best carry on luggage business travel

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. Travelpro also provides a full catalog of other replaceable parts . 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’ve been covering luggage and travel bag design for Wirecutter for nearly a decade and have personally researched, tested, and compared hundreds of bags in that time. Over the years we’ve also 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.

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). Additionally, Travelpro supplies a full catalog of other replaceable parts .

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’s sized to maximize your space, but you have options. Measuring 23 by 13.5 by 9 inches, the Platinum Elite carry-on bag (in either wheel configuration) hits the upper margins of actual carry-on size limits and could get you gate-checked by an overzealous agent. However, it fits into most standard-size baggage caddies at check-in, including that of American Airlines and United Airlines. 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 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.

It’s well balanced and spacious. This luggage 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 . The sole other company we’ve seen offering this extensive a warranty is Briggs & Riley, whose carry-on suitcases start at about $500. Travelpro bags have owner-serviceable parts and 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 currently testing Level8’s Voyageur series of luggage, which features an extra-wide handle. It’s a design trend we’re starting to track with a few lesser-known brands (and, incidentally, a Louis Vuitton case costing several thousand dollars). A wide handle should do two things: It should free up a little more space inside the luggage, and it should improve handling.

Lastly, 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 more or less set the standard.

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.

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.

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.

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

Wirecutter’s 100 Most Popular Picks in September 2022

by Wirecutter Staff

These 100 useful things were the most-purchased Wirecutter picks in September 2022.

The Best Luggage Tags

by Geoffrey Morrison

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

The Best Carry-On Travel Backpacks

by Kit Dillon

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 Nearly a Decade. Here’s Why.

Travelpro Platinum Elite is our most loyal travel companion.

• Best hard-sided overall
• Best soft-sided overall
• Best budget
• Best high-end hard-sided
• Best high-end soft-sided
• Best for extra space
• Best aluminum
• How we tested

The best carry-on luggage of 2024, tested and reviewed

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The internet is filled with stories of travel nightmares, but imagine a scenario where you're strolling through the airport confidently and easily with your suitcase gliding by your side; everything you wanted to pack has fit neatly into one bag, and you don't have a care in the world about squeezing it into the overhead bin. The best carry-on suitcases are reliable, durable, easy to pack, hold plenty of clothes, and fit on both domestic and international planes of all sizes.   

As travel editors who take more than 50 flights a year, we practically live out of our carry-ons at times. Our picks for the best carry-on bag are based on years of hands-on testing using objective tests and real-life travel. Our top pick for a hard-sided suitcase is the Samsonite Centric Hardside Expandable Luggage with Spinner Wheels , which has proved to be durable, spacious, and easy to maneuver. If you prefer a soft-sided bag, we also recommend the Travelpro Platinum Elite Expandable Carry-On Spinner , a bag designed by an airline pilot with thoughtful features like well-placed pockets and leather detailing.

If you're in the market for checked luggage, be sure also to check out our guide to the best luggage , which details all our favorite travel brands.

Our top picks for carry-on luggage

Best hard-sided overall: Samsonite Centric Hardside Expandable Luggage with Spinner Wheels - See at Amazon Form, function, durability, and an excellent price all meet to make the Samsonite Centric Hardside Expandable Luggage a winner.

Best soft-sided overall: Travelpro Platinum Elite Expandable Carry-On Spinner - See at Travelpro The Travelpro Platinum Elite Expandable Carry-On holds everything you need and then some, but its attention to detail makes it stand out from the competition. 

Best budget: AmazonBasics Hardside Spinner - See at Amazon For the casual weekend traveler, the AmazonBasics Hardside Spinner Carry-On is an attractive bag that does the job at an extremely affordable price.

Best high-end hard-sided: Rimowa Essential Lite Cabin - See at Rimowa True to its name, the Rimowa Essential Lite sets itself apart with its under 5-pound weight without compromising on durability or quality. 

Best high-end soft-sided: Briggs & Riley Baseline Domestic Carry-on Expandable Spinner - See at Briggs & Riley The Briggs & Riley Baseline Domestic Carry-On is worth the investment thanks to its impressive compression feature and high-end materials that stand the test of time.

Best for extra space: Monos Carry-On Pro Plus - See at Monos If you're not restricted to smaller overhead bins, the Monos Carry-On Pro Plus is a sleek suitcase with extra room inside and a smart front pocket for easily stowing accessories.  

Best aluminum: Away The Carry-On: Aluminum Edition - See at Away Away's heavy-duty aluminum carry-on is as sleek and eye-catching as it is durable.

Best hard-sided overall: Samsonite Centric Hardside

Pros: Excellent price for the quality, durable, scratch-resistant, wheels easily, expandable, 10 year warranty

Cons: Handle wiggles a decent amount when fully extended, may be too big for some budget airlines outside the US 

I've used this bag consistently for years, and while it has a couple of very small marks upon close inspection, it has remained in remarkably good shape — especially compared to other hard-side cases I've tried. 

It's easy to lift into overhead bins and a rubberized grip under the top and side handles adds extra comfort for handling. The zippers run smoothly and the expansion zipper even has a finger hole for extra ease and agility. There is also a TSA-approved lock on the right side.

Despite its small size, I can fit a week's worth of clothes inside, and the 1.5-inch expansion capability comes in especially handy if you often return from a trip with more than you originally packed. While there aren't any fancy extras when it comes to interior storage, it's more than sufficient with a mesh zip close on one side and a strong buckle to keep clothes packed in tight on the other. 

The bag's one downside is that the handle is a little bit wobbly when fully extended. As is the case with most suitcases, the handle poles also take up some space in the interior compartment, making it harder to lay items completely flat on that side. 

Read our full Samsonite Centric Hardside Expandable Carry-On review .

Best soft-sided overall: Travelpro Platinum Elite

Pros: Durable and high-quality materials, leather detailing, doesn't tip forward even when fully packed

Cons : Easy to overpack, may be too big for some budget airlines outside the US 

Travelpro is well-regarded among serious travelers for a reason. The high-density nylon fabric is durable, stain-resistant, and has not torn or ripped in the time I've used it. Leather detailing not only adds a sophisticated look but also makes the top lifting handle extremely comfortable. However, the additional handle on the side is a little bit tight, even for my small hands.

With an expansion option of two full inches, this bag holds a ton. There are three front pockets of varying sizes, including one that can hold a laptop. The main compartment has the standard layout of a soft-side bag with one deep side and a smaller zipper compartment on the other side.

Large chrome zippers are easy to maneuver and the four large wheels made this bag one of the easiest to wheel on every surface, including carpet. The adjustable handle is very sturdy and has a contoured grip, making it extra comfortable.

The bag also comes with several handy extras, including a garment bag, a built-in USB port (battery pack not included), and a removable clear plastic bag attached to the inside for holding toiletries and liquids.

However, I did find that with so many front pockets, the bag was very easy to overpack, especially when fully expanded, which defeats the purpose of having a carry-on if you end up having to check it after all. 

Read our full Travelpro Platinum Elite Expandable Carry-On review .

Best budget: AmazonBasics Hardside Spinner

Pros: Very affordable, durable for the price, solid adjustable handle that doesn't wobble

Cons: Marks up easily, may not hold up well over time, no lock

For a bag that costs much less than our top picks, I was thoroughly impressed by the quality and look of this carry-on. It was sturdier than I was expecting and the material only had a little bit of give when I pressed on the top and sides.

Though it is expandable up to 15% for additional packing room, I found that it held less overall than the similar Samsonite suitcase we recommend in this guide, making it a good option for shorter or weekend trips.

The interior has one mesh zip side and one side with a buckle. The buckle isn't too sturdy, but it will do the trick of keeping clothes in place. The adjustable handle is comfortable and didn't wobble very much. The wheels also glided smoothly on nearly every surface (thick carpet gave it a bit of trouble), though they were just a little bit louder than others I tested. 

The zippers ran smoothly and for the most part, the bag held up throughout my tests, though it did get marks relatively after just one use. That said, some reviewers have complained that after about five or six trips the bag starts to break down, with complaints of broken handles, wheels, and zippers.

Best high-end hard-sided: Rimowa Essential Lite Cabin

Pros: Incredibly lightweight, durable

Cons: Not as good for organization, expensive

Rimowa is best known for its distinctive aluminum suitcases frequently spotted on celebrity Instagram accounts. While those bags will set you back a cool grand, the luxury travel brand has alternative high-quality options that won't cost more than your monthly rent.

I was particularly impressed with the newer Essential Lite bag, which weighs less than five pounds — an especially great option for chronic overpackers who worry about their bag being overweight. Shockingly, the Lite suitcase actually holds slightly more than Rinowa's classic aluminum suitcase, too.

The brand didn't sacrifice when it comes to the quality of the materials. Although the bag has some give at the top when pressed, the suitcase is plenty sturdy. Its thicker glossy coating also keeps it from scratching or marking up as easily as matte-finished suitcases. I tossed it around several times and it survived the back of a moving truck with no dents, scratches, or marks. 

The bag has a TSA-approved lock on top, a rubberized top handle that's comfortable to grip, and a sturdy telescopic handle. The wheels are whisper quiet thanks to cushioned axles and worked beautifully on every surface from hardwood to carpet. I also liked that both sides of the interior had a mesh zipper, which I found made keeping everything organized and in place easier than the typical one-sided buckle system. 

One added bonus of owning a Rimowa bag is the 5-year warranty, and the company works with a network of hotels to do repairs onsite should anything happen to your bag while you're traveling.

Read our full Rimowa Essential Lite carry-on review .

Best high-end soft-sided: Briggs & Riley Baseline Domestic Carry-on Expandable Spinner

Pros:  Durable, high-quality materials, smart and unique features to help fit more in 

Cons:  Pricey, heavy

With a hybrid fiberglass frame, ballistic nylon exterior, reinforced corners, and smooth YKK zippers, this Briggs & Riley bag is made to withstand the test of time. 

This suitcase is also full of ingenious tricks that make packing it a breeze and help you sneak in those extra outfits. For starters, the bag has a CX compression-expansion system that increases packing capacity by 25% before compressing back down to fit carry-on size regulations. Another smart feature that adds packable room to this bag is a fold-out divider in the smaller zippered compartment so you can stack clothes, fold it in, and then stack more clothes before zipping it all up.  

Unlike other bags we tested, the adjustable handle is entirely on the outside of this bag, so no packing room is lost to the poles. That said, it does mean that the poles are visible on the outside the bag and may make it slightly harder to slide the bag into the overhead compartment.

The wheels expertly navigated every surface, and the handle is sturdy and easy to grip. Two outer pockets on the front add additional space, but I found they didn't expand quite as much as the Travelpro front pockets. There's also a small zippered pocket on the back ideal for keeping your phone (especially when going through security).

The biggest downside: it's heavier than the other bags I tried and could be hard for some people to lift into the overhead, especially when fully packed. 

Best for extra space: Monos Carry-On Pro Plus

Pros: Significantly more packable space, smart front pocket that doesn't protrude when packed

Cons: Doesn't meet all carry-on size requirements, marks up easily

At 23 inches, the Monos Pro Plus is just a hair too big for some smaller planes or budget airlines. However, if you mainly take larger cross-country or transatlantic flights where overhead bins are bigger and space isn't usually an issue and relish every last ounce of packable space, this carry-on is worth a look. 

It offers more packable space than any other bag on this list. It features one side with a zippered mesh compartment and an alternative side that has a fold-out mesh pocket and two wide and sturdy buckles that seriously compress clothes when pulled tight. 

What really sets this bag apart is the front pocket space, which is unusual for a hard-sided suitcase. The padded pocket holds a 15-inch laptop and has additional space for organizing everything from your phone to headphones. 

The bag itself has a simple and chic look and comes in an array of attractive colors like pale pink and royal blue. However, my bag did get several small scuffs rather quickly. The adjustable handle is sturdy and doesn't wobble, the YKK zippers didn't catch, and the wheels glided smoothly on all surfaces. 

As an additional bonus, the bag is guaranteed for life and has a 100-day trial period. 

For those who want to ensure their carry-on fits on all flights, Monos recently launched a smaller carry-on option with a pocket, the Carry-On Pro . However, you do lose 10 liters of packable space, so the Pro is best for shorter trips.   

Read our full Monos carry-on luggage review .

Best aluminum: Away The Carry-On: Aluminum Edition

Pros: Durable, sleek look, dual locks, ample packing space

Cons: Heavy, expensive

Aluminum suitcases are more expensive than standard polycarbonate options. However, they're supremely durable and built to seriously last. They also have a sleek and shiny look that stands out from the crowd at the airport.  

This one from Away has quickly become one of my favorites. I was worried it wouldn't easily fit into all overhead bins because it has a bulkier look, but I was even able to fit it on a small regional plane recently. 

As for that shiny look, I receive compliments every time I take this bag out. And on durability, this carry-on has held up remarkably well so far, with no scratches, dings, or dents to speak of, even after I also threw it around on my rooftop to simulate the wear and tear that comes with typical plane travel. 

Its 360-degree spinner wheels are a breeze to roll on numerous surface types. Rather than a typical zipper, this aluminum suitcase features two sturdy TSA-approved locks that easily click into place.

What most impressed me was the huge amount of packing space. I took this bag on a weekend ski trip and was able to fit my long underwear, sweaters, ski pants, gloves, and a light jacket on just one side. I easily fit a weekend's worth of everyday clothes on the other side. 

At just under 11 pounds, this bag is heavy. While that isn't too big of an issue on car trips, train trips, or some flights, with airlines that have stricter weight limits I would hesitate to use this carry-on.

Read our full Away Carry-On review .

How we test carry-on luggage

For this guide, I narrowed down the field to the 10 top contenders based on my own considerable travel experience and knowledge as a travel editor, as well as additional research and user reviews. While some of these bags I've personally owned and used for several years, others I tested extensively specifically for this guide.

I put all 10 of the bags through the same tests, which considered packability, maneuverability, and durability. I also took into account the price point, style, quality of materials, and any extra features the bags included. 

Packability: I paced the same set of clothing in each bag (enough for a five-day trip), noting both ease of packing and how much the bag could actually hold.

Maneuverability: Due to the pandemic, I have not been flying recently, but I still mimicked the conditions carry-ons would typically go through in a number of ways. I packed each bag to capacity, rolled them for several blocks on the street, tested the wheels on wood floors, thick carpet, and concrete, stress-tested the zippers, and lifted each bag onto a high closet shelf roughly the same height as an overhead bin.

Durability: I used all of the bags in a recent move where they were thrown around the back of a moving van in a similar fashion to how they might be tossed around on and off a plane by bag handlers to test durability. 

Carry-on luggage FAQs

What size carry-on should i buy.

Most US airlines technically cap carry-ons at 22 inches long, 14 inches wide and 9 inches high, including handles and wheels. However, in our experience (and the practical dimensions we've spotted in best-selling bags), you can usually get away with about an inch more room in each direction.

However, if you frequently travel on short jumper flights or often fly on budget airlines overseas, you may want to consider a carry-on no larger than 21.7" x 13.7" x 9".

Should I buy hard-sided or soft-sided luggage?

Ah, the age-old luggage debate. The answer depends on your priorities.

Hard-sided bags have a fixed shape and size, which is a boon if you're prone to overpacking. They're also more durable. However, soft-sided bags offer some flexibility, which can be good for squeezing your bag into tight overhead spaces. They also usually have outer pockets, which is a rarity in hard-sided bags. The style you choose here will ultimately be down to your personal preference.

What's the best weight for a carry-on?

In general, 7 or 8 pounds is a manageable dry weight for a carry-on bag. Keep in mind that extra bells and whistles add to the weight of the bag, so carefully consider if those features are truly worth the extra weight before committing. For example, a portable USB charger often seems like a great perk in a bag, but it can add a whole extra pound of weight.

What's the best carry-on for traveling with kids?

Traveling with kids means you'll need easy access to snacks, entertainment devices, diapers, and other childcare items. That means outer pockets are your friend in a carry-on bag. Any of our soft-sided carry-on picks will do the job here.

Should I get a carry-on with two wheels or four wheels?

Our testers are staunch believers that a carry-on bag should have four wheels for maximum maneuverability. There's really no advantage to a two-wheeled bag.

What's the best material for luggage?

The most common materials for hard-sided suitcases tend to be aluminum, polycarbonate, and ABS. Aluminum is extremely durable, but also extremely pricey, and ABS is less durable but more affordable. A good polycarbonate bag can hit the sweet spot of price and quality.

When it comes to soft-sided suitcases, ballistic nylon is one of the most durable options, but again can mean a higher price point. Regular nylon can still be high-quality while being more affordable, while polyester tends to be a good budget option.   

You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here . Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected] .

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The Best Carry-On Luggage 2024, Tested and Reviewed by Travel Editors

Caroline Morse Teel

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline .

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's traveled to all seven continents, jumped out of planes, and bungeed off bridges in the pursuit of a good story. She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and all things adventure.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

The Handy Item I Always Pack : "Earplugs. A good pair has saved my sleep and sanity many times!"

Ultimate Bucket List Experience : Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro.

Travel Motto : "Don't be boring."

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat : "Aisle (when the first class private suite isn't available)."

E-mail her at [email protected] .

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Packing for a trip can be stressful, especially if you’re trying to fit everything you need into a carry-on bag. With increasingly strict airline baggage allowances and common occurrences of lost/mishandled checked bags, finding the right carry-on suitcase is key to avoiding expensive checked baggage fees and ensuring your stuff makes it to your destination. 

No one understands this struggle more than the SmarterTravel team. As travel editors, we travel a lot (and are firm carry-on only flyers.) We tested and reviewed the top carry-on luggage over hundreds of trips to help you find one perfectly suited for all your travels.

The carry-on bags we reviewed underwent rigorous testing to see how they held up to the realities of travel. We evaluated important factors like size and weight, wheeled performance, ease of packing, durability, and special features. Our testing process included packing each bag to capacity, carrying it through airports, stowing it in overhead bins, and taking it on planes, trains, and automobiles during real-world trips.

Ranging in price from affordable to splurge-worthy, the best carry-on suitcases earned top marks across all our tests for their optimal size, seamless maneuverability, handy organization, stylish looks, and resilience.

From a lightweight hard-sided spinner that fits easily in tiny overheads to a large carry-on that expands for over-packers, these are our travel editors’ picks for the best carry-on suitcases of 2024. 

Best Carry-On Suitcase Overall: Samsonite Outline Pro Carry-On Suitcase

The Samsonite Outline Pro Carry-On Suitcase was our favorite of all the carry-on suitcases we tested. This smart and sleek suitcase is made from a durable polypropylene shell that helps contribute to its light weight of 6.4 lbs. Smooth spinner wheels and an adjustable handle make this bag easy to wheel even when fully packed.

The interior is just as nice, lined with a fabric made from 100 percent plastic bottles. There’s also a multi-functional panel divider that can compress clothes to create more space while providing pockets for organization. One of the pockets is water-resistant, so you can use it to separate swimsuits or wet clothing on the journey home.

Our favorite feature of the Samsonite Outline Pro is the antimicrobial handle technology used on the trolley grip and side handles, which helps keep us healthy while traveling. 

Dimensions: 15” x 10” x 23”

Weight: 6.4 lbs

Best Large Carry-On Suitcase: Roam Large Carry-On Suitcase

If you want to test the limits of an airline’s carry-on policy, we recommend the Roam Large Carry-On Suitcase as the best large carry-on suitcase. We’ve taken this suitcase on hundreds of flights and have only ever had to check it on very small puddle-jumper planes. This roomy carry-on can hold up to 42 liters, making it a great suitcase for chronic overpackers. 

This suitcase comes with two compression boards, which can be used to divide the two halves of the suitcase and help you fit even more in. The boards have large pockets perfect for packing cords and other small items. 

We also love that all Roam luggage can be customized to suit your style—you can choose the color of every part of this suitcase, right down to the wheels, to create a unique bag that definitely won’t get mixed up at baggage claim.

Dimensions:  9” x 16.25” x 22”

Weight: 7.7 lbs

Best Expandable Carry-On Suitcase: Delsey Rempart Carry-On Suitcase

An expandable suitcase is like having two bags in one—keep it small and compact for a short trip or open it up for a longer journey (or for the return trip when you buy lots of souvenirs to bring home). Delsey’s Rempart Carry-On Suitcase is our favorite expandable bag due to its patented Securitech Zipper that’s three times more resistant than a standard zipper (so you don’t have to worry about it ripping open, even when it’s expanded to its maximum capacity).

Other thoughtful features include an integrated TSA-combination lock, two packing compartments with compression straps, zippered pockets, and a lined divider. We also love that the interior lining can be removed and washed—an innovation you’ll appreciate if you’ve ever come home with a sandy suitcase after a beach trip.

Three carrying handles allow this bag to be carried in various ways. If you have other Delsey suitcases, the Rempart’s modular design allows it to stack on top for easy carrying and storage. 

Dimensions: 13.75” x 10.25” x 21.75”

Weight: 6.7 lbs

Best Soft-Sided Carry-On Suitcase: Travelpro Maxlite 5

The best soft-sided carry-on suitcase is also one of the lightest weight options on our list. The Travelpro Maxlite 5 lives up to its name, weighing just 5.4 lbs. This model is the brand’s latest and is a full half-pound lighter than the previous iteration, the Travelpro Maxlite 5. 

The suitcase has a unique tapered design that helps prevent it from tipping over when upright (a common problem with soft-sided suitcases). It also has a solid bottom tray design that helps increase the bag’s durability. The Travelpro Maxlite 5 can expand to 2 inches to provide extra space when needed. The interior is lined with a waterproof protectant that helps keep the bag dry. 

This suitcase comes with Travelpro’s limited lifetime warranty, which will cover the cost of repairs if it’s damaged for one year after purchase. 

Dimensions: 23” x 14.5” x 9” 

Weight: 5.4 lbs

Best Luggage Trackers

Best Small Carry-On Suitcase: Eagle Creek Gear Warrior XE 4-Wheel Carry-On Luggage

We love the Eagle Creek Gear Warrior XE 4-Wheel Carry-On because it’s deceptively spacious for its small size and light weight. It even expands slightly to give you a little bit of extra space when you need it. We’ve packed for week-long trips with just this bag and had no issues fitting everything in. Despite the diminutive size, this suitcase is packed with organizational features, like an exterior laptop sleeve and interior zippered pockets. 

Made from 100 percent recycled, water-resistant fabric, this carry-on-sized spinner bag is easy to wipe clean and great for rainy destinations. 

The Warrior is equipped with heavy-duty wheels that allow you to roll this bag over rough terrain—a perfect pick for navigating the cobblestone streets of Europe.

Dimensions: 21.65” x 14” x 10”

Weight: 8 lbs 12 oz

The Best Hardsided Carry-On Suitcase: Away The Carry-On

Away’s The Carry-On Suitcase has won many awards and is beloved by travelers, and for good reason—it’s smartly designed. The Carry-On is Away’s smallest suitcase and will fit in most overhead compartments and pass all but the strictest baggage sizers at the gate.

This durable carry-on suitcase is crafted from 100 percent polycarbonate for maximum impact resistance. It glides smoothly on premium 360-degree spinner wheels and features a telescoping trolley handle with two height settings for ergonomic maneuvering. The water-resistant shell safeguards your belongings, while convenient features like the TSA-approved lock, laundry bag, and color-matched luggage tag help streamline your packing routine. 

Thoughtfully designed, the suitcase maximizes storage with a double-buckle compression pad and extensive interior organization like three mesh pockets and a handy hanging pocket. Reverse coil zippers grant easy access to the wide opening, and an underside grab handle aids lifting. 

As a bonus, Away’s carry-on suitcase comes in a variety of beautiful colors, including glossy and matte options. 

Dimensions: 21.7″ x 14.4″ x 9″

Weight: 7.5 lbs

The Best Luxury Carry-On Suitcase: Tumi Continental Dual Access 4-Wheeled Carry-On

The Tumi Continental Dual Access 4-Wheeled Carry-On is an organized packer’s dream. The design of this suitcase keeps suits, shoes, clothes, and toiletries neatly separated and wrinkle-free. Convenient amenities like the built-in USB port and built-in TSA lock maximize functionality. 

This is a great suitcase choice for business travelers, as the interior features a removable garment sleeve and fiberglass rod that allows you to hang a suit or dress inside the case without getting crushed or wrinkled. 

The Continental Dual Access features Tumi’s signature smooth-rolling wheels and a 3-stage telescoping handle for easy maneuverability. Protective features like molded bumpers and side panels guard against impacts, while built-in tracers and TSA-approved locks keep valuables secured. With options for top, side, or bottom access via well-designed zippers, this suitcase optimizes packing efficiency for several days of travel. 

Dimensions: 22.0″ X 16.0″ X 9.0″

Weight: 11.1 lbs

The Best Carry-On Backpack: L.L. Bean Approach Travel Pack

A carry-on doesn’t have to be limited to a suitcase. For the ultimate in mobility, opt for a backpack as your carry-on. You won’t have to worry about climbing stairs or pulling a bag over rough sidewalks, and a backpack can fit under your seat on a full plane when necessary, avoiding the dreaded gate-check. 

Our favorite carry-on backpack is the L.L. Bean Approach Travel Pack . Use it on its own for a short trip, or combine it with a checked bag (put all the essentials in the backpack and carry it on the plane) for longer journeys.  

The Approach Travel Pack opens flat and can be packed like a suitcase, unlike a traditional backpack where you’ll have to shove everything in through the top and dig through the entire bag to find something buried at the bottom.

Dimensions: 20” x 12.5” x 10”

Weight: 3.3 lbs

5 Simple Ways to Make Travel Easier in 2024

How We Tested These Carry-Ons

These are the carry-on suitcases that the SmarterTravel team uses on their own trips. We’ve taken them on countless flights, train trips, road trips, and cruises to find out the pros and cons of each bag. 

When testing a carry-on, we consider the following factors:

• Size and weight
• Ease of transportation
• Organizational features

We’ve tested out numerous suitcases that didn’t make the cut, which helped us narrow the list to the best carry-ons worth investing in. 

What Size is a Carry-On Suitcase

The dimensions for a carry-on suitcase vary by airline and generally change depending on if it’s an international or domestic flight. For flights within the United States, the most common size limit for a carry-on suitcase is 22 inches long, 14 inches wide, and 9 inches high. 

The international carry-on suitcase size limit is usually 21.7 inches by 15.7 inches wide by 9 inches high, but this will vary by airline.

Note that airline carry-on size limits include all aspects of the suitcase, including the handles and the wheels, so be sure to check the total dimensions of your bag and not just the interior measurements. If your suitcase meets the size limit but the wheels don’t, it will not pass the carry-on sizer test.

Always check with your airline for the correct carry-on size for your trip, as it can change by destination. 

Is There a Weight Limit for Carry-Ons?

There usually isn’t a weight limit for carry-ons on domestic flights within the United States (unless you’re flying on a very small plane). However, you must be able to lift the suitcase into the overhead bin without assistance.

International flights are generally stricter with weight limits and will weigh your carry-on bag when you check-in. These weight restrictions vary quite a bit by airline but generally range from 15 to 35 lbs. 

What Can’t You Pack in a Carry-On Suitcase?

Remember, carry-on suitcases are subject to stricter security restrictions than checked bags. You can’t pack these items in carry-on suitcases, but you can pack them in your checked luggage:

• Liquids or gels bigger than 3.4 ounces
• Sharp objects (including knives, hiking poles, and large scissors) 
• Certain sporting goods (such as baseball bats and hockey sticks)
• Self-defense items (including pepper spray and brass knuckles)
• Weapons (including firearms) 

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We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

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The Best Carry-On Luggage, Tested & Reviewed By Our Editors

By Madison Flager

All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Carry-ons are arguably the piece of luggage travelers pull out most often, whether it's the only bag coming on a weekend trip or used in tandem with a checked suitcase. It also spends the most time with us in transit, which means the functionality is even more important: Are your belongings easy to get to if you need to retrieve something while waiting at your gate? Is there a space to stash whatever item you remember on your way out the door? These are a few of the things Traveler editors considered when sifting through the seemingly endless options on the market. We set out to find the best of the best—bags that are lightweight but still sturdy, have enough space to house clothes, shoes, toiletries, and accessories, and will hold up for many trips to come. After months of testing, these are the pieces we've deemed the best carry-on luggage of 2023.

What we considered:

When testing out carry-on luggage, we asked editors and contributors to consider several factors: How light a bag was on its own, how much it could fit, whether the design and organizational factors were helpful (and aesthetically pleasing), how well it held up in transit, how easy or difficult it is to roll and pick up, whether it's worth the price point, and if there are any unique features that set it apart from other carry-on suitcases or bags they've used.

This article is part of Condé Nast Traveler' s first-ever Luggage Week , for which dozens of suitcases, backpacks, and weekender bags were road-tested by our editors.

What size can a carry-on bag be?

It depends on which airline you're flying with, but typically, dimensions are limited to 22 inches long, 14 inches wide, and 9 inches high for domestic airlines (Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, and United Airlines adhere to these figures; American Airlines allows for an extra inch of height, while and Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines's max is 24" x 16" x 10" and Spirit Airlines's allotment is 22" x 18" x 10"). Some airlines provide a single number; dimensions must add up to that number or below to be considered compliant.

International airlines tend to have slightly different size requirements; 21.5" x 15.5" x 9" is typical, but here are some exact specifications by airline:

• Air Canada: 21.5" x 15.5" x 9"
• Air France: 21.6" x 13.7" x 9.8"
• British Airways: 22" x 18" x 10"
• Emirates: 21.6" x 15" x 8.6"
• Lufthansa: 21.6" x 15.7" x 9"
• Qatar Airways: 20" x 15" x 10"
• Singapore Airlines: 45 total inches

What can’t I take in my carry-on?

Liquids over 3.4 ounces (100mL) are not allowed in your carry-on. Additionally, firearms and other potentially hazardous items are prohibited. Check TSA's website for specific items you may have questions about.

Are carry-on bags free?

Again, it depends on which you're flying with and what kind of ticket you purchase. These airlines offer one free carry-on (and one personal item), regardless of what level ticket you bought:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines

While these airlines offer one free carry-on (and one personal item) to all travelers except those who purchased a base fare:

• United Airlines

Top recommendations:

• Best overall carry-on: Paravel The Aviator Carry-On
• Best lightweight carry-on: July Carry-On Light
• Best budget carry-on: Béis The Carry-On Roller
• Best expandable carry-on: Away Carry-On Flex
• Best softside carry-on: Travelpro Platinum Elite softside spinner

Weight: 8.2 lbs. Dimensions: 22" x 14" x 9"

Pros: Glides smoothly even when fully packed, unique look and feel Cons: No external phone charger included, could use an interior pocket along the length of the bag

Luggage brand Paravel has built a dedicated following thanks to its retro Wes Anderson–style designs and use of sustainable materials. The Aviator Carry-On is no different: Available in shades like scout tan, safari green, and scuba navy, it has a recycled polycarbonate shell, recycled zippers, and an interior lining made from 15 upcycled plastic water bottles. It's a favorite of senior editor Megan Spurrell : “This is one of two carry-on roller bags I have used regularly for nearly three years—we’ve traveled everywhere from Lisbon to Mexico City to Los Angeles together.” Spurrell has used it for weeklong trips, and notes that it's still in good shape after years of use: “It has definitely gotten scratched up from being thrown into the hull of planes (I have checked it before, even though it’s carry-on), but it has held up well otherwise—there are no cracks in the shell, zipper issues despite how much I have stuffed it, nor sticky wheels.” The one minor flaw: The top handle placement is a bit counterintuitive, placed on the side of the suitcase further from your body.

Weight: 8.36 lbs. Dimensions: 23" x 16" x 10"

Pros: Comfortable handle, fairly easy to clean Cons: Although the beige color is incredibly pretty, it gets dirty very quickly; I would recommend a darker color

With a pretty, ribbed design and thoughtful features like a cushioned silicone grip on the handle, you wouldn't guess this is one of the most affordable suitcases on our list. It's been tested by commerce producer Paris Wilson , who used it to pack for her and her boyfriend on a weeklong trip to the Florida Keys; with the help of the expandable zipper, it fit at least 14 outfits as well as four pairs of shoes and two purses. The wheels have stood up to bumpy roads—“We live in downtown Manhattan where cobblestone streets are a staple and we still managed to make it to the subway without any hangups”—and the included pouches come in handy for dirty clothes or even souvenirs. “I’m tempted to buy the remaining luggage to create a set; I would recommend this to anyone who's interested in building their luggage collection but might not know where to start.”

Weight: 7.9 lbs. Dimensions: 23" x 15" x 9.5"

Pros: Durable wheels, easy to lift, compression straps Cons: Because of its size, it may be checked on smaller planes or flagged to be checked on planes at full capacity

Away recently upgraded a few of its core suitcases, including The Bigger Carry-On. Updates include an additional zipper compartment, a color-matched interior made of recycled polyester, and an underside grab handle for easy overhead bin lifting. Tested by editorial assistant Jessica Chapel , who has taken it on a flight to New Mexico, a bus ride to New Jersey, and in cars on weekend trips from New York, it's one of the lighter bags on the list at under eight pounds. Compared to her previous suitcase, “It does wonders. Prior to this luggage I often traveled with a checked bag. I can fit almost as much in this suitcase, and it's way more practical—and feels more swift, given the 360-degree wheels.”

Weight: 3.9 lbs. Dimensions: 21" x 14" × 7.5"

Pros: I enjoy the ease with which you can move this piece of luggage around; it feels very zippy Cons: The telescopic handle sometimes sticks

July calls this the lightest double-wheel suitcase in the world, and it is the lightest we've tested here at Traveler at just under four pounds when empty. Research director Alexandra Sanidad has brought it on planes to Phoenix, Arizona, and Portland, Oregon, and on an Amtrak to Woodstock, New York; she says “it's very cute and fits nicely in tight spaces,” and is a “good price for a sturdy, colorful, functional suitcase.” As for what it fits, light packers can fit a week’s worth of clothing in here; if you’re bringing multiple day and night outfits, plan for a weekend’s worth.

Weight: 11.1 lbs. Dimensions: 22" x 16" x 9"

Pros: Extremely functional and stylish, glides smoothly even when full Cons : It’s a little large for a carry-on; I've had to check it twice so far

Tumi bags are an investment—at over $1,000, this is one of the priciest bags on our list of the best carry-on luggage—but for frequent business travelers or those looking for a lifelong investment piece, it might be the bag for you. It's gone with former Traveler editor Alex Erdekian on trips to Mexico, Italy and France, a bachelorette party at Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire, and Boston. She calls it “the most beautiful suitcase I’ve owned,” and appreciates the “zipper expansion that drastically increases the depth of the suitcase,” as well as the “sneaky zipper around the front that allows you to pull out clothes quickly.” It is one of the heavier bags on the list, though, and Erdekian says she's had difficulty lifting it overhead when full. Also of note: It comes with a five-year warranty, and can be customized with a monogram or set of “pop of color” accessories.

Weight: 6.53 lbs. Dimensions: 21.5" x 15" x 9.5"

Pros: Budget-friendly, very lightweight Cons: Since its design is pretty plain, it's not the most aesthetically pleasing suitcase on our list

This hardside carry-on with spinner wheels and a built-in TSA lock has racked up rave reviews on Amazon, like this one: “It fit an odd amount of stuff in it. It's like a clown car. It has compartments and zippers that keep things separate and organized. It holds up well and is really good looking. It's absolutely worth every penny. I'm purchasing more for the rest of the family.” Traveler editor Meaghan Kenny agrees, calling it an overpacker's dream bag. The hardside spinner comes in black, navy, bright blue, and orange.

Weight: 8.1 lbs. Dimensions: 23" x 15" x 10.3"

Pros: The front zipper is such a plus, with lots of sections for organizing Cons: The color range isn’t huge—I wish they alternated in more shades

This Arlo Skye zipper-front suitcase has gone on many trips with Spurrell —she alternates between this and a Paravel carry-on, and this one has been to Peru, upstate New York, and Montauk: “I take it as a carry-on for most flights—from weekend trips to weeklong getaways—because it’s surprisingly roomy, with an organized front pocket that I can easily stow essentials like my laptop, book, and magazines in.” Sleek yet durable, it comes with a removable charger (boasting both USB C and USB A ports), two shoe bags, a laundry bag, and a cotton storage cover. The aesthetics are a plus, too: “I love the design of this bag—it feels like a reliable, sleek rolling bag, with design you’ll never get tired of.”

Weight: 7.8 lbs. Dimensions: 23.5" x 14.5" x 9"

Pros: Expandable design, multiple exterior pockets Cons: Some travelers may prefer a clamshell opening; may be too large for some international flights

Every inch counts—especially if you're traveling with just a carry-on—and softside luggage offers a little more give than hard-shell bags. This expandable pick has a telescopic handle, spinner wheels for easy gliding, and an external USB port for charging your devices. It's earned an “Amazon's Choice” distinction thanks to its consistently high reviews and competitive pricing (its larger size, which has many similar internal features, is a favorite of former Traveler editor Louis Cheslaw). The suitcase is available in several shades (including black, Bordeaux, and true navy) and three carry-on sizes (19-, 20-, and 21-inches).

Weight: 8.15 lbs. Dimensions: 21.7" x 13.7" x 9"

Pros: Expandable, easy to roll Cons: Scuffs easily, no exterior pockets

Go one step further, space-wise, with this expandable suitcase, which gives you an additional 2.25" of packing space when needed. Traveler 's global associate director of audience development Lara Kramer has used this bag for trips as long as a week (including a trip to London ), and noted how smoothly it rolled across almost any surface, thanks to its 360-degree spinner wheels. “The joy of this luggage is its simplicity,” she says. “It's a pretty straightforward design, but what it does, it does very well: glide smoothly and easily with its 360-degree spinner wheels and provide the luxury of expanding to add more room if needed. Between my husband and I, one of us is always snagging it as our main carry-on.” Kramer recommends choosing a unique color for your bag, or adding your favorite sticker to the outer hard shell to help it stand out, and notes the inevitable scuffs can look pretty jarring against the black colorway.

Weight: 12.5 lbs. Dimensions: 22" x 14" x 9"

Pros: Very easy to store, even in small places; soft handle grip Cons: Expandable mechanism can be tricky to lock into place

The designers at Béis knew what they were doing when they built this soft-sided expandable carry-on , a favorite of senior commerce editor Madison Flager . It's a big space saver for people with minimal closet or storage space, and yet still fits plenty when expanded—enough for a long weekend to five-day trips. An exterior front pocket holds a laptop sleeve, pocket to place a portable charger (and a small hole to slip the charging cord through), plus a key clip. Smooth-rolling wheels and a soft hand cushion on the underside of the handle are great touches, too.

Weight: 7.16 lbs. Dimensions: 21.5" x 14" x 9"

Pros: Responsive handle, very lightweight Cons: No exterior pockets for added storage

Lightweight with a rugged exterior, frequent traveler Patrick Thompson noted that this bag “seems like it would hold up to the hustle and bustle of an airport, getting jammed into an overhead compartment, and any excessive packing into the trunk of a car.” He's been using it regularly for over a year, bringing it on trips as long as two weeks (Argentina and Italy), as well as long weekend trips to Utah, Georgia, and Florida, and while it has gotten scuffed, it's still in good shape, and is a bag he'd recommend to other travelers. “I love the color and that it's very lightweight. I find it to be easily rollable when traveling.” While there is “a stealth pocket on the top corner that holds smaller items, which can be very useful and convenient while trudging through the airport,” he hasn't often utilized the front exterior zipper, which is meant for easy access to the main compartment, and would prefer another exterior pocket in place of it.

Weight: 10 lbs. Dimensions: 20" x 14" x 7.9"

Pros: Built-in garment folder, interior compression system, exterior pockets Cons: Doesn't roll as easily when full

Senior features editor Rebecca Misner calls this suitcase “a professional travelers’ dream carry-on: very sturdy, and full of bells and whistles that actually make packing easier.” Briggs & Riley's signature expansion system allows travelers to press a button and pull up on a lever in the main compartment to expand the suitcase sides vertically. “Once you’re packed and zipped, you just push down on the exterior sides to compress.” Other notable features include mesh interior pockets, a built-in garment folder with a foam roll bar that keeps clothes from wrinkling, and unassuming SpeedThu pocket pockets on the exterior made to fit a passport and boarding pass—with a bright orange lining that signals when the pocket is open (meaning your important docs are at risk).

Weight: 9.9 lbs. Dimensions: 14" x 22" x 9.5" Pros: Keeps dress clothes wrinkle-free, exterior pocket to hold documents or other small items Cons: May not be large enough to be your only suitcase on a trip

Heading to a wedding or business trip ? Kramer vouches for this compact Travelpro garment bag. “The lay-flat garment bag design is the real gem of this carry-on. It holds way more than you think—and arriving with all of your dresses and shirts wrinkle-free is a huge game changer.” The durable nylon fabric, made with a Duraguard coating, is a bonus, too.

Weight: 7.9 lbs. Dimensions: 22.8" x 9.4" x 15"

Pros: Smooth-rolling wheels, built-in phone charger, antimicrobial lining Cons: Scratched easily on first use

Tested by destinations editor Shannon McMahon , who prefers to travel with expandable hard-side spinners, this one stands out for “its super roomy packing capacity and its smooth-rolling wheels.” It's become her go-to carry-on after first using it for a four-day getaway last year with room to spare ( even after buying souvenirs ). Smart features of the utilitarian bag include a built-in phone charger, zippered laundry compartment, oversized mesh organizational pockets, and antimicrobial lining. The exterior scratched surprisingly easily on that first trip, but beyond that it hasn't seen much damage: “It's not a fight against scratches on the outside like I thought it would be, it seems like it was just a first-use thing.” The bag's biggest pros: Its packing power and its ultra-lightweight—“it's light as a feather when empty,” McMahon says.

Weight: 6.06 lbs. Dimensions: 22" x 14" x 9" Pros: Wheels smoothly, easy to carry around Cons: Laptop sleeve doesn't fit much else, so if not using it, feels like an unnecessary use of space

Frequent traveler Katie Thompson has been using this suitcase for over a year, bringing it to Italy, Argentina, Florida, upstate New York, and Savannah, and calls it “an organizer's dream.” The Samsonite carry-on is loaded with zip pockets and mesh nets to give every item its own place. Thompson says it “can comfortably fit a week's worth of clothing if you are a light packer, but is probably best for a weekend trip,” and notes it rolls easily and in all directions. Another perk: The hardshell exterior has built in patterns that help to hide any scratches, though it has gotten some scuffs with time. Overall, it is “sleek, unique, and compact,” though overall storage is on the smaller side: “The additional pockets on the top side make the inside smaller,” Thompson says. “It fits less than my previous carry-on, but I still managed 10 days in Italy with it.”

Weight: 8.25 lbs. Dimensions: 21" x 13.5" x 9.5" Pros: Front pocket for last-minute items, plenty of interior compartments Cons: Limited color options, no expansion

Hard-shell bags with a front pocket are few and far between, but this Calpak bag makes a strong case for it. Executive editor Erin Florio says she “actually [looks] forward to packing this thing;” while she was worried about its size at first glance, after traveling with it, she says smart packers could pack for up to 10 days with it. “The inner compartments make it really easy to organize all your items, from shoes to laundry to toiletries, which helps you fit in more,” she says. As for that exterior pocket, it can fit a laptop, hardcover book, and magazines.

Weight: 6.3 lbs. Dimensions: 23" H x 14.5" W x 9.5" D Pros: Lightweight and fits a lot of clothing including shoes Cons: Hard to lift when heavy. Also hard to clean/get scuffs out

Recommended by associate social media manager Kayla Brock , this expandable carry-on has a mesh zip compartment and zip-lock compartments inside, which make organizing clothes, accessories, and toiletries easy. She has brought it to North Dakota, Europe, New York, Zanzibar, Seattle, Jamaica, Chicago, Colorado, and the Cayman Islands, packing for as long as three weeks with it (though in winter time, it's better suited for weekend trips). “Although it originally looks like my clothes wouldn’t fit (I’m guilty of overpacking), the suitcase closed with ease,” Brock says. In the year-plus that she's been using it, it has gotten some scuffs and discoloration on certain parts of the body, and the zippers have bent a little; however, Brock still strongly recommends it: “Out of all the suitcases I have this is my absolute favorite and without a doubt the one that I take with me on a trip.”

This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date.

Protect Your Trip »

The best carry-on luggage of 2024.

Discover the best carry-on luggage for your unique travel style and needs.

The Best Carry-on Luggage

Rachael Hood | U.S. News

Things aren't always as they seem – especially when it comes to luggage. In our quest to find the best carry-on bags, we discovered that while some suitcases look good, they don't always hold up to the demands of travel. Some designs have attractive features that add bulk but not additional functionality, while others just don't live up to the hype.

To determine the best carry-on luggage, we tested dozens of bags on countless trips to find the ideal bag for every travel need. Read on to find the best option in a variety of categories, tested and reviewed by our team of experts.

Best Overall: Solgaard Carry-On Closet Original – Large

• Jump to features and expert insights ↓
• Overall Runner-up: Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-on Hardside Spinner

Best Hard-sided: Away The Carry-On

Best soft-sided: samsonite solyte dlx carry-on spinner, best lightweight: july carry on light, best for international travel: delsey paris helium aero international carry-on - expandable spinner, best affordable: amazon basics 20-inch hardside spinner.

• Best Expandability: Briggs & Riley Essential 22" Carry-on Expandable Spinner
• Best Underseater: CALPAK Luka Soft-sided Mini Carry-On Luggage

Best for Business Travel: Amazon Basics Expandable Softside Carry-On Spinner – 20.4 Inch

Best luxury: carl friedrik the carry-on pro.

• Best Carry-on Duffel: The North Face Rolling Thunder–22"

Best Carry-on Backpack: Cotopaxi Allpa 35L

(Note: Prices were accurate at the time this article was published; they may fluctuate due to demand or other factors. Original photos were taken by our editors during luggage testing.)

Price:  $315 or less

Dimensions: 22.4 x 14.6 x 9.6 inches | Weight: 8.1 pounds; 8.85 pounds with closet insert Packing capacity: 4-7 days |  Color options:  Red, purple, navy or 6 others, plus precious metals options Hard- or soft-sided:  Hard-sided   | Warranty: Lifetime

Sturdy and attractive, this suitcase is set apart from the rest by its patented and removable shelving system. This unique design feature makes packing easier, keeps items in place and removes the need for unpacking at your destination. Rather than a zippered clamshell design, the Solgaard Carry-on Closet has two latches that open with just the squeeze of two levers together; it secures with a TSA-approved lock.

The waterproof polycarbonate exterior has an aluminum frame and corner guards so this suitcase can withstand all the rigors of travel. There's also an ergonomic handle and frictionless wheels, which make it easy to maneuver on all types of terrain. What's more, this sustainable suitcase helps to repurpose 6 pounds of plastics that may have ended up in the ocean.

What our editors say:

This carry-on suitcase has it all! From the power bank (sold separately) to the super sturdy and comfortable handle to the removable closet feature – not to mention the attractive yet functional appearance – this suitcase packs a punch. I really like how easy it is to pull on a variety of surfaces, including carpet and brick. – Rachael Hood, Senior Editor

Best Overall Runner-up: Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-On Hardside Spinner

Leilani Osmundson | U.S. News

Price: $369.99 or less

Dimensions: 23 x 14.5 x 9.5 inches | Weight: 8.1 pounds Packing capacity: Up to 10 days; 45 liters | Color options: White, red, blue, green or gray Hard- or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Warranty: Limited lifetime

The Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-On Hardside Spinner is a truly well-rounded carry-on with a plethora of unique features. USB A & C ports on the outside of the bag give easy access to charging. (A power bank is not included, though the bag does have a pocket for one inside the expansion zipper.) Self-aligning magnetic wheels – a reviewer-favorite feature – allow painless travel through the airport as well as on roads, sidewalks, uneven surfaces and more. A built-in TSA zipper lock offers ultimate protection for your possessions.

Even without the features listed above, this Travelpro spinner is, at its core, a high-quality piece. The hard outer shell is ultra-strong and 100% polycarbonate; aluminum corner guards further protect your belongings. The clamshell-style suitcase has two large interior compartments along with three extra pockets, one of which is water-resistant, and the expansion zipper allows for an extra 2 inches of packing room. Plus, this carry-on is made with genuine leather trim, so you can travel in style as well as comfort.

There are some amazing features on this carry-on, but my favorite is the wheels – as someone who typically prefers hands-free travel (primarily backpacks), I found that the way this suitcase easily glides around everywhere absolutely changed my mind about wheeled luggage. Just know that since this is one of the larger bags on this list, I would still check your airline's carry-on size requirements before traveling (though it's been tested for most major domestic airlines, and it fit perfectly on Delta). – Leilani Osmundson, Senior Digital Producer

Amanda Norcross | U.S. News

Price: $275 or less

Dimensions: 21.7 x 14.4 x 9 inches | Weight: 7.5 pounds Packing capacity: Up to 5 days; 39.8 liters | Color options: Black, navy, blue gray or olive, plus 2 glossy options Hard- or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Warranty: Limited

When it comes to hard-sided carry-on luggage , nothing beats The Carry-On by Away. The bag is lightweight yet indestructible thanks to a 100% polycarbonate exterior. Plus, you can easily wipe away most scratches with a magic eraser.

In late 2023, Away launched a new iteration of The Carry-On that somehow made it even more efficient. The most notable new features are an additional underside grab handle, three extra interior compartments, and an enhanced compression system that upholds the bag's ability to accommodate nearly a week's worth of clothing. The bag's 360-degree wheels are also slimmer than those of its predecessor for improved maneuverability. While Away has long been known for its neutral colored matte options, glossy options of this bag are now available.

The Away Carry-On is my ride or die. I've taken it on so many trips over the past five-plus years and it's still in perfect shape. I know I'll have it with me for many years to come. – Amanda Norcross, Senior Content and SEO Strategist

Catriona Kendall | U.S. News

Price: $199.99 or less

Dimensions: 22 x 14 x 9.5 inches | Weight: 7.1 pounds Packing capacity: Up to 7 days; 32 liters | Color options: Black, gray, green, aqua blue or royal blue Hard- or soft-sided: Soft-sided | Warranty: 10-year limited

This classic soft-sided option from Samsonite offers everything you need for a smooth trip. There are three spacious pockets and a trolley strap on the outside so you can stack it on top of another rolling suitcase, as well as a USB port for charging your phone (though you'll have to purchase a battery separately).

Inside the suitcase, three more zippered pockets – including one for wet items – help you stay organized, while buckles keep the main compartment's tie-down straps out of your way while packing. This spinner can conveniently expand by 0.75 inches, but keep in mind if you're flying that overpacking may put it over your carry-on size allowance.

I've used other spinner suitcases in the past, but none of them glide as smoothly as this bag, with its 360-degree dual-spinner wheels. I also love the high-quality, lightweight material, but my favorite part is its organizational features – especially the WetPak pocket. I'd highly recommend the Samsonite SoLyte DLX for anyone who needs a trusty soft-sided carry-on for a flight; it definitely fits more than I thought it would. – Catriona Kendall, Editor

Price: $245 or less

Dimensions: 21.25 x 14.17 x 7.5 inches | Weight: 3.9 pounds Packing capacity: Up to 7 days; 32 liters | Color options: Beige, light green, dark green, lilac, charcoal or 3 others Hard- or soft-sided: Hard | Warranty: Lifetime with 100-day returns

Weighing just under 4 pounds, this bag is the lightest hard-sided carry-on we found on the market. It's constructed with an extremely durable German polycarbonate shell, and the interior has two mesh zippered compartments to keep your belongings from shifting. The inner nylon lining is also resistant to water and stains. To make the suitcase easy to maneuver, there's a top carry handle, a telescoping handle and dual-spinner wheels.

I was absolutely shocked by how light this suitcase is. While some lightweight designs can be extremely flimsy, this July carry-on is very durable and holds a good amount of clothing. With compression packing cubes I was able to pack enough clothing for a week. It was extremely easy to put in the plane's overhead compartment, and the wheels rolled very smoothly for my entire journey. The only thing I noticed is that since the bag is so lightweight, the trolley bag I had was making it want to topple. Next time, I'd use a smaller tote or a north-south design to avoid that issue. – Rachael Hood

Erin Evans | U.S. News

Price: $179.99 or less

Dimensions: 21 x 14 x 10 inches | Weight: 8.16 pounds Packing capacity: 5-7 days; 41 liters | Color options: Black, blue, red or gray Hard- or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Warranty: 10-year limited

This DELSEY PARIS carry-on is a well-built piece of hard-sided luggage. It meets carry-on suitcase size restrictions for most international airlines and offers an easily accessible front compartment – ideal for a laptop up to 15.6 inches or other items you want to be able to grab quickly. The suitcase has a TSA lock and two spacious internal compartments for clothing, shoes and travel gear. The double-spinner wheels glide smoothly across all types of surfaces, and the handle pulls out and retracts with ease.

I was incredibly impressed by this little workhorse of a carry-on bag. There are so many different pockets and compartments within it for organization, and it fits a surprising amount of clothes, shoes and accessories. The handle and wheels make it easy to maneuver, and the glossy exterior makes it look sleek and chic. – Erin Evans, Managing Editor

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Price: $80 or less

Dimensions: 21.46 x 14.76 x 9.45 inches | Weight: 7.34 pounds Packing capacity: Up to 7 days; 23 liters | Color options: Black, navy blue, orange or light blue Hard- or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Warranty: 1-year

The Amazon Basics 20-inch Hardside Spinner is similar to many other hard-sided luggage products on the market, but it's available at a fraction of the price. The ABS shell is textured, so even if you – or luggage handlers – bang it around a bit, it does not show scuffs or scratches easily. The double-spinner wheels (a must, honestly, in today's luggage landscape) make the bag effortless to maneuver.

Inside, one side of the bag features a compression strap, while the other has a large fabric zippered closure, complete with a few organizer pockets for smaller items. Thanks to its availability on Amazon Prime, the carry-on luggage ships quickly, so it's also a great option if you need new luggage in a crunch.

This carry-on bag is a superb selection for the budget-conscious traveler. I appreciated how much I was able to get into this bag (it doesn't look huge, but it fit quite a lot), and the textured exterior really ups the durability factor. The compression straps and the interior organizer even helped me squeeze in a bit more. – Erin Evans

Best Expandability: Briggs & Riley Essential 22" Carry-on Expandable Spinner

Price: $699 or less

Dimensions: 22 x 14 x 9 (up to 11.5) inches | Weight: 10 pounds Packing capacity: Up to 7 days; 37-48 liters | Color options: Black, navy or olive Hard- or soft-sided: Soft-sided | Warranty: Lifetime

The Briggs & Riley Essential 22" Carry-on Expandable Spinner has a standout feature that other bags on this list don't: one-touch CX expansion. Exclusive to Briggs & Riley, this technology allows your bag to expand and compress in one swift motion. Simply press and pull up on the red levers found at opposite ends of the bag, and it will grow 2.5 inches. Once you've packed your belongings, push down on the buttons to compress the bag before zipping it up.

This bag also features a garment folder to reduce wrinkles in a suit or dress, as well as cinch-down garment panels to secure the clothing in place. Other convenient features include interior mesh compartments for organization, an exterior pocket for airport essentials (or even your laptop) and a signature PowerPocket where you can charge your smartphone.

While the bag is undoubtedly an investment at $700, its "simple as that" guarantee (free repairs forever, no questions asked) – plus sturdy features like impact-resistant corner guards and self-repairing zippers – means you'll have it for life.

When it comes to quality, this is the best luggage I've ever used – period. The compression/expansion system is just the icing on the cake. – Amanda Norcross

Best Underseater: CALPAK Luka Soft-Sided Mini Carry-On Luggage

Price: $165 or less

Dimensions: 16 x 14.5 x 9 inches | Weight: 5.1 pounds Packing capacity: 2-4 days; 34 liters | Color options: Chocolate, oatmeal or rose quartz Hard- or soft-sided: Soft-sided | Warranty: 2-year limited

Compact and filled with useful features, this CALPAK underseater has a water-resistant exterior, a TSA-approved lock, and side and top handles for easy lifting into the overhead or pushing under the seat. There's a telescoping handle, a luggage trolley sleeve and two exterior pockets for stowing small items like your passport, boarding pass and earbuds.

On the inside, there's a padded laptop sleeve, multiple interior pockets and compression straps. For added convenience, the main panel can be secured via built-in snaps to get your laptop out while traveling (and keep your other belongings from spilling out), or you can unsnap it while packing to maximize the interior storage space.

When I'm traveling on a quick trip with my laptop, this is my go-to bag. Its compact size glides easily under the seat, and it's also compact and light enough to fit into the overhead bin even on the smallest regional planes. I love the laptop sleeve and the zippered exterior pocket for my book, earbuds and wipes. To maximize the interior space, I use compression cubes from Lug , and I'm able to squeeze in four to five outfits, a pair of shoes and daily necessities. – Rachael Hood

Price: $83 or less

Dimensions: 20.4 x 14.9 x 8.2 inches | Weight: 6.35 pounds Packing capacity: 2-3 days; 26 liters | Color options: Black, olive, gray, red, blue or purple Hard- or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Warranty: 1-year

This simple but sturdy carry-on piece from Amazon is a great option for business travelers, thanks to its front pocket for easy laptop access, smooth double-spinner wheels and TSA lock. This Amazon Basics soft-sided carry-on also features a handle on the bottom between the wheels, which makes it easy to put the bag up into and pull it out of the overhead bin. On some airplanes, it may even be small enough to fit under the seat.

The interior of the bag features one large compartment with two compression straps, plus two zippered pockets on the opposite site. The 20.4-inch option is ideal for shorter trips, but this style is available in larger sizes as well. Another bonus: It's available on Amazon Prime, so it ships quickly.

This Amazon Basics option is on the smaller side for a carry-on, but that's what makes it a solid choice for business travelers going on short trips who only need to pack a few things. The laptop pocket is easily accessible, and the handle on the bottom of the bag is super useful for hauling it out of an overhead bin. The black color is professional, and the price can't be beat. – Erin Evans

Price: $565 or less

Dimensions: 21.7 x 15 x 9.6 inches | Weight: 9.5 pounds Packing capacity: 5-7 days; 43 liters | Color options: Gray/cognac, gray/chocolate, gray/black or black Hard- or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Warranty: Lifetime with a 100-day trial

Constructed with premium materials, this luxury carry-on has Italian leather accents, Japanese spinner wheels and a polycarbonate exterior with an aluminum metal frame for stability. It closes via two secure latches with combination locks (rather than a zipper). There's a front laptop compartment with a smaller pocket and pen slots to keep business essentials or travel documents easy to access.

The interior has leather details, compression straps and a removable compression pad with a pocket – ideal for small items like ties, fashion jewelry or silk scarves. Travelers can also purchase an additional compression pad to have a pad on each side of the interior compartment.

This suitcase exudes luxury with its Italian leather trim and understated elegance. The design of it looks very sleek, the interior is spacious, the handle is very sturdy and the wheels glide with ease. I especially liked that the top of the suitcase is very flat, which gave my trolley bag a secure base so it wasn't moving around while I was at the airport, and the front compartment was ideal for accessing my laptop on the go. It feels very sturdy, but the only downside is it weighs more than a typical carry-on. – Rachael Hood

Best Carry-on Duffel: The North Face Rolling Thunder – 22"

Price: $270 or less

Dimensions: 22 x 14 x 8.5 inches | Weight: 7.34 pounds Packing capacity: Up to 5 days; 40 liters | Color options: Black Hard- or soft-sided: Soft-sided | Warranty: Limited lifetime

The North Face's 22-inch Rolling Thunder duffel doesn't have the bells and whistles of other carry-on options, but it's a sturdy and reliable option for those who want a duffel style on wheels. The duffel has a hard-sided back panel, two wheels that can withstand various terrain and plastic bumpers for abrasion resistance. The soft-sided top of the bag is made of water-resistant Base Camp material and nylon for extra durability. There are two zippered pockets on the outside to stash small items and a mesh pocket inside for some added organization.

I brought this duffel on a trip to New Zealand, and it held up very well. The Rolling Thunder had no issues after being checked on six different flights, and the flexibility of the style allowed me to easily store it out of the way in my campervan once I had unpacked. It's definitely a simpler style, but it does its job well. Be aware, though, that this wheeled style doesn't have straps that would allow you to carry it like a duffel; it can only be rolled. – Catriona Kendall

Price: $200 or less

Dimensions: 22 x 12 x 10 inches | Weight: 3.5 pounds Packing capacity: 5-10 days; 35 liters | Color options: Multiple options but color availability changes frequently Hard- or soft-sided: Soft-sided | Warranty: Lifetime

When it comes to hands-free and adventure travel, the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L can't be beat. This lightweight carry-on backpack comes with a sternum strap, a removable waist belt and a weight-distributing harness system, all to make for a comfortable carry (since sore shoulders can be a concern when it comes to carrying backpacks through time-consuming airport experiences).

Organization is a breeze with a top zippered pocket – perfect for storing travel documents or a Cotopaxi hip pack – and a padded laptop sleeve on the outside. Internally, you'll find two mesh compartments, one large and one subdivided, that work great with Cotopaxi packing cubes . The backpack's straps can be tucked away for more streamlined travel, and the bag even comes with a rain cover (though the Allpa is already TPU-coated to be water-resistant).

Furthermore, Cotopaxi is dedicated to sustainability : 94% of Cotopaxi products contain repurposed, recycled or responsible materials. The vibrant, one-of-a-kind Del Dia Allpa backpacks , for example, use remnant fabric.

I've taken my Cotopaxi Allpa on countless adventures and it's survived everything – wind, rain, being shoved into tiny rental cars, you name it. Besides being incredibly durable, I love how much this backpack can fit; my longest trip so far with only the Allpa 35L as my luggage has been a comfortable nine days, and that included packing bulky cold-weather gear. I just wish it had a water bottle pocket like the Allpa 42L does! – Leilani Osmundson

Also Recommended

Solo New York Re:Serve Carry-On Spinner: While the Solo New York Re:Serve Carry-On Spinner is a solid (and sustainable) carry-on bag for less than $200, it doesn't offer quite enough space – especially for someone who may be traveling for longer.

Away The Aluminum Carry-On Bag: This is a well-built carry-on bag. The only downfall is that it's on the heavier side, weighing nearly 11 pounds. Away's Aluminum Carry-On is also more than twice the cost of the standard carry-on by Away, which works just as well.

Lipault Plume Cabin Size Spinner: This is a great soft-sided option if you're looking for a lightweight suitcase. Featuring a sleek nylon construction, a large front exterior pocket and internal zippered pockets, the Lipault Plume Cabin Size Spinner works well but isn't as lightweight as the July Carry-on Light.

Monos Carry-on Plus: It's a high-quality suitcase with a lot of internal details, but given its larger size this bag doesn't fit in the overhead compartment on multiple planes (especially regional jets). That said, if you're traveling domestically on larger planes, the Monos Carry-on Plus could be an option to consider. Or, the smaller standard Monos Carry-on could be a good option as well.

Pros and Cons of Hard-sided Luggage

Pros and cons of soft-sided luggage, frequently asked questions.

Aside from traditional rolling suitcases, the following items can be used as carry-on luggage provided they meet carry-on size limitations (which vary by airline) and fit in the overhead bin or fully under the seat (not sticking out) in front of you.

• Duffel and weekender bags:  This includes weekenders and duffel bags with wheels . Just note that wheels are included in carry-on dimension restrictions.
• Garment bags:  These are also considered carry-on baggage by most airlines. You can place your garment bag in the overhead bin, or in some cases, a small closet on the plane.
• Pet carriers:  Some airlines consider pet carriers to be carry-on luggage. Check with your chosen airline when preparing for your trip with Fido.
• Backpacks:  If your carry-on backpack fits under the seat, it will count toward your personal item allowance on most major airlines. This means you'll have the option to bring an additional bag for the overhead bin.
• Diaper bags: If you're traveling with a baby, diaper bags and other baby travel gear generally don't count toward either allowance – meaning you can bring these items in addition to your carry-on bag and personal item.

Purses , briefcases and camera bags can be carried on the plane as well, but usually aren't considered carry-on bags and are instead labeled personal items. Underseater bags – often designed specifically to fit comfortably under a plane seat – are also ideal as a personal item.

Typically, travelers can bring one carry-on bag (for the overhead bin) and one personal item (for under the seat) on the plane, free of charge.

Carry-on luggage sizes can vary by airline. Several major U.S. carriers, such as American Airlines and United, impose a 22 x 14 x 9-inch rule. If you're buying new carry-on luggage, this is a good default size to choose – especially if you fly with a variety of airlines.

For international airlines, it's often 21.5 x 15.5 x 9 inches. To be sure about dimensions as well as any weight restrictions, see our guide to Carry-on Luggage Size & Weight by Airline . It usually doesn't matter how heavy your carry-on bag is, though some airlines do monitor the weight.

• Hard-sided: The hard-sided July Carry On Light weighs less than 4 pounds, making it one of the most lightweight carry-on bags on the market. Other lightweight carry-on bags we recommend include the hard-sided Away The Carry-On (7.5 pounds) and the Amazon 20-Inch Hardside Spinner (7.3 pounds).
• Soft-sided: If you're looking for a lightweight, soft-sided carry-on bag, consider the Lipault Plume Cabin Size Spinner (4.8 pounds) and the Samsonite SoLyte DLX Carry-On Spinner (7.1 pounds).

Hard-sided luggage is often heavier than soft-sided luggage – but only by a few pounds. If you're planning to purchase a hard-sided carry-on bag, look for something that's made of polycarbonate or polypropylene, both of which are lightweight yet durable materials.

How We Tested

Our team tested 26 carry-on bags across several price points and on a variety of trips spanning overseas flights, weekend getaways, overnight trips and more. We traveled by car, plane, train and cruise and packed for a variety of climates and activities, from shore excursions in Mexico to rainy road trips around Iceland. For bags with wheels, we tested their maneuverability on multiple surfaces, including gravel, pavement, grass, moving walkways, cobblestone and carpet. After four months of testing, we deem these carry-on bags the best of the best for 2024.

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

The following editors personally tested the luggage recommended in this article:

Erin Evans , Managing Editor: Evans loves a durable bag and also can't say no to a good deal. Considering how banged up luggage can get, her picks on this list are both well-made and affordable.

Rachael Hood , Senior Editor: Hood rarely checks a bag, yet she loves to pack a lot and pick up some new finds along her journey. She looks for a combination of durability, functionality, interior space and overall appearance.

Catriona Kendall , Associate Editor: Kendall opts for convenient and versatile carry-ons that can work well for weekend and weekslong trips alike.

Amanda Norcross , Content & SEO Strategist: Norcross has mastered the art of traveling with a carry-on bag only, but believes this is only possible with the right luggage.

Leilani Osmundson , Digital Producer: Osmundson prefers lightweight, streamlined luggage that's ideal for adventure travel.

You might also be interested in:

• What to Pack in Your Carry-on Bag
• What Is Allowed in a Carry-on Bag
• The Best Travel Insurance Companies

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• # 4 Bora Bora

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The 12 Best Carry-On Luggage of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Travel lighter and easier with these suitcases

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TripSavvy / Tamara Staples

These days, with more and more airlines charging fees for checked bags, many travelers are choosing to limit themselves to a carry-on whenever they can. This means it’s more important than ever to purchase a bag tough enough to withstand being hauled in and out of overhead compartments—yet light and spacious enough to give you the greatest amount of packing space possible. Handy extras range from TSA-approved locks and integrated luggage scales to USB ports for keeping your devices charged in transit. 

With so many brands and styles out there, choosing the right suitcase can seem overwhelming. To make it a little easier, we tested 41 of the most popular options in our testing lab. We put them through their paces and scored them for attributes, including capacity, design, durability, maneuverability, and value.

Final Verdict

How we tested, other carry-on luggage we tested.

• What To Look For

Why Trust TripSavvy

Best overall, samsonite freeform carry-on spinner.

• Capacity 5 /5
• Design 5 /5
• Maneuverability 5 /5
• Durability 5 /5

Superior movement

Built to handle rigors of travel

Effortlessly cool

Not enough zippered pockets

An instant favorite with our testing team, the Samsonite Freeform Carry-On is made of injection-molded polypropylene for a hardside case that’s exceptionally lightweight, durable, and impact-resistant. It stood up well to our baseball bat test with barely any scuffs—so much so that we’d feel confident if we had to check it. We loved its minimal, ultra-modern aesthetic and found that it had sufficient space for everything on our packing list, even without employing the expansion feature. 

Potential purchasers should be aware that although the expansion feature is a definite bonus, overstuffing the suitcase could make it exceed some airline carry-on restrictions. We felt the interior organization options were good, with a cross ribbon, divider, and several pockets. The only downside was that there was only one zippered pocket, meaning you’d have to choose whether to separate shoes or dirty laundry. 

The suitcase has four 360-degree double spinner wheels for flawless maneuverability, and we found that it had the best glide of any bag we tested. It was easier to operate on two wheels over bumps, but transitioning between two- and four-wheeled use was a breeze. The suitcase also features a multi-stage handle with a wider grip for added comfort; a recessed, TSA-approved combination lock; and a built-in ID tag. Colors range from classic black to silver or sky blue. Finally, your purchase includes a limited 10-year global warranty. 

Dimensions: 21.25 x 15.25 x 10 inches | Weight: 6.5 pounds | Wheels: 4 | Expandable: Yes

Tamara Staples

Best Overall, Runner-Up

Travelpro platinum elite carry-on spinner.

• Capacity 4.7 /5
• Design 4.5 /5

Easy to maneuver

Solid, adjustable handle

Excellent impact and scratch resistance

Capacity could be more generous

Power bank sold separately

The Travelpro Platinum Elite Hardside Carry-On is a relatively expensive option; however, a 100 percent polycarbonate shell with reinforced aluminum corner guards makes it impressively durable and, therefore, worth the investment. Even after multiple drop tests and bat beatings, we could see no visible signs of damage. The textured finish should help reduce the visibility of scuffs or scratches, keeping your luggage looking brand new for longer. Exterior highlights include an integrated TSA lock and USB-A and USB-C charge ports. 

This suitcase benefits from Travelpro’s famous PrecisionGlide System, with eight self-aligning spinner wheels and a PowerScope Lite handle with four height settings. We found it incredibly smooth and easy to navigate and particularly liked the handle’s sturdy feel and textured grip. When it came to packing, we had to use the expansion feature to fit everything in, which made it a tight squeeze getting the bag into an overhead compartment. However, we liked the zippered divider panel and water-resistant toiletries section.

Dimensions: 23 x 14.5 x 9.5 inches | Weight: 8.1 pounds | Wheels: 8 | Expandable: Yes

Jhett Thompson

Best Budget

Amazon basics hardside spinner.

Minimalist, sleek aesthetic

Functional internal division

Easily handles any terrain out there

No TSA-approved lock

The AmazonBasics 21-inch spinner retails for well under $100, making it the most affordable option on this list. Despite its modest price tag, it surpassed our expectations on every test, making it an exceptional value for the money. It features a thick ABS plastic shell with a scratch-resistant, textured finish. We loved the simple sleekness of its design and the four bold colors to choose from, including black, navy blue, light blue, and orange. 

Four double-spinner wheels provide smooth maneuverability in any direction, with the suitcase performing admirably over bumps, obstacle courses, and smooth and carpeted surfaces during our testing process. The fully lined interior is expandable by up to 15 percent, although we didn’t have to use this feature to fit everything in. We particularly liked the built-in organizer with its three separate zippered pockets and the compression straps that kept all our belongings in place. The durable zippers and a sturdy handle complete the bag’s list of attributes.

Dimensions: 22 x 14.9 x 10 inches | Weight: 6.3 pounds | Wheels: 4 | Expandable: Yes

Samsonite Omni PC Carry-on

• Capacity 4.5 /5
• Maneuverability 3.8 /5

Great resilience to cosmetic damage

Ample packing space from the outset

Simple yet effective internal layout

Wheels are too small

The Samsonite Omni PC Carry-On may retail for roughly double the price of our budget pick, but it's still considerably cheaper than many of the suitcases on this list and combines durability, capacity, and lightness to provide impressive value for the money. It features a 100 percent polycarbonate shell with micro-diamond texturing for extreme scratch resistance (even after our rigorous testing, it showed no visible scratches). And it's protected by Samsonite's generous 10-year global warranty—just one of many things we love about Samsonite luggage .

We found we could fit everything in without using the suitcase's expansion feature. However, it was still a tight fit in the overhead compartment, so it's a good idea to check the exact requirements of your favorite airline before purchasing. We liked the organizational features—namely, a zippered divider and compression straps. The only drawback was the undersized spinner wheels, which caught easily on ruts (but performed well on carpet and sharp turns). The handle has two height settings, and the integrated lock is TSA-compliant. 

Dimensions: 22 x 15 x 9.75 inches | Weight: 7.05 pounds | Wheels: 4 | Expandable: Yes

Best Softside

Travelpro platinum elite 21-inch expandable carry-on.

• Organization 5 /5
• Maneuverability 4.9 /5

Made to last from premium fabrics

Plenty of storage solutions

Smart capabilities

Relatively expensive

If you’re looking for a softside carry-on, the Travelpro Platinum Elite is an excellent pick, featuring high-density nylon with a DuraGuard coating that resists stains and abrasions. This showed up during our durability tests, and the suitcase survived completely unscathed. With its genuine leather accents and chrome zippers, we feel this is a quality investment likely to endure long enough to justify its high price tag. As a bonus, it includes a built-in USB charge port with an external power bank pocket that adheres to FAA regulations. 

We did have to use the tip-resistant expansion feature to make space for everything on our packing list, which made the bag significantly larger. However, we really appreciated the thoughtful interior organization features, including two separate compartments, a deluxe tie-down system, and integrated accessory pockets. There’s even a removable, quart-sized wet bag for your toiletries and a fold-out suiter. Other highlights include Travelpro’s renowned PrecisionGlide System and a choice of elegant colors such as Bordeaux and Rich Espresso. 

Dimensions: 23.5 x 14.5 x 9 inches | Weight: 8.3 pounds | Wheels: 8 | Expandable: Yes

TripSavvy / Jhett Thompson

Best Hardside

Samsonite outline pro carry-on spinner.

Samsonite 

• Maneuverability 3.5 /5

Chic and streamlined 

Great choice of storage compartments

Several nice-to-have features

Rolled less smoothly than others

We loved the ultra-modern, contoured design of the Samsonite Outline Pro’s polypropylene shell, which not only looked excellent but also protected it entirely from scratches and dents during our testing process. The case also stands out for its integrated extras, including a USB charge port and a TSA-approved lock, while an interior lined with fabric made from recycled plastic bottles wins points for sustainability and a 10-year limited global warranty affords peace of mind.

We were able to pack everything without using the expansion feature and loved this suitcase’s intuitive organization options. These include a KompressPak panel to keep your belongings in place and two integrated, zippered pockets (one of which is waterproof for any damp items). The bag was slightly let down by its movement, which was clunkier than expected on all four wheels. However, the molded trolley handle is height-adjustable and infused with an additive to help reduce germs. 

Dimensions: 23 x 15 x 10 inches | Weight: 6.39 pounds | Wheels: 4 | Expandable: Yes

Best for Business Travel

Béis the carry-on roller.

• Durability 2.5 /5

Outstanding organization

Simple to move

Resilient, attractive exterior

Somewhat unwieldy on four wheels

The Béis Carry-On Roller is an excellent fit for frequent business travelers, with an ultra-lightweight and durable virgin polycarbonate shell that’s easy to roll, drag, and lift while also withstanding extensive rough handling. The appealing 3D stripe design and range of sophisticated colors (from beige to dusky pink) ensure you’ll also earn style points with your colleagues. We found the Hinomoto 360-degree spinner wheels turned tightly and rolled smoothly over bumps, while the handle’s cushioned silicone grip was infinitely comfortable. 

Perhaps best of all is this suitcase’s thoughtfully designed interior, which features multiple zippered flaps, pockets, and pouches for everything from small essentials to shoes and laundry. In fact, the storage options were so comprehensive our tester wished they could exceed our maximum points score on this front. Other highlights include a 2-inch expansion feature, a retractable strap for attaching your purse, a weight limit indicator, and a TSA lock. Lastly, the suitcase comes with the brand’s limited lifetime warranty. 

Dimensions: 22 x 14 x 9 inches | Weight: 8.36 pounds | Wheels: 4 | Expandable: Yes

Best Organization

Away the bigger carry-on flex.

• Durability 4 /5

All around fluid movement

Great choice for overpackers

Comes with sponge for removing scratches

Not a budget pick

If you’re the traveler who always needs more packing space—for last-minute items from home or souvenirs bought on your trip—you’ll love The Bigger Carry-On Flex from Away. Built using durable polycarbonate with stylish leather details, it fits 20 percent more than the brand’s standard carry-on and expands to reveal an additional 2.25 inches of space (although utilizing it may mean you have to check the bag on some airlines). An interior compression system helps you to fit even more. 

On the inside, the lining is removable—handy for washing out any accidental spills. We enjoyed the multiple organization compartments, including a hidden laundry bag designed to keep dirty clothes separate. The suitcase survived our durability tests intact and also aced our maneuverability trials. We found that the 360-degree spinner wheels glided smoothly, turned easily, and functioned just as well whether we were using two or four of them. Choose from a range of eye-catching colors and enjoy a 100-day trial and free shipping.

Dimensions: 22.7 x 14.7 x 9.6 inches | Weight: 8.6 pounds | Wheels: 4 | Expandable: Yes

Conor Ralph

Best Sustainable

Paravel aviator carry-on plus.

• Durability 4.5 /5

Entirely carbon neutral 

Frictionless wheels for a super smooth ride

Great capacity and interior layout

No expansion feature

Paravel is a brand with sustainability at its core, and the Aviator Carry-On Plus is no exception. The carbon emissions involved in sourcing, producing, and shipping the bag are all offset—as is its first trip with you. Materials are all sustainable, from the recycled polycarbonate shell with its recycled vegan leather trim to the lining made from 15 recycled plastic bottles. And you won’t be sacrificing anything in terms of style, thanks to the chic two-tone color scheme and the test-proven scuff-hiding finish. 

Although this carry-on doesn’t expand, we were able to fit everything on our packing list with room to spare. We loved the luxurious, impeccably organized interior, which boasts a compression board, pockets, and a removable laundry bag. The suitcase was also incredibly easy to maneuver, thanks to 360-degree wheels with carbon steel bearings that rolled like a dream. Other pros include a TSA lock and Paravel’s five-year warranty, making this purchase well worth it for those with the cash to spare. 

Dimensions: 22.7 x 14.7 x 9.6 inches | Weight: 8.5 pounds | Wheels: 4 | Expandable: No

Best Design

July carry on pro snapsleeve.

• Value 4.5 /5

External laptop sleeve 

Smart features

Sturdy, quiet wheels for a smooth glide

The compression system could be more effective 

Made from crush-proof polycarbonate that stood up well to our durability tests, the July Carry-On Pro represents the next generation of carry-on suitcases. Its most exciting feature is the detachable SnapSleeve, a padded 16-inch laptop compartment with space for documents and an extra zippered pocket that uses magnets to click into place on the outside of the suitcase. Want to store your bag overhead but keep your laptop with you? No more rummaging around in the aisle.

You can also charge your laptop and phone using the ejectable battery with its USB and FastCharge USB-C ports. The bag fits everything on our packing list, with a Twin-Strap compression system and hidden laundry bag. We especially loved how well the suitcase rolled on cement and rough surfaces, with four SilentMove wheels that never caught or got stuck. Other highlights include a 20-height telescopic handle, a TSA lock, and the ability to personalize—either with text or an illustration of your pet.

Dimensions: 21.5 x 15 x 8.5 inches | Weight: 7.9 pounds | Wheels: 4 | Expandable: No

Best Durability

Monos carry on plus spinner.

• Design 4 /5
• Maneuverability 4 /5

Durable exterior

Excellent capacity and organization

Gorgeous colors

Movement could be improved

The Monos Carry-On Plus is a looker with its premium materials, vegan leather details, and beautiful color choices like Desert Taupe and Rose Quartz. Not just a pretty face, though, it’s also incredibly tough, with an aerospace-grade polycarbonate shell that withstood multiple drop tests and bat beatings without sustaining anything more than easily removable scuff marks. Its longevity is proven by the fact it comes with a lifetime warranty. All details, from the YKK zippers to the sturdy telescopic handle, are top quality. 

We loved the suitcase’s interior too. We felt it was beautifully made and were impressed with how much we were able to fit. The clamshell design features a zippered panel on one side for keeping shoes or dirty laundry separate, while the other uses a compression pad and ballistic nylon straps to keep your belongings firmly in place. The only downside was the case’s maneuverability. We felt it was relatively hard to turn, and it worked better on two wheels than four.

Dimensions: 23 x 15 x 9.5 inches | Weight: 7.38 pounds | Wheels: 4 | Expandable: No

Best Splurge

Tumi continental dual access carry-on.

Spacious interior with superb layout

Seamlessly glides over any terrain 

Comes with Tumi Tracer

Exorbitant price tag

Retailing at more than $1,000, the Tumi Continental Dual Access 4-Wheeled Carry-On is undoubtedly a splurge (and one our tester found difficult to justify despite its excellent performance). However, if you’re looking for a suitcase that’s as much a status symbol as a luggage item, this is it. It features Tumi’s proprietary FXT ballistic nylon with a unique weave and special, extra-durable coating. The benefit was clear after our durability tests, of which the bag showed no evidence of damage. 

It opens two ways: clamshell style and via a front lid, both with quality security zippers. With three exterior pockets, multiple interior pockets, and dividers (including a removable garment sleeve), it’s the organized packer’s dream. We loved that we could fit everything without using the expansion feature and that it slid easily into the overhead compartment. Four dual spinner wheels and a premium telescoping handle guarantee a smooth roll over all surfaces, while extras range from a USB port to optional monogramming. 

Dimensions: 22.0 x 16.0 x 9.0 inches | Weight: 11.7 pounds | Wheels: 4 | Expandable: Yes

The Samsonite Freeform Spinner earns first place among our testers thanks to its exceptional maneuverability, chic aesthetics, and long-lasting build. A close second, the Travelpro Platinum Elite Spinner is easy to control and includes functional extras.

All carry-on luggage was tested in our purpose-built laboratory. First, bags were packed with a prescribed list of items to reflect what one might take on a four-day sightseeing trip in the fall . During the packing process, organization features and component quality were evaluated. Once full, we tested how well the suitcase rolled over a variety of terrains (smooth concrete, carpet, and gravel) before using an obstacle course designed to simulate a busy airport terminal to test maneuverability. 

Next, we lifted the luggage into a simulated overhead compartment to check fit and how easy it was to pick it up and set it down again. Finally, we subjected the suitcase to stringent durability tests, including pushing it off the top of a shelving unit and beating it with a baseball bat. Both tests were repeated to check all areas of the bag for weaknesses. Based on these tests, we gave each product a score from 1 to 5 for capacity, design, durability, maneuverability, and value. These scores determined our category winners. 

In all, we tested 41 pieces of carry-on luggage. The top performers are those included above. Here are some other pieces we deemed as honorable mentions:

Arlo Skye The Zipper Carry-On Max with Front Pocket : This suitcase performed quite well in our tests, particularly in terms of durability, capacity, and maneuverability, but the internal organization could be better and the price tag was a bit high.

Bric's Bellagio V2.0 21" Carry-On Spinner Trunk : Stylish, tough as nails, and stellar organization capacity are a few things we loved about the Bellagio. Our tester subtracted some points because the toiletry bag didn't fit and the price tag leaned toward the higher end.

Briggs & Riley Sympatico Domestic Carry-On Expandable Spinner 22" : For frequent travelers who can invest a bit more upfront for an extremely durable suitcase, this is a no-brainer. The interior featured a less-than-intuitive expansion feature and our tester struggled with the zippers.

COOLIFE Carry On with Pocket : We couldn't fault the long-lasting build or the value of this pick. Though generally a solid option, we noticed the maneuverability was lacking (performing some tasks better on two wheels and some on four), and the internal compartment made packing bulky items a bit more complicated.f

What to Look For in Carry-On Luggage

Although weight restrictions for carry-on bags vary depending on the airline you’re flying with, the aircraft size, and your travel class, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) states that limits can be as strict as just 11 pounds. Therefore, the weight of your empty carry-on affects how much you’ll be able to pack within it and is an essential factor to consider. Different materials and designs affect luggage weight; generally, polypropylene is the lightest choice for hardside cases, while nylon and polyester are favorite lightweight picks for softside cases. 

Maneuverability

Imagine you’re late for your plane and need to run through a crowded airport terminal , dodging fellow passengers as you go. You need a carry-on that rolls effortlessly, whether pushing it in front of you or pulling it behind you and one that can turn instantly in any direction. For the best maneuverability, always choose a suitcase with four wheels instead of two, and make sure they’re the spinning kind that offers seamless, 360-degree movement. Good quality wheels and a sturdy telescoping handle will give you the same maneuverability on various terrains. 

Organization

Even the most basic carry-ons will typically have at least one interior pouch or pocket, usually for separating dirty laundry or shoes or for stashing smaller items so they’re easy to find. More sophisticated options include multiple pockets of varying sizes and materials (perhaps a waterproof one for damp items), zippered dividers that split your packing space in two, and fold-out suiters or removable garment bags. Exterior pockets are typically reserved for softsided bags and can help stash passports and other documents you need to keep handy.

Hard vs. Soft Luggage

Hardside and softside cases have pros and cons, and which is better is primarily a matter of personal preference.

Hardside cases generally offer a trendier and more modern aesthetic, provide better weather resistance, are easier to clean, and protect delicate items with their rigid frame. However, they tend to show more wear and tear on their sleek exteriors than softside bags, so if you're choosing purely based on looks, keep that in mind. Also, hardside bags tend to have fewer pockets and organizational features.

Softside cases are more able to withstand rough handling since they won’t dent or crack and are often lighter and more flexible. The latter means that you have more wiggle room if you tend to overstuff your bag or need to pack odd-shaped items. However, if you're packing fragile items in a softside bag, you need to do so with extra caution as the soft exterior won't provide much protection from drops or hard landings. For breakables, we recommend packing in a hardside bag that can better protect items inside.

Dimensions vary from airline to airline (and sometimes from plane to plane), but the IATA gives the general rule that dimensions should not exceed 22 inches in length, 18 inches in width, and 10 inches in depth. These dimensions include any exterior pockets, wheels, and handles, albeit with the telescoping handle retracted. 

A smart bag is any bag with integrated tech capabilities. Most often for carry-on bags, this means a built-in battery pack that powers a USB charge port so you can keep your electronics going throughout your journey. Be aware that the battery should be removable in case you have to check your bag since lithium-ion batteries cannot be put in the hold.

Before cleaning your bag, you should check the manufacturer’s guidelines since the process will differ depending on the materials. However, you can generally use a soft-bristled brush (softside luggage) or a damp cloth (soft and hardside luggage) to spot-clean any dirt or stains. Dry your bag entirely before storing it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. 

Jessica Macdonald is TripSavvy’s Africa travel expert. After traveling across six continents for everything from scientific expeditions to gap year adventures, family vacations, and across-the-world emigration, she’s well-versed in the art of packing the perfect carry-on bag and knows which features are most helpful.

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The Best Carry-On Luggage for Business Travel

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Savvy frequent flyers pay special attention to every little detail when booking flights, hotels, and rental cars; this same vigilance applies to buying gear. This can be doubly true of business travelers, mainly because their needs can be more stringent than leisure travelers.

Those who frequently go on work trips must keep their documents, laptops, smartphones, and other electronics safe at all times, so they need luggage that accommodates these needs and meets airline regulations in weight and size. And, ideally, without risking lost luggage by having to check a bag.

An excellent piece of luggage will not only be ideal for keeping your essentials organized and secure, but it’ll also give you the peace of mind you need during your travels so you can focus on the job at hand. Below you’ll find some of the best carry-on luggage for business travel on the market so you can have the peace of mind you deserve.

Monos Hybrid Carry-On

Possibly the perfect carry-on suitcase for business travelers, Monos’ Hybrid Carry-On combines the best features of polycarbonate and aluminum luggage into a single premium rolling trolley. While most of the shell is crafted from lightweight thermo-plastic, the corners and latch are reinforced with aluminum to add extra protection to potential impact points and eliminate the possibility of a zipper malfunction. The result is a piece you can covet for years, and happily so, thanks to the intelligent organization features.

Not sure if it’s the right fit for you? My detailed Monos Hybrid Carry-On review might help you decide.

Carl Friedrik The Carry-On Pro

Business travel requires a professional-looking case made of premium materials, and The Carry-On Pro from Carl Friederik is exactly that – and so much more. Crafted from first-rate polycarbonate, with a secure aluminum lock frame, silent Japanese spinner wheels, and sleek leather details, it delivers the ultimate blend of style and performance.

Apart from its good looks and outstanding construction, a few other things stood out when testing the bag: the snap-shut locks are way more secure and satisfying to use than a zipper, and the hard-shell front pocket, complete with a laptop compartment, is truly a lifesaver and makes passing security a breeze.

Thanks to an ideal combination of size, aesthetics, and innovative features, this suitcase has also emerged as one of the best carry-on luggage for business travel in our tests.

Horizn Studios M5 Smart

A combination of innovation and eco-conscious design makes the Horizn Studios M5 Smart the perfect cabin suitcase for business travel. This carry-on, with its robust, partially recycled German polycarbonate shell and chic vegan nylon front pocket, not only withstands the rigors of travel but also speaks to the environmentally aware traveler. Its sleek design and lightweight structure are meticulously tailored for effortless air travel, ensuring your journey is as smooth as your arrival.

Functionality meets sustainability in the M5 Smart’s design. The one-click removable smart charger keeps your devices powered up, eliminating the hassle of searching for power outlets. The four-stage telescopic handle and TSA-approved lock, coupled with the smooth glide of the Japanese spinner wheels, provide security and ease of movement, essential for the fast-paced business traveler.

Inside, the M5 Smart reveals its true genius. The interior, crafted from the finest recycled materials, offers an ideal layout with dual zippered mesh compartments and a compression pad. This design not only maximizes space but also keeps your business attire and essentials impeccably organized and wrinkle-free. The addition of a premium laundry bag adds a thoughtful touch, enhancing the overall packing experience.

July Carry-On Pro

If you hate the struggle to free your laptop from your carry-on to pass through security, you’ll want to consider July’s Carry-On Pro seriously. Designed so that the included laptop sleeve – which has room for your passport, documents, keys, and other essentials in addition to a 16″ laptop – attaches directly to the front of the case, it’s easy to snap off quickly to place through the scanner.

Like many contemporary suitcases, this one comes with an integrated power bank. However, the Carry-On Pro has a mechanism that quickly ejects the device whenever you’d like to tote it with you separately. Combined with its premium organization features, the Carry-On Pro is a strong candidate to become your new favorite travel companion.

Béis Soft-Sided Collapsible Carry-On Roller

Perfect for corporate urbanites living in small spaces, the Soft-Sided Collapsible Carry-On Roller from Béis folds into a slim profile to store it away. When you’re ready to travel, the integrated wall panels in the interior snap right into place, ready to pack.

The easy-access front pocket can carry your laptop and essentials you need to keep at hand and includes a cord pass-through you can use with a battery bank to charge your phone on the fly. Though it’s packed with functionality, the design is far more distinguished and streamlined than your average soft-side trolly, so it’s as impressive to look at as it is to use.

Briggs & Riley International 21″ Carry-On Spinner

A lightweight, hard-shell suitcase that’s perfect for those who travel with tech, the Briggs & Riley International 21″ Spinner has a dedicated hard-shell space for your essentials aside from the main compartment. Opening the hinged front pocket reveals several organizational dividers, with room for your laptop, hard drives, cables, and even a small drone. And its double-spinner wheels are designed to keep the bag upright even when the front panel is open.

The main compartment boasts all the amenities business travelers require: built-in mesh suiting straps, cinch-down garment dividers, and midline panels to keep your belongings organized.

Samsonite Stryde 111 Carry-On Spinner

Although they’re already a legacy brand, Samsonite’s Stryde 111 Carry-On Spinner proves they’re never done innovating. While its exterior appears deceptively simple – although beautifully designed – the back has a retractable luggage pass-through, allowing it to rest on top of a check-in bag, and the handle telescopes out to reveal LEDs that ensure you’re visible, even on dark streets.

Business travelers especially will appreciate the included amenities: pocketed dividers split the bag at the midline; the matching toiletry bag and packing cube keep your essentials mobile, and dual USB charging ports power up your devices in transit.

MVST Select Space Aluminum Suitcase

MVST makes some of the coolest aluminum luggage out there , and this stunning cabin case marries retro sensibilities with updated functionality to prove it. Though it bears the ultra-secure latch closure that makes checking a bag worry-free, its TSA-approved size ensures you may never have to. Pocketed panels split the Space Aluminum Suitcase at the midline to keep your things organized, whether laying it flat to rifle through your belongings or hefting it into the overhead bin.

Tumi Oxford 16-Inch Compact Wheeled Carry-On

The Tumi Oxford 16-Inch Compact Wheeled Carry-On is a quintessential choice for business travelers seeking both luxury and practicality. Designed to snugly fit under an airplane seat, this small carry-on is ideal for short trips where efficiency and accessibility are key. Its sophisticated design features a two-way, top-zip closure and a sleek, top carry handle, complemented by a five-stage telescoping handle. The exterior boasts a front straight-zip pocket, four recessed wheels for smooth mobility, and the unique TUMI Tracer luggage tag for added security.

Internally, the Tumi Oxford is a marvel of organization. It offers two spacious main compartments, seamlessly connected by a U-zip pocket, allowing for versatile packing options. The carry-on is equipped with a dedicated, lockable laptop compartment, fitting most 14″ laptops, and includes a built-in USB cable for on-the-go charging (power bank sold separately). Additional features like two media pockets, a card pocket, and a pen pocket cater to all your tech needs, making this carry-on not just a luggage piece, but a mobile office companion.

Hook & Albert Garment Luggage Carry-On

Already featured in our men’s carry-on luggage piece, we truly believe this cabin-sized garment suitcase from Hook & Albert will make business travelers’ life a lot easier. Made of lightweight Ballistic nylon, with elegant top-grain leather details and a pair of smooth-gliding wheels, the bag is both stylish and easy to maneuver. It also comes with durable YKK zippers, a TSA-approved lock, and a front zip pocket for quick access to essentials.

Where the Garment Luggage Carry-On really stands out is in its brilliant design – a garment section designed to keep up to two suits wrinkle-free folds out into a suitcase shape, creating room for more clothes and accessories inside. Here, an adjustable compression system keeps everything neat and compact, helping you pack more into the available space.

Level 8 Pro Carry-On with Laptop Pocket 20”

With a beautiful, minimalist profile, the 20″ Pro Carry-On With Laptop Pocket from Level 8 perfectly marries functionality with design. Inside you’ll find panels and straps typical of a rolling carry-on, though it’s maximized internally by the innovative placement of the handle and wheels.

The real boon is the hard-shell front pocket: though it looks incredibly slim from the exterior, opening it reveals a finely crafted organizational dock for your laptop, phone, passport, and other small essentials. While the main compartment has a three-side zipper, the front pocket is equipped with a quick-open latch to help you breeze through security even faster.

Travelpro Maxlite 5 Softside Spinner

Dynamic, ultra-lightweight, and affordable, the Maxlite 5 Softside Spinner from Travelpro is an ideal choice for both business and leisure travel. It has several smart features for the business traveler, such as organizational dividers in its front pocket. But if you occasionally jet off on vacation, it can expand 2 inches to give you extra room to tote home souvenirs. Bonus: it’s crafted from durable polyester canvas fabric that’s been weatherproofed to repel the elements.

Halfday Garment Duffel

For business travelers who make frequent short trips, the Halfday Garment Duffel can be a game changer if you’ve struggled to keep your jackets, pants, and gowns wrinkle-free in transit. It has an ingenious design wherein the walls of the integrated garment bag zip securely around end caps to create the main compartment of the duffel, giving you room for a Dopp kit, shoes, pajamas, and more. Bonus: it fits under most airline seats, so you’ll never have to worry about your suit getting crushed in the overhead bin or your dress getting wrinkled by baggage handlers.

Bric’s Bellagio Business 21″ Carry-On Spinner

A fully functional rolling trolley for business professionals that still looks effortlessly elegant, the Bellagio Business 21″ Carry-On Spinner from Bric’s hits the mark with the well-heeled. Though it has a fracture-resistant polycarbonate shell, it’s trimmed in contrasting vegetable-tanned leather, adding a refined quality. Its hard-sided front pocket holds your laptop and other small tech, and zips closed with the same water-repellent, self-sealing zipper as the main compartment for added protection.

RIMOWA Cabin Twist

An updated version of their legacy flagship case, RIMOWA’s Cabin Twist has become a clear favorite from the already iconic line. Just like their original luggage, the shell is made from corrugated anodized aluminum. But this model has been updated for the 21st century with proprietary cushioned-axel wheels and the Flex Divider system that adjusts to your needs. The twist comes in the styling: the handles, locks, and seal are all wrapped in contrast premium leather, and it comes with a matching luggage tag.

Samsonite Spinner Underseater with USB Port

Compact, durable, and efficient, the Spinner Underseater with USB Port is the perfect choice for travelers craving comfort and convenience during their flight. It fits perfectly under the seat in front of you and is brimming with practical details that place it at the top of its category.

Its four multi-directional spinner wheels glide effortlessly across all surfaces, ensuring smooth transitions from the airport to the boardroom. The integrated USB port is a standout feature, providing convenient access to personal portable chargers (not included), keeping your devices powered up and business-ready.

Inside the Spinner Underseater, there’s an impressive level of organization. It features interior mesh pockets and dedicated laptop and tablet sleeves, ensuring your tech essentials are secure and easily accessible. The bag’s exterior is just as thoughtfully designed, with a zippered pocket featuring an organizational panel for smaller items, and an additional pocket for quick access needs. The SmartSleeve on the back allows for seamless stacking on larger luggage pieces, making it an ideal companion for the savvy, tech-oriented traveler.

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10 best carry-on suitcases for business travel

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Most stylish carry-on

Metier london.

TravelPerk’s pro packing tips

Pro packing tip 1:, pro packing tip 2:, pro packing tip 3:, pro packing tip 4:, pro packing tip 5:, pro packing tip 6:, pro packing tip 7:, did you find this article useful.

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The Very Best Carry-on Luggage

From duffel bags and rolling suitcases to roomy backpacks..

In this article

• Best carry-on luggage overall
• Best less expensive
• Best polycarbonate cases
• Best aluminum case
• Best softside
• Best mixed-material
• Best duffels
• Best backpacks

As someone who hasn’t checked a bag in more than five years of travel across the U.S. and abroad, I’ve thought a lot about what makes a good piece of carry-on luggage. A summertime European vacation calls for a sturdy wheeled suitcase, whereas backpacks will suit more rugged trips. Either way, the best carry-ons should be both capacious and easy to keep organized, with handy pockets and compartments. I prefer a carry-on that looks good, too, as I often take it out and about with me on the last day of my trip.

When it comes to shopping for luggage — especially online — it’s tough to know where to look and whether a suitcase will fit everything that you need inside. Luckily, my colleagues and I have tested all of these suitcases and bags ourselves, while also seeking advice from travel experts and frequent fliers about what they recommend. While you’re here, I’ve also written guides to the best personal item bags , the best toiletry bottles , and the best Dopp kits for men .

What we’re looking for

Most major U.S. airlines agree on the limits of a carry-on’s size (22 inches long x 14 inches wide x 9 inches high, to be exact). All the luggage on our list meets those requirements, so I’ve instead specified liter capacity.

Hard-sided or soft-sided

All the cases featured here have spinner wheels, making them easier to maneuver, and most of them are hard-sided. With bags (which on this list, are all soft-sided), I’ve specified which kinds of straps and padding they have, as you’ll need to think about how they distribute the weight of your stuff.

Compartments

Again, this comes down to personal preference, and you may have your own system to keep your essentials organized. But if you’re anything like me and you need to frantically check for your passport every five minutes, various pockets are really handy. They’ll also help you easily grab your laptop and liquids when heading through security.

I’ve highlighted the warranty on each carry-on and the kinds of damage it covers. Most companies I’ve listed will fix faults that are due to manufacturing defects, but general wear and tear isn’t covered.

Best carry-on overall

Dimensions: 39.8 liter | Hard-sided or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Compartments: Organizational compartments, laundry bag | Warranty: Lifetime warranty

The Away carry-on has been recommended to us time and time (and time) again, prompting my fellow Strategist writer Rachael Griffiths to try one out for herself. She already knew the suitcase had 360-degree spinner wheels, a polycarbonate shell, built-in dividers, and dimensions that match the airline guidance for a carry-on-size case. As for its capacity, she was able to roll and pack three tops, a pair of jeans, a skirt, a dress, two bikinis, underwear, socks, and pajamas in the secondary compartment. On the other side, she put a bulkier sweater , a weekend’s worth of toiletries (including her entire skin-care routine), some trainers, and an AirWrap. “Not only did it all slot in with plenty of space, but I also appreciated the built-in laundry bag for my dirty clothes,” she says.

The Away Carry On’s spinner wheels are perhaps its most underrated design feature. Griffiths’s street in London is cobblestoned, so she previously dreaded lugging suitcases along it. “But the sturdy wheels meant the Away didn’t rattle as much as I’d anticipated,” she says. And on flat surfaces, “just a flick from my finger sent the case gliding.”

The brand’s warranty is also worth noting. Strategist editor Maxine Builder’s internal zipper broke in March 2019, and she emailed Away to ask if this damage was covered. “There was a fair bit of back-and-forth over the next four months,” she says. “But I ended up with a replacement suitcase in exactly the same limited-edition colorway with the same hand-painted monogram, all for free.”

If you’re traveling domestic — and not across Europe, where carry-on allowances are smaller — consider the Away Bigger Carry-On . It’s slightly roomier at 47.9 liters, meaning you can squeeze that extra sweater or spare pair of shoes inside.

Best less expensive carry-on case

Capacity: 37 liter | Hard-sided or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Compartments: Compressed compartments | Warranty: Three-year warranty

This budget-friendly case is a favorite of writer Robin Reetz . It’s cheaper than many polycarbonate options because it’s made from ABS, which is a less durable plastic. But when Griffiths tested it, she was struck by how durable the shell felt (and even punched it a few times for good measure, to a satisfying thud sound).

Although the case is made of cheaper materials, both Reetz and Griffiths found that its compartments and 360-degree spinner wheels perform very well. “It’s really perfect for a weekend or a four-to-five-day trip,” Reetz says. “I’ve traveled recently with friends who have Away and Delsey luggage, and all of them are now thinking about getting this bag.” It feels noticeably smaller, though, and as Griffiths was attempting to squeeze her boots inside, she did find herself longing for the extra few liters of her Away case.

Best roomy polycarbonate carry-on case

Capacity: 46 liter | Hard-sided or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Compartments: Hidden laundry bag | Warranty: Lifetime warranty  

Meanwhile, Strategist associate editor Jenna Milliner-Waddell favors this polycarbonate case from July. “I’ve never had an issue with mine fitting in an overhead cabin, and it’s been roomy enough to hold clothes for an outfit-change-heavy weekend in Miami and a weeklong trip to my parents’ house over the holidays,” she says. She’s also impressed by the bag’s silent wheels: “I used to only Uber to JFK because dragging my suitcase to the subway and getting stuck on every uneven patch of sidewalk in Brooklyn was infuriating. Now I have no problem rolling it wherever.” Even though it’s on the larger side — when Griffiths tested it, she had room for an extra pair of boots as well as her regular packing list — the bag just about squeezes through airline carry-on restrictions. It also comes with an ejectable battery (which had more than enough juice to fully recharge my iPhone 13). Much like the Away, the July case is easy to wipe clean, but its color range has a little more to offer — particularly its seasonal shades, which right now include a dreamy sky blue and neon green.

Best statusy polycarbonate carry-on case

Capacity: 37 liter | Hard-sided or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Compartments: Flexible compartments | Warranty: Limited lifetime warranty

A Rimowa case is like the Frette sheets of luggage: luxurious but expensive. Part of the luxury is how it streamlines common annoyances. It slots seamlessly into overhead bins and glides through the airport on its resilient spinner wheels. Taymoor Atighetchi , the founder and CEO of Papier , put it simply: “Nothing beats Rimowa’s smooth wheels.”

You also get the brand’s Multiwheel system, adjustable dividers, a sturdy telescopic handle, and TSA-approved locks. The Essential Cabin’s polycarbonate shell makes it much lighter than a classic aluminum Rimowa. This means you can almost treat it like a checked bag, without the weight, according to fashion content creator Isabel Tan , who recently squeezed 15 outfits into hers for a trip to Bali. Stylist Tina Leung , who fills her case to the brim, agrees. Like Away, Rimowa offers a lifetime guarantee on its cases, and Leung told us that almost every destination she has traveled to has a place to pop in for repairs. “If the wheels break off or something, it’s so easy to just go and get it fixed,” she says. “There’s pretty much one in every major city.”

Best polycarbonate carry-on case for longer trips

Capacity: 39-liter | Hard-sided or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Compartments: Compression shelving | Warranty: Limited lifetime warranty

Solgaard’s closet case is an absolute revelation. I first heard about it from Kiki Reginato, New York Magazine’s senior director of e-commerce operations. “This case has space — and then some. I have the smallest one, and I’ve taken it on many ten-day trips ,” she says. The case has a set of compression compartments that unfold to create a makeshift closet — eliminating the need to unpack into a real closet. The Solgaard had space for the weekend essentials that Griffiths packed in the July and the Away (to recap: three tops, jeans, a skirt, a dress, two bikinis, underwear, socks, pajamas, a bulkier jumper, toiletries, trainers, and a hair dryer).

But it had an added bonus: When she tested it, she could clearly see where everything was. And compressing the clothes is satisfying, too. “Once you pack everything, you can pull the straps on the side and it presses everything into this compact mass of clothing,” says Reginato. “It’s kind of like a vacuum seal.” Most airlines worldwide accept her medium 39-liter bag, and you can take the large-size case on most U.S. airlines.

Best aluminum carry-on case

Capacity: 40.9 liter | CaseHard-sided or soft-sided: Hard-sided | Compartments: Laundry bag and compression bands | Warranty: Lifetime warranty

Aluminum cases have plenty of attractive qualities. They’re far more durable than both polycarbonate and soft-side cases , there’s less chance they’ll crack, and they often use clamps instead of zips, making them even more secure . Less attractive, though, is their price point — the classic Rimowa aluminum case is an eye-watering $1,500.  

But just like its polycarbonate case, the Away aluminum version is worth the money: It actually has the same features as the more expensive Rimowa for a fraction of the price . That includes the sturdy shell and clamp closing — which travel writer Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon says are ultra-secure — as well as the spinner wheels, telescopic handle, and built-in lock that I like so much about the original Away case. All in all, it’s a great more affordable option for any travelers who have their heart set on aluminum. Just remember that metal suitcases are a few pounds heavier than their plastic counterparts.

Best soft-side carry-on case

Capacity: 39 liter | Hard-sided or soft-sided: Soft sided | Compartments: Zip pockets and removable toiletry bag | Warranty: Ten years

Victorinox is best known for knives ( we’ve featured several on the Strategist ), but its luggage is also known for being equally utilitarian — simple and durable. “I swear by a soft-shell bag over a hard shell,” says Jessie Hyman , co-founder of Pruzan Running . “It takes up less space in the hotel room because you don’t need to lay it flat to access what’s inside.” Hyman travels with the Victorinox specifically because of its roomy capacity and squishy recycled polyester exterior. “I have always managed to squeeze in a vacation purchase inside this bag since it expands and compresses,” she says. “It’s actually converted me to be more of a carry-on gal than before.”

Best less-expensive soft-side carry-on case

Capacity: 39 liter | Hard-sided or soft-sided: Soft sided | Compartments: Two exterior compartments, lid pocket, and device pocket | Warranty: Five years

TripSavvy’s former general manager Molly Fergus is a big fan of this “basic but effective” suitcase. Strategist readers are too: It’s one of the best-selling picks in our story on the best rolling luggage , while also being a best seller from our Travel 100 (a list of all the best travel items we’ve ever written about.) As it’s a soft-side, Fergus is able to squeeze her clothes and essentials inside, and she says that the wheels are tough enough to be “dragged across sand, dirt, and cobblestones.” If the wheels aren’t up to scratch, though, they and the zips and handles are covered under the Travelpro five-year warranty.

Best mixed-material carry-on case

Capacity: 38 liter | Hard-sided or soft-sided: Hard-sided shell with soft-sided pockets | Compartments: Dedicated laptop pocket | Warranty: Two-year warranty for manufacturing faults

This case’s shell and wheels are hardy, and the pocket is “great to quickly tuck in your laptop and get it out fast through security,” says Brittany Allyn, founder of Thirty Waves . It also rolls along quickly and smoothly. As Allyn puts it, “having a bag that can fit as much as possible (because I’m an overpacker and not afraid to say so) and can get me to my gate ASAP is most important.” The bag is also a tried and tested favorite of Strategist deals editor Sam Daly, who’s been traveling with it since 2019. Daly appreciates the steadfast lock and a small but mighty selection of colorways (the sage green looks similar to Rimowa’s Bamboo).

Best carry-on duffel bag

Capacity: 40 liter | Hard-sided or soft-sided: Soft-sided with handles and shoulder straps | Compartments: Various handy pockets | Warranty: Lifetime warranty

We recently named the Black Hole by Patagonia the best overall weekend bag as praised by Strategist editors and frequent travelers. To give you an idea of how much you can fit inside, Pruzan Running co-founder Lexy Copithorne told us she packed “everything for a two-week trip, including city and surfwear” inside her Black Hole. “That included two sweaters, several fitted tanks and running sets, two pairs of sneakers, boots, a few swimsuits, and my toiletry bag,” she says. While the bag is lightweight (at less than three pounds) and water resistant thanks to a waxy coating, the strap design is what makes it a thoughtful travel companion. If you’ll be trekking far, the over-the-shoulder strap can be switched out for backpack straps to give your shoulders a respite.

Best carry-on backpack for short trips

Capacity: 35 liter | Hard-sided or soft-sided: Soft-sided with shoulder straps | Case vs. bag: Bag with shoulder straps | Compartments: Mesh packing cubes | Warranty: One-year return period

The Cotopaxi Allpa is one of those rare products that’s as good as the people on TikTok say. Essentially a soft suitcase with backpack straps, it’s easy to organize as it has built-in packing cubes made from colorful see-through mesh and, unlike most backpacks that just unzip at the top, a butterfly opening allows you to see and rummage around those cubes easily. I took mine on a train trip through Morocco last summer, and it earned many admirers on the journey. Writer Margaret Eby used it to take a change of clothes, a laptop, snacks, a sun hat, a jewelry case, a day purse, and even a crochet project on a ten-day trip to Italy. And she says it fits comfortably under the seat in front of you — no squishing required.

Best carry-on backpack for long trips

Capacity: 40 liter | Hard-sided or soft-sided: Soft-sided with shoulder straps | Case vs. bag: Bag with shoulder straps | Compartments: Large main compartment, adjacent zipped mesh compartment, laptop sleeve | Warranty: Lifetime

Tortuga is another brand that makes excellent suitcase-style backpacks that are ideal for using as carry-on luggage. I’ve recently been testing out this bag, which lacks the Allpa’s built-in packing cubes but does include a more built-out laptop sleeve with a few zips and compartments for small items. It is also larger in capacity without being too heavy or unwieldy. The sternum straps are comfortable and can be tucked away when not in use, the bag’s rectangular shape means it slots easily into overhead lockers, and I like that the exterior fabric is waterproof and easy to wipe down.

Some other carry-on luggage we’ve written about

Our experts

• Brittany Allyn, digital creator behind Thirty Waves • Taymoor Atighetchi, the CEO and founder of Papier • Gabby Beckford , travel blogger • Lexy Copithorne , co-founder of Pruzan Running • Lauren Chan, the CEO and founder of Henning • Margaret Eby , writer • Molly Fergus , TripSavvy’s former general manager • Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon , travel writer also known as Jet Set Sarah • Summer Hull, Points Guy travel content director • Jessie Hyman , co-founder of Pruzan Running • Simone Kitchens , Strategist senior editor • Briona Lamback, Buoyant Travel founder • Tina Leung , stylist • Heather Morri s, actress, producer, and host of podcaster The Bystanders • Robin Reetz , Strategist contributor • Kiki Reginato, New York Magazine senior director of e-commerce operations and strategy • Isabel Tan , fashion content creator • Jenna Milliner Waddell , Strategist associate editor • Andres Zuleta, travel expert and founder of Boutique Japan

Additional reporting by Rachael Griffiths .

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Keep calm and carry on: The best carry-on luggage for every kind of trip

Editor's Note

From frequent travelers to fashionistas, there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to carry-on luggage.

If you fly so often that you are on a first-name basis with your local airport's Transportation Security Administration agents, you need a carry-on suitcase that is durable enough to stand up to repeated use.

If your carry-on bag should be as stylish as you are, you'll want an eye-catching option that expresses your unique personality.

Backpacking through Europe or headed for the great outdoors? You'll need a carry-on bag that's both rugged and comfortable.

Related: Carry-on luggage showdown: Away vs. Roam

Regardless of how often or where you travel, we've rounded up the best of the best to help you find the carry-on bag that fits your travel style.

July Carry On Essential

Size: 21.5 inches by 15 inches by 8.5 inches.

Price: $255.

Buy now: July.com .

Before bringing its product to market, July pored over thousands of customer reviews of other luggage brands to determine what it could do to out-design the competition. The result is a carry-on suitcase that is crush-proof, scratch-proof and sophisticated.

Related: These are the checked bags carried by TPG's staff

The no-nonsense July Carry On Essential has only, well, the essentials – a sleek shell with a TSA lock, an interior compression system and a hidden laundry bag. July's bags are made to last, and it stands by that promise with a lifetime warranty and a 100-day return policy.

For an additional $40, you can order an upgraded version that includes metal bumpers and a portable power bank.

Away The Bigger Carry-On

Size: 22.7 inches by 14.7 inches by 9.6 inches.

Price: $295.

Buy now: Awaytravel.com .

This larger version of the original Away Carry-On isn't just bigger; it's better. The Bigger Carry-On is large enough to hold four-to-seven days' worth of clothing.

It's also made with a durable polycarbonate shell and has a slew of functional features like 360-degree spinning wheels, a TSA lock, an interior compression system and a waterproof laundry bag. For easy portable charging, you can pay an additional $20 to add a USB charger to your bag.

Related: Carry-on luggage showdown: Away vs. Rimowa

Just as, if not more important, The Bigger-Carry-On from Away comes in a range of colors, including limited-edition hues that are released throughout the year.

Whether you're looking for a suitcase in your favorite color or you just want something that stands out in a sea of black luggage, you are sure to find just what you are looking for.

Add more personalization with monograms and luggage tags in an array of colors and styles.

Beis The Carry-On Roller

Size: 22 inches by 14 inches by 9-12 inches.

Price: $198.

Buy now: Beistravel.com .

Beis bags are made to look just as good on their hundredth trip as they did on their first, all while gliding through the airport with ease and navigating even the bumpiest of cobblestone streets.

The Carry-On Roller from Beis comes in six colors that coordinate with other Beis products, so you can mix and match or go for the monochromatic look.

Related: 5 best backpacks for every travel style

Beis' The Carry-On Roller also has just the right amount of bells and whistles, with smooth-rolling 360-degree wheels, a cushioned trolley handle for comfort, a TSA lock, interior compression and a built-in weight indicator.

Also, because it's almost guaranteed you'll come home with more than you left with, this Beis bag expands with the simple pull of a zipper.

Monos Carry-On

Size: 22 inches by 14 inches by 9 inches.

Price: $255 (regular price $284).

Buy now: Monos.com .

With its sleek, rounded design and vegan leather accents, it may be hard to believe the Monos Carry-On is unbreakable and water-resistant. In fact, it performs as well as it looks in every aspect, from the telescopic handle with four adjustable height settings to the antimicrobial interior fabric.

Other standout features include a TSA-approved lock, a built-in compression system, a laundry bag, two shoe bags and a vegan leather luggage tag. Get it in standard colors like black, white and gray or have a little fun with pink, forest green, sky blue or one of Monos' limited-edition prints.

Rimowa Original Cabin Carry-On

Size: 21.7 inches by 15.8 inches by 9.1 inches.

Price: $1,400.

Buy now: Rimowa.com .

If you want a bag that can stand up to hundreds of thousands of miles of travel by air, by land and by sea, the Rimowa Original Cabin Carry-On is the gold standard ... and not just because it comes in metallic shades of gold, silver and black.

In addition to durability, the Rimowa Original Cabin Carry-On features TSA locks, a unique multiwheel system and adjustable interior dividers.

Related: Over 400,000 miles and counting: Review of the Rimowa carry-on bag

The Rimowa Original Cabin Carry-On comes with a steep price tag compared to most on this list, but it could potentially be a decade (or more) before you need a new one. Also, Rimowa backs up the longevity of its iconic aluminum suitcases with a lifetime guarantee.

Calpak Ambeur Carry-On Luggage

Size: 21 inches by 14 inches by 9 inches.

Price: $195.

Buy now: Calpaktravel.com .

Every bag in Calpak's Ambeur Collection shines in stylish shades of silver, gold, rose gold and metallic black, ensuring this carry-on luggage looks great rolling through the airport toward your next adventure.

Related: I fly almost 100,000 miles per year and don't travel without these packing cubes from Calpak

This hard-sided carry-on suitcase weighs in at a super-lightweight 6 pounds. However, it still has room for handy details like a TSA combination lock, interior organization pockets, compression straps and the ability to expand up to 2 inches.

Paravel Grand Tour Set

Size: The carry-on is 21.7 inches by 13.7 inches by 9 inches; the duffle is 20 inches by 11 inches by 10 inches.

Price: $675.

Buy now: Tourparavel.com .

The Paravel Grand Tour Set includes the brand's popular Grand Tour Duffle and the Aviator Carry-On suitcase. The duffle is best for weekend trips, while the carry-on is better for three-to-four-day trips. Both easily fit in airplane overhead compartments and are made with eco-friendly recycled materials.

Both pieces of luggage have interior and exterior pockets to keep your items tidy. The carry-on also features an interior compression board and a removable laundry bag. Both pieces can be customized with a monogram in a variety of colors.

Samsonite Freeform Hardside Expandable Carry-On

Size: 21.25 inches by 15.25 inches by 10 inches.

Price: $179.

Buy now: Amazon.com .

Samsonite has been making luggage for more than 100 years, so it knows a thing or two about creating long-lasting suitcases with features travelers want.

This hard-sided bag is ultra-light and made with a scratch-resistant exterior in a rainbow of eye-catching colors like tangerine orange and amethyst purple, plus the requisite neutral shades.

The Freeform Hardside Expandable Carry-On from Samsonite also has smooth-rolling 360-degree spinner wheels, a TSA lock, interior compression and organization, and can be expanded if you need a bit of extra space.

Amazon Basics Hardside Spinner

Size: 22 inches by 14.9 inches by 10 inches.

Price: $120.

The 21-inch Amazon Basics Hardside Spinner has a budget-friendly price tag but doesn't sacrifice style or function. This hard-sided carry-on has an extra-thick textured finish designed to keep scuffs and scratches at bay. It also comes in various colors that coordinate with other pieces in the collection.

Related: Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card review

The double spinner wheels ensure a smooth ride, and the expandable zipper can net you up to 15% more space for those times when you just can't quite fit everything you need without sitting on your suitcase to force it closed.

Osprey Farpoint 40 Travel Backpack

Size: 24 inches by 15 inches by 4 inches.

Price: $178.

If you need a carry-on bag large enough to store all your travel essentials yet comfortable enough to carry while hiking through a new city (or running between airport terminals), the Osprey Farpoint 40 Travel Backpack is the perfect addition to your luggage lineup.

This backpack features a breathable back panel that provides structure and comfort, exterior and interior organization so you can always find what you need and adjustable shoulder straps and a hip belt for a custom fit.

Bottom line

No matter where you're headed or how you plan to get there, you need a carry-on bag that can smoothly navigate the terrain (even if that terrain is the airport's moving walkway) and hold everything you need for your adventures.

Every bag on this list looks good and performs well enough that you'll likely find the one that deserves a spot in your closet.

Related: The best credit cards for online shopping

The Best Business Carry On Luggage (Efficient + Durable!)

Best luggage for frequent travelers, best softside carry on for business travel: travelpro, best underseat carry on for business travel: samsonite, most lightweight business carry on luggage: tumi, best expandable business carry on suitcase: briggs & riley, best aluminum carry on for business travel: arlo skye.

• Best Business Tote Bag for Women: Lipault

Best Rolling Garment Bag: Travel Select

Best rolling briefcase: ciao.

• Best Wheeled Backpack Carry On: Amazon

Best Carry On Garment Bag: Zegur

Keep reading below for reviews on each suitcase!

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Business Luggage

So you’re in the market for some new business travel luggage.

Maybe you’re a seasoned business professional looking to upgrade an outdated piece, or maybe you’re a recent college graduate finally starting to realize slinging your L.L. Bean backpack around the conference room isn’t really doing you any favors with the ole CEO.

Either way, picking a new business travel piece can be difficult. Functionality is paramount, but it always helps to have a sleek and modern look too.

We’ve found some of the best luggage for business travel, so keep reading to learn more!

Quickly jump to brand:

• Briggs & Riley
• Travel Select

Keep reading, or pin this article to save it for later ⇟

Best Business Carry On Luggage

Dimensions: 23″ x 15.5″ x 10″

Weight: 7.9 lbs

Travelpro is one of the best rated luggage brands because they make high quality, durable carry on suitcases – so well made in fact, that airline crews use it!

Their  Travelpro Crew is basically the civilian version of the luggage that flight crews use and in person, you can easily see why. 

The bags are made from heavy duty nylon and have extra robust corner armor with skid guards and heavy duty wheel housings. The wheels are really sturdy and easily spin in a full 360 degrees !

Inside is probably my favorite feature.

These bags are made for total packing versatility . They include a zip-in garment organizer which is perfect for storing folded shirts, so that you can arrive to your business meeting fresh off the plane, wrinkle free.

BUT you can also customize the interior, as Travelpro designed the bags to interchange with various additional organizers (sold separately). I have the suit organizer which keeps blazers, work dresses and jackets wrinkle free.

There’s also a packing cube organizer to keep smaller items and accessories neat and tidy, and a laundry organizer which is great for storing damp items – say, dirty workout clothes or a wet bathing suit.. 

I love the dark navy color – it’s sleek and discreet enough to take on business flights with the team but has stylish leather trims that keep it unique and still feminine.

Other excellent features for frequent travelers include: a removable TSA compliant toiletries bag , a built-in USB port, a dedicated exterior power bank pocket and a quick-access padded laptop pocket.

Travelpro Carry On Luggage

Sold on Zappos , Travelpro & Amazon

See all color options and read more reviews here

Best of all, Travelpro offers a lifetime guarantee on all their luggage and if for any reason you change your mind (which once you see the bags, you won’t..) there’s a 100 day free trial !

Dimensions: 16.5″ x 13.75″ x 9.0″

Weight: 7.0 lbs

When it comes to the best carry on luggage for business travel, there are few luggage brands more storied or trusted than Samsonite .

Their underseat carry on spinner proves that Samsonite is an old dog that can be taught new tricks when it comes to modern luggage for business travel!

It’s super compact and easily fits under airplane seats, so you don’t have to hope and pray there’s enough overhead bin space.

The main compartment is spacious, but still has a padded laptop compartment . Then there’s a quick-stash exterior pocket for any items you need on hand.

Like any essential carry on suitcase, the Samsonite features multi-directional spinner wheels that roll upright, making it easier to navigate tight spaces in the airport without straining your arm or back. 

Add textured wear-and-tear protective guards and a water-resistant coating, and you’ve got a hardy suitcase that can withstand any business trip from New York to California!

Samsonite Luggage

Available on Samsonite , Bloomingdales , Macys & Amazon

See all colors and read more reviews here

Dimensions: 22″ x 14″ x 9″

Weight: 6.3 lbs

Tumi makes an incredibly lightweight hardcase that’s perfect for frequent fliers.

Their hardshell carry-on is super tough and durable, thanks to layers of specially woven ballistic polycarbonate . But at the same time, the outer shell can bend and flex, so it won’t crack or break!

Inside there are two packing compartments with a hanger bracket to neatly fold up your suits. The bag has 4 lightweight spinner wheels that glide super smoothly and an integrated TSA lock.

This is one bag that’s perfect for domestic or international business trips!

Tumi International Carry On Suitcase

Available on Zappos , Tumi , Amazon

Weight: 9.3 lbs

Briggs & Riley makes some of the best business luggage.

Their rolling carry on has 4 spinner wheels that glide effortless in 360 degrees. The bag is made from durable ballistic nylon , so it can withstand rain, sun, dirt and being thrown about!

The best part of the bag is its interior.

Briggs & Riley designed this carry-on spinner with a compression expansion system that squeezes down all your stuff to increase packing capacity.

There’s also mesh garment panels inside to minimize wrinkles, which is important for suits and business clothes!

For well made, high-quality luggage, get Briggs & Riley ! It’s like the Bentley of suitcases.

Briggs & Riley Carry On Spinner

Available on Zappos , Briggs & Riley , Nordstrom , Macys , Bloomingdales & Amazon

Dimensions: 23″ x 15″ x 9.6″

Weight: 10.5 lbs

Looking for an aluminum frame carry on?

You’ll love this sleek and sexy option from Arlo Skye .

It’s a roomy carry on with full grain leather handles , whisper quiet wheels and an anti-microbial interior lining.

There’s a removable charger to re-charge your phone quickly, and a theft-proof zipperless frame with TSA clasps.

Aluminum does show some nicks and dings over time, but it’s easier to keep pristine as a carry-on suitcase!

Arlo Skye Carry On Suitcase

Available on Arlo Skye

Best Tote Bag for Women: Lipault

Dimensions: 11.5″ x 17.3″ x 9.8″

Weight: 2.8 lbs

Lipault makes a fantastic personal bag for business women.

Their 24 hour bag is lightweight, simple and functional. It has a long removable shoulder strap and roomy main compartment that can easily fit a couple day’s worth of clothes and a pair of shoes or two.

There’s a smart sleeve in the back to slip it over your carry on suitcase and two exterior zipped pockets for quickly accessing your must-haves.

Finally there’s a laptop compartment so you can smoothly get through TSA!

And when not in use, the soft plush-y bag folds flat for easy storage. Best of all, the nylon is extremely hard wearing and durable, and will resist dust, dirt and scratches.

Lipault 24 Hour Tote Bag

Available on Zappos +  Amazon

Dimensions: 23″ x 22″ x 7″

Look, I get it.

Securing your work laptop, Blackberry, pitchbooks, passports, and boarding passes is important, but nothing is more important than finding a great business travel luggage piece that carries your suits.

I repeat: nothing.

Fortunately, the Travel Select Amsterdam Business Rolling Garment Bag is a specialized luggage for business travel piece that has us fashionistas covered.

The Travel Select is compact, lightweight, and can either roll on inline skate wheels or be carried over-the-shoulder with a detachable strap.

Plus, for you gents out there, the Travel Select is tailor made for business suits and features two smart pockets on the front – perfect for an extra tie or pair of cuff links!

Travel Select Rolling Garment Bag

Available on Amazon

Dimensions: 15″ x 14″ x 9″

Weight: 4.0 lbs

Perfect for those brutal business trips requiring two (or more) flights in one day, the Ciao Under the Seat Carry On is, befitting its namesake, compact.

The Ciao lends itself nicely to people who pack smart, as it comfortably holds a small briefcase, laptop, tablet, several notebooks, and a change of clothes or two.

In addition, its intelligent ‘pocket design’ maximizes space and fits under an airplane seat, so the Ciao can be considered your personal item while your larger carry-on suitcase is stored in the overhead bin!

Ciao Rolling Briefcase

Sold on Amazon

Best Wheeled Business Backpack Carry On: Amazon

Dimensions : 19.3″ x 13.4″ x 9.5″

Weight: 5.1 lbs

The most effective carry on luggage for business travel tends to be the most versatile, and nowhere is business travel luggage versatility on greater display than in the Little World Wheeled Business Backpack .

On the inside, the Little World features a thick sponge-lined sleeve that can carry laptops up to 19 inches. Additionally, there are back pockets and two mesh-lined pockets to secure items separately.

On the outside, there are three exterior zipper pockets to go along with a rolling handle and shoulder straps with a sponge-padded back for support when carrying as a backpack – this piece can do it all!

Amazon Wheeled Backpack

Dimensions: 23”x 22”x 4”

Weight: 3 lbs

The ZEGUR 40” Garment Bag is simply the mother of all carry on garment bags.

Its interior can carry up to three suits (or even more dresses) and has separate interior compartments for shoes, ties, or other items.

Smartly, the ZEGUR has buckled straps that both secure your garments and ensure they come out wrinkle free on the other end (anything saving me from trying to work a hotel ironing board is saintly in my book).

And, unlike some garment bags, the ZEGUR has an exterior travel document sleeve that allows you to easily grab your travel documents without having to rummage through all your gorgeous clothes!

This is one of the best travel bags for men or women!

Zegur Carry On Garment Bag

Shop luggage for business travel.

Must Have Accessories for Carry On Luggage

Laptop case.

I always bring my laptop on work trips so I can stay productive on flights. I’ve found a laptop sleeve   is crucial to protect the outside of my laptop from scratches.

This one holds up to 15″ laptops so I think it’s pretty useful! If you prefer a laptop sleeve with a handle strap, this laptop case is essentially the same thing but more portable. It comes in 4 colors so you can jazz it up.

For mac book users, my friends swear by this laptop case , which is multi-functional enough to work for iPad pros and chrome books as well as spill proof. It comes in a wide range of sizes and colors to suit whatever device you’re trying to protect!

Packing Cubes

Once you get a packing cube set , you’ll never go back to free range luggage.

Packing cubes help maximize space inside your luggage by neatly organizing clothing and separating your dirty worn clothes from freshly laundered ones.

Amazon   carries a wide range of packing cube sets and brands

  Read More     in my travel packing checklist series:

Best Travel Luggage

The Best Carry on Luggage for 2021

The Best Packing Cubes for a Perfectly Organized Bag

The Best Lightweight Luggage for Overpackers

The Best Hard Luggage Sets  for Stylish Travelers

The Best Underseat Luggage  for Minimalists

The Best Carry On Bags for Men - Rugged + Durable!

Business Travel

The Essential Business Packing List

The Best Business Travel Luggage

The Best Laptop Cases for Working Women

The Best Laptop Bags for Men

Packing Hacks

The Best Travel Wallets for All Your Vacation Essentials

The Best Jewelry Cases Never Untangle a Necklace Again!

The Best Toiletry Bags to Clean Up Quick

Travel Packing Lists

The Best Travel Jackets for All Types of Weather

The Best Duffel Bags for Your Next Weekend Trip

The Best Travel Backpacks to Hold Everything You Need

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The Best Carry-On Luggage of 2024

Let’s face it, traveling can be stressful. But with the right carry-on luggage, transit on planes, trains, and automobiles can be a lot easier.

Looking for the best new piece of carry-on luggage for your next trip? We all know there’s nothing worse than toting around a cumbersome piece of luggage, bulging at the seams with the amount of clothes you’ve tried to stuff into it for a weekend getaway. Making travel an easier affair starts with what you do before you get to the airport — namely, finding the right piece of luggage to suit your needs best and packing it appropriately. 

Carry-on luggage comes in a variety of styles, from the hardshell classics to soft-sided, duffel bags. Whether you value features like external pockets or 360-spinner wheels, internal compression, or TSA-approved locks, we’ve got you covered with our wide selection of the best carry-on luggage of 2024.

Our team has tested 17 different carry-ons over a year now to narrow in on the best of the best. We brought them all over the world on over 10 domestic and international flights, winnowing our selection to bring you the crème de la crème of these versatile pieces of luggage. We tested each carry-on with a mind for a number of different performance metrics, including build quality, packability, weight, and ease of transport.

Lead tester Miya Tsudome, along with supporting staff writers Steve Graepel and Chris Carter, are globetrotters at their core, and have legions of airfare miles under their belts. They know what makes a carry-on worth its mettle, and won’t waste time toting a piece of junk around the airport. Rest assured — every bag on this guide has been vetted by these stone-cold pros, and had to pass a series of taxing tests to earn their spot on this guide.

Read on to learn more, explore our carry-on buyer’s guide , and reference our handy comparison chart and FAQ sections for all the info you need to snag the best carry-on for your next trip.

Editor’s Note: We updated our Carry-On Luggage guide on April 3, 2024, to add further testing notes, double-check our selection, and ensure all carry-ons are still available.

• Best Overall Carry-On:  Topo Designs Global Travel Bag Roller
• Best Budget Carry-On: Rockland Melbourne 20
• Runner-Up Best Carry-On: TravelPro Platinum Elite 21
• Most Stylish Carry-On: Away The Carry-On Suitcase
• Best Carry-On for Rugged Travel: Osprey Transporter Wheeled Duffel 40
• Best Carry-On for Organization: SwissGear 6283 21” Expandable Carry-On Spinner

Topo Designs Global Travel Bag Roller

• Weight 6 lbs., 9.6 oz.
• Dimensions 13.5" x 21" x 9"
• Materials 1000D recycled nylon, 210D recycled nylon, 1680D recycled ballistic nylon & PC recycled plastic shell
• External Pockets 3 zippered pockets
• Volume 44 L

• Incredible organizational features
• Beefy YKK zippers that inspire confidence
• Loads of daisy chains and attachment points
• Detachable shoulder straps for extended carry over uneven surfaces
• Large, sturdy wheels can handle rough roads/sidewalks
• Shoulder straps aren't the most cozy
• The sheer amount of extra flaps and pockets inside takes up internal volume space
• All the pockets may not be attractive for minimalist travelers

Behold — the carry-on king of organization and traveling comfort! Boasting a staggering 12 separate compartments for storage, you’d think we’re reviewing a specced-out 120 L expedition duffel with more flaps and zippers than you can count … but you’d be wrong. The Topo Designs 44 L Global Travel Bag ($299) manages to cram so much under the hood that nearly every category of your travel loadout gets its own dedicated home.

We brought this feat of engineering on over seven domestic flights, two international flights, and a slew of road trips to truly push it to its limits, and we came away convinced. This has to be the best, most versatile carry-on for just about any border-hopping romp you could drum up.

Here’s a rundown of your storage options: a zippered main compartment, an internal zippered divider with two separate zippered pockets on top, two internal zippered mesh pockets in the lid, and a separate pouch that zips open internally from the lid — deep breath — one large external zippered pocket with three different pouches inside that, a smaller zippered pocket on top of this, and finally, a small zippered pouch on top for passports or wallets. If you need more organization, we don’t know what to tell you.

This elaborate design is both a resounding pro, and a con. While we love being able to keep every element of our travel kit separate and organized, the sheer number of zippers, pouches, and flaps this introduces does limit the bag’s overall storage volume. While it’s advertised as 44L, we found we were able to pack less gear overall than other carry-ons with the same claimed volume.

That said, as a soft-sided bag it has more give than hard-sided models, allowing you to still haul a bulging load — with the risk of it not fitting in the overhead compartment. Also, 12 pockets can feel like a bit much for less involved weekend trips where a change of clothes and a toothbrush suffices. For the hyper-organized business traveler or seasoned globetrotter on the other hand — this is a dream.

Soft-sided carry-ons also come with the inherent con of less durability and gear protection than their hard-sided peers. That said, the 1000-denier recycled nylon face fabric of the Topo Designs Global Travel Bag shrugs off some serious torture, and has shown little signs of wear even after years of rough use.

The chassis is sturdy, and the large red wheels roll smoothly over airport hallways, or bumpy cobblestone sidewalks alike. Trotting over some truly gnarly terrain to your next hostel for the night? Whip out the removable shoulder straps, and quickly convert it into a makeshift backpack.

While we wouldn’t recommend trekking long miles like this (the straps are sparsely padded, and it doesn’t have a hip belt), it’s an awesome feature that boosts the bag’s versatility and isn’t found on many other carry-ons.

With the most robust feature set of any carry-on on this list, a sleek, stylish silhouette, and durable design, this bag easily snagged our Best Overall award. Pop over to your cousin’s place a few states over for Christmas, or set off on a month-long escapade across Europe, the Global Travel Bag is the do-it-all travel companion you need.

Rockland Melbourne 20

• Weight 7 lbs., 8 oz.
• Dimensions 22” x 13.5” x 9”
• Materials Durable ABS material

External Pockets

• Volume 43 L

• Comes in many different colors
• 360-degree spinner wheels and expansion zipper
• Durability is questionable
• Not many organizational features

Looking for a simple carry-on with those coveted 360-degree spinner wheels — but don’t want to break the bank? The Rockland Melbourne 20 ($120) is sure to fit the bill, earning its spot as our best budget carry-on. This no-frills bag opens up in a clamshell style, with one side having a zippered compartment and the other side remaining open with an optional criss-cross strap for keeping bulkier clothes secure. An expansion zipper allows for an extra 2 inches of packing space, maximizing the constraints of carry-on luggage for longer trips.

The Rockland Melbourne 20 won’t dazzle you with its organizational features, however, and its quality is noticeably lesser than more expensive models in our lineup. The straps on the inside don’t do much to compress, rather will just keep your clothes from moving around too much. There are no smaller pockets in the interior of the suitcase, and the cloth material for the zippered compartment feels flimsy and prone to tearing.

While this suitcase wouldn’t be our first choice in taking on a long trip across the world, it will more than suffice for the occasional traveler looking for an inexpensive suitcase for short work trips or holidays, and comes in a variety of colors as a bonus. 

TravelPro Platinum Elite 21

• Weight 7 lbs., 12.8 oz.
• Dimensions 23.5" x 14.5" x 9"
• Materials Ballistic nylon
• External Pockets 4
• Volume 46 L

• Large volume
• Useful accessory pockets
• Fantastic wheels and zippers
• Ergonomic handle is best in class
• On the expensive side

This sharp-looking soft shell carry-on has multiple internal and external pockets to help keep you organized during travel and at the hotel. But what steals the show are its buttery smooth wheels.

The TravelPro Platinum Elite ($370) rides over four MagnaTrac “dually” spinner wheels. With 360 degrees of mobility, low-powered magnets gently pull the wheels into alignment when pushing the carry-on straight. The result is wheels that track and remain wobble-free. When will grocery carts adopt this technology? The Platinum Elite wheels were the smoothest we tested. Almost too smooth. When left unattended, we occasionally found the bag rolling away from us.

On the outside, the Platinum Elite has four external pockets. Three pockets sit over the lid, with two smaller pockets for loose items, like keys, papers, devices, and a large deep pocket that can hold a 17-inch laptop (or the entire New York Times Sunday edition). Unlike other carry-ons, this large laptop pocket doesn’t have a padded computer sleeve.

But the pocket itself is padded and we liked that it was gusseted, which allowed us to effortlessly pull out the computer from an overstuffed bag. While it’s narrow, the pocket has a lot of room — and we feel it sort of misses the mark. We think it would benefit from a padded sleeve to better lock in the laptop, or even a mesh pocket for accessory cables.

A fourth “power bank” pocket hides on the left side, allowing you to plug in your own power bank to the internally routed cable that ports to the external USB port on the backside of the bag. While most airports are upgraded with USB ports these days, we like that this configuration allows you to charge your device without pulling out the power bank. You can charge anywhere (think the train station) without the risk of forgetting an expensive power bank when rushing to the gate.

The main compartment is deep, and unzips to hinge along the carry-on’s long side. It’s big enough to swallow supplies for a week-long vacation and expands an extra two inches in case you want to bring a bit extra home. Lining the bin-side are four accessory pockets. A long side pocket can hold brushes, belts, or ties. Two mesh pockets are tacked mid-depth on the top and bottom and buckle together to form a compression divider. A fourth, clear plastic pocket is perfect for holding any liquids that might need to be removed at TSA.

The pair of pockets that buckle together do help wrestle a wardrobe into submission, but they aren’t removable, and when flipped out of the bag, they roll upside-down — making them much harder to access. They are also small, maybe just large enough to hold your passport, loose coins, and receipts. 

Under the lid is a large mesh pocket that’s great for keeping your pressed wears tidy. If you travel with a suit or dress, the Platinum Elite comes with a hanging garment bag that folds up perfectly inside the main bin. 

Like the wheels, all zippers slide exceptionally smooth, including the 2-inch expansion zipper that buys you more packing real estate. A pair of replaceable leather grips are bolted to the top and sidewall with Phillips head screws, and a pull handle sits on the underside. The ergonomic handle has four extension lengths, extending from 36 inches to 42.5 inches, making the TravelPro comfortable and easy to pull, push, or grab from any angle.

All in all, this is a versatile carry-on that blends function and style, and boasts stellar organizational features.

Away The Carry-On Suitcase

• Dimensions 21.7” x 14.4” x 9”
• Materials Polycarbonate shell exterior
• External Pockets Zero
• Volume 39.8 L

• Stylish and sleek
• Interior divider acts as a compression panel as well as provides an extra pocket
• TSA-approved lock on exterior
• Expensive for such a simple suitcase
• No expansion zipper

A bestselling, hard-sided, attractive suitcase, The Carry-On by Away ($275) is our pick for the most stylish suitcase. While style might not matter for some travelers, others going on business trips — or who are the fashion-forward type — might appreciate the sleek modern look of this bag.

These suitcases come in gloss or matte finishes, with many colorways to choose from. Whether you’re the bold and bright type, or prefer more subdued pastels, there are a variety of options to choose from.

Though style is part of this suitcase’s appeal, function is given equal weight in its design. While hard-sided suitcases are always going to have fewer pockets than soft ones, the interior of The Carry-On is designed with organization in mind. A clamshell opening reveals two compartments — one with a zippered enclosure and the other with a divider that acts as a way to compress down your clothes.

The divider cinches down with two buckled straps and maximizes space by including two zippered mesh pockets on one side for small items. The other compartment is a great place to store bulkier items like shoes or things that are best held in place by the zippered closure.

We took this carry-on on a 5-day trip and felt that it had just enough space for a getaway of this length, but would probably be too small for anything much longer. Soft-sided suitcases do better at maximizing every inch of an airplane’s overhead bins and typically have more pockets, making them more suitable for longer trips.

Osprey Transporter Wheeled Duffel 40

• Weight 5 lbs., 15.8 oz.
• Dimensions 23.6” x 14.1” x 11”
• Materials Bluesign-approved 900D recycled polyester, PFC-free DWR, TPU-coated
• External Pockets 1 large pocket
• Volume 40 L

• Made with burly, 900D recycled polyester
• DWR & TPU-coated to protect agains the elements
• Sturdy wheels
• May be overkill for the everyday traveler
• Lack of organizational pockets

For your more rugged travels, whether backpacking around Southeast Asia, or flying to Europe for a hiking trip in the Alps, the Osprey Transporter Wheeled Duffel 40 ($300) is a great choice for withstanding rougher conditions. A workhorse duffel, the outside of this carry-on is made with 900D recycled polyester, has a DWR coating for protection against wet weather, and is TPU-coated to boot.

Overlapping rain flaps and weather-resistant zippers ensure your contents won’t get drenched if you find yourself caught in a storm in transit. Put simply, this piece of luggage is burly. Oversized wheels roll easily through long layovers in foreign airports and perform excellently over uneven surfaces like dirt and grass. We even sprayed it with a hose to test its weatherproofing capabilities, and our clothes inside remained dry as ever.

Duffel bags are made to be tossed around and lashed to the roofs of cars or pack animals, but can be awkward and uncomfortable to carry. The Osprey Transporter has the benefit of being as burly and featured as a good duffel bag with the added bonus of a pair of wheels making it a great hybrid suitcase.

We stuffed its 40-liter interior with the contents for a climbing trip and could fit a rope, harness, shoes, ten quickdraws, plus clothes and toiletries for a week. The soft top was indeed bulging, but we could still zip it shut and were grateful that it expands.

SwissGear 6283 21” Expandable Carry On Spinner

• Weight 8 lbs.
• Dimensions 20” x 13.5” x 7.5”
• Materials Scuff-resistant Polyester fabric
• External Pockets 2 panel pockets, one large and one small
• Volume 28 L

• Many pockets and organizational features
• Expandable zipper
• On the heavy side
• Tie-down straps don’t offer too much compression

Some travelers prefer the sleek look of hard-sided luggage. Others will look for bags with pockets and organizational features to maximize packing space. Those in the latter category will appreciate the features of the SwissGear 6283 21” Expandable Carry On Spinner ($120). The most prominent features are two exterior pockets, a removable zippered pouch for dirty laundry, an internal storage pocket, and a large, flat panel pocket on the underside of the suitcase’s lid.

It’s hard to deny that it’s nice when your bag can be somewhat organized, and our testers really appreciated utilizing the exterior pockets for small items like an e-book, passport, phone, and earbuds for quick and easy access. Opening up this carry-on , there is one main compartment to put the bulk of your items, and some adjustable tie-down straps to keep them in place.

The large, zippered flat pocket on the underside of the bag’s lid was a perfect place for a laptop. The internal storage pocket provided another ideal storage spot for small items like toiletries or electronics, and the zippered “wet” bag proved useful, especially for keeping our dirty sundries separated.

The SwissGear 6283 provides ample organizational features for its relatively low price tag, and our reviewers were pleased with the capacity of this utilitarian carry-on.

American Tourister Moonlight 21” Spinner

• Weight 7 lbs., 13.2 oz.
• Dimensions 22” x 15” x 9.5”
• Materials N/A
• Volume 50 L

• Comes in a selection of fun colors and patterns
• Expands up to 1.5” for more packing space
• Four 360-degree spinner wheels
• Simple design, no extra organizational pockets or features
• Small wheels

If you’re looking for a basic, hard-sided suitcase that isn’t boring and won’t break the bank, look no further than the American Tourister Moonlight 21” Spinner ($130). With a classic, split-case construction, this carry-on also expands 1.5 inches to give you the most bang for your buck.

Four single spinner wheels allow you to roll this suitcase with ease, and the interior hosts buckled straps to keep your clothes packed down and a mesh compartment to keep the rest of your items secure.

This isn’t the most feature-rich carry-on. Hard-sided suitcases already have fewer features and pockets by design, and the interior of the American Tourister is pretty lackluster. The quality of this carry-on is decent for the price point, and American Tourister makes fun Disney- and Star Wars-themed suitcases if you’re into that kind of thing.

All in all, our testers weren’t overly impressed with the American Tourister , which is just a regular hard-sided suitcase with some fun branding. But for a decent price and fun color schemes, this could be a great choice for those who like to express a more offbeat style.

Samsonite Centric Carry-On Spinner

• Dimensions 22.5” x 15.5” x 9.5”
• Materials 100% polycarbonate shell
• Volume 53 L

• Sleek and rugged design
• Anti-scratch twill texture
• 360-degree spinning wheels
• No extra organizational pockets

The Samsonite Centric Carry-On Spinner ($200) is a sleek and rugged hard-sided suitcase that fulfills the basic duties of a good carry-on without much fuss. This carry-on’s polycarbonate shell has a twill texture that protects against the inevitable scuffs and scratches of transit. 360-degree spinner wheels allow for easy gliding across crowded airport terminals. TSA-approved locks cleverly secure the zippers so you can feel at ease that your valuables are secure.

The Samsonite Centric is a well-made suitcase with very few frills. The wheels are quite small, and not as robust across varying terrain as some of the other suitcases in our lineup, but will do well enough as you rush to your gate or try to find the hotel at your destination. Our reviewers appreciated the build quality of this carry-on, and were not afraid to toss it around and find that it did indeed come away with fewer scratches than some of its competition.

The suitcase’s interior is a little lackluster, however, with the basic setup of two compartments on each side of the clamshell, one that is large and zippered, and the other with some straps to keep your bulky items at bay. The suitcase in general lacks any exterior pockets, as is typical with a hardshell design, and doesn’t have much in the way of pockets or other organizational tools on the inside, either. But if you are looking for a simple, well-made suitcase that is sleek enough for a business trip but burly enough to withstand use and abuse, the Samsonite Centric is a good bet.

YETI Crossroads 22 Carry On

• Dimensions 22" x 16" x 9"
• Materials Hardshell polycarbonate back and 700-denier side
• External Pockets 2; one with two sleeves and an internal pocket

• Sharp modern styling
• Robust wheels
• Functional external pockets and multiple large device sleeves
• Pocket configuration may turn off some buyers
• Waterproof zippers are harder to pull

From the land of overbuilt and “Ford tough,” YETI entered the baggage game in 2021 with its Crossroads luggage series. The Crossroad 22 ($350) is positioned as the brand’s carry-on bag. Built for where the road ends and adventure begins, YETI’s hybrid 700-denier softshell/polycarbonate clamshell bag is a sophisticated take on the carry-on.

In addition to the main storage, the Crossroad 22 has two external pockets. Off the front, a large gusseted pocket reveals two padded sleeves that can protect both a 17-inch laptop and a large tablet. An accessory mesh pocket works great for keeping your cables and power supplies in order. A second, stealth pocket with a key keeper can hold your wallet, device, glasses, passport, etc. 

Unlike most carry-ons which hinge at the side, the main pocket drops open with a clamshell configuration hinging at the bottom of the bag. The deep side is protected with a polycarbonate back and has enough room to store a pair of dress shoes, running shoes, and your wardrobe for a week.

A mesh divider unzips off the backside of the lid, allowing you to separate your laundry or keep your shirts pressed while in transit. Laying over the mesh wall, a small and large mesh pocket zip-up toiletries or accessories.

All external zippers are water-resistant and machined to hook a lock, keeping both the elements and sticky fingers at bay. As expected from YETI, the zippers are tough. And a bit sticky. They don’t slide as easily as zippers found on other high-end carry-ons, like the TravelPro Platinum Elite.

The hardshell polycarbonate back and 700-denier water and abrasion-resistant top yield a carry-on that is overbuilt for the road and should last for years. We’ve used it for work and the computer sleeves are a practical addition to the mobile office. Just as long as you don’t overpack the bag. Overpacking the main compartment pushes contents up against the external pocket space, making it harder to pull and store the laptop from the sleeves.

And like the Crossroad 29 our editor reviewed back in 2022 , the 22 suffers from the same pocket dilemma. There are just so many of them. If you keep an organized garage, this can bring some piece of mind. Everything has its place. For others, sifting through which pocket stores what can be an overwhelming game of hide and seek. And like backpacks, more pockets mean more components that can eventually fail.

Like all good carry-ons, the Crossroad has an extendable arm that pulls to 31 inches and 42 inches, and that fat grip feels good in the hand. 

Need more space? We paired our Crossroad 22 with YETI’s 27L Crossroads backpack and had no trouble walking through security with both bags. The backpack slips over the carry-on handle, the 22 stowed nicely on its side in overhead storage and the backpack slid under the seat in front.

In short, like all YETI products, the Crossroad 22 is overbuilt and should last you for years of travel.

Dakine 42L Carry-On Roller

• Weight 6 lbs., 8 oz.
• Dimensions 21.5" x 14" x 9"
• Materials 600-denier polyester with polycarbonate internal backing
• External pockets 1
• Volume 42 L

• Inexpensive
• Large volume bag
• Soft-sided configuration feels floppy
• Handle feels lesser quality
• Lesser quality than pricer carry-ons

Dakine’s 42L Carry-On is a simple single pocket, split-level clamshell style carry-on that opens on the long edge of the bag. Prices vary according to fabric (they offer a variety of fabrics to choose from). We reviewed the black 600-denier version, available for $185.

Regardless of the material, all Dakine 42L Carry-On bags are configured the same, with a single external pocket closing the split-level main storage.

A large horseshoe pocket unzips over the lid, allowing you to store a 17-inch laptop (or two) behind a padded sleeve. An accessory pocket can keep your cables organized. 

The main compartment unzips to hinge on the long side, revealing the split-level storage. The deep bucket is backed by a hard polycarbonate. Behind the lid, the top-level storage is zipped behind a mesh divider and has a flexible polycarbonate sheet that protects the underside while providing some framework to keep the pocket from falling in on itself. 

The entire carry-on is wrapped and protected with a 600-denier ripstop water-repellent polyester and has stealthy internal zippers to access the hardware. This allows you to repair or replace the handle, wheels, or stubby support legs beaten down during travel. Dakine backs this with a limited lifetime warranty.

Extending to 33”, 38”, and 44”, the handle doesn’t feel as durable as other handles we tested. Dakine uses a thinner diameter aluminum tubing that looks (and feels) more dainty than the other bags.

Quirks? We found the bag feels tippy when standing. And while the bottom of the lid has a plastic molded insert, the top does not. This leaves the bag feeling floppy while packing.

As the adage goes, you get what you pay for. At $185 you won’t break the bank, but Dakine’s 42L Carry-On lacks the durability and accessories of pricer carry-ons.

Mystery Ranch Mission 40L Wheelie

• Weight 7 lbs., 4.8 oz.
• Dimensions 22.5” x 14” x 12”
• Materials Hardshell polycarbonate back and 1000-denier CORDURA fabric
• External Pockets 3 — one zippered dirty laundry pouch, one zippered shoe pouch, and one small exterior pocket for small items

• Large, spacious bag
• Ample pockets for maximum organization
• Made with burly materials
• Hard to access everything inside when bag and all accessory pouches are full
• May not fit in overhead compartments of small, regional planes

It’s hard to find a carry-on suitcase that’s more innovative than the Mystery Ranch Mission 40L Wheelie ($349). This suitcase has a plethora of features that make it unique and is made with burly, 1000-denier CORDURA fabric to withstand years of use and abuse. This bag makes the most out of being a mere carry-on, and for that reason, it earns an honorable mention in our review. 

Being a soft-sided piece of luggage, the Mission 40L feels way more spacious than its hard-sided, clamshell counterparts. A large, U-shaped zipper on the front of the suitcase opens to reveal the spacious main compartment. The inside flap is composed of large, zippered mesh pockets to hold small items.

There is a removable, large zippered pouch that floats in the middle of the main compartment as well, which provides some mild compression for bulky items, as well as helps keep more of your smaller items organized.

The most unique features of the Mission 40L are the separate pouches for dirty laundry and shoes — both of which can be accessed from exterior zippers and allow for even more organization of your items. They can also be rolled up and stowed away if you choose not to use them. 

Nothing is perfect, though, and while this carry-on has an incredible amount of thought and ingenuity behind it, there are a few downsides worth mentioning. The 40L size, packed to the gills, will most likely be denied entry as a carry-on on regional flights with small planes. It definitely is on the larger side of a carry-on, and as such you could run into issues with the more scrutinizing of airlines. 

While the shoes and laundry pouches make organization a breeze, when full it becomes more difficult to quickly see and access other articles in the suitcase. This, however, is only really an issue in transit, because when you get to your destination you can take out your shoes and laundry and easily live out of the suitcase as it is. 

Our reviewers also wished for two zippers for the main compartment, for quick opening and closing of the bag as well as providing the option to lock the compartment with a zipper lock. 

Despite these cons, we took our Mission 40L from the West Coast to the East Coast and back again for a 6-day trip, and were very pleased with how comfortably we could fit a week’s worth of clothes and not have to check a bag.

The North Face All Weather 4-Wheeler 22”

• Weight 9 lbs., 12 oz.
• Dimensions 22.5" x 14.2" x 9.5"
• Volume 24 L

• 4-wheel design is easy to roll
• No zippers to bust means locking security
• Small (24 L)
• Equally sized bins limit packing
• Heavy (almost 10 lbs.)

The North Face knows adventure and has been supplying travelers with luggage to escape off the grid for decades now. Its 22” All Weather 4-Wheeler carry-on ($350) is a hardshell carry-on that can hold a long weekend’s worth of supplies. 

With no external bling, this brutalist hard-sided carry-on feels more like a Pelican Case, and is truly inspired by deconstructing the bivalve. Hinged in the middle, the top and bottom halves mirror the same volume and open flat along the long side. The lid locks shut with a pair of TSA-compatible combination locks. Two rubberized handles sit on the long and tall side to help wrestle the smooth polycarbonate cube.

On the inside, both halves hold 12 liters of contents. One side is open with a removable compression divider that buckles into place mid-depth to the four corners. The divider has a thin mesh pocket to hold loose items, like papers or receipts. A long mesh pocket tucks on the inside along the hinge and stows an accessory bag that can be deployed for trail shoes or laundry.

The other half is zipped shut with a mesh divider that has both a horizontal quick-access zipper, and a horseshoe zipper that opens up the bin entirely. Both bays are trimmed with smooth-facing nylon, adding elegance to the otherwise spartan exterior.

True to The North Face’s modus operandi, the All Weather looks and feels like it could survive a weekend at war. The polycarbonate shell is secure and sturdy. The two sides close shut with a rubber gasket rand, sealing out water, and making the All Weather the most waterproof carry-on on our list. The four double wheels have 360˚ of mobility and track effortlessly from gate to transportation. And the Brut-design handle locks at three positions (30”, 33”, and 38.5”).

On the downside, at $350, it’s expensive and limiting — offering just over half the volume of other carry-ons on the list. And with both sides of the carry-on being equal, the capacity feels much smaller than others.

But, if durability, security, and weatherproof are your key metrics (and you pack light), the All Weather 4-Wheeler is worth a look. This carry-on is like a Volvo — boxy but good, with limited volume. It’s best suited for long weekend trips where you won’t overpack but want bomber durability.

Patagonia Black Hole Wheeled Duffel 40L

• Weight 7 lbs.
• Dimensions 21.6" x 14" x 9.5"
• Materials 100% recycled polyester ripstop with TPU-film laminate
• External Pockets 1 small zippered pocket

• Beefy seams and zippers
• Sleek, stylish look
• Weather and tear-resistant TPU laminate coating
• Sturdy wheelset delivers a smooth ride
• Only one external pocket
• Jealous friends

If you haven’t seen the ubiquitous Black Hole duffel bag while flying around on your travels — you probably aren’t getting out as much as you should. It’s a cult classic, and like every hero, it has a sidekick. Meet the Patagonia Black Hole Rolling Duffel ($359), a sleek rolling version of the outdoor community’s favorite rugged duffel.

With that same shiny, bombproof TPU laminate coating we’ve grown to cherish, a stalwart chassis, and a silky smooth ride, the carry-on version of this line brings some serious competition to the market. We took the Black Hole Roller on four domestic flights and a number of road trips during our testing period, and got a slew of compliments each time. This is a good-looking carry-on.

But its allure doesn’t stop at style, and the durable but compressible nature of its malleable face fabric means it can cram into smaller spaces with ease, and compress down as your loadout fluctuates during extended travel. A limit with hard-sided bags, and a relief while trying to cram your bag into the overhead compartment while everyone waits impatiently behind you on the plane.

While it easily fits the dimension restrictions of carry-ons, the interior space seems more voluminous than others we tested — largely due to the lack of internal features and high side walls. One small front zippered pocket constitutes the bag’s external organization, and two zippered pockets on the inside of the lid round out its simple featured set.

It does come with internal compression straps, and a full internal liner that zips open for a second makeshift compartment if you feel the need. We ended up shoving our dirty clothes into this pouch to keep them separate from our clean ones as they amassed mid-trip.

The hallmark of these bags is their signature shiny TPU coating. This affords both the duffle and rolling carry-ons top-shelf durability while keeping weight to a minimum. The external material is extremely water-resistant, and the fabric overlays the zippers, which allows rain to roll off the bag without seeping in.

This came in quite handy on one trip when our bags were unloaded from the plane in an absolute downpour, and came onto the luggage carousel soaking wet (we had to check our carry-ons at the gate for that particular trip).

Cons? Well, aside from a relatively minimal feature set, it was hard to drum up any quibbles with this bag. It comes with the same precautions as any soft-sided carry-on, namely a comparable lack of protection for sensitive internal contents. But that is standard, and the sturdy base and sidewalls provide adequate defense for anything not on the very top of your package.

The Patagonia Black Hole Rolling Duffel has a supremely smooth ride, durable chassis, and plenty of volume for a weekend getaway — and looks stylish to boot. Anyone looking to add some glossy, outdoor flair to their country-hopping loadout shouldn’t sleep on this one.

Carry-On Luggage Comparison Chart

How We Tested Carry-On Luggage

Our GearJunkie testers are avid travelers, with a combined experience of hundreds of flights taken, domestic and international, many trains traveled, and numerous countries visited. From the city streets of Paris, to the remote mountains of the Himalayas, our testers have covered a lot of ground in their lifetimes and know what can make or break a good piece of luggage. 

From flying frequently around the country for work to spending loads of time lugging baggage around Europe, as well as stuffing suitcases full of climbing gear for far-off adventures, our lead tester Miya Tsudome has had over 2 decades of hands-on experience with carry-on luggage. 

She collaborated with two other of our staff writers, Steve Graepel and Chris Carter, for this guide. They tested 17 different carry-ons over a period of 4 months — during which the three writers racked up some significant domestic and international air travel. They tested each carry-on with an eye for a handful of specific features, including packability, durability, and ease of use while battling around busy airports.

Finally, this is an organic guide, and we add the newest carry-ons and revisit our old favorites each season. We work hard to stay on top of the newest and best carry-ons on the market to bring you the most relevant suggestions possible.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Carry-On Luggage

Though no one bag “has it all,” there are many high-quality bags to choose from, and some that may fit your needs better than others. It’s worth considering the types of trips you make. Do you typically go on business trips or far-off adventures? Are you looking for something sleek and stylish or rugged and durable?

It’s also worth considering how often you travel and for how long — and what bag might make the most sense for your needs and budget. Read our comprehensive buyer’s guide below to gain some insight that might help you decide.

This article focuses solely on carry-ons. To add even more diversity to your travel loadout, be sure to check out our buyer’s guides on duffel bags , and travel backpacks .

Size is extremely important when considering purchasing a carry-on suitcase. It isn’t wise to assume that all suitcases labeled as “carry-ons” by their brand will automatically comply with all airline size restrictions. Although the standard is 22 x 14 x 9 inches, some airlines will be more strict, especially if you are flying on small regional planes or on airlines in different countries.

If you are spending a good amount of money on a new suitcase, and are worried about being able to easily fly with it, it would be best to err on the smaller side when considering your new purchase. This is also important to note for expandable suitcases, which when they are compact may qualify as a carry-on, but when stuffed full and expanded might exceed the limit. 

In our review, the Rockland Melbourne 20 , Dakine 42L , and SwissGear 6283 are the only suitcases strictly under the size threshold. However, it is worth noting that many airlines aren’t super discerning about an extra inch or two in any direction. 

Types of Carry-Ons 

Carry-on luggage comes in all shapes and sizes, but can typically be categorized as being hard-shell or soft-sided. The type you choose will be determined by whether you prefer the protection of a hard shell or the versatility of a soft-sided case, as well as being a personal style choice.

Hard-Sided Carry-Ons 

Hard-sided luggage is usually what comes to mind when one pictures a suitcase — ubiquitous, sleek, rolling clamshells that slide easily into overhead compartments. These shells are usually made of polycarbonate materials, and can sometimes be textured to be more resistant to scratches and dings but will inevitably reveal scuffs more than their soft-sided counterparts.

Being hard-sided allows for more protection of their interior components, and is ideal if you are traveling with fragile items. But a lack of exterior pockets is typically a big trade-off when choosing a hard shell model, as well as the fact that their clamshell opening doesn’t allow for quick access to the interior — you typically will have to unzip the whole bag to go in and search for an item. The Samsonite Centric and Away’s The Carry-On both have a textured exterior that is supposed to protect against scuffs and scratches. 

Soft-Sided Carry-Ons

Soft-sided carry-ons have several distinct advantages. One is that they are typically more lightweight, which can make a difference when packing a bag full for a week of travel, and then having to pick it up and put it into an overhead compartment. Wear and tear over time will be less obvious on their fabric exteriors versus visible scuffs on a hard shell, and because most soft shells have a U-shaped zippered opening instead of a clamshell, there is less stress on the zipper over time. 

Soft-sided luggage also makes the most of their exteriors with ample pockets. While hard-sided luggage tends to look sleeker and can be easier to slide into an overhead compartment, soft-sided carry-on luggage can provide more bang for your buck with its extra pockets and ability to expand.

Packability

Clamshell .

The suitcases we tested mainly feature two different designs that influenced their packability. All of the hardshell suitcases feature a clamshell construction — a zipper opens all the way around to reveal two separate compartments on either side. This is beneficial for organization, as you can separate your clothing from your other items. Some brands, like Away’s The Carry-On , also have custom packing cubes to make organization even more satisfying.

Our testers found that the clamshell design helps to keep us more organized and less likely to just stuff a bunch of clothes into a duffel bag because closing them up easily is dependent on how well you packed your items. However, a big drawback to this style is when you’d like to grab something out of the suitcase in transit, you have to open it all the way and splay out both sides to find what you’re looking for.

U-Shaped Zipper 

A U-shaped zipper opening to one main compartment is the other common suitcase design you’ll find from many brands, as found on the Osprey Transporter , Patagonia Black Hole , Mystery Ranch Mission , and in some ways increases a bag’s packability. Being able to quickly pack and unpack a suitcase without having to separate any components is a big plus for ease of use.

U-shaped zipper openings are typically found on soft-sided suitcases, and can allow a bag to be stuffed to the brim and still be able to zip close with a little bit of extra legwork.

These suitcases tend to be deep and can accommodate layers of clothing, especially when put into packing cubes or rolled up tightly to maximize space. Occasionally, bags like this will have some organizational components such as side pockets and compression straps, but staying organized will be more of a challenge when all of your items share one main compartment.

Extra Features

Compression straps.

Having the ability to compress bulky items to make more room in your carry-on luggage is a very desirable feature, but these straps are not all created equal. Many suitcases will have some sort of strap system, but often won’t do much to compress at all and will merely serve to hold your items in place.

If you are planning to pack as much as you can and love what some good compression straps can provide, it pays to be discerning about the bag that you buy. The best compression straps in our lineup can be found in Away’s the Carry-On , and the Osprey Transporter .

Internal Zippered Storage

Arguably one of the most important things to keep the inevitable stress levels lower when it comes to travel is good organization. No matter how hard you try to stay organized, things can unravel quickly when you open up your bag, pull out a toiletries kit, and your whole system of neatly folded clothes comes apart with it.

That’s why it can be nice to find a bag with good internal zippered storage, so you can keep items separate and accessible without disturbing the whole order of your packing.

The Mystery Ranch Mission has an impressive amount of internal zippered storage which helps keep organization an easier affair. In our hard-sided suitcase selection, we liked that Away’s The Carry-On made extra use of their compression divider adding a large, zippered mesh pocket suitable for slim items.

Spinner Wheels vs. Non-Spinner Wheels

360-degree spinner wheels have been a boon to the evolution of the carry-on suitcase. Four wheels that spin independently in every direction make maneuvering a bag through crowded train stations and in the narrow aisles of planes easier than ever before. And it is hard to deny that the feeling of “gliding” your suitcase along instead of dragging it behind you makes transit more appealing. 

There are some advantages of two-wheeled suitcases, however, that are worth mentioning. There are usually four spinner wheels on a suitcase which means more parts that can break. The wheels are also much smaller than on two-wheeled suitcases, and worse for maneuvering over cobblestone streets, grass, or other uneven terrain.

The wheels on non-spinner suitcases are typically much larger, sometimes even with lugs for better traction, and are a better choice if you know you’ll be going over varying terrain. They are also usually easily replaceable and longer-lasting than their spinner counterparts. 

External pockets are another category that can be aligned with the hard-sided versus soft-sided debate. They are typically a feature of soft-sided suitcases, such as the Mystery Ranch Mission or the SwissGear 6283 , though there are rare brands that have figured out ways to incorporate pockets or panels into the front of their bags.

External pockets can be desirable for a number of reasons, namely for storing smaller items that you might want to access in transit such as a passport, e-book, iPad, headphones, sleep mask, etc. Especially when putting a suitcase in an overhead compartment, knowing that those items can be easily accessible if needed will be a relief to you and the passengers surrounding you.

Some may choose not to want external pockets, however, for security reasons among others. Having all of your items safely locked inside a hard-shell suitcase may be desirable for some. Especially when on a train where the luggage storage area can be far away from your seat. 

TSA-Approved Locks

When looking for a suitcase that features a lock for extra security, it would be wise to make sure the lock is “TSA-approved.” These are usually combination locks that can be opened with a master key by security personnel so that your luggage isn’t subject to damage during a routine inspection.

Materials and Design

It is typical for hard-sided suitcases to be made of polycarbonate shells, while soft-sided suitcases are made with varying types of nylon. As mentioned before, hard-sided suitcases will be more prone to scratches and scuffs as they are tossed around in transit, and if this degradation in aesthetics is something that will bother you, a soft-sided suitcase may be the better option. Of course, though nylon won’t reveal scratches as readily, it is still a fabric that can be prone to tearing.

It is a good idea to check the denier of the fabric for soft-sided suitcases, with a higher denier meaning the more resistant the nylon will be to snags or tears. Some suitcases, like the Osprey or Patagonia Black Hole , will even have a DWR coating in addition to high-denier fabric that makes their bags even more durable as well as weather-resistant.

Another consideration is that the polycarbonate shells of hard-sided suitcases typically have the option of coming in bright colors or patterns, which can make recognizing your suitcase at baggage claim or in the stuffed luggage compartment of a train a breeze. Some might also like the expression of style these bags allow for.

Frustratingly, there is no universal airline standard for maximum carry-on luggage size. The general guideline followed by many airlines is 22 x 14 x 9 inches, but small regional flights or foreign airlines may have different restrictions. Because of this, we absolutely recommend looking up the restrictions of your preferred airline, to get a sense for what size suitcase might work best for your needs.

Choosing between a hard-sided and soft-sided carry-on is a matter of personal choice and desired features. Hard-sided luggage of the right dimensions can help ensure that you don’t accidentally exceed airline restrictions of carry-on sizes. In the same vein, they are also more difficult to overpack. 

But they will lack many of the features that soft-sided bags allow for, such as external pockets, u-shaped openings for easier access to the main compartment, as well as features such as pouches for shoes or dirty laundry and more room for internal pockets. Hard-sided luggage also tends to show wear and tear more easily than soft-sided luggage.

The answer to this question varies greatly depending on the season you are traveling in, and what kind of trip you are planning to go on. Are you going on an adventure vacation where you’ll pack extra accessories like hiking boots, rain jackets, or special gear? Are you traveling in the winter where bulky layers may take up a lot of space? Or are you going on a beach vacation where all the clothing is light and easy to pack? There are a lot of factors that go into how much you can realistically bring on each trip.

Typically, you will probably be able to fit 5 to 7 days’ worth of clothing in your carry-on suitcase. If you pack smart, you can maximize the space. Some tips include rolling your clothes into tight cylinders instead of folding them. This will help reduce wrinkles and allows you to squeeze thinner items between the spaces of bulkier ones.

Also, wearing as much of your bulky clothing while you’re actually traveling will maximize the amount of room you have in your luggage for the rest of your clothing. If you’ll be staying at an Airbnb, check if they have a laundry machine and you can pack less and plan on doing a load midway through your trip to extend the use of some of your layers.

There are pros and cons for having a bag with wheels or without wheels as your carry-on of choice. A backpack will allow you to be more nimble in transit, as you take up less space and can quickly grab your bag and throw it on your back without having to fumble with handles or wheels.

Therefore, a backpack could be a good choice for someone who is traveling by train or bus. But carrying a heavy bag on your shoulder or back throughout the day can be tiring, and a rolling suitcase eases the load on your body. If you know you’ll have to carry your bag for a longer period of time, a roller can be a better choice.

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Originally from New York, Miya graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English from Skidmore College and quickly fled west to see what the great outdoors had to offer. What was supposed to be a summer job in Yosemite National Park turned into five years, with her ultimately becoming a rock climbing guide with the Yosemite Mountaineering School. She now works as a photographer and freelance writer and is always looking for ways to share her passion and expertise for outdoor gear through her writing.

Based in beautiful Chattanooga, Tennessee, Chris Carter is a Senior Editor for GearJunkie, while squeezing in side gigs as an adventure filmmaker and content creator in the outdoor industry. Drawing from his childhood in Africa, experience as a rock climbing and backpacking guide, ultra-marathon running, and years of extensive thru-hiking, he’s passionate about journalism that gets people into the wild. He has thru-hiked the Triple Crown of long trails in America: the Pacific Crest Trail (2018), the Continental Divide Trail (2021), and the Appalachian Trail (2021), and has explored, rock-climbed, and backpacked all over the world. He hopes to spread his love of adventure and travel through his writing, art, and videography.

Steve Graepel is a Contributing Editor and Gear Tester at GearJunkie. He has been writing about trail running, camping, skiing, and general dirtbagging for 10+ years. When not testing gear with GearJunkie, he is a Senior Medical Illustrator on the Neurosurgery Team at Mayo Clinic. Based in Boise, Idaho, Graepel is an avid trail runner, camper, angler, cyclist, skier, and loves to introduce his children to the Idaho outdoors.

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Small Business Trends

Best carry on luggage for business travel.

If you buy something through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more .

If you travel for business, then a good carry on bag is a must. Currently, you’re allowed to carry bags measuring up to 9 inches deep, 14 inches wide and 22 inches high onto commercial flights with most U.S. airlines.

Best Carry on Luggage for Business Travel

There are plenty of different styles, brands and special features to choose from. So if you’re in the market for new carry on luggage for your business travels, here are some of the top options to choose from.

AmazonBasics Hardside Spinner Luggage

For a solid rolling carry on without a lot of flare, this suitcase from AmazonBasics includes a protective shell, lined dividers and double spinner wheels for easy transport. At $50, you can get a size that’s TSA-approved. Or you can purchase a matching set for those times when you need a bit more space.

Travelpro Maxlite International Spinner Suitcase

Another solid option, this rolling suitcase from Travelpro features spinning wheels and an expandable polyester exterior that’s also stain-resistant. You can also customize the height of the handle for comfortable transport. It normally retails for $260.

TravelCross Boston Carry On Lightweight Hardshell Spinner Luggage

For a lightweight options that still keeps your belongings protected, this TravelCross roller is just 19 inches tall and includes a separate compartment for you to keep your laptop or tablet. You can get it for just under $70.

Bluboon Ladies Canvas Weekender Bag

For a feminine option with some style, this shoulder bag from Blueboon is sized as a carry on and comes in a number of colors and patterns. For $35, it’s large enough to carry your laptop and a couple of clothing items and toiletries for a quick business trip.

Kenneth Cole Fifth Avenue Metallic Carry-On

For a stylish taken on carry on luggage, this option from Kenneth Cole has a unique look that is still sleek and professional. Made with a lightweight textured case, the suitcase is currently priced at $95.

Travelers Club Polaris Collection

Another hardshell suitcase, this option from Travelers Club features metallic silver, gold and copper exteriors with spinning wheels and expansion capabilities. It’s also relatively affordable at $40.

Rockland Luggage Charcoal Set

This luggage option from Rockland actually includes multiple bags that could work as carry ons. You could use the larger rolling bag and/or carry the smaller one on your shoulder. At $40 from some retailers, you get quite a bit for the money.

American Tourister Moonlight Spinner

This suitcase from American Tourister features a hard case but is still expandable. It also comes in a variety of colors and patterns, so you don’t have to sacrifice style for function. It retails for under $70.

Crew 11 Expandable Spinner Suiter

This suitcase from Crew is actually made for flight crews and pro travelers that has been adapted for civilian use. It has smart features like a USB port and power bank pack to keep you productive even when traveling. It goes for $230.

ZEGUR Quilted Rolling Underseat Carry On Luggage

If you prefer to keep your bag under the seat in front of you rather than in the overhead compartment, this Zegur quilted bag could work. For $70, the quilted back offers sufficient storage that still fits in that smaller space, while also offering wheels for easy transport.

Delsey Luggage Chatalet

This suitcase from Delsey offers a sophisticated look, hard exterior, silent wheels, and even a locking system to keep your suitcase from rolling away. It is priced at around $200.

If you prefer a duffel bag format, the iLotusBAG is a waterproof carry on that comes in multiple colors and can be easily folded to fit into other compartments when not in use. At just $12, it could be a decent options to bring on trips where you might have to pack extra items on the way home.

AmazonBasics Travel Backpack

If you’d rather carry your luggage to your destination instead of roll it, then you might consider a large backpack like this one from AmazonBasics . Reasonably priced at $50, this model features multiple compartments, padded sides, removable straps and plenty of other functional features.

Samsonite Omni Pc Hardside Spinner

A solid option with hard sides, this suitcase from Samsonite comes in a few different colors and retails for between $70 and $110. It also features expandable sides and pockets for easy organization.

Goplus GLOBALWAY Expandable ABS Carry On Luggage

This luggage from Goplus offers multi-direction spinning wheels, a water and scratch resistant exterior, an elastic belt and zipped dividers on the inside. It also comes in a few different colors, with pricing around $40.

Olympia Denmark Carry-on Spinner

For a retail price of $140, this Olympia wheeled suitcase has an aluminum locking handle system, spinning wheels and a padded interior to keep all of your belongings safe.

Want a bag that does all the work for you? Modobag is a carry on that actually rolls on its own. You can even ride the motorized suitcase through the airport if you want. But it’ll cost you nearly $1,500.

Cowarobot R1

Or perhaps you prefer to walk — but you still don’t want to cart a suitcase around. Cowarobot R1 is another motorized suitcase that can actually detect your movements and follow you through the airport . Coming soon, this model is expected to run for about $500.

SwissGear Travel Gear Spinner

A rolling suitcase from SwissGear , this option is made with a durable nylon material and includes multi-directional spinner wheels, a locking telescopic handle and reinforced carry handles. You can get it for between $70 and $110.

Travelcross Philadelphia

A lightweight suitcase from Travelcross , the Philadelphia model has a hard shell, spinning wheels and a TSA-approved locking system for practical security. At $55, it’s also a relatively affordable option.

Qualify for discounts, special offers and more with a Business Prime account from Amazon. You can create a FREE account to get started today.

Photo via Shutterstock

You really need to plan your travel as well right down to the essentials such as your travel bag.

A moving mobile suitcase? 😉 I wonder if it will be traffic jams at the airports in the future? 😉

Have you seen those all in one anti theft bags? Does this one have the same feature?

Most of them looks sturdy. I love the one you can ride. That should be fun.

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The Best Carry-On Luggage for Every Budget And Destination

By Avidan Grossman , Gerald Ortiz , and Tyler Chin

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The quest to find the best carry-on luggage shouldn’t be as onerous as your search for the perfect vacation destination —Instagrammable, but not, like, too Instagrammable—but it absolutely is. And though vacation destinations might feel beholden to your limited budget and even more limited OOO days, suitcase options abound at every price point.

The Best Carry-on Luggage, at a Glance

Gotta get to the airport ASAP? Don't run through the airport like a fool—our top picks for the best carry-on luggage are right here.

• The Best Softside Luggage : TravelPro MaxLite 5 Expandable Spinner , $170
• The Best Hard Shell Luggage : Away Carry-On , $275
• Another Solid Hardside Spinner : Arlo Skye The Zipper Carry-On Max , $375
• The Best Duffle Bag, Overall : Lotuff No.12 Weekender , $1,200
• The Best Travel Backpack: Topo Designs Global Travel Bag , $415
• The Best Do-Everything Duffel : Peak Design Travel Duffel , $140
• The Convertible Travel Bag : Patagonia Black Hole Duffel Bag , $159
• The Best Budget Carry-On Bag : Amazon Basics Hardside Spinner , $83

Even the most cursory search for a good carry-on turns up a bewildering mixture of products from established luggage brands to agile fashion houses to venture-capital infused juggernauts. So, we've drummed up a short guide on how to shop for the best carry-on luggage, from indestructible aluminum-shell bags to slightly squishier softside luggage that you can squeeze under an airplane seat, then outlined some of our top-tier winners below.

Your Luggage-Related FAQs, Answered

→ What's the Difference Between Hardside and Softside Luggage?

→ What Makes a Good Carry-On Bag?

→ How We Tested

The Best Softside Luggage: TravelPro MaxLite 5 Expandable Spinner

Maxlite 5 Softside Expandable Spinner

Big on practicality and low on cost, the Travelpro Maxlite 5 offers the best value of any softside bag out there. It's the brand's lightest four-wheel spinner suitcase at five pounds, maximizing on maneuverability for when you're sprinting to catch your flight. The cavernous, expandable interior includes tons of weird little zippered sections and mesh pockets for you to cordon off your toiletries, small items, dirty clothes, and shoes from your clothes without busting out the packing cubes. And after you've racked up plenty of miles on those wheels, the Platinum Elite comes with a limited lifetime warranty for repairs and replacements.

The only ding against the TravelPro is its humdrum looks, which evoke the dated carpeting of one of the airports it'll be dragged through. But that hasn’t kept it from becoming a favorite of frequent flyers. If the TravelPro logo looks familiar, it's probably because you’ve spotted it on the luggage of the flight attendants and pilots that spend most of their lives in the sky.

The Best Hard-Shell Luggage: Away The Carry-On

The Carry-On

There are plenty of good reasons why the Away team has just about upended the luggage industry since it launched. Instagram-ready looks? Check. Durable shell? Check. Smooth Hinomoto spinner wheels, top and side handles, clothes straps, a mesh zip pocket, a laundry bag, sturdy YKK zippers, and—maybe most game-changing of all—a built-in USB charger so you don't have to screw around with airport outlets? Yeah, check. At just under three hundred bucks and spanning a range of handsome, low-key colorways, Away's carry-on means you don't have to choose between getting something cheap and ugly and spending a rent check on something luxe. For an industry that never really did the low-to-mid-tier thing well, that's a very welcome change of pace. Our testers have taken theirs on planes across the country and halfway across the world, and never run into issues. Provided you do , there's a limited lifetime warranty that'll cover any functional damage.

Another Solid Hardside Spinner: Arlo Skye The Zipper Carry-On Max

"The Zipper" Carry-On Max

The Arlo Skye Zipper carry-on is a winner for a couple reasons. The bag’s polycarbonate shell isn’t as hearty as the fabric on the TravelPro or the aluminum of a Rimowa, say, but we found the suitcase a bit more capable of withstanding regular use than many other hard-shelled suitcases we’ve tested. (It's also much cheaper.) All of Arlo Skye’s carry-on sized suitcases boast internal pockets for organizing your travel gear, including a few zippered areas for separating out dirty clothes and shoes. The company also makes a version with an easy-access front pocket, presumably for a laptop or magazines, but we’d imagine you’d rather store those things in a backpack or tote rather than in the suitcase you're hauling into an overhead bin. Arlo Skye’s luggage features a removable external charger, but unlike the USB port from Away that can only juice up your phone, it comes with a USB-C connection for keeping your laptop charged up, too. Still, the five-year warranty that Arlo Skye offers doesn’t compare to Away’s limited lifetime warranty, which is why the latter is still our top choice for long-hauler luggage that you'll want to keep dragging around a decade from now.

The Ultimate Travel Flex: Rimowa Classic Carry-On

Classic Cabin Suitcase

Rimowa, the storied German luggage company founded in the late 1800s, has been a powerhouse in the luggage space for over a century, with a litany of perks to its name: A single-stage telescoping handle, a hinged double latch lock by the main compartment, elastic compression straps with magnetic pull-release fastenings, its signature ridged exteriors, the works. Couple that with some choice collabs with the likes of Dior, Off-White, Moncler, and beyond, and you'll see why Rimowa's become a status symbol among elite travelers and celebs like Rihanna and LeBron James. Each bag will set you back at least a grand, but if you've ever been stuck traveling with a lackluster piece of luggage and thought, Man, I wish my suitcase could do that , chances are Rimowa's can, and masterfully. We went deep on the legacy brand's signature bag here in case you want to hear more about the intricacies of how it maneuvers and exactly how it compares to something more pedestrian like the Away.

The Best Luxury Duffle Bag: Lotuff No.12 Weekender

No. 12 Weekender

Lotuff's handsome, all-American No. 12 duffle bag is our favorite of the genre , with all the details that matter (or matter enough to justify this $1,200 price tag). Take the zipper closure for one, which runs from end to end for extra security, and a wide opening that allows you to shove in a glut of your equally fancy sweaters and toiletries without breaking a sweat. Unlike other cheaply-made and poorly-designed duffles, the vegetable-tanned leather also gives it a first-class patina that only gets better with every trip. But should the leather break or that zipper snag, Lotuff will repair it for a fee, so this bag will stay in your family for many, many flights to come. The interior of the bag features a zip pocket for corralling your loose miscellanea, and the bottom of the bag is also reinforced with double leather for durability. With this bag, you're looking at an investment piece that, if you're treating it right, won't ever need to be replaced.

The Best Travel Backpack: Topo Designs Global Travel Bag

Topo Designs

Global Travel Bag 40L

Backcountry

Topo Design has built up a loyal following of rugged adventurers over its 16 years of business. The Colorado-based brand is making some of the best mountaineering, hiking, and travel packs and gear in the Mountain Standard Time zone, and we've found its Global Travel bag to be an excellent pack for doing exactly as the name implies. The bag actually offers three ways to carry it—whether you use it as a backpack, briefcase, or shoulder bag—but what it really has going for it is its plethora of pockets and U-shape entry, which means the bag unzips to fold in half.

That means no longer having to blindly and aimlessly rummage through your bag in the overhead compartment for one tiny thing before takeoff. Topo Designs put padding almost everywhere this bag touches your body, which also makes running through the airport with two minutes to board less torturous on your frame. Almost everything about the Global Travel bag has been configured to allow you to customize it with the brand's assortment of packing gear: The daisy chain lets you hook on accessory packs; the sizing of the compartments is perfectly measured to accommodate storage cubes; and attachment clips further turn you into a pack mule for even more baggage options.

The Best Do-Everything Duffel: Peak Design Travel Duffel

Peak Design

Travel Duffel 35L

If you have duffels reserved for specific purposes—travel, the gym , schlepping your everyday goods—then you have more space than us, friends. Peak Design, a brand that's become famous for its ingenious storage solutions for hauling camera and video gear, makes a travel duffel that fits the bill for every purpose. Available in 35- and 65-liter options (only the former can be used as a carry-on), the Travel duffel is one of the nicer bags we've seen in the sub-$150 price bracket.

There's also something every satisfying about the way the hand-carry straps snap together with a magnet, and if your arms are getting tired, those straps can be work on your back. The extra-wide zipper allows for great access to your goods, and some internal pockets make it easier to know where you've put your chargers, passports, and other miscellaneous travel goods. While the duffel doesn't fold into itself like the Patagonia bag below, it does fold down fairly flat. One of our staffers brings this duffel with him on his travels and stores it in his other carry-on in case the travel shopping bug bites him and one bag isn't enough to get his goodies home.

The Best Convertible Travel Bag: Patagonia Black Hole Duffel Bag

Black Hole Duffel Bag, 40L

Remember that hapless kid in fifth grade the whole class mocked for showing up with a rolling backpack the first day of school? ( People don't forget! ) Well, if you still holding onto some secondhand trauma from the incident, Patagonia's streamlined duffel might be good enough to risk straining your back to carry. Late last year, Patagonia updated its popular line of Black Hole bags , swapping out the high-gloss finish for a new matte look that makes good on the eco-conscious brand's commitment to sustainable sourcing. Aside from the new 100% recycled thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) finish, essentially everything about this bag is the same. While we miss the look of the OG bags, we're happy to say the duffel loses none of the specs or details that made the originals so damn great.

The body fabric, lining, and webbing are all made out of water-resistant recycled materials designed to keep your valuables dry, while two padded straps make for an easy switch if you'd rather sling it over your shoulders like a carry-on backpack . The bag's handles are also specially reinforced to make for comfortable hand-carrying so your lower vertebrae will hold up fine no matter how far your terminal is from the gate. Best of all, the whole thing folds into itself for storage. With all due respect to your childhood classmate (who you definitely owe an apology), sometimes carrying your bag just looks cooler than wheeling it around.

The Best Truly Budget Carry-On: Amazon Basics Hardside Spinner

Amazon Basics

20-Inch Hardside Spinner

We've all been there: You forgot to pack for your trip in two days, and wait, you don't have a suitcase. Take advantage of that Prime membership burning a monthly hole in your credit card statement, and scoop up the most popular carry-on Amazon from its namesake brand. With over 45,000 overwhelmingly positive reviews to its credit, this 20-inch hardside spinner has earned more than its fair share of compliments like “perfect for the price,” “light and sturdy,” and “great, all-around suitcase.” For an suitcase that costs less than a Benjamin, this spinner is built pretty well and features everything you'd want from a quality spinner: an expander, interior zippered pocket with additional storage, and smooth-rolling wheels for breezing through that moving walkway like you're The Flash.

4 More Carry-Ons We Like

We've also assembled a number of other worthy alternatives that'll help you jet off in style, even if you're on a Frontier budget. These may be slightly less accessible or less well-rounded than our top picks—and some of these we haven't had the luxury of testing ourselves—but they boast many of the same features you'd hope for in a well-traveled suitcase, from easy-gripping telescoping handles to a roomy, organized interior.

22-Inch 19 Degrees International Expandable Spinner Carry-On

Perhaps no other suitcase brand on the planet has the same name recognition as a Tumi, the workhorse luggage of choice for business travelers, and plenty of celebrities, since it first came on the scene in the ‘70s. Beyond the absolute basics—trustworthy zippers, a bevy of pockets and dividers, and locks for keeping everyone else out except the TSA—this shellacked spinner has style in spades. Add to that a Lever Lock system that fully enables your overpacking tendencies, and Tumi's tracing system (in case you ever lose sight of your bag), and you have hardly any reasons not to scoop one. The polished diagonal ridges on this spinner give it some subtle Rimowa vibes, too, without entreating you spend more than $1,000.

The North Face

Base Camp Duffel

Upgrading from the $30 Carhartt duffel you've had since college to something slightly more distinguished? North Face's base camp bag is the next logical progression, with a similar rugged style for outdoorsy folks, plus a water-resistant, recycled exterior that can handle a little dirt and distressing. It's extremely generous with a 50 liter capacity for tucking in gear, clothes, and beyond. Plus, the price point at under $150 is just right. It's probably the next best thing if for some reason Patagonia's high-vis logos aren't to your liking and you'd prefer something stealthier to haul your stuff into the great outdoors or onto the main cabin.

In the war between direct-to-consumer suitcases, Away is the clear winner by sheer popularity. But for anyone trying hard to not cave into peer pressure, Monos makes a comparable hardside suitcase that doesn't scream Instagram-obsessive-millennial. It's built with nearly the same specs as Away's carry-on and features nearly all the same design details from the interior compression, included laundry bag, 360-degree spinner wheels, and ribbed exterior. It's a whole Andrew Jackson less than the Away if that's enough to sway you to shop a suitcase from a lesser-known brand.

Cabin Luggage

Help your suitcase stand out in a sea of black nylon by copping a polycarbonate spinner in robin's egg blue. Floyd's retro carry-on spinners are inspired by ‘70s skating culture (peep the wheels!), with a breezy, laid-back sensibility that’ll help ease you into the vacation mindset. The glaringly orange, well-apportioned storage section inside only amplifies the brand's ethos of good vibes and great design. If you want swervier luggage that doesn’t look like everyone else's in the terminal, this one's a solid bet that perfectly blends high-vis colorblocking and design chops.

What's the Difference Between Soft and Hardside Carry-On Bags?

Hardside luggage used to be a bit of a novelty. If you had any 15 years ago, you might have been one of the few people in the airport hauling around their characteristic sleek shells—which made finding your bag at the luggage carousel a lot easier. But as these models started to become available in polycarbonate plastics, hardside options become just as ubiquitous as their soft shell counterparts.

By Reed Nelson

By Timothy Beck Werth

By Tyler Chin

On the other hand, the main advantage of soft fabric luggage is its durability. That might seem counterintuitive because shouldn't something with a hard protective shell last longer? But in our experience, after the same amount of use, softside luggage looks more or less like it did when you bought it. Think about it: If you toss a soft fabric cube back and forth against a wall for a year, it might look a little bit busted on the corners, but its stretchy-soft surface would probably absorb much of the impact. But if that cube was made out of a thin, hard substance, you'd probably see a dent or nick in the paint basically anywhere it hit the wall.

That said, a bunch of fabric luggage options (save for the super expensive models) leave a lot to be desired aesthetically. Even when they're new, pulling a fabric suitcase behind you makes you look, at best, like someone who knows their way around a day planner. At worst, especially when they're covered in all sorts of metal rivets and extra zippers, they can look dinky—the tuxedo T-shirt of things to put your clothes in. So it makes sense that hard shell luggage almost always looks much better. Their glossy shells catch the light nicely as they float alongside you. And in recent years, companies have gotten a lot better at making them as durable as can be.

Fabric luggage does have one other advantage over hard shells, though. Thanks to their stretchiness, soft suitcases tend to be a little bit more accommodating to over-packers, while still maintaining the same carry-on size. You'll find it a little bit easier to actually zip them shut, even when they're filled to the brim with extra pairs of clothes. Hard shell suitcases offer a lot less give in terms of packing space, which makes them less than ideal if you tend to accumulate endless tchotchkes while you're traveling. It might not be a dealbreaker, but still something to consider.

What Makes a Good Carry-On Bag?

Size : According to the TSA, carry-on size restrictions vary by airline, but generally, the dimensions max out at 22 by 14 by 9 inches. Another important number to note regarding carry-on sizes is the capacity, usually denoted in liters. Considering size restrictions, the most capacity you'll have is around 40 liters, which is good for a week-long trip, but we did find one duffel bag that has a 50-liter capacity but can fly under the size restrictions because of its shape.

Style : Rolling bags, suitcases, luggage—those are probably the most popular style of carry-on bag. They easy to move around and don't require a rock-hard body to transport around the airport. However, some folks might prefer a lighter-weight duffel bag or backpack to trek into the great outdoors or keep close at home for short weekend sojourns. It all depends on where you're traveling, how much you're hauling, and

How We Tested

We here at GQ have been scanning the wild world of luggage retailers to find the carry-on bags you can comfortably roll up the cobblestone steps of Lisbon, zip-line with through the canopies of Belize , or begrudgingly leave at the gate on the way home for your nephew’s “graduation” from elementary school. We’ve combined our knowledge of the best luggage across a range of prices, styles, and construction types—ones that we've taken on planes, trains, and automobiles—to figure out which offer the best combination of solid construction, useful features, and magnificent looks.

We also added some runner-ups that we haven't had the pleasure of testing, but think combine the right features, price point, and reputation to go toe-to-toe with other contenders in their price range. Not so into the Away? Spring for a slightly more innocuous Monos. Want a heritage bag without blowing more than a grand? Tumi's got your back. After all that, here are our top picks that we’d be happy to drag behind and beside us on every single one of our upcoming trips.

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Best carry-on luggage 2024: premium cabin luggage and cheap lightweight cases

The best carry-on luggage will help you breeze through the airport and make your journey quick and easy

The top three

• 1. Best overall carry-on luggage
• 2. Best lightweight option
• 3. Best affordable option
• 4. Best premium option
• 5. Best stylish option
• 6. Best elegant option
• 7. Best convenient option
• 8. Best long-haul option
• 9. Best quality option
• 9. Best laptop option

Best carry-on luggage 2024: Jump Menu

00. The top three↴ 01. Best overall : Tumi Tegra-Lite Max Continental 02. Best lightweight : Samsonite Cosmolite 55cm Spinner 03. Best affordable : Aerolite 55cm Hard Shell 04. Best premium : Db Ramverk Pro Carry-on Luggage 05. Best stylish : Eastpak Tranzshell 54cm Hand Luggage 06. Best elegant : Ted Baker Albany 2-Wheel 07. Best convenient : July Carry-On Pro  08. Best long-haul : Victorinox Lexicon 2.0 Dual-Caster 09. Best quality : Aerotrunk Pangolin Carry-On Luggage 10. Best laptop : Samsonite Guard It Rolling Tote

Looking for the best carry-on luggage of 2024? You've come to the right place as our guide has all the information you need to make an informed purchase for your next getaway.

We're long-time proponents of travelling light and think if you’re going on a short or a long trip there's little reason you need to check-in luggage – all you need to do is pack carefully. However, good intentions go nowhere unless you have the best carry-on luggage.

With a small cabin-sized suitcase, you can keep everything you need with you, bypassing both the bag drop queue and the luggage carousel at your destination... and get to the taxi rank before everyone else on your flight.

Looking for something larger? Check out the best suitcases or if you're looking to travel lighter, we suggest the best backpacks and best travel bags . If you're travelling with a baby or toddler then we recommend travelling with the best travel stroller .

Lizzie is T3's Home Staff Writer, also covering style, living and wellness. Lizzie is lucky enough to travel a lot, so she knows her stuff when it comes to the best carry ons. 

The best overall carry-on luggage

Available in a sleek Graphite grey, the Tumi Tegra-Lite Max comes with four double wheels for stability, a telescopic aluminium handle, and is made from tough polycarbonate so should be able to clock up as many air miles as you do. The Tumi contains three zipped compartments, as well as straps for keeping clothes in place. 

Read more below

The best lightweight option

Customers who use this Samsonite are impressed with the amount of space inside, and say they are definitely worth the cost as they are built to last. Some think the handle feels a little flimsy, but with this cabin case being super lightweight, the 4 wheels make it really easy to get around the airport with no fuss. 

The best affordable option 

This case from Aerolite is extremely light and extremely affordable, two things that make it very appealing. It has four wheels and a retractable trolley grip handle, which make it easy to steer in any direction. It all feels very well made, despite how affordable it really is. 

Best carry-on luggage you can buy today

Why you can trust T3 Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .

The best overall carry-on option

1. tumi tegra-lite max continental expandable carry-on, reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

Available in a sleek Graphite grey, the Tumi Tegra-Lite Max is the perfect carry-on case for a short trip away. It comes with four double wheels for stability, a telescopic aluminium handle, and is made from tough polycarbonate so should be able to clock up as many air miles as you do. The Tumi contains three zipped compartments for safely stowing all your belongings, as well as straps for keeping clothes in place. The case is secured with a zip fastening too, with TSA-compatible combination locks for security. 

Unfortunately, it's heavier than the other carry-on suitcases on this list, weighing in at 4.99kg. That's by no means uncomfortable to carry around, but it's not quite as impressive as the featherlight cases we've also reviewed.

• Back to the top ⤴

2. Samsonite Cosmolite 55cm Spinner Cabin Case

If you’re a frequent flyer, whether it is for business or please, you need to have a Samsonite. Customers who use this Samsonite are impressed with the amount of space inside, and say they are definitely worth the cost as they are built to last. Some think the handle feels a little flimsy, but with this cabin case being super lightweight, the 4 wheels make it really easy to get around the airport with no fuss. 

It also has a TSA lock which is perfect for those who travel regularly, and the hard casing means your case will be protected when in the hold. 

The best affordable option

3. aerolite 55cm hard shell cabin luggage.

This case from Aerolite is extremely light and extremely affordable, two things that make it very appealing. It has four wheels and a retractable trolley grip handle, which make it easy to steer in any direction. It all feels very well made, despite how affordable it really is.

The outer casing is made from durable but lightweight hard shell plastic which offers a high level of protection. The interior features packing straps and an internal zipped divider with elasticated pockets (perfect for shoes), to keep the contents in place during transit. The case includes a free three-digit combination barrel padlock for extra security, plus a five year guarantee for ultimate peace of mind.

The best premium option

4. Db Ramverk Pro Carry-on Luggage

Our expert review:

The Db Ramverk Pro Carry-on Luggage is the best suitcase for travelling professionals. It's well-made, highly functional and made from mostly recycled materials. It's a bit heavy, and the sturdiness of the bag might be OTT for some travellers; however, photographers and videographers should consider it as their next small travel case. 

For all the details, see our Db Ramverk Pro Carry-on Luggage review . 

The best stylish option

5. Eastpak Tranzshell 54cm Hand Luggage

The Eastpak Tranzshell is available in seven different colours to suit your style. Our favourite is this distinctive Camo print (which is now sold out). It also comes in three different sizes Small, Medium and Large, although we’ve chosen the smallest model here. The Eastpak Tranzshell also promises to be tough and long-lasting with innovative foam and hybrid fabric, impressive 30-year warranty, and smooth-running wheels on its base. It also comes with a comfortable padded handle so it's easy to move around. 

Inside it's just as smart, with two zipped pockets to keep your belongings in place during your travels. This case is reasonably light at 2.9kg, so for a short holiday or business trip away it’s ideal, especially given the large 32-litre capacity. It also includes a locking zip system with is TSA compatible.

The best elegant option

6. Ted Baker Albany 2-Wheel Business Bag

Available in black with a bright `Blue Butterfly`pattern interior, Ted Baker's stylish carry-on suitcase is a real designer piece with a distinctive, elegant look. Made from lustrous 900 denier twill material with rose gold highlights, the Albany also includes two smooth-rolling wheels in its base, plus large handbag-like handles. Inside the classy looks continue with a bright pattern, and plenty of room for your essentials. 

Other goodies include a 3-digit combination lock with TSA, and contrasting saffiano envelope style front pocket. The Albany case is also available in range of other sizes – so whether you want a carry-on bag, or something larger for an extended trip away, Ted Baker has you covered. 

The best convenient option

7. July Carry-On Pro

Apart from looking great, the July Carry-On Pro has two features that really help it to stand out from regular carry-ons. The first is the power bank that sits just under the handle and can be easily popped out for charging. It’s enough to fully charge your phone a couple of times, a perfect solution when you can't find a wall plug nearby. 

The second feature is a removable laptop sleeve which is padded for protection and will fit a 15-inch MacBook with ease. The fact that it’s removable means that you can easily keep this part in your seat pocket, or take it with you to meetings when you arrive. 

The case runs of four spinning wheels which are nice and smooth to push the case and appear hard-wearing. Priced at £275, it might not be the cheapest carry-on, but it has everything you need.

The best long-haul option

8. Victorinox Lexicon 2.0 Dual-Caster Wide-Body Carry-On

Here’s a carry-on with global importance. Although it’s technically within the 56x45x25cm limit, in practice this carry-on is – when packed (and definitely when expanded) – too wide for short-haul flights in the UK and Europe. However, long-haul routes tend to have far less restrictions (though always check before you travel). 

Able to take 42 litres in an expandable main section, this hybrid case/carry-on has double-spinner wheels for maximum mobility, an adjustable handle with three different heights, and vertical X-shaped compression straps for squeezing even more inside. It’s for those that want to travel far, and travel light… ish.

The best quality option

9. Aerotrunk Pangolin Carry-On Luggage

This Aerotrunk carry-on is made from makrolon polycarbonate materials that are designed to make it as durable and long-lasting as possible. It also features a built-in front compartment for easy access to your travel essentials, including laptops and tablets. This makes it a great option for on-the-move professionals.

It's also fitted with an unbreakable polycarbonate shell, ultra-sturdy telescopic handle, TSA-approved lock, whisper-quiet wheels and vegan leather details. After regular use, it does noticeably cuff, especially on the darker models. However, this doesn't impact its durability at all. 

The best laptop option

10. Samsonite Guard It Rolling Tote

When travelling for business on a regular basis, carrying a laptop can be a real pain. However, this Samsonite laptop carry-on is the best way to ensure your device is protected on your flight. It offers a generous padded compartment which can accommodate laptops up to 17.3 inches, and you get an additional tablet pocket, for screens up to 10.1 inches. 

This carry-on luggage only has 2 wheels for rolling, but it certainly takes the stress out of carrying an additional laptop bag on your shoulder as well as a cabin bag. You’ll still have ample space to fit in your clothing for a short trip.

How to choose the best carry-on luggage

Most airlines these days have the same rules and regulations about carry-on luggage. Common airlines at British airports, such as EasyJet and British Airways, allow you to bring on board a cabin bag with dimensions up to 56x45x25cm. 

However, be sure to check with the specific airline you are travelling with, as they may vary. Read T3's guide to the most popular airline's baggage allowance: luggage limits, excess charges, and how to avoid them .

It is also important to be aware that the budget airlines including EasyJet, Ryanair and Flybe sometimes operate a one-bag policy, which means you cannot have your carry-on luggage and your handbag, as this would count as two pieces (although you can always just shove it inside your case while boarding and take it out again once seated like everyone else). 

So, what’s the best carry-on luggage? That depends on what kind of traveller you are, but know that they come with 2 wheels, 4 wheels or even 8 wheels, so you barely have to make any effort to carry your bag at all. So if you struggle to pack light, at least you won’t struggle through the airport. However, a carry-on size backpack can also be a great option.

If you do plan on cramming in as much stuff as possible, opt for feather-light luggage. They can weigh as little as 2kg and will make your life a whole lot easier when you’re lifting your bag into the overhead compartment. What determines their weight is what they’re made of, but bags made of light fabrics do tend to have more built-in pockets.

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Lizzie is T3's Home Staff Writer, also covering style, living and wellness. She works closely with Bethan Girdler-Maslen, T3's Home Editor, ensuring all the latest news, trends and recommendations are covered. Outside of T3, Lizzie can be found mooching around Bath, attempting (or at least trying to) a new DIY project or spending time with family and friends.

• Spencer Hart Style and Travel Editor
• Bethan Girdler-Maslen Home Editor

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Best Business Suitcases and Luggage That’s Efficient and Easy to Use

Best Suitcases , Business

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If you travel for business, you have different packing strategies than if you’re on vacation. It starts with the right suitcase. These picks for the best luggage for business travelers will keep you organized and streamlined!

Best Business Suitcase and Luggage for Frequent Flyers

Table of contents.

When traveling for business, choosing the right piece of luggage comes down to efficiency. You need space for all of your items at close reach. You need to easily navigate to, from, and through airports and hotels. Of course, you need to keep your clothing wrinkle-free for your meetings.

We’ve rounded up the best business travel luggage, that includes suitcases, bags, backpacks, and more, all with efficiency in mind. Take a look at these top picks!

Best Carry On Luggage for Business Travel

Shop: Amazon

Best Travel Luggage for Business Travel: Delsey Helium Aero 19”

The Aero business travel bag with wheels offers a large capacity with maximum comfort. The large easy access front compartment with an integrated padded sleeve fits up to a 15-inch laptop, while two zippered mesh pockets are perfect for accessories, toiletries, or any last-minute items such as tickets, a passport, or books.

Most Popular Business Traveller Luggage : Travelpro Platinum Elite 20”

Travelpro’s business travel luggage carry on is full of functionality, with USB ports to charge on the go and a padded laptop sleeve on the front that fits laptops up to 15.6”. Users love the easy maneuverability and ultra-strong hard shell to protect their items inside.

Best Luggage for Business Travel on a Budget: Coolife

This sleek business suitcase with laptop compartment from Coolife will keep you super organized. The front pocket will safely store your laptop (up to 13.3”) and has plenty of pockets for storing documents, boarding passes, and other essentials. The spacious interior allows for efficient packing, too!

Shop: Amazon | Travelpro

Best Softside Carry-On Suitcase for Business : Travelpro Maxlite 5

The Travelpro Maxlite 5 business travel luggage carry on is a major favorite with readers, and business travelers love it for its quality, lightweight, excellent packing capacity, and polished look. The many pockets and compartments make it easy to store your electronics, chargers, and other business travel necessities.

Find out why readers love the Travelpro Maxlite 5 expandable spinner suitcase so much!

Shop: Amazon | Samsonite

Best Hardside Carry On for Business Travel : Samsonite Freeform

The Freeform business suitcase with wheels has a lightweight yet durable shell and TSA locks to keep your belongings as safe as can be. A firm handle and double-spinner wheels make for a smooth and easy ride. The interior is roomy, and the compression straps will keep your business attire neatly pressed! 

Most Versatile Business Travel Luggage : Level8 Grace

There’s a place for everything in this Level8 Grace business suitcase on wheels ! This carry on is solidly built, and its anti-scratch surface will keep it looking nice. It comes equipped with a front laptop compartment for laptops up to 15.5”, while cross straps, dividers, and an overall spacious interior make for seamless packing!

Travelpro Platinum Elite 20″ Expandable Business Plus Carry On Spinner

Most Popular Luggage for Business: Travelpro Platinum Elite

Travelpro is one of the most popular luggage brands among TFG readers, and the Platinum Elite collection is by far the most recommended, specifically this classy  20” Business Plus carry on . It’s made from high-density materials that resist water, stains, and abrasions, so it’ll hold up beautifully to the wear and tear of travel. Looks aside, this suitcase features tons of interior and exterior organization, ultra-smooth and sturdy wheels, and chic leather trim.

It weighs 8.2 lbs and its dimensions are 20″ x 14″ x 9”, making it a great companion for both domestic and internal travel.

Best Under Seat Business Suitcase With Wheels

Best Wheeled Under Seat Bag for Business Travelers: Delsey Paris Chatelet

This chic Delsey overnight business travel bag will store all you need for a quick trip, including your laptop or tablet in the protective inner sleeve. Not only is the construction elegant, but it’s super durable and built to last. As a bonus, it comes with a removable pouch for accessories.

Best Business Travel Luggage for  Under Seat Bag : Samsonite

The aptly named Samsonite Mobile Office under seat bag is truly a business traveler’s dream! It features a compartment for clothing with sections to keep everything organized, a laptop compartment that fits laptops up to 15.6” as well as chargers, portfolios, or other work essentials, and an outer compartment for easy-to-reach essentials. It even has USB ports!

Here are the suitcase recommendations from top travel experts and why they love them!

Shop: Amazon | Walmart | Target

Best Two Wheel Suitcase for Business Travelers: Baggalini 

Super cute and full of function, this Baggallini smart business suitcase offers plenty of packing space and handy pockets to keep things organized. It’s made of strong, water-resistant nylon, has a laptop sleeve for 13” laptops, and has on-the-go charging capabilities, too!

Best Carry-on Luggage with Laptop Compartment

Shop: Amazon | Nordstrom | Tumi

Best Laptop Backpack for Business Travelers: Tumi Voyageur

We love Tumi luggage, so it’s not surprising that they also make an amazing laptop backpack that’s perfect for business travel. Spacious enough for your daily essentials, plus your laptop and a change of clothes, the Tumi Voyageur Carson laptop bag offers the perfect combination of practicality and chic. 

It’s lightweight and features a water-resistant water bottle pocket, as well as a quick-access phone pocket, making this the best carry-on business luggage when you’re on the go.

Best Laptop Tote for Business Travelers: Delsey Chatelet 

If you find backpacks too casual or prefer a handbag style, we love the Delsey Chatelet Soft Air shoulder bag . This tote is spacious enough to carry your laptop among your other essentials, thanks to the zippered exterior pocket, two interior pockets, a removable pouch for small accessories, and two padded sleeves for a laptop and tablet.

Shop: Nomad Lane

Best Overnight Business Travel Bag : Nomad Lane Bento 

The Nomad Lane Bento Bag is both stylish, practical and manages to hold a ton of stuff while being lightweight and easy to carry . It opens like a suitcase for easy packing, and inside you’ll find a padded laptop sleeve for 16” laptops.  The trolley sleeve, make its’ an ideal personal item for plane travel, too!

Is the Nomad Lane Bento Bag the Best Travel Companion? Checkout our review!

Best Luggage for Business Travel Suits and Clothing

Best Garment Suitcase for Business Travelers: Travelpro Maxlite 5

Keep your business clothes wrinkle-free with Travelpro’s Maxlite 5 garment suitcase , which is some of the best carry on luggage for business travel suits . Users say their clothes come out of this bag looking perfect every time and love the comfortable handle, smooth wheels, and durable design. The fabric is water repellant and stain resistant, so everything inside will be safe and sound!

Best Four Wheel Garment Bag: Samsonite Underseater

This Samsonite underseat suitcase makes the perfect business trip companion, with space to keep your clothes fresh and free of wrinkles, as well as a padded laptop compartment for 13.3” laptops. Not only that, but it has a USB port, large side pockets, and a front pocket with pen holders and card slots. 

Best Luggage for Business Travel Comparison Chart

[wpsm_comparison_table id=”425″ class=”center-table-align”]

Top Business Luggage Features

When choosing the best luggage for business travel, we recommend focusing on these features:

Flexibility

When traveling for business — depending on how heavy or light of a packer you are — you may want the flexibility of a bag that can be easily wheeled around or carried by a shoulder strap. Which is your preference?

Price and Quality

Purchasing luggage under any circumstance should be considered an investment. You want something durable and well-made. Business luggage is no different. In fact, you’ll want to invest in something stylish that presents a great image while traveling.

Sleek Style

As much as we may love fun patterns or bright colors, keep business suitcases and bags in more subtle tones and minimal patterns. Grey, black, and navy are always winners that will never go out of style.

Easy Organization

When traveling for business, it’s important to be able to easily access your essentials, such as your laptop, tablet, toiletries , or documents. When choosing business travel bags, look for ones with a laptop compartment and multiple pockets so you can keep your necessities easily accessible.

Business Travel Essentials

Along with suitcases and travel bags, you’ll want a few travel essentials to help you stay organized, your electronics charged, and your business clothing wrinkle-free and ready to wear.

NEWVANGA Universal All in One Travel Adapter

International Travel Adapter

A travel adapter is essential for business travel, as you’ll likely have multiple devices to charge. If you’re looking for the best international travel adapter, the NEWVANGA International Travel Adapter is voted by readers as the best. you can use it in over 150+ countries. 

Not sure if you need a travel adapter or voltage converter? Read our guide !

Compass Rose Packing Cubes

Packing Cubes

When you’re ready to travel with your newly purchased items, start with packing cubes; they will seriously change the way you pack! We designed our own brand of slim packing cubes , with a unique color and numbering system, so it’s easy to remember where you’ve packed everything. See more in the video below.

Learn our packing hacks with packing cubes in this video !

We also put together a five-part YouTube series showing the different methods to use packing cubes for travel. If you use this specific packing strategy, packing cubes can also compress your belongings. This method has helped many women travel carry-on only!

PurSteam 1300-Watt Steamer

Garment Steamer

While most hotels have irons, delicate fabrics are best ironed using a garment steamer. Our favorite garment steamer is this one. You can iron about one shirt per use. As a bonus, if you only steam the occasional clothing item, you can use this at home, too. It’s cheaper and more convenient than a full-size steamer!

We round up the best travel irons !

Downy Wrinkle Releaser

Wrinkle Release Spray

A wrinkle release spray is extremely convenient to carry with you to keep your clothes wrinkle-free when traveling and looking fresh. If you don’t want to fuss with an iron, keep a travel-sized version of the Downy Wrinkle Releaser in your purse or carry-on luggage for ease of use.

What do you suggest is the best luggage for business travel? Share in the comments below?

For more information on packing for business travel, please read:

• Best Hardside Suitcases
• Best Softside Suitcases 
• Best Laptop Bags for Women Travelers On the Go
• Best Under Seat Luggage and How to Pack with Minimal Space

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We hope you learned about the best luggage for business travel. Please share on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest! Thank you for reading!

Having choices is always important. With TFG’s guidance, we selected Away hard shell luggage for our international travel. Thanks Alex and team for all the recommendations.

I love my Tumi backpack!

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Travelpro Luggage Review: We Tested the Platinum Elite Collection

Here's why these popular softside suitcases are worth the investment.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

Travelpro Platinum Elite Softside Expandable Carry On

Travelpro Platinum Elite Softside Expandable Checked Luggage

Travelpro Platinum Elite Regional Underseat Duffel Bag

Travelpro Maxlite Air Hardside Expandable Carry on Luggage

Travelpro Maxlite 5 Carry-On Rolling Underseat Bag

Travelpro Maxlite 5 Softside Expandable Checked Luggage

Travlepro luggage performance, the bottom line: should you buy travelpro luggage, more travelpro luggage we love, why trust good housekeeping.

Founded in the 1980s by a pilot who was always on the go, Travelpro is an innovative luggage brand that has set the standard for the rolling luggage we all travel with today. The brand's bags, initially designed for airline personnel, were the first to roll upright and use a telescopic handle, and they were quickly adopted by the public who appreciated that the bags were easy to use and made frequent flying a breeze.

Keep reading to learn more about Travelpro's luggage and about how I and my fellow GH staffers put them to the test.

Travelpro Luggage Overview

Travelpro offers a variety of soft and hardside suitcases , along with other bags and travel accessories like backpacks, packing cubes and duffels. The brand's best-selling Platinum Elite collection is one of our favorite luggage lines for business trips and for those who travel regularly because of their top-of-the-line construction and functional features like easy-to-access external pockets, self-aligning wheels and durable nylon material.

Travelpro is best known for its softside suitcases. The Platinum Elite carry-on and checked bags use a heavyweight nylon fabric that performed well in our abrasion assessments , resisting wear and tear after being rubbed back and forth 15,000 times by our Wyzenbeek abrasion tester, which simulates extended use. Plus, the material is covered in DuraGuard, a water and stain-resistant coating that helps keep your luggage in tip-top shape even with lots of use. We gave the zippers perfect scores for water resistance during our tests.

When we released the carry-on and checked bags repeatedly at different angles from our drop tester (pictured), we were impressed by how well the luggage held up, without major damage to the bags or breakage of the wheels or handles. After one roundtrip journey on an airline, I did notice some small marks and scratches on the plastic components surrounding the telescopic handle on the checked bag.

Your carry-on bag should hold everything you need for a short getaway, and Travelpro's Platinum Elite carry-on has a spacious interior with a capacity of 46L — 5 to 10L more packing space than some other carry-ons from popular brands we've tested. The bag unzips to reveal one large compartment to store all of your belongings (pictured), and it's full of helpful features to simplify packing.

One tester shared, "This had better organization than any other suitcase I’ve tried." When I packed the suitcase in the Textiles Lab, I was able to fit my standard packing load for a weekend trip's worth of clothing, shoes and accessories with ease, and there was room to spare. The softside material is flexible, so you can really fill it to the brim.

There's a removable garment bag, a wet bag for toiletries, several built-in mesh accessory pockets and four external pockets, including one that can hold up to a 15-inch laptop and another to store a portable power bank for convenient recharging on the go. To secure your things in place, there's an adjustable compression panel, and if you tend to overpack your bags like me, you'll love the 2-inch expansion system that's tapered to prevent the suitcase from getting top-heavy and tipping over.

The medium checked bag has 97L of packing space (more than double the space of the carry-on) , making it the perfect pick for a long trip or a family vacation. At 10 lbs, it weighs more than some other medium checked bags we've tested, which eats into the 50 lb weight restriction set by most airlines.

Like the carry-on, it unzips to one large packing space (pictured) and is equipped with lots of compartments for organized storage like a larger removable wet bag, mesh pockets and a built-in suiter. One tester shared, "It helped keep me organized and made it much easier to find what I needed." There are two roomy external pockets to stash travel essentials, as well. This bag also has adjustable compression panels for security, and it offers 2 inches of zippered expansion for additional room.

Ease of Use

The telescopic handles on the Platinum Elite bags are contoured for a better grip (pictured). I was impressed by how easy it was to raise and lower the carry-on's telescopic handle without it jamming on the way up or down. The handle on the checked bag doesn't lift quite as smoothly, but it was incredibly sturdy and didn't wobble when fully extended. The carrying handles on both bags are made of genuine leather and aren't too tight, so it's simple to lift the bags into an overhead bin or from the luggage carousel.

A common tester complaint about Travelpro's Platinum Elite suitcases is they're a little more difficult to steer than other suitcases we've tested. The bags have magnetic, self-aligning spinner wheels that roll smoothly and glide over different surfaces like tile, wood and carpeting, but when I pulled the suitcases, they always drifted towards me instead of rolling alongside me, so I regularly had to redirect them.

The zippers are heavyweight and easy to pull, thanks to their contoured design, and they moved effortlessly along the track without sticking at the corners of the bag or getting caught on the material.

Yes! If you consider yourself a frequent flyer, travel for business often or are just looking for something sturdy and reliable, I highly recommend investing in Travelpro luggage , especially from the brand's Platinum Elite collection.

The bags have a more traditional look and aren't going viral online like some other styles we recommend at GH, but they're classic, and they'll never go out of style. Priced at more than $300 for a carry-on suitcase, the luggage isn't cheap, but it's built to last. These bags have stood out for years in our Textiles Lab tests, always performing well in durability and performance categories.

If you purchase the luggage on Travelpro's website , the brand has a generous 100-day trial period , so you can test it out and return it for any reason if it doesn't suit your travel needs. Travelpro also offers a limited lifetime warranty for its Platinum Elite collection, covering defects on wheels, handles, zippers and more — and it even covers damages caused by airlines.

In addition to its standout softside suitcases, Travelpro carries other types of luggage. To match your Platinum Elite luggage set , opt for the Platinum Elite Underseat Duffel as your personal item. It's made with the same durable nylon material and classic style and has a built-in luggage sleeve to slide over your rolling suitcase.

If you prefer hardside luggage, Travelpro's Maxlite Air hardside suitcases are made with a lightweight yet durable polycarbonate material that performed well in our drop tests. The bag has a butterfly-style opening with two fully zippered compartments for maximum security, and there's an expandable panel for 2 inches of extra packing space.

The Maxlite line also includes softside bags like its Rolling Underseat Bag ] that's designed to fit under your airplane seat. It features a telescopic handle and smooth rolling wheels for easy transport at the airport. We also love the bigger Maxlite luggage including the large checked bag, which is lighter-weight and more affordable than the brand's other softside suitcases, but it's not quite as luxe.

Amanda Constantine joined the Good Housekeeping Institute in 2022 as a home and apparel reviews analyst and has tested and written about different types of luggage and travel accessories including softside luggage, hardside luggage, checked and carry-on luggage, duffels and travel blankets. Amanda has also conducted luggage testing for our Family Travel Awards programs and is a frequent flyer herself, venturing on more than 50 flights and cross-country train rides over the past two years. She used her relative expertise and personal experience, along with Textiles Lab testing data when reviewing Travelpro's luggage.

Amanda (she/her) researches and reports on products in the Good Housekeeping Institute 's Textiles, Paper & Apparel Lab, ranging from clothing and accessories to home furnishings. She holds undergraduate degrees in apparel merchandising and product development and advertising and marketing communications, as well as a master of science degree in consumer sciences from The Ohio State University. Prior to joining Good Housekeeping in 2022, Amanda was a lecturer for the fashion and retail studies program at Ohio State, where she taught fashion and textiles courses.

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The best carry-on luggage to buy for all your trips in 2024, according to reviews

• Published: Apr. 19, 2024, 7:00 p.m.

These are some of the best carry-on luggage you can buy today, including these popular styles from Samsonite and CALPAK. Amazon, CALPAK

• Dawn Magyar | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

If you have a vacation planned this year, you’ll definitely want carry-on luggage to keep your most important essentials by your side.

These all-important carry-on bags can hold everything you need while on the plane but don’t trust to pack in your checked luggage. This may include your laptop, medications, a change of clothes and other valuables you want to keep an eye on.

Making carry-on luggage even more crucial to your trip is the ability to skip the dreaded wait at the baggage claim with all space to pack your belongings inside. Plus, there’s often plenty of pockets and storage features to keep your necessities organized and in place.

But with so many different carry-on luggage options on the market today, it can be a real challenge to decide which one to buy.

To help, here are some of the most recommended carry-on luggage available, including styles from Beis and CALPAK .

• Beis The Carry-On Roller: “This brand from actress Shay Mitchell has gone viral on TikTok thanks to its stunning monochromatic designs and its unique features, including a built-in weight indicator that lets you know if your luggage is over 50 pounds. It also has an extendable strap in the front that lets you attach a smaller bag, helping to free up your hands while traveling,” Good Housekeeping says.
• CALPAK Ambeur Mini Carry-On: “They’re slim, sleek, sport a rock-solid polycarbonate shell, feature an assortment of pockets and plenty of storage space, but its low price point makes it an especially attractive option for thrifty travelers,” Time says.
• Samsonite Freeform Carry-On Spinner: “Even after six months of regularly traveling with this bag, it shows no signs of wear and tear, and any scuffs it has accumulated have been easily buffed out. Considering the reasonable price, durable construction, and spacious capacity, we think it’s a great choice for frequent fliers and anyone in need of a high-quality carry-on,” Travel + Leisure says.
• Away The Carry-On: “The lightweight polycarbonate-shell suitcases come in a spectrum of Instagram-worthy colors at a reasonable price. You can pick and choose upgrades like suitcase or luggage tag monogramming or an ejectable USB charger that keeps tech juiced up,” Forbes says.
• Travelpro Platinum Elite Softside Carry-On Spinner: “This bag is designed to disappear by your side. It earned top marks in both ease of transport and for design and functionality. Well-placed grab handles and adequate adjustment stops on the telescoping handle make it easy to carry, load, or roll the bag, depending on the situation. There is even a grab handle on the bottom side of the case, so you won’t find yourself patting around to find an extra handhold when you need it,” GearLab says.

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Best Smart Luggage of 2024 to Make Travel Easier: Shop Smart Suitcases Ahead of Summer Travel Plans

Set out in style with smart luggage from top brands that anticipates and accommodates to your needs while on the go.

If you're planning on seeing the world this summer, make sure you're ready with the right luggage for you. For some, that means carry-on luggage that can actually hold all your belongings. For others, it's the best smart luggage available. The best high-tech bags and spinners can do plenty of the heavy lifting that comes with travel for you, and with style. 

Smart luggage can include bags with charging ports to keep your electronics (especially your smartphone ) juiced up, automatic navigation to help your spinners follow you, and even built-in scooters to make getting to your next gate a breeze. 

While some of these features can make prepping for a trip pricey, you might find that the extra bit of cash adds to the convenience factor when traveling. When you don't have to search for a plug around the airport to charge your phone or you have your luggage follow you around instead of pulling it with you, you'll remember what a good investment you made. 

With that in mind, we've gathered up some of our favorite picks with a variety of smart components, from USB ports to ride-on framework and automatic, motorized luggage that goes where you go on its own. You'll also see familiar brands like Samsonite and Wrangler among some of our picks. Below, find options for the best smart luggage this year to make travel a cinch this summer. 

Best Smart Luggage of 2024

Wrangler smart luggage set.

This affordable luggage set keeps things simple with a USB port to charge up your mobile devices and a 3-in-1 cup holder to complement its hardshell exterior and double spinner wheels. It also comes in a wide variety of colors. 

Ovis Auto-Follow Suitcase

This suitcase can be filled to the brim and will follow you around the airport so you don't even have to carry it. Just charge up the battery, connect via app, and you're good to go. It sports a lightweight shell made of polycarbonate with a glossy finish in multiple colors as well. 

Olotu Cycling Suitcase

Why carry or roll your luggage around when you can ride on it instead? This load-bearing hardshell luggage has space for you to stand on it and ride it as a scooter. It supports up to 242 lbs and still has plenty of storage area for your belongings. It's pricey, but imagine being able to zip through the airport with your own transport — you can do it with this suitcase. 

Feilario Expandable Spinner Wheel Luggage

This affordable spinner wheel luggage comes with all the necessities you need for heading through the airport or wherever it is you're traveling from. It includes a USB port, Type-C port, a phone holder, water cup holder, and a handle hook all for your convenience. 

Iubest Luggage Carry-On Scooter Suitcase

If you're traveling with kids, help keep them out of the way and moving along with this ride on suitcase. It features a detachable scooter that the kids can jump right on and follow you along through every terminal, all without dropping their luggage somewhere. 

Faginx Electric Rideable Suitcase

This electric suitcase doesn't only follow you around, but you can ride it as well. It's a sturdy, aluminum alloy suitcase made with aviation-grade aluminum alloy. Its 250W brushless motor gets you where you're going in a snap, and if you're sitting still, you can use its lithium battery to charge up your phone and other devices. 

Luggex Carry-On Luggage with USB Port

This fashionable luggage set comes with both USB-A and USB-C charging ports so you can add your own power bank and fill up on power while out and about. It also offers a separate cosmetic case that you can carry all those important goodies in that you can't lose on the way to your destination.

Samsonite Underseat Carry-On Spinner

This bag is small enough to fit under your seat once you board the plane, so you can keep a close eye on it. It also has a USB port so you can charge everything up on the go. With its multiple pockets and other compartment features, it's perfect for just about any use case. 

$145   $108

Space Suitcases Smart Rideable Suitcase

This fun, space age-esque suitcase is half motorized scooter, half luggage. It has a built-in electric motor that means you can sit down and ride through the airport, train station, or wherever you're going. Just pack your belonging  and get gong. It has 26 liters of storage and a TSA-approved lock built-in. Plus, its 250W motor can get you where you want to go quickly, even with a full compartment. 

Nomatic Travel Pack

If you don't have enough items to necessitate a larger hardshell bag or even a larger carry-on, consider this waterproof, expandable backpack that has plenty of room for laptops, clothes, and other essentials. It has an RFID lockable security pocket, a USB port, plenty of pockets, and 30 liters of space for everything you need to bring with you. 

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The 11 best luggage brands of 2024, tested by experts

Posted: February 16, 2024 | Last updated: February 16, 2024

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

The best suitcases let you roll through the airport quickly and confidently, with assurance that your items are well-protected and sturdily organized within.

We selected our picks for the best luggage brands based on years of hands-on testing by several travel editors who regularly take up to 50 flights a year. Since the size of luggage you'll need will depend on your specific travel plans, we focused on the best brands rather than specific pieces. Our top picks are known for making sturdy and reliable luggage, with smart extras to make packing and traveling a breeze. 

Read on for our top choices for the best luggage brands at various price points to consider. If you're specifically looking for hand-luggage, check out our guide to the best carry-on bags . 

Our top picks for the best luggage brands

Shop all luggage at Samsonite

When it comes to value, Samsonite makes excellent luggage at some of the best prices, which is why we named it our top overall pick for the best carry-on . Samsonite offers numerous options for roller bags, including both hard-side and soft-side carry-ons and checked luggage, as well as wheeled underseat bags and even roller duffels. 

Samsonite also sells several two- and three-piece sets if you want to pair small, medium, and large roller bags together. In addition to traditional roller luggage, Samsonite also offers classic backpacks, wheeled backpacks, duffels, briefcases, wallets, dop kits, and more. There are even some cool wheeled garment bags that can fit under your seat and will fit far more than your typical folding or hanging garment bag. I've owned a Samsonite bag for over three years now and it's held up incredibly well.

You can read our full Samsonite Centric Carry-On review for more info.

Worth a look:

Shop all luggage at Away

Away has multiple options for roller luggage, including hard-sided, expandable, and aluminum. Bags are available in both neutral hues and bright, eye-catching colors.

Away's stand-out feature used to be the removable battery pack for charging your electronics on the go, which was previously available as an add-on to its carry-on bags. While the brand retired that feature, we still think its bags have thoughtful extras like in-bag compression, built-in TSA-approved locks, and a removable washable lining. 

In addition to roller bags, the brand also a range of other bags and travel accessories, including backpacks, duffels, pet carriers, totes, packing cubes, and more. I've personally owned Away luggage for years and can attest to its durability and practicality. 

Read our full Away luggage review and Away Carry-On review for more.

Shop all luggage at Travelpro

Travelpro mostly makes soft-side luggage and rightfully earned its spot as our top pick for the best soft-sided carry-on . I personally love the clear attention to detail that comes with a Travelpro bag, from the whisper-quiet spinner wheels to the tear-resistant material and sturdy buckles.

In addition to rolling luggage, Travelpro has options for underseat bags (rolling and not), toiletry bags, backpacks, foldable duffels, garment bags (which often come included with a carry-on), luggage tags, laptop bags, and more.

Read our full Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-On review for more.

Shop all luggage at Monos

Monos is a newer start-up that doesn't have as many suitcase options as the other luggage brands on our list, but it's worth mentioning since it's one of the best suitcases on the market with a hard front pocket that gives you an easy place to safely store laptops and extras. Monos suitcases are durable, come in an array of colors, and are well-priced. Plus, all of the luggage comes with a 100-day trial period and a limited lifetime warranty. The same brand also makes some of our favorite durable packing cubes .

Currently, Monos has two sizes of carry-on that either come with a front pocket or not depending on your preferences, plus a medium-sized roller bag and a checked luggage option. Monos also make a backpack, duffel, and folio kit.

You can read our full Monos luggage review for more.

American Tourister

Shop all luggage at American Tourister

Many of American Tourister's carry-ons start under $100, and while they may not last you a lifetime, they certainly won't break down anytime soon either. The hard-sided bags are made from a sturdy ABS material, and the spinner wheels aren't quite as high-end as premium options but still easily roll on most surfaces. While these suitcases don't come with tons of extras (be aware that some don't come with built-in TSA locks), the interiors are still thoughtfully designed for easy packing. 

American Tourister has numerous roller bag options in varying sizes, including both hard-sided and soft-sided suitcases. There is also a line of Disney luggage that kids especially might love. While there are also some nice wheeled underseat bags, American Tourister hasn't branched out much from classic roller bags, so you'll want to look elsewhere if a duffel or weekender bag is more your aim.

Shop all luggage at Rimowa

When it comes to high-end luggage, Rimowa is a consistent standout that uses premium materials to create long-lasting and recognizable pieces. Its ribbed aluminum luggage, which comes in every color from simple silver to a cherry red, is particularly popular — though it will cost you upwards of $1,000. However, thanks to heavy-duty construction that still manages to be lightweight, the rollers might be worth it if budget isn't an issue for you.

For a slightly more cost-effective (though still pricey) option, I particularly love the Essential Lite collection, which I named the best high-end hard-side carry-on thanks to the fact that it's incredibly durable but weighs less than five pounds. Unfortunately, if you're a fan of soft-sided suitcases, Rimowa is not the brand for you, and there aren't as many accessories available as some other brands. 

Read our full Rimowa Essential Lite carry-on review .

Briggs & Riley

Shop all luggage at Briggs & Riley

We named Briggs & Riley our top pick for the best high-end soft-side carry-on. I particularly like the super-smart interior features that truly elevate these suitcases, from a special CX compression-expansion system that increases packing capacity by 25%, to making sure the adjustable handle is entirely on the outside of the bag so no packing room is lost to the poles. These suitcases are certainly investment pieces, but they're built to last and also come with a lifetime warranty.

While I find the soft-sided bags to be some of Briggs & Riley's best options, there are also some nice hard-sided carry-ons and checked bags for those who prefer to go that route. In addition to roller bags, Briggs & Riley also makes backpacks, duffels, weekends, laptop bags, and travel accessories of all types, including packing cubes, bag ID tags, laundry bags, and more.

Shop all luggage at Bric's

Bric's is probably best known for its high-end Bellagio collection of luggage, both recognizable and revered for its durable, but ultra-light polycarbonate exterior with leather trim that gives it a nostalgic trunk feel. It's the little details that set this Italian brand apart, including Hinomoto wheels, matching interior linings, and premium zippers. That's why you've likely seen a luxury travel guru wheeling this bag through the airport, or, if you're an eagle-eyed "Schitt's Creek" fan, may have caught Alexis Rose using this collection to pack up her belongings. 

However, for those not ready to spend $600 on a carry-on, Bric's also has several more affordable suitcases in both hard-sided and soft-sided options. The Capri collection features striking exterior detailing in a wide range of colors at a mid-tier price point, while B/Y Zeus will appear to soft-sided fans.

The brand also has a sale section where you can sometimes score premium collections that typically start at $650 or more for under $200. 

Read our full Bric's Capri luggage review .     

Shop all luggage at Tumi

Like Rimowa, Tumi luggage pieces are an investment. But they're a worthy one since these suitcases will likely last you years, if not decades. With numerous options of all sizes for both hard-sided and soft-sided suitcases, Tumi has bags to suit just about all tastes. 

Its well-thought-out suitcases include premium spinner wheels, heavy-duty zippers, scratch- and tear-resistant exteriors, and well-designed interiors that help travelers maximize every last inch of space. In addition to roller luggage, Tumi is also well known for its premium totes and briefcases, and also makes travel wallets, backpacks, duffels, care kits, travel umbrellas, and more. 

Shop all luggage at Victorinox

Victorinox luggage falls in the mid- to high-tier of pricing but its durability makes it a good value choice. The brand also frequently has luggage on sale during big shopping holidays when you can score suitcases for less. As you might expect from a Swiss Army company, the interiors of most suitcases are also thoughtfully designed to maximize packing space. 

Victorinox offers both hard-sided and soft-sided roller bags of numerous sizes including classic carry-ons, checked bags, medium-sized suitcases, and smaller wheeled underseat bags that can fit laptops and accessories. Beyond roller bags, Victorinox also offers briefcases, duffels, backpacks, totes, toiletry kits, garment bags, and more.

Shop all luggage at Delsey

If you like the look of Bric's cream suitcases with leather trim, you may also want to consider Delsey's Chatelet line of hard-sided luggage. While these suitcases start around the same price as Bric's, they can be found on sale more frequently, often for half the price. Delsey's Titanium suitcases are also a fan-favorite option since they are ultra-lightweight but incredibly durable. 

Delsey has numerous options for roller bags for domestic and international travel in both hard-sided and soft-sided variations (though more hard-sided), as well as several luggage sets. It even has an eco-friendly line of laptop bags and duffels using recycled materials.  

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The Best Away Luggage Pieces, According to Esquire

We've tried the whole lineup—here's what's worth it.

That said, are Away suitcases worth it? We say yes. With the popularity, you might get a slightly inflated price, but you can't deny these are the best of the affordable polycarbonate suitcases. Even if our travel experts might steer you towards top-of-the-line Rimowa carry-ons , lightweight duffel bags , or travel-hack garment duffels , you can't deny the affordable function of Away.

The One You Should Buy

Away carry-on flex.

The Largest Suitcase in the Lineup

Away the trunk.

The Most Versatile Away Suitcase

Away the medium flex.

The Other Large Checked Option

Away the large flex.

A Great Packable Tote

Away packable carryall.

Away's Standout Travel Backpack

Away everywhere zip backpack.

Within the lineup, what Away suitcase should you buy? There's now a handful of offerings—some big checked luggage pieces , expandable carry-ons , packable tote bags , and travel backpacks . We've tried pretty much all of it, so we felt primed to give you a little rundown. This is our handy shopping guide to the lineup. These are the six best Away suitcases, the ones we'd tell you to buy.

If there were ever an Away suitcase we'd say everyone should buy, it'd be this one. The Carry-On Flex is the perfect middle ground within the Away lineup. It's the best thing the brand makes.

It's light, fits in an overhead bin, and can pack a weekend's worth of clothes. Then, if you're bringing home extra stuff, a second zipper expands the bag to about the same size as the Bigger Carry On . Away says unzipping the expanding zipper gives you an extra 2.25" of space, but I don't know what the fuck that means. In practice, it's given me space for an extra outfit or two, a handful of t-shirts, or a bunch of underwear. Think of it as getting an extra day or two into a suitcase.

I do have to address one thing, though. When that second zipper is expanded, there is the chance that your plane might not have enough overhead space. Personally, it's never happened to me, even on tiny regional flights. But just know it's a possibility.

For checked luggage, I say go for the Trunk. Some people claim it's too big, but with checked luggage that's not really your problem. Sure, if you've got a lot of walking to do in a city, it a smaller bag would be nice. But, if you're doing a long stay anywhere, you need space. This has a ton of it.

The main design benefit of the Trunk is the deeper main compartment. It's a gem when you're traveling with a lot of footwear, especially if you've got boots and don't want to wear them on the flight.

Among the checked sizes that Away sells, the Medium Flex is the most versatile. Away says it's big enough for one to two weeks' worth of clothing, but it can extend into the two-and-a-half or three weeks range if you're economical.

It's not a massive bag, though. Cutting a few inches off in all directions has a real impact. It doesn't get heavy on the wheels, and you can maneuver it through a city center somewhat comfortably. Add the ability to flex up in size, and you've just got a great do-it-all checked bag.

If you like all the space of the trunk but prefer the shape of a case, we'd recommend the Large Flex. It's got slightly less space than the trunk, but you're still able to pack multiple weeks' worth of clothes.

As I've already said (and will continue to say) we love the ability to expand and compress the flex options. The Large Flex gives you just under two inches of expanded space, which equals another couple of days worth of clothing.

The only downside to this suitcase is how wide the square shape makes it. The trunk is tall and slim, which makes it a bit easier to move around. The Large Flex is incredibly square, which makes it a bit more cumbersome in crowded areas.

Away's packable tote bag takes the flex concept in a different direction. On the way to your destination, it's not even big enough to factor into how you pack. It stuffs down into a sack that you can toss away in the bottom of a different bag. On the way home, expand it into a 44L tote to use as a personal item.

This one is a great option for the traveler that brings a lot of souvenirs home, or it's an option if you find yourself getting lazy with return flight packing. And beyond all that, it's just nice to know you've got extra packing space stored away.

If we're talking Away travel gear, we are of course going to call out the brand's cult favorite backpack. In New York City, I'll see five finance guys a day with this backpack. It's not a great look for a formal job, but it's the perfect backpack for travel.

The Everywehere Zip is sleek, especially if you opt for the monochrome black version. It's practical, with plenty of compartments and a trolley sleeve. The long zipper and elasticized opening allows it to open quite wide, so you can really take advantage of every bit of space. It's the perfect personal item, especially for a work trip.

Things to Consider When Buying Away Luggage

What Away Does Best

• The brand is amazing with price v.s. quality. It's where Away really shines. Among the mid-tier luggage brands, no other makes suitcases as durable as Away.
• It makes incredible expanding options. Away's Flex series is one of our favorite travel lines. Plenty of brands make expandable suitcases, but the nylon Away uses is just a cut above.

What to Look Out For With Away

• The suitcases scuff really easily. If you lean into the world traveller look, it's fine. If you want to keep it spotless, you'll have to do some scrubbing.

Why Trust Esquire?

Because we travel more than anyone ever should. Every week out of the year, one of our editors or writers is wheels up to somewhere. We get a lot of miles in, and with that comes an immense amount of travel product knowledge . Plus, we test a lot of suitcases—from top-of-the-line Rimowas to cheap plastic suitcases . If there's a suitcase you're looking at, we've already put it through its paces. Trust our experience.

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Best Luggage in 2024: Shop $375 Off a 3-Piece Luggage Set

You're going to look like a travel pro with these luggage options from calpak, royce & rocket, and paravel..

The products featured in this article are from brands that are available in the NBCUniversal Checkout Marketplace. If you purchase something through our links, we get a commission.

Your spring and summer travel plans deserve the best luggage . No matter if you're gearing up for business travel, international travel, or just a quick weekend trip across state lines, you need carry-on luggage and checked luggage that can stand the test of time and trends.

Travel with the best luggage in 2024! Our shopping experts have rounded up the best luggage, including the best luggage brands, to help you create the best luggage set for you and your journey.

These suitcases, rolling luggage, and travel bag options will help keep your things organized and safe while helping you look put together at the airport or on the road.

Below, you'll find customer-loved rolling luggage, carry-on bags, hard-side luggage, soft-side luggage, bags with a TSA lock, packing cube options to maximize organization, and so much more .

These travel must-haves from bestselling luggage brand options offer more than just wheels. We chose rolling luggage and travel bag carry-ons that include tons of pockets and pouches for toiletries, electronics, pet supplies , and wet items like swimsuits.

Many of our selected suitcase options offer expandable capacity, which is a great option for travelers who tend to bring a souvenir (or 10) home for friends and family.

Shop a must-see luggage set from Badgley Mischka, a fun patterned luggage set from CalPak, as well as editor-loved soft-side luggage options, including bags that are pink!

Discover an on-sale suitcase from the luxury travel brand Royce & Rocket, plus the best travel backpack option, with a peak design that features space for a laptop, and a duffel bag option that's actually easy on your shoulders.

It's time to ditch your old, broken suitcase. Upgrade to the best carry-on luggage and checked luggage with the options below.

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I Spent Hours Reading Shopper Reviews to Find the 10 Best Travel Accessories at Amazon — From $10

Who better to trust than travelers in the real world?

If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

Travel + Leisure / Daisy Rodriguez

As a travel writer, it’s important that I have the right travel essentials to match my on-the-go lifestyle. I rely on accessories that are durable enough to go the distance and can make my adventures as seamless as possible. And one of my go-to methods for finding them is checking out the trending and top-rated Amazon items recommended by fellow travelers and shoppers — because who better to trust than those actively testing products like luggage and comfortable clothing in the real world? 

And because it’s my full-time job to know the best deals on the internet, I spent hours combing through Amazon’s shopper review section to curate a list of the 10 most-loved, highly-sought-after products from the retailer. These items range from a travel backpack that one shopper dubbed as a “traveler’s dream come true” to a surprisingly spacious $10 carry-on duffel bag with thousands of perfect ratings. What's even more exciting is that many of these highly-rated items are currently up to 70 percent off, making now the perfect time to grab them and enhance your spring travels.

Samsonite Freeform Hardside Expandable Double Spinner Carry-on

Need a luggage upgrade? Look no further than this Samsonite carry-on, which has not only earned a spot on Amazon’s best-selling carry-on list , but has also received over 9,000 perfect ratings from reviewers. In fact, even a former full-time traveler has praised this bag : “After years of flying to four to five different cities every week (most of which had connecting flights and drives involved), I know my suitcases, and this one is the best.” That same shopper also highlighted their favorite features of the bag: its four 360-degree wheels that glide smoothly over everything from “carpet, regular floors, and sidewalks,” its spacious interior, and its stunning look that remained intact despite years of travel.  

Even more, this bag has earned high marks from Travel + Leisure editors, who dubbed it the best overall choice in their hardside luggage test . According to testers, “Earning perfect scores across the board, this standout suitcase is compact yet spacious, with a high-strength thermoplastic shell and smooth-gliding wheels.” It also happens to be on sale for $150 this week.

Apple AirTag 4-pack

Garnering nearly 100,000 five-star ratings, Apple AirTags have been called everything from a “ lifesaver ” and “ the best invention ever ” to “ the ultimate tracking device ” by Amazon shoppers. It’s clear that travelers can’t get enough of these Bluetooth tracking devices, as they effortlessly sync with the Find My app on Apple devices to provide precise, real-time tracking of your belongings. And, with this pack of four (that happens to be $20 off), you can head out with the peace of mind that all of your personal belongings are accounted for. 

Narwey Foldable Duffel Bag

After reading through dozens of duffel bag reviews, I’ve come to the conclusion that this one is the best of the best. At a mere 18 inches by 13 inches by 6.3 inches, the bag has a reputation for fitting “ a week’s worth of clothes, plus toiletries and shoes ,” — all while meeting the requirements for a personal item on Spirit and Frontier flights. It’s on sale for $10 and available in 42 different hues and prints, so you might as well snag one for you and your travel mates. 

Bagail Packing Cube Set

Packing cubes are an essential travel accessory for efficient and space-saving organization in your suitcase. And while there are plenty of packs to choose from, I’m particularly enchanted by this set that one reviewer claimed “changed [their] life” thanks to its ability to keep your items separated, compressed, and properly stored. Plus, you can get them double discounted for $16 thanks to an on-site coupon. 

Asenlin Travel Backpack 40L

If you’ve never traveled with a backpack, then let this be your sign to start. With their ergonomic design, backpacks serve as a roomy yet compact option to transport your belongings, all while helping you skew past unnecessary bag fees. This Aselin Travel Backpack comes with a 40-liter carrying capacity that one customer called “a traveler’s dream come true” because of its “spacious and thoughtful design” and water-resistant material. 

She’s Birdie Personal Safety Alarm

As important as it is to enjoy your trip, it’s just as vital to stay alert and vigilant no matter where you go. I like to keep a plethora of safety devices in my travel bag, but if I were to prioritize one, I’d recommend this Amazon best-selling personal alarm that reviewers say gives them “ peace of mind ” while they travel. And as a cherry on top? It’s 20 percent off. 

Anlmz Store 3-in-1 Charging Station

Keeping a full charge on your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods can be challenging. And that's before you factor in keeping track of a bunch of their different charging cables in your carry-on. Fortunately, Amazon has a three-in-one solution that charges your tech together in one convenient spot. And, one shopper loved it so much during a recent trip that they are “buying another one just to keep in [their] carry-on so they always have it for traveling.” Be sure to clip the on-site coupon so you can score an extra 30 percent off. 

JBL Tune 710BT Wireless Over-ear Headphones

To me, entertainment ranks high on my list of must-haves for a comfortable journey, and that typically begins with a great pair of headphones. But contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars for a high-quality pair. I personally love this pair of over-ear noise-canceling headphones for its stellar sound quality and comfortable fit — but don’t just take my word for it; take it from the thousands of five-star shopper reviews they've earned, each one highlighting their long-lasting battery and design that does not “fall or slip off” during transit. Snag a pair to try out for yourself, considering that they’re 25 percent off today. 

Talena Belt Bag

With spring in full swing (and summer just around the corner), the key to staying cool and comfortable is by traveling as lightweight as possible. And while this means wearing garments like breezy tanks and flowy pants, this tidbit of advice also applies to the bags that we carry. So what are Amazon travelers loving this season? This versatile $10 bag that can be worn as a belt bag, crossbody, or shoulder bag. Shoppers say that it “holds a lot” of stuff and that they can “fit a small wallet, notepad, travel-sized make-up, sunglasses, readers, and so much more into this bag.” Even more, its straightforward design can be styled up, down, and be worn virtually anywhere. 

Napfun Travel Neck Pillow

As a frequent traveler, I know the importance of getting good rest while on the go. That's why one of my priorities when I first embarked on my mission to find the best Amazon travel accessories was to track down a great, shopper-loved neck pillow. And let me tell you, I hit the jackpot with this incredible $15 one from Napfun. It is designed with memory foam and chin support for unbelievable, next-level comfort, and is regarded by one shopper as a “great pillow for travel,” a title that they gave it after they were able to rest comfortably on a 20-hour flight to Alaska. They added that flying with the pillow “was optimal in my ability to sleep on my longest connection flight, which was six hours.”

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