magazines and electronic tablets.

In total, the Platinum Elite has an 1,856-cubic-inch interior, which we measured using hundreds of Ping-Pong balls . In real-world terms (the needs of Ping-Pong champions notwithstanding), the Platinum Elite swallowed up five days’ worth of clothes with no problem and had a good deal of room to spare—and that’s without our resorting to the expansion zipper.

It has an excellent warranty. Should anything go wrong, you can take advantage of Travelpro’s generous lifetime warranty, which covers airline damage  and shipping to the repair facility (as long as you register the bag within 120 days of purchase). The sole other company we’ve seen offering this extensive a warranty is Briggs & Riley, whose carry-on suitcases start at about $500. Travelpro has multiple repair centers . To get repair service, you can either drop the bag off at a repair center or ship the bag to Travelpro, the cost of which the company will cover. Keep in mind that the warranty doesn’t cover cosmetic wear.

It’s important to note that the Platinum Elite’s warranty coverage is “better” than the standard Travelpro warranty (including the one offered on our other pick from Travelpro, the Maxlite ) and most forum discussions we’ve read covering the subject over the years seem to agree that Travelpro’s service was prompt and painless. Of course, it’s better if nothing breaks in the first place.

Travelpro has a history of fixing production errors remarkably quickly. In 2019, we noticed a small uptick in Wirecutter reader complaints about zipper tabs breaking. We reached out to Travelpro, and a representative told us that a production error expanded the capacity of the front pocket of the Platinum Elite; this allowed travelers to overpack the pocket, which put excessive strain on the zipper. Travelpro identified and fixed the issue before it had reached the threshold of more than a few comments online.

Dimensions: 23.5 by 14.5 by 9 inches (HWD) Weight: 7.8 pounds Volume: 46 liters

How the Platinum Elite has held up

After nearly a decade of testing the Platinum Elite line of bags from Travelpro, we have yet to encounter a single serious issue. The fabric exterior brushes off scrapes and is easy enough to clean. Simply, it is a remarkably built bag that continues to travel well, year after year.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• Though the Platinum Elite rolled well in general, we are still concerned when dragging the bag up stairs. Some of the other bags we tested had long plastic bumper strips running most of the way up the length of the bag; this Travelpro model’s skid plate isn’t as big or as protective. I haven’t had an issue, but if you’re particularly rough on your luggage or uncomfortable lifting the bag over curbs or up stairs, it’s something to be aware of.

• In 2018, Travelpro added a USB-A pass-through cable to the Platinum Elite as a way to compete with so-called smart bags. We like the battery pocket, but the built-in cable itself, which routes from the pocket to a USB port less than 6 inches away, is an unnecessary item, which at best adds a potential point of failure to the bag—USB cables do not last forever. Does it ruin the bag? No. Is it a feature? Not really.
• Some vegan readers may dislike the leather accents.

If you prefer the look of hard-sided luggage or the security of knowing that you can’t overpack your suitcase, Away’s The Carry-On is the carry-on we recommend. If you want to maximize your available carry-on space, it also comes in a slightly larger size: The Bigger Carry-On .

It can take wear and tear. Most travelers are still better off with one of our soft-sided picks than a hard-sided carry-on; soft-sided luggage shows less wear and typically lasts longer than hard-sided luggage. But the Away Carry-On’s wheels and zipper are as well made as those of our soft-sided picks, and its polycarbonate showed fewer scratches than that of hard-sided competitors.

We’ve tested the Away Carry-On for six years, traveling with it ourselves across the country and lending several units to testers and frequent travelers to see how they enjoyed using the bag. Its polycarbonate feels similar to that used on more high-end (and significantly pricier) suitcases such as the Rimowa Essential Cabin , which is more than three times as expensive.

You have options if you need extra space. Away makes a similar model of suitcase with an expandable zipper, The Carry-On Flex . The Flex is the same bag as the standard Carry-On except for the expanding center zipper and the price (it’s about $50 more). Personally, I’m not a fan of expanding zippers on suitcases. It feels like just one more thing to break. But some people may prefer having the extra flexibility.

It feels great to use. The bag itself feels good in the hands, and the wheels are noticeably better than those on any of the hard-sided competitors we tried. Away also uses YKK zippers, outclassing our top pick in that regard (Travelpro moved to Supra zippers in 2015). At this point, we’re pretty comfortable saying that years of debate over the best zipper are largely redundant, but YKK still sets the standard.

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Away has sparked more imitators and outright duplicates than any other brand in the past decade, in part due to its appeal with younger travelers. I’ve thought about why, and as best as I can guess, a simple polycarbonate cube dripped in limited-edition soft hues does exude a certain calm; the fact that some of those same colors also coat the exteriors of pills ending in suffixes -ax and -il is not, one assumes, accidental.

It has a great warranty. The Away Carry-On is backed by a limited lifetime warranty that protects against defects and parts breaking. Though the warranty doesn’t specifically mention airline damage, the damages it does list—cracks or breaks in the shell, wheels or handles becoming unusable, zippers that don’t work, fabric tears that render any pocket unusable—basically outline anything an airline could possibly dish out. For the most part, our online searches looking for user experiences with Away’s warranty have turned up overwhelmingly positive results.

Dimensions (for The Carry-On): 21.7 by 14.4 by 9 inches (HWD) Weight: 7.5 pounds Volume: 40 liters

• The Carry-On’s sleek style comes at a cost: Its polycarbonate shell is ultimately more likely to break than the nylon fabric of our other picks.
• It lacks certain amenities, such as external pockets and a suiter, that our top picks have.
• The clamshell design, which splits down the middle and opens into two parts, can make the bag frustrating to pack and unpack. Packing cubes help, but after years of packing and unpacking soft-sided luggage with a single lid, I personally find a clamshell design to be more finicky when packing.
• Crain’s New York Business reported last year that Away is possibly exploring “strategic options including a sale,” which may muddy the waters around the brand’s overall future somewhat.

The Travelpro Maxlite 5 21″ Carry-On Spinner is one of the lightest pieces of luggage we’ve tested, at a great price.

It’s lightweight. We have a hard time imagining how anyone could make a suitcase much lighter than this without breaking certain laws of physics. A few years ago, I took apart a Maxlite suitcase to see how the internal frame was built. What I found beneath the fabric was a clever lattice of plastic supporting the frame, which offered the best balance between weight-saving and structure.

For some people, especially those with limited upper-body strength, a lighter bag—even by just a few pounds—may be easier to lift or manage. That said, most people don’t need extremely light luggage, but just to pack less. For all the innovative design, the Maxlite 5 shaves only 2.4 pounds off the weight of our top pick. That’s the equivalent of a couple of pairs of jeans.

It’s inexpensive. My general advice to friends is to spend more than $200 but less than $500 to get good, if not great, luggage. The Maxlite 5 is the one piece of luggage I’ve found that breaks that rule. You can usually find it for about $150 or less, which is a remarkable price considering the bag’s quality.

Simple is good. This model doesn’t have any real bells or whistles—no battery pass-throughs or magnetically tracked wheels, as with our other Travelpro picks. Instead you’ll find two simple front pockets, a few well-placed handles, and a cavernous main compartment with a couple of pockets and two light straps to hold your stuff in place.

It comes from a trusted brand. We haven’t covered, examined, and interrogated a single luggage brand at Wirecutter for as long as we have Travelpro. For a decade, Travelpro has done a premier job of maintaining trust with its customers and with us—we’ve watched the company make small changes in design, catch flaws quickly, and address warranty concerns promptly. This is not something we say lightly: Travelpro is a name you can trust.

Dimensions: 23 by 14.5 by 9 inches (HWD) Weight: 5.4 pounds Volume: 46 liters

• The Maxlite 5’s warranty isn’t as robust as that of our top pick: Manufacturing defects in the wheels, zippers, and handles are covered for as long as you own the bag, but airline damage and shipping to a Travelpro repair center are covered only for the first year. (And you do need to register the bag.) Considering that this bag costs half the price of the Platinum Elite, this makes sense, but it’s something to be aware of.

If you’re a frequent flyer and willing to invest in higher-quality gear, we recommend the Briggs & Riley Baseline Essential 22″ Carry-On Expandable Spinner (also available in a two-wheeled version with more capacity).

It’s the best of the best. Every detail of this top-rated bag, from the zippers to the wheels to the wrinkle-resistant suit compartment, is made to the highest standards, and we found that it had a higher proportion of usable space than any other spinner bag we tested. Briggs & Riley keeps its design consistent, adding, at most, small improvements such as this year’s upgraded lifting handle. Our 6-foot-6 paid tester pointed out that the Baseline Essential’s handle extended an inch and a half farther than that of the Travelpro Platinum Elite, which made it less likely to hit his heels as he pulled it.

Although the wheels don’t snap into alignment, they are exceptionally smooth-rolling and easy to maneuver. If you fly more than 25,000 miles per year, it’s worthwhile to invest in luggage that goes beyond merely being sturdy and actually improves your overall travel experience. That’s why we’ve been recommending it since we first covered this topic in 2014. The Baseline Essential is one of the best carry-on luggage options available today.

Its compression system is truly a marvel. The most ingenious part of the Baseline Essential bag is its CX expansion and compression system. Pull upward on two plastic handles inside the bag, and you can extend its depth a full 2.5 inches. Load the bag as full as you need to, and zip it closed. Then you push down on the bag, which compresses it as a clip mechanism secures it in place. Unlike other expansion systems, which are either open or closed, this one locks into incremental positions. It’s a unique design and very satisfying to use.

It’s the easiest to pack. Briggs & Riley placed the tracks for the Baseline Essential handles on the outside of the bag, which allows for a flat surface in the interior of the bag, with no small crevices to work around for simple packing. And in our tests, after packing 10 bags and trying to figure out strategies for each nook and cranny, packing on a broad flat surface felt like a luxury. According to our measurements, the bag, unexpanded, offers 1,905 cubic inches of storage room (and that accounts for the space occupied by the wheel wells and such). Expanded, it can stow 2,110 cubic inches. That’s remarkably efficient for a bag that does so much. All of these features add up to a carry-on that is easier to pack than any other bag we tested.

The Baseline Essential spinner is also the only spinner luggage model we tested with a built-in garment folder. It’s similar to the folder in Travelpro’s two-wheeled Platinum Elite bag, and that’s a good thing. It’s easy to pack and has an anchor point for hangers. Each of the three folds has a bit of padding that helps to keep a suit from pinching onto itself and creasing, though much of that depends on how well you pack. You can fit a week’s worth of clothes in the Baseline Essential, including some puffy gear for colder weather. A wide, wrinkle-free tie-down system completes the package.

It’s understated. On the outside, the Baseline Essential is pretty unremarkable. There’s nothing eye-grabbing about the bag, which is good if you’re trying to avoid being gate-checked (or having it stolen). Its outer, nylon fabric seems to be of a tighter weave than that used on the other bags we’ve tested. We also noticed a robust feel to the zippers, which are a self-repairing type made by YKK.

Similar to our top pick, the Baseline Essential includes a charging pocket. However, Briggs & Riley skipped the internal USB wiring, instead opting for a simple pocket arrangement (video) on the back of the bag for discreetly storing a charge pack and your phone. It’s an elegant solution.

It comes with an excellent warranty. All Briggs & Riley bags come with a lifetime warranty that covers any damage to the “functional aspects” of the bag, even if caused by an airline (like Travelpro, Briggs & Riley does not cover cosmetic wear or cleaning). Although Briggs & Riley handles warranty-covered repairs at no extra cost, you do have to pay to ship the bag to the company to carry out any repairs; it will ship your bag back to you for free. Or you can drop off the bag at one of the many repair centers . Briggs & Riley emphasizes that returning your bag to you in its original condition, even after repairs, is not always possible. The bags are easy to service and repair, so you can also order the parts you need and replace them yourself at home.

We’ve put in the miles, and the Baseline Essential is in a separate league. Over a five-year period before the pandemic, Wirecutter founder Brian Lam carried a two-wheeled Baseline Essential carry-on while traveling 150,000 miles and farther. After considering all the bags in our test and logging an additional 40,000 miles with a similarly priced bag by Tumi, he was convinced that this model is the best for anyone who’s always on the move. “I love this bag. It carries so much,” Brian said. “Sometimes I check it. Sometimes I carry it. It always fits.”

Dimensions: 22 by 14 by 9 (expands to 11.5) inches (HWD) Weight: 10 pounds Volume: 37 liters (expands to 48 liters)

• Despite the plastic shielding, the exposed rails on the exterior could use more protection. While dragging the bag up stairs (which we don’t advise doing), we felt more scraping than we’d like.
• At first glance, the handle feels too loose for a roughly $700 bag. We spoke to Briggs & Riley representatives, and they explained that this is a deliberate choice: The looser tolerances allow for the handle to retract by itself when you click its button, without your having to force it down. In practice, this is very helpful for scaling stairs and could save you some hassle in tight quarters, such as in the aisle of an airplane.
• At 10 pounds, the Baseline Essential is the heaviest bag we recommend. In this price range, weight often equals durability, which equals quality. But if you’re uncomfortable with a heavier bag, this isn’t the best pick for you.

Carl Friedrik’s The Carry-On is an impressive polycarbonate case that improves in areas where most other companies tend to cut corners.

It’s robust and durable. It improves the usual hard-case design primarily by replacing the zipper with an aluminum frame sealed with two metal latches incorporating TSA locks. This trim makes the case feel far more robust, which is a very satisfying feeling when you’re wheeling luggage around an airport.

Clasping shut an aluminum frame with a metal lock is pleasing—it feels like closing a safe and locking it tight. The polycarbonate shell has an equally rigid feeling but exhibits plenty of flexibility under strain. Although it’s difficult to compare polycarbonates between brands, higher-end polycarbonate feels dense to the touch even as the material flexes; in this piece of luggage, Carl Friedrik offers impressive quality.

Additionally, the Carl Friedrik Carry-On has YKK zippers internally and Hinomoto spinner wheels from Japan—both considered the top of their class.

It’s thoughtfully styled. The soft leather accents and bolted frame all have a certain maturity that’s often lacking in other, competing cases. This look carries to the inside of the luggage as well. A simple gray polyester lining accompanies two sets of compression straps and a removable compression pad, which has a zippered pocket.

It has an excellent warranty. As you might expect for the price, Carl Friedrik backs up its luggage with a lifetime warranty that protects against airline damage (assuming the airline hasn’t responded to your request for compensation within 14 days).

Dimensions: 21.6 by 14.5 by 9 inches (HWD) Weight: 8.6 pounds Volume: 40 liters

• This is a brand-new pick—so far we haven’t found any flaws, but we’re keeping an eye on the latches. Luggage latches are small, complicated mechanical devices that have a myriad of ways to fail.
• The handle feels just a touch loose, which, as with our upgrade pick from Briggs & Riley , can be a benefit. It can also sometimes be a hazard. Again, we’ll continue testing it.
• Like our top pick, the Carl Friedrik uses real leather accents, which may be a dealbreaker for some.

Hybrid designs like the Yeti Crossroads 22″/35L Wheeled Luggage aren’t for everyone, but if you like the flexibility of a soft-sided luggage with the hard-hitting ruggedness of a polycarbonate back and two large fixed wheels, then this bag is just right.

It’s made from tough materials and easy-to-repair parts. Yeti has a reputation for using tough, sometimes cutting-edge, materials in all its gear. The Crossroads is no exception. The 700-denier nylon is one of the better nylons we’ve tested—tightly woven and exceptionally durable. (Denier is a measure of the fiber thickness in a fabric.)

The Crossroads comes in only a two-wheeled design, which is usually able to withstand more damage than a four-wheeled design. The wheels are also easier to service on the road and often replaceable. 5

It’s well organized. It includes a front panel organizer, similar to that of modern laptop backpacks, with two slots for your laptop and tablet plus a mesh pocket for spare gear. Fully packed, it still has room for a few magazines as well, if you like. Internally, the soft top has a zippered main compartment with a decent amount of packing space, as well as two mesh organizing pockets. In fact, it’s this organization that separates the Yeti from—and makes it better luggage than—other top contenders in the duffle category, specially the Patagonia Black Hole Wheeled Duffel . However, Patagonia has a lifetime (and legendary) warranty. So if longevity is your priority, the Patagonia is our next best pick.

It’s a pleasure to pack. As the Crossroads is built around a molded polycarbonate base, the entire suitcase becomes, in essence, a large tray to pack and then zip shut. It’s a very satisfying design—easier to manage than many of the clamshell designs that are currently popular. Yeti’s packing cubes are designed to fit snugly in the Crossroads’s main compartment, and the bag does come with one small cube. But if you choose these, you’re spending a premium for additional packing cubes when almost any packing cube will work.

Dimensions: 22 by 14 by 9 inches (HWD) Weight: 8 pounds Volume: 40 liters

• We’d love to see a better warranty. Three years is very limited when compared with other luggage brands selling similarly priced suitcases—especially for a bag that claims to be as tough as the brand’s reputation.
• Occasionally, Yeti’s tough-gear reputation veers almost into absurdity, as with the inclusion here of self-sealing zippers on a bag that isn’t actually waterproof—merely weather resistant. They’re top-of-the-line zippers. But self-sealing zippers can be hard to operate and require regular lubrication, which most people aren’t used to providing.
• The front-facing laptop organizer is woefully unshielded. If you’re traveling with a laptop, place it deep within the bag if you want it properly protected.
• The bag feels heavy—by our measurements, it weighs about a half pound more than Yeti’s 7.5-pound estimation. It’s not the heaviest of our picks, but something about the weight distribution and shape of the bag makes it feel heavier when you’re swinging it around.

If you need a hard-sided budget bag: Look at the Gregory Quadro Hardcase 22″ , an unexpectedly high-quality suitcase from an outdoor-gear company. Gregory offers a lifetime warranty with service and repair. Although the warranty doesn’t explicitly mention airline damage, Gregory’s good reputation speaks for itself in this matter. However, the Quadro Hardcase is a pound heavier (at 6.5 pounds) and about $60 more than our budget pick.

If the Away Carry-On is sold out: Consider the Monos Carry-On Plus . Picking between these two models came down to splitting some very fine hairs. Both use YKK zippers. Both have lifetime warranties. The handles and interiors are almost identical. Monos even hides the stitching that attaches the zipper to the polycarbonate frame, which is a nice aesthetic touch. The difference came down to the Away Carry-On’s wheels, which spun just that much more freely in our testing, and the underside handle, which made it easier to pull out of overhead bins. And we’ve tested the Away Carry-On for longer. However, if it’s unavailable, the Monos model is a good, nearly identical substitute.

If you want an adventure duffle with a lifetime warranty, but not much organization: Try the Patagonia Black Hole Matte Wheeled Duffel 40L . While more duffle than suitcase, this bag is sized for carry-on, comes with Patagonia’s excellent lifetime warranty , and it’s well constructed. It’s made of 100% recycled fabric, which includes the TPU laminate. And the wheel axle is easily repaired by anyone in the field, assuming they have spare parts. However, it lacks the organization of the Yeti Crossroads , with its many different compartments and pockets.

If you want a bag made of recycled materials: We suggest the Paravel Aviator Carry-On . Paravel is attempting to design luggage with recycled materials and some environmentally minded transparency to the company’s production methods. However, you pay a premium for the effort. Quality-wise, the bag is similar to our other hard-sided picks, for about a hundred more dollars. And much of the Paravel branding is built on carbon offsets, which we are deeply skeptical of (though we wish they worked).

If you’re an infrequent adventurer: Try the Topo Designs Global Travel Bag Roller , which could almost be an also-great pick under our hybrid pick . It’s cheaper, has a better warranty (but no explicit coverage for airline damage), and is made from recycled materials. However, the overall build quality is wanting. For example, the polycarbonate shell doesn’t fully cover the tubes for the extendable handle as it does with our hybrid pick. It seems an oversight for bags that are built to knock around.

If the best possible suit-packing experience is all you want, and money is no object: The Vocier C38 Carry-On Luggage is worth a look, despite a few flaws and an $800 price tag. The C38 takes a unique, fold-free approach to packing clothes. Rather than folding garments in on themselves to fit in the bag, it bends the suit around the outside of the luggage frame in a U shape. This packing method creates no creases and therefore no wrinkles. The case is protected by a limited lifetime warranty that doesn’t cover airline damage.

We hope to take a look at the European brand Floyd , which is currently popular on Instagram. At first glance, it’s another piece of luggage looking to appeal to a younger mass audience. But the easy-to-replace polyurethane wheels and bearings—similar to skateboard wheels—do have “user-serviceable parts inside” curb appeal.

We’re considering expanding our coverage to include equipment cases like those made by Pelican . Though their appropriate use is very specific, when you need to travel with high-end gear or fragile valuables, Pelican cases are the first and almost only choice.

What about Rimowa? I admit that over the last decade I’ve hadmthe occasional perverse urge to see if a $1,500 carry-on suitcase is worth the price. Rimowa is famous for a few things. The company has made aluminum luggage for nearly 100 years, and it invented the polycarbonate suitcase in 2008. So it is true that in many ways Rimowa has set the standard in two separate centuries.

Soft-sided carry-on luggage

Cotopaxi Allpa 38L Roller Bag : We’re generally fans of Cotopaxi’s Allpa line, but this two-wheeled bag falls short. Specifically, the bottom of the bag is split by the zipper, which gives the bag an unstable feeling when it’s standing upright.

Eagle Creek Tarmac XE 4-Wheel 22″ Carry On Luggage : If this bag were about $150 cheaper, it would be a good price for the quality. We like the recycled materials, but the bag lacks framing.

Solo Re:Treat Carry-On Spinner : I appreciate any bag made entirely out of recycled materials, but this model (from a brand owned by the same company that manages Briggs & Riley) felt awfully flimsy. Even with its five-year warranty, I just don’t trust that this bag can go the distance.

Thule Subterra : The clamshell design—similar to the ones you find on hard-sided bags—makes this bag difficult to close if you’re trying to fill it to its full capacity. It just isn’t as easy to use as our soft-sided picks.

Timbuk2 Copilot Luggage Roller : The balance on this bag was decent, and it stood up well unloaded or loaded. Its wheels had a cheap ball-bearing rhythmic chatter, though, and the abundance of zippers and internal compartments made it tedious to pack.

Topo Designs Global Travel Bag Roller : We considered this is a possible alternative to our Yeti hybrid pick . However, the overall build quality is wanting. For example, the polycarbonate shell doesn’t fully cover the tubes for the extendable handle as it does with our hybrid pick. It seems an oversight for bags that are built to knock around.

Travelpro Versapack+ and Crew Luggage lines: Both the Versapack+ and Crew luggage designs are absolutely fine: Consider them slightly stripped down versions of our top pick, the Platinum Elite. However neither have the extra warranty coverage—including against airline damage—that comes with the Platinum Elite.

Tumi Aerotour International Expandable 4 Wheeled Carry-On : At about half the price, this would be a great bag. But paying nearly $700 for a five-year warranty and a bag that doesn’t do nearly as much as a Briggs & Riley suitcase seems a bit silly.

Hard-sided carry-on luggage

Amazon Basics 24-Inch Hardside Spinner : This bag is a surprisingly good carry-on for about $90. However, its ABS plastic shell is not as tough as a polycarbonate shell. It’s worth investing more in your luggage—the bag you choose will last longer and work better.

Arlo Skye The Frame Carry-On : The Arlo Skye carry-on is a decent piece of luggage, but it’s hard to square the bag with its cost: $200 more than our pick from Away .

Away The Carry-On: Aluminum Edition : 10 pounds! At this weight, you’ve lost a quarter of your allowable luggage weight to the suitcase alone, unpacked. And it’s nearly as expensive as our upgrade pick, with a much less satisfying compression system.

Briggs & Riley Torq and Sympatico : Though these collections seek to solve a different problem, neither is as impressive as the Baseline series.

Calpak Ambeur Carry-On Luggage : We preferred sturdier polycarbonate shells over Calpak’s blended ABS polycarbonate shell. Also, the bag’s handling felt jittery against normal airport floor surfaces.

Delsey Rempart Expandable Spinner Carry-On : At just around $200, the Rempart is a decent budget option. However, the external styling (like layers of pressed sheet pans) is an odd choice. It has some practicality, but only if you’re stacking identical Delsey cases one on top of another, which might happen, I suppose, at some point … maybe.

July Carry On : In the lineup between July, Monos, and Away, July falls just short. We appreciate the lifetime warranty, YKK zippers, and flexible but dense-feeling polycarbonate. But the overall design doesn’t do much to improve on the category (as the Monos bag subtly does).

Level8 Road Runner Pro Carry-On 20″ : This is potentially a decent budget pick at just around $200. But the one-year warranty and the somewhat fiddly TSA lock and front latching panel give us pause.

Level8 Voyageur series : This model features an extra-wide handle, which looks striking but doesn’t seem to offer many advantages over a regular handle—at least for carry-on luggage. In larger checked bags, we did notice that the wide handle offered a little more leverage when handling a bigger bag, but it seemed to hinder us with a carry-on.

Lojel Cubo Medium : Although we liked the uncommon top-loading design, the internal organization of the lid made packing this carry-on difficult. We also weren’t impressed by the zippered expansion system, which made the suitcase feel bulkier than our picks.

Lojel Voja Medium : An odd suitcase, this would be a great children’s suitcase or a budget pick—especially if it were under $200. But its current price is steep for a polypropylene blend with a couple of latches.

Paravel Aviator Carry-On:  Paravel is attempting to design luggage with recycled materials and some transparency as to the company’s production methods. However, you pay a premium for the effort. Quality-wise, the bag is similar to our other hard-sided picks, for about a hundred more dollars. And much of the Paravel branding is built on carbon offsets, which we are deeply skeptical of (though we wish they worked).

This article was edited by Ria Misra and Chris Ryan.

Airline policies vary, but a general rule is that the bag must be under 45 linear inches—the total sum of the bag’s length, width, and depth. Here’s the current sizing breakdown among the major US airlines:

• Alaska Airlines: 22 by 14 by 9 inches
• Allegiant Air: 22 by 14 by 9 inches
• American Airlines: 22 by 14 by 9 inches (the dimensions of soft-sided garment bags are allowed to add up to 51 inches)
• Delta Air Lines: 22 by 14 by 9 inches
• Frontier Airlines: 24 by 16 by 10 inches (and less than 35 pounds)
• Hawaiian Airlines: 22 by 14 by 9 inches
• JetBlue Airways: 22 by 14 by 9 inches
• Southwest Airlines: 24 by 16 by 10 inches
• Spirit Airlines: 22 by 18 by 10 inches
• Sun Country Airlines: 24 by 16 by 11 inches
• United Airlines: 22 by 14 by 9 inches

We double-checked the measurable packable space of our top picks against the manufacturers’ listed volumes by filling each piece of luggage with hundreds of Ping-Pong balls: 144 Ping-Pong balls weigh exactly 0.5 pound, and each Ping-Pong ball represents approximately 2 cubic inches (PDF) . After weighing each piece of luggage three times to establish an average empty weight, we filled the bags as full as we could with Ping-Pong balls and measured the change in weight. For every half-pound increase in weight we estimated 288 cubic inches of packable space.

His five-day travel kit included the following:

• 1 two-piece linen suit on a hanger
• 1 dress shirt on a hanger
• 1 pair of jeans
• 1 pair of khakis
• 5 medium-weight to lightweight shirts
• 1 heavy sweater
• 2 flannel shirts
• 5 pairs of boxer briefs
• 5 pairs of sport socks

Her five-day travel kit included the following:

• 1 dress on a hanger
• 1 blazer on a hanger
• 1 blouse on a hanger
• 1 pair of heels
• 2 pairs of jeans
• 1 pair of light sneakers
• 5 pairs of underwear and 3 bras
• 1 pair of yoga pants
• 1 flannel shirt
• 1 hair dryer
• 1 curling iron
• 1 jewelry/makeup kit
• 3 pairs of sport socks
• 4 lightweight shirts

You use a garment folder by laying a suit or dress across the panels, folding them into themselves, and zipping up the inner compartment. A folder should be wide enough that a suit isn’t cramped, and it should include hanger straps (which should fit around everything, even larger plastic hangers) to keep things from shifting around too much. Some folding boards have 0.75-inch-diameter foam rolls in them to help prevent creases along the packed clothes’ fold lines. When you aren’t traveling with fancy clothes, you can take the whole apparatus apart and use it as luggage dividers in the main bag itself, or leave it at home, converting the suit/dress compartment into an extra packing cube.

Yeti doesn’t seem to have an easy way to order replaceable wheels. But the 3.5-by-1-inch wheels are fairly common, and we’re looking at the best possible alternatives.

Meet your guide

Kit Dillon is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter. He was previously an app developer, oil derrick inspector, public-radio archivist, and sandwich shop owner. He has written for Popular Science, The Awl, and the New York Observer, among others. When called on, he can still make a mean sandwich.

Further reading

The Best Luggage Tags

We chose five luggage tags that will help you identify your belongings in a sea of similar suitcases.

The Best Carry-On Travel Backpacks

The Cotopaxi Allpa 35L is our backpack pick for most travelers. We also have picks for other travelers, including those who want to carry a bit more.

We’ve Loved Luggage From Travelpro’s Platinum Elite Line for a Decade. Here’s Why.

Travelpro Platinum Elite is our most loyal travel companion.

Are Away Carry-Ons Worth the Hype?

Although we still prefer the better durability of soft-sided luggage, if you want the look and feel of a hard-sided case, we recommend the Away Carry-On .

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Travelpro Platinum Elite Frequent fliers turn to Travelpro’s Platinum Elite collection , which combines sophistication and innovation. These handsomely crafted bags are available in softside or hardside luggage that stack together and coordinate with each other effortlessly. If you want to upgrade your travel experience, Platinum Elite bags from Travelpro offer strategically designed travel organizers, smooth-gliding spinners, and luxe materials like genuine leather trim.

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The 13 Best Affordable Luggage Pieces of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

From suitcases to backpacks, these are our budget-friendly favorites.

In This Article

• Our Top Picks
• Others We Liked

Our Testing Process

• Tips for Buying
• Why Trust T+L

Travel + Leisure / Tamara Staples

Whether you’re planning a domestic city break or the long-haul adventure of a lifetime, travel is expensive enough without spending a fortune on your luggage. By saving on wallet-friendly suitcases, backpacks, and more, you’ll have more room in the budget for unforgettable experiences when you reach your destination. Opt for luggage from reliable brands that focus on durable materials and hardware rather than aesthetic frills and unnecessary extras. And remember that even when you’re shopping on a budget, buying well-made pieces the first time around beats having to fork out cash a second time a little further down the line. 

Our Travel + Leisure editors have tested more than 500 pieces of luggage (from carry-ons and checked suitcases to weekenders and backpacks) in our New York City lab, constantly testing new suitcases to find the best of the best. For this article, we chose the most affordable pieces under $150 that performed well both in our lab tests and during our long-term travels. We paid special attention to capacity, design, value, durability, and maneuverability, resulting in the category winners listed below.

Best Overall

Amazon basics expandable hardside 21-inch spinner.

This carry-on offers amazing durability and maneuverability at an unbeatable price point. 

There are no external pockets, and the handle is a bit wobbly.

Since the Amazon Basics 20-inch Hardside Spinner exceeded our expectations at every turn when we first tested it two years ago, we recently tested another to make sure the suitcase still meets our standards — and it does. Designed to meet the carry-on restrictions of most major airlines, it’s constructed of extra-thick ABS plastic with a textured, scratch-resistant finish. We were amazed that it survived our durability tests unscathed in a show of function and form that suggests excellent value for money. "Even after whacking it pretty aggressively with a baseball bat, this bag stood up to scuffs and scratches beautifully," says T+L senior editor Jasmine Grant . "The few imperfections that I did notice after the bat test were easily buffed out by rubbing them gently with my finger."

Travel + Leisure / Joy Kim

The suitcase’s fully lined interior features cross-straps on one side and a divider panel on the other. This panel includes three zippered pockets perfect for stashing smaller items. We were able to fit everything on our packing list inside with ease, even without employing the expansion feature, but you can also expand it for 25 percent more space, providing plenty of room for any souvenirs you might pick up on your trip. 

We were also impressed by the carry-on’s maneuverability. With four double spinner wheels and a telescoping handle, it was easy to push and pull over rough and smooth surfaces, turned nicely through our obstacle course, and handled bumps well — though the handle was wobbly at times. Color choices are fairly limited, but include navy blue, light blue, black, and orange.

The Details: Carry-on | 21.7 x 14.8 x 10 inches | 6.83 pounds | 41-liter capacity | Expandable | ABS, polyester

• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Joy Kim
• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Jhett Thompson
• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Vicky Wasik

Best Softside Checked

Swisstech softside luggage.

This suitcase is incredibly spacious yet smartly organized, with multiple interior and exterior pockets. 

It prioritizes practicality over style and is not particularly fashionable.

While the SwissTech Executive 29-inch Softside suitcase may not win any particular style points, we thought it far out-performed many of the more expensive suitcases we tested. It’s made of a high-denier softside fabric that stood up to our durability tests well, emerging with just one small dent after we dropped it off a counter and hit it with a baseball bat. The zippers run smoothly, and there are multiple zippered pockets on the inside and outside to suit even the most organized packer.  

We loved that the zippered expansion feature meant we had plenty of space leftover after packing everything on our list. Cross-straps keep everything in place, while the integrated TSA lock means security agents can open the suitcase without breaking it if necessary. The 360-degree spinner wheels and telescoping handle afforded smooth maneuverability on concrete and carpet, and we felt the suitcase fared well on gravel given its size.

The Details: Checked suitcase | 29 x 19 x 10.5 inches | 9.1 pounds | Expandable | Denier

Best Hardside Checked

Kenneth cole reaction out of bounds suitcase.

This suitcase is cavernous yet easy to maneuver despite its large size.

As is to be expected in a suitcase of this size, it handled better on smooth surfaces than when hauled over gravel.

If you’re looking for a sturdy hardside option for your next family trip or extended international vacation, we love the Kenneth Cole Reaction Out of Bounds 28-inch Checked Spinner. It’s made of durable yet lightweight ABS plastic, with molded corner guards for extra impact resistance. We found that it stood up well to our durability tests, despite sustaining a few scuffs around the edges. The interior is fully lined, with cross-straps on one side and a zippered divider that essentially creates two separate packing spaces. 

We found it deceptively spacious and could easily have fit enough clothes and extras for a month-long trip. Organization was good thanks to a hanging accessory pocket, and the multidirectional spinner wheels and retractable handle made for easy, 360-degree mobility even around tight corners. The lightweight trolley system also gives you a little extra leeway before exceeding airline weight restrictions. We loved the suitcase’s modern, sleek look. Choose from a range of colors including black and rose gold.

The Details: Checked suitcase | 29.5 x 20.5 x 11.8 inches | 9.6 pounds | ABS, PC, polyester | Limited lifetime warranty

Best Softside Carry-on

American tourister 4 kix 2.0 carry-on spinner.

The soft polyester is both durable and expandable.

While it's extremely easy to pull, it's more cumbersome to push.

Prefer traveling light? This compact carry-on fits just the right amount for a short trip (or up to 10 days, if you're a light packer like us). As we tested it in our lab, though, we were extremely impressed with the stretchy interior compression belt and expander, which efficiently packed down our clothing and accessories — freeing up space to add a bit more if needed. It also has quite a few pockets, ranging from internal mesh pockets to external zip pocket perfect for items you'd need to easily access in transit.

This suitcase shines when it comes to maneuverability, which we quickly realized while rolling it through our lab obstacle course. It's very lightweight and easy to move, and you can adjust the telescoping handle to several different heights. All four 360-degree spinner wheels glided so smoothly, we can't imagine ever having an issue pulling this bag.

The Details: Carry-on | 23.5 x 14.5 x 9.5 inches | 7.5 pounds | 64-liter capacity | Expandable | Polyester, carbon fiber

• PHOTO: Travel & Leisure / Joy Kim

Best Hardside Carry-on

Delsey paris x united colors of bennetton carry-on spinner.

It's so much more spacious than it looks, and it has a durable hardside shell.

The handle wobbles slightly when in use.

Don't let this Delsey carry-on's small stature fool you — it's built to haul plenty of items from points A to B. We were able to fit everything on our packing list (including multiple outfits, toiletries, and shoes) with ease. While this bag doesn't have an expander, it does have quite a bit of give, which allows for a few extra items. It's also equipped with compression straps and an internal pocket for added space and organization.

At right around 6 pounds, this bag is incredibly lightweight , which is ideal for overpackers whose luggage tends to exceed weight limits at the airport. And despite its weight, it actually performed beautifully through all our lab tests — from rolling seamlessly over multiple surfaces to getting tossed around and whacked with a baseball bat without a scratch or dent. While the handle seemed to wobble a bit as we wheeled the bag around, it remained intact through our tests and fully supported the weight of the bag. This limited-edition collab between Delsey and the United Colors of Benetton is almost sold out, so get it while you can.

The Details: Carry-on | 21.75 x 13.75 x 9.75 inches | 6.2 pounds | 48-liter capacity | ABS/polycarbonate blend

• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Jessica Juliao

Best Underseater

Samsonite spinner underseater.

This underseater stood out for its exceptional organization features, quality construction, and flawless maneuverability.

It was a tight squeeze to fit the suitcase into our simulated underseat area, so it could be too large for smaller planes.

Designed to fit under most airline seats and small enough to qualify as a personal item, the Samsonite Spinner Underseater impressed us with its good looks and quality materials. We liked the smart color choices, too, which range from jet black to ocean or purple. Organization is a highlight, with front and side pockets for storing items you want to keep within easy reach and a spacious main compartment with a padded laptop sleeve. We were able to fit everything on our list for a two-day trip, even without compression straps. 

The front pocket includes an organizer panel with slots for your credit cards and pens. And there’s a USB port for on-the-go charging (although you’ll need to purchase a power bank separately ). We found the underseater amazingly easy to maneuver through our obstacle course thanks to its multidirectional spinner wheels and retractable, locking handle. It rolled smoothly and was light enough to pick up by the top handle for seamless transitions between stairs, escalators, and rougher terrains.

The Details: Personal item | 16.5 x 13.8 x 9 inches | 7 pounds | 2.89-liter capacity | USB port | Polyester

• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Conor Ralph

Best Garment Bag

Misslo 43-inch gusseted travel garment bag.

This garment bag is easy to operate and comfortable to carry using the heavy-duty handles.

The length is a little too short for longer dresses, and we would have liked a few more pockets.

The Misslo Gusseted Travel Garment Bag is made from a breathable, nonwoven fabric that feels somewhat flimsy but is actually thicker than similar budget options we’ve seen. It’s best suited to light travel and is not water resistant. We loved the bag’s straightforwardness, though. It took less than a minute to pack, folds in half easily, and boasts sturdy carry handles that are comfortable even after an extended period of time. You can also pack the folded garment bag into your checked luggage. 

There’s a hole in the top for up to five clothes hangers for easy storage at your destination. We were able to fit two dresses, a dress shirt, dress pants, a suit jacket, and a belt with space leftover, although we had to fold long dresses awkwardly to fit them in (but there are longer versions available). There is a single clear plastic, zippered accessory pocket; ideally, we’d add a few more. We liked the clear window for viewing contents, though.

The Details: Personal item | 43 x 22.6 x 3.5 inches | 7.8 ounces

Best Duffel

Gonex canvas duffel bag.

This duffel offers two comfortable carrying methods and ample pockets for easy organization.

The main compartment is a little small, and we found the relatively narrow opening made packing somewhat tricky.

Made from high-density cotton canvas with plastic feet to keep it off the ground, the Gonex Canvas Duffel Bag impressed us during our durability tests. We felt the material was likely to last and easy to keep clean. The interior has one small, zippered pocket. We found the main compartment a little tight and had to use the exterior pockets to fit everything in. However, we loved the lengthways expansion feature and the fact that the side pockets are spacious enough to accommodate a pair of low profile shoes. 

The duffel also stands out for its easy portability, offering two comfortable carrying methods. We liked that you can fasten the top grab handles with a Velcro strap for added security and cushioning. And the adjustable, removable shoulder strap is padded enough to make lengthy cross-terminal walks a breeze. We found that the bag’s overall aesthetic does not look particularly high-quality, but we like that it comes in classic shades of gray, army green, and blue.

The Details: Carry-on | 20.8 x 11.8 x 9.8 inches | 2.9 pounds | 50-liter capacity | Expandable | Cotton canvas, nylon

Travel + Leisure / Nick Kova

Best Weekender

Hyc00 travel duffel bag.

This weekender offers great style and durability for a very reasonable price.

Don’t expect to be able to fit enough for more than a couple of nights away.

Constructed of high-density, water-resistant nylon, the HYC00 Travel Duffel Bag survived our durability tests without a mark. This weekender is designed to adhere to airline carry-on restrictions and offers multiple carrying methods. We found the top handles and the removable, adjustable shoulder strap soft and comfortable. We also appreciated the integrated trolley sleeve, which allows you to attach the bag seamlessly to your other luggage. 

The bag offers abundant organization with six internal pockets and two external ones. We liked the open pocket on the outside of the bag for keeping quick-grab items handy. On the inside, our favorite feature was the waterproof pocket for separating toiletries or damp clothes. We were able to fit everything on our packing list; however, there wasn’t much space leftover (don’t expect to pack for longer than a weekend away). The bag comes in colors to suit all tastes, from coral red to olive green.

The Details: Carry-on | 21.7 x 10.6 x 7.1 inches | 1.3 pounds | 30-liter capacity | Nylon | Water resistant

Best Laptop Backpack

Tzowla travel laptop backpack.

This backpack is lightweight, impressively water resistant, and offers pockets for every purpose.

You will need to purchase a separate power bank if you want to use the integrated USB port.

The Tzowla Travel Laptop Backpack is made from durable 300-denier nylon, which held up impressively in the pouring rain. It’s much more spacious than similar backpacks we own yet lighter and less bulky when fully loaded. We loved its many pockets, including a padded section for laptops of up to 15.6 inches and double-sided pockets for your water bottle and umbrella. There’s even an organizer in the zippered front pocket with slots for your pens and a dedicated key fob. 

Our favorite features include the integrated USB and headphone ports, and the combination zipper lock. We felt the lock was a particularly thoughtful touch considering the backpack is designed for carrying valuable tech . There’s even a small zippered compartment on the back of the bag for keeping valuables safely against your body when you’re in an area prone to pickpocketing . Finally, we found the backpack extremely comfortable thanks to wide, padded shoulder straps with a breathable mesh lining.

The Details: Personal item | 20 x 11.8 x 5.5 inches | 1.8 pounds | USB and headphone ports | Polyester

Best Packable Backpack

Osprey ultralight stuff pack.

This backpack folds up into a tiny square so you can easily pack it into a larger suitcase if you need an extra bag.

There is no padding or structure to this backpack because of how lightweight it is.

You never know when you may need an extra bag on your travels, and this Osprey backpack folds into a compact square that you can pack inside a suitcase or weekender. "This backpack takes up no room at all inside another bag, and you'd be able to pack this anywhere — even in your pocket," says T+L testing editor Jackie Cucco , who tested this bag during a packable backpack test .

It's on the smaller size for a backpack, though it did hold most of our packing list, including a pair of shoes and a fleece pullover. Though it's not padded or structured at all, it is outfitted with several pockets, including a small interior slip pocket with a key leash and two stretchy exterior slip pockets. Other features include adjustable shoulder straps and smooth zippers. We think it's a great choice for a foldable bag from a trusted outdoor gear brand.

The Details: Personal item | 7.48 x 8.66 x 16.54 inches | 5.3 ounces | 18-liter capacity | Nylon

Best Rolling Duffel

Travelers club upright rolling duffel bag.

This rolling duffel offers space for days and enough pockets to satisfy even the most strategic packer.

Some effort is required to maneuver the duffel over rough or uneven surfaces.

The Travelers Club Xpedition 30-inch Upright Rolling Duffel is made from adventure-ready 600-denier polyester, which stood up to our durability tests without a single dent or tear. Two in-line blade wheels make it easy to transport heavy loads, although we felt that the retractable handle could benefit from a smoother, longer extension. The duffel rolled smoothly over concrete and paver gaps but was a little trickier to maneuver over carpet and gravel. 

We loved the deceptive spaciousness of the main compartment, which easily accommodated 10 to 14 days’ worth of winter clothing with room leftover. It’s completely unstructured to suit the “chuck it all in” packer but complemented by a slew of external zippered pockets for the more organized traveler. Other perks include two hard plastic feet so that the duffel can stand upright on its own and a trifold bottom board for compact storage. Choose yours in plain black or with colored accents ranging from burnt orange to forest green.

The Details: Checked suitcase | 30 x 13 x 12 inches | 6.7 pounds | 77-liter capacity | 600D polyester

Best Briefcase

Vankean laptop briefcase.

The quantity and sizing of the various interior pockets make this an organizer's dream.

The bag looks a bit clunky.

For any professional looking for a well-organized personal item or commuter bag , this strong and durable briefcase is the perfect choice. While it may not be the most lightweight option, nearing 3 pounds when empty, this bag features so many organizational components that even the less neat travelers will be able to keep all of their items in place. The well-sized bag fit every item on our packing list without becoming too cumbersome to carry for long periods of time thanks to padded, wide straps that grip the shoulder and help distribute weight. We also love the amount of padding along the lining of the bag itself, so items — including laptops and tablets — will stay protected even after dropping the bag. The exterior is also resistant to water for an added layer of durability against rain or spills.

The Details: Personal item | 18 x 12.8 x 7.5 inches | 2.88 pounds | Canvas polyester | Water resistant

• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Leticia Almeida

Other Affordable Luggage Pieces We Liked

Here are some other luggage pieces worth mentioning. Though we found some minor issues during testing, they could still be a fit for certain travelers.

Coolife Carry-on With Pocket : We loved this bag’s attractive aesthetic, roomy interior, and butter-smooth zippers. It survived our durability tests without a mark but lost points for a lack of maneuverability and interior compartments that were a little too tight. 

Travelpro Maxlite Air Carry-on Expandable Hardside Spinner : Although we were able to fit everything on our packing list inside, it was a squeeze even with the expansion feature. The suitcase was also much easier to maneuver on two wheels than four; however, we were impressed by its durability and clever organization features. 

Seyfocnia Convertible Carry-on Travel Garment Bag : We loved this bag’s intuitive design, which includes convenient straps, spacious pockets, and sturdy zippers. It was comfortable to carry, and if we had to change anything, we'd addwe wish it had a padded laptop sleeve. 

Traveler’s Choice Lares Carry-on Spinner : We love that this expandable carry-on is easy to pack and is large enough to hold all of the essentials, but we thought the wheels felt flimsy, and we wish they were more durable.

We are constantly testing luggage in our New York City lab, and for this article we put together a list of the more affordable pieces that also performed well. First, we weighed each bag, then examined it to determine the quality of its materials and hardware. Next, we packed each bag with a prescribed list of items designed to imitate a real-life trip, taking note of capacity and organization features. 

If the suitcase had wheels, we rolled it around on concrete, carpet, and gravel to see how smooth they felt. We also took each suitcase through an obstacle course meant to mimic a busy station or airport to check how well it handled tight turns. If the bag had straps, we carried it around for at least 5 minutes to see if they were comfortable. We placed carry-ons and underseaters into overhead bins and underneath airplane seats on our mock airplane set.

Finally, all bags were subjected to a durability test. We pushed each fully packed bag off a counter or from the top of a stepladder multiple times, then beat them repeatedly with a baseball bat to see how well the exterior, interior, and contents withstood rough handling. We took notes on the capacity, design, durability, maneuverability, and value of each bag, choosing the lowest cost bags with the highest results for this article. We will continue testing each bag on our travels over the course of six months, and we are constantly testing new bags to update our articles with the latest results.

Tips for Buying Affordable Luggage

Decide if you want hardside or softside .

Luggage falls into two main categories: hardside and softside . There are pros and cons to each, and you must decide which best suits your needs. Hardside luggage is made from strong, lightweight materials such as polycarbonate or ABS plastic. The rigidity affords an extra level of protection for fragile items, while these materials’ natural water-resistance is great in inclement weather. They are easier to wipe clean and may look new for longer, although some styles are prone to scuffs, scratches, and dents. Hardside luggage is also not particularly flexible, making it harder to close when you stuff it full.

Softside luggage is typically made from durable nylon, polyester, or canvas. It’s often lower in cost, making it a good bet for those on a budget (although this is obviously brand dependent). The added flexibility is a pro for overpackers or those who need to fit irregularly shaped objects into their backpack or duffel bag . Adventure travelers often prefer softside luggage, because it’s easier to throw into small spaces (like the back of a safari jeep or the hold of a cross-country bus), and it's usually more lightweight than hardside bags. These are less prone to scratches; however, the fabric may stain or fade and is harder to clean. 

Prioritize well-made items

When it comes to affordability, it’s important to consider cost per use and not just the initial layout. Sure, you can find a suitcase for $20, but if it only lasts for two trips before the wheels and zipper break, it could be more expensive in the long run than a pricier option that lasts for several years. Quality is key if you’re looking for good value. We recommend choosing luggage that prioritizes durable materials (including sturdy hardware), while keeping costs down by forgoing luxury extras.

No matter where you're going or how long you're staying, you don't want to be lugging around some poorly made suitcase that falls apart on the first leg of your journey. A good way to make sure you’re buying a reliable product is to stick with a trusted midrange brand like Travelpro or Samsonite and to diligently check industry and customer reviews. Just remember: you don't have to spend a ton of cash to get something that's sturdy and reliable. The key is knowing what you want and doing your homework beforehand.

Look at special features

Although you wouldn't want to pay more for unnecessary frills, it may help you decide between two suitcases if they're around the same price point and one has some extra features, like an expandable zipper to add extra space or USB ports to charge your phone on the go. It's helpful to explore the features ahead of time so that you're aware of what you're buying because some bags have more to offer than others. Smart features can mean many different things — even if the bag has a charging port, the power bank might not be included. If you're looking at suitcases, look at photos or descriptions of the interior to see what types of pockets there are (or if there are no pockets at all). For weekenders and duffel bags, see how many different handles there are — some have removable straps so you can carry them multiple ways. Read the descriptions thoroughly to avoid surprises.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you really only need a single suitcase, then of course you’ll spend less buying it separately. But if you’re in the market for a whole new set (whether that’s for different types of trips, for that coordinated look at the luggage carousel, or to divide between family members), then buying luggage as a set is typically — but not always — a lower cost than buying each piece individually. Sets most commonly come with two or three pieces: a carry-on and one or two checked bags of varying sizes. You can also find sets with many more pieces, from underseaters to totes. Make sure to buy only what you’ll actually use if you’re trying to stick to a budget. 

Often, buying luggage online is significantly cheaper than buying in-store. This is especially true if you use a retailer like Amazon, Target, or Walmart that offers many reliable luggage brands and the option to filter results by price for a side-by-side comparison on what’s available at your chosen price point. The ability to view unbiased customer reviews also helps ensure what you see is what you get and that the luggage is of the kind of quality you can live with. Don’t forget “own-brand” luggage from Amazon Basics and Walmart’s Protégé line — they may not have many bells and whistles, but they offer reliable products at a very reasonable rate. If you're not in a rush to buy, you can wait for big shopping events to find some suitcases on sale.

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

T+L contributor Jessica Macdonald has been writing about the travel industry, with a particular focus on luggage, for more than a decade. For this article, she drew inspiration from her own research and the results of laboratory tests carried out on nearly 500 different luggage pieces by T+L’s team of travel experts. 

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Travelpro Roundtrip Hardside Expandable Luggage, TSA Lock, 8 Spinner Wheels, Hard Shell Polycarbonate Suitcase, Silver, 2-Piece Set (21/25)

Purchase options and add-ons

• This luggage set has 100% Polycarbonate hardshell and molded corner guards provide sharp aesthetics with built-in durability. Hard case luggage has roomy main compartment that expands 2” to maximize packing flexibility
• Hard luggage set has lightweight yet sturdy PowerScope Lite that handle locks in two positions (38” and 42.5”) to accommodate users of different heights and a Patented Contour Grip designed with rubberized touch points for a comfortable handhold and easier maneuvering. These suitcases with wheels rotate 360°, providing superior maneuverability and a smooth glide in every direction
• Carry on luggage is designed and sizer bin tested to fit perfectly in the overhead bins of most major domestic airlines while allowing for more packing capacity and the Check in bag is constructed to comply with check-in luggage size restrictions (62 linear inches luggage) published by nearly all major domestic airlines. Built-in TSA lock allows authorities to safely unlock and relock the bag for inspection when needed (Lock code default is set at 0-0-0)
• Hard case luggage set has multiple accessory pockets that keep belongings separated and organized to your liking. Zippered interior divider panels keep contents organized, separated and secure
• Two piece luggage set Case Dimensions: 20.25" x 13.5" x 9.25", Overall Dimensions: 23" x 14.5" x 9.5", Weight: 7 lbs ; Case Dimensions: 24.75" x 16.5" x 10.5", Overall Dimensions: 27.27" x 17.75" x 11", Weight: 9.5 lbs. Hardcase luggage set is backed by Travelpro built for a Lifetime Limited Warranty with our Trusted Companion Promise which includes the cost of repair for damage caused by an airline or other common carrier for the first year after registration

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Be ready for any trip with the Travelpro® Roundtrip® Carry-on Luggage and Medium Check-in Expandable Spinner set. This hard sided luggage with spinner wheels features clean lines and built-in durability with 100% polycarbonate hard shells that flex on impact, molded corner guards for reinforcement on high-wear points and a stylish finish that reduces the visibility of scratches and scuffs. This carry on suitcase and check in suitcase has split case designs include a zippered expansion option to give you up to 2” more packing capacity per bag when needed, while interior divider panels, multiple accessory pockets and built-in TSA locks keep contents separated, organized and secure for this luggage 2 piece set. This hardside luggage set rolls with ease, each on eight 360° rotating wheels led by a 2-stop adjustable PowerScope Lite extension handle with Patented Contour Grip and comfortable rubberized finish. This carry on bag and large suitcase is backed by our Built For a Lifetime Limited Warranty with Trusted Companion Promise that even covers damage caused by airlines or other common carriers for the first year of the lifetime warranty.

Top Brand: Travelpro

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Customer reviews.

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 69% 13% 4% 4% 11% 69%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 69% 13% 4% 4% 11% 13%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 69% 13% 4% 4% 11% 4%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 69% 13% 4% 4% 11% 4%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 69% 13% 4% 4% 11% 11%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers like the weight, ease of maneuvering, and size of the suitcase. They mention it's lightweight, easy to carry, and has a surprising amount of space. Customers also appreciate the wheels and style. However, some customers have reported that the zippers are thin and broke. Customers disagree on the quality and value for money.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers appreciate the weight of the suitcases. They mention they're lightweight, easy to carry, and great for their packing needs. Some say the suitcase is large and has been travel-tested.

"...It is light weight , nice square design for maximum space; interior zip liners and pockets are ideal for seeing what you have where and separating..." Read more

"...We ended up only keeping the Roundtrip set. They were great for our packing needs ...." Read more

"...They're light , quality good, and they maneuver fluidly in crowded airports...." Read more

"...Small one is easy carry on size. Lightweight , Sturdy , easy to manuever, wheels work well. Easy to pack." Read more

Customers find the suitcase easy to maneuver. They mention the wheels move very smoothly, and the luggage is lightweight.

"...Dual wheel design of each wheel is maximum , easy movement over all surfaces ...." Read more

"...They're light, quality good, and they maneuver fluidly in crowded airports ...." Read more

"...The wheels slide like butter in every direction , and it just feels like I look like I have my travel shit together, you know? 10/10...." Read more

"...many zippers...the product is very sturdy, however, and the wheels move very smoothly " Read more

Customers are satisfied with the size of the suitcase. They mention it's well-crafted with a surprising amount of space and a nice square design for maximum space.

"...It is light weight, nice square design for maximum space ; interior zip liners and pockets are ideal for seeing what you have where and separating..." Read more

"...The hardshell feels durable and well crafted with a surprising amount of space ...." Read more

"...The larger suitcase fits a lot , but will take up a lot of room, so it could be something to consider if you have a small car...." Read more

"...a bit about not having an outer pocket, but this bag is roomy enough for everything I could need and my stuff feels safely encased...." Read more

Customers like the wheels of the suitcase. They mention they're sturdy, easy to maneuver, and the telescopic handles work perfectly.

"...The Roundtrip has noticeably bigger and better wheels ...." Read more

"...Lightweight, Sturdy , easy to manuever, wheels work well . Easy to pack." Read more

"... It is now unusable ! Customer Service hangs up while I am on hold, and zero electronic means of reaching then nets a response...." Read more

"...the luggages and wheels were very easy to maneuver, telescopic handles worked perfectly , all zippers working properly, no damages to either luggage,..." Read more

Customers like the style of the suitcase. They say it looks great and stands out well on the airport's luggage conveyor. Customers also appreciate the shell design and padded corners that are highly resistant to scratches and wear. The color is a nice navy blue that is both simple and stylish.

"... Shell design and padded corners highly resistant to scratches and wear of baggage handlers." Read more

"...The color is a nice navy blue that is both simple and stylish. The hardshell feels durable and well crafted with a surprising amount of space...." Read more

"...The Roundtrip has noticeably bigger and better wheels. The Maxlite Air looks sleek , but it’s true that the handles are too tight and the suitcase..." Read more

"...Also they look great and stand out well on the airport's luggage conveyor." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the quality of the suitcases. Some mention they are sturdy, while others say they're thin and cheap.

"...The only issue was a slight dent in the packaging itself.I highly recommend this brand." Read more

"...traveled overseas for going on 30 years; this is the best suit-case I have encountered ...." Read more

"...The first flight I took, the luggage got fairly scuffed up , as expected, but a non-issue for me...." Read more

"...Multiple airports and baggage …. They’ve stood up extra well ." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the value for money of the suitcase. Some mention it's quality and maneuverable, while others say it'll be pricey.

"...It’s a nice set for this price , although I paid a good bit less than the $329RRP...." Read more

" A bit expensive for what you get considering the amount of space in the luggage. It held up on first transatlantic trip." Read more

"...Pro to be hard-wearing and good quality luggage and these were a favorable price ...." Read more

"Quality Maneuverable and Good Price " Read more

Customers are dissatisfied with the zipper strength of the suitcase. They mention that it breaks, keeps getting opened, and the handles don't last two trips. Customers also say the zippers on the TravelPro are thin and cheap.

"...One flight, the main zipper had busted open when I received it at baggage claim, but the inner zippers kept everything inside, so no big deal...." Read more

"the zipper system is a little hard to figure out! Too many zippers...the product is very sturdy, however, and the wheels move very smoothly" Read more

"I bought this because of the two cover in each side but the zipper is bad . I kept the bag full and when i zip it on the zipper keeps getting opened...." Read more

"Went to use the suitcase for the first time and the zipper that expands the suitcase does not work ...." Read more

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Flash Pro Plus USB-C 25000mAh Graphene Power Bank review – My new travel battery

REVIEW – I travel a lot. I carry a lot of stuff. Chargers, battery packs, cables – all the junk I need to be able to power all the doo-dads I travel with. Being able to power an electron-hungry laptop is critical for me as I regularly do some battery-consuming laptop work while I sit at a bar doing a little consuming of my own. Finding a battery pack that can juice up my laptop has been a challenge – especially one with enough power while remaining travel-friendly in terms of size, weight, and maximum allowable Watt-hour storage so the airlines don’t go ballistic. I recently tested the Zeus travel charger from Chargeasap and was pretty impressed so when the chance to check out their new Flash Pro Plus power back landed in my lap, I jumped at it. I think I have a new travel battery.

What is it?

The Chargeasap Flash Pro Plus is a portable battery pack. It packs 25,000mAh and 92.5Wh of power in a small and easy-to-carry package. By staying under 100Wh, it is airline-friendly and can be packed in carry-on luggage. It can crank out up to 190W across all output methods.

What’s included?

• Thank you card

Dimensions: 15.85 x 8.7 x 2.85mm (6.24″ x 3.4″ x 1.12″) Weight: 583.5g (1.28lb) Capacity: 25000mAh / 92.5Wh 100W USB-C Power Delivery 3.0 Input: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3A, 20V/5A (PPS: 3.3-6V/5A, 3.3-11V/5A) 100W USB-C Power Delivery 3.0 Output: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3A, 20V/5A (PPS: 3.3-6V/5A, 3.3-11V/5A) 60W USB-C Power Delivery 3.0 Output: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3A (PPS: 3.3-6V/5A, 3.3-11V/5A） 20W USB-C Power Delivery 3.0 Output: 5V/3A, 9V/2.22A, 12V/1.67A (PPS: 5-5.9V/3A, 5-11V/2A） 50W USB-A 1 Output: QC3.0 + SVOOC 4.5V~10V/5A, 11V/4.5A, 12V/4.16A Magnetic Wireless Charger Output: 15W Fast Charge (10W for Android and non-iPhone 12 devices) Apple Watch Wireless Output: 5W Maximum Power Output: 190W Maximum Power Input: 100W Batteries: 5 x 21700 Panasonic™ Lithium Polymer Graphene Composite Battery Cells Battery Life Cycles: 2,000, 4 times more than Li-Po batteries Battery Life: 5 Years Time to 80% (20,000mAh) from empty: 45 min Time to full charge from empty: 1 hr 10 min (with 100W input) DC/DC Input Efficiency: 90%~95% (100W input) Pass-through charging: Yes Output Efficiency: 70% ± 5% Discharge Rate: 12mAh per day over 395 days Device Operating Temperature: -20℃ to 60℃ Safety Protection: Over current/voltage/temperature, short circuit protection Enclosure: Aircraft-grade Aluminium and PVC

Power Distribution – 190W max across all ports/pads C1=100W C1+C2= 100W + 20W C1+C2+C3= 100W + 20W + 60W C1+C2+C3+A1= 60W + 20W + 45W + 50W C1+C2+C3+A1+ iPhone wireless= 60W + 20W + 45W + 50W + 15W C1+C2+C3+A1+ iPhone wireless+Apple watch wireless= 60W + 20W + 45W + 50W + 15W + 5W

Design and features

The design is fairly standard for power banks. The notable differences are the nice display, wireless MagSafe charging pad, and Apple Watch charging pad.

The front of the pack holds the display and the wireless pads. The back has the logo.

There is a power button on the side. The pack powers up automatically when you plug something in, but if you want to check the charge level, you can turn the display on with a push of the button.

The two ends hold all the nicely labeled charging ports and the technical data. The C1 port doubles as a charging port for devices and the input charging port to charge the power bank.

It arrived in need of a charge. You can see that it only had 2% available and was taking 93W from my Ugreen Nexode 300W GaN Desktop Charger . Using the 100W port, it took just over an hour to fully charge the Flash Pro Plus. Nice.

The included carry case can hold the power bank. It also has a mesh pocket to hold a cable or two.

Assembly, Installation, Setup

The only setup required is to charge the power bank so it can then charge your devices.

Performance

Performance is pretty simple – it works. In the photo above, my laptop was sucking 55.7 Watts from C3 while my phone was sipping 18.0 Watts from C2. The display showed that there was still 88% life left in the pack, it was maintaining 26C or just under 79F – pretty cool given the power it was putting out. The display showed that it was delivering 73 Watts – perhaps a rounding error since 55.7 + 18 = 73.7, but that’s a minor quibble. I appreciate the excellent information provided. I especially like the charge level as I think that provides better information than a 4-LED charge indicator.

I’m not an Apple guy, so I can’t address the Apple specifics of this battery pack, like the Apple Watch wireless pad. The documentation does say that it won’t work with Samsung watches as the coil design is different. I have an Android phone with a MagSafe case on it so I figured that the wireless pad would charge my phone. I moved it around and the magnets snapped it into place. And…it did nothing. No charging. So it doesn’t work on non-Apple devices. Or did I miss something?

I did something I am typically morally opposed to doing – I read the manual. It turns out that the wireless charging pads are disabled by default. I held the button down for three seconds as directed and the “W” on the power delivery total in the lower left started flashing, indicating that the wireless was turned on. I popped my phone on again, and it immediately started consuming 10 Watts of wireless charging goodness. It makes sense – you don’t want a charged-up wireless pad randomly trying to deliver power to whatever it might snuggle up next to in your bag. Pressing the button for another three seconds shuts off the pads and the “W” stops flashing. Lesson learned – read the manual.

The Flash Pro Plus had no problem delivering power to two laptops and a cell phone via USB while simultaneously wireless charging another cell phone. I still had a USB port to spare. It stayed remarkably cool while delivering all that power thanks to its graphene design.

I tested charging my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Here’s what I saw:

• C1 100W: Super fast charging at 20.4W, 9.3V, 2.2A
• C2 20W: Fast charging at 17.8W, 9.4V, 2A
• C3 60W: Super fast charging 2.0 at 18.8W, 9.4V, 2A
• A1 50W: Fast charging, 14.5W, 9.1V, 1.6A
• Wireless: Fast wireless charging, 9W

One thing to note is that if you are a MacBook person, this power bank can only put out a maximum of 100W from a single port so you can’t get the 140W you want to fast-charge. Still, it’s more than you can get from other power banks.

What I like about the Chargeasap Flash Pro Plus power bank

• Bodacious power
• Relatively small and light
• Nice variety of output ports and power
• The display provides a wealth of information
• Wireless charging can be easily enabled/disabled
• It remains cool when in use
• Recharges quickly
• Airline-friendly

What needs to be improved?

• Put in a big reminder for stupid people like me to read the manual

Final thoughts

The Flash Pro Plus power pack from Chargeasap has a lot to like and essentially nothing to dislike. It is well-made, packs a lot of power, offers flexible power delivery options, and can recharge just about anything you can throw at it. It does all this in an easily packable package. Add on the excellent information display, wireless charging options, and pass-through charging and you have a compelling do-it-all battery pack for general or travel use.

Price : $289 Where to buy : Chargeasap Source : The sample of this product was provided for free by Chargeasap . Chargeasap did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.

About The Author

3 thoughts on “Flash Pro Plus USB-C 25000mAh Graphene Power Bank review – My new travel battery”

• Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting

Good review, but it would have been nice if you had included the dimensions & weight – or at least a photo that showed it relative to a well known object – so one can get an idea of how much room it would take up.

Thomas, If you look in the review for the heading Tech Specs and follow the instructions to Click to Expand, you’ll see dimensions, weight, capacity, output levels and so on.

Thanks – didn’t see the tiny little expansion triangle 🙂

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