I’m not interested in the best at any price, or the cheapest. What I’m interested in is your thoughts on the best value overall – combination of quality and price – for someone who travels quite a lot. On many issues I have firm opinions. Here I will share my tentative thoughts.
For a carry on bag I want four wheels. I used to be a 2 week guy, because I’m resistant to change. But I find four wheels much better for navigating around airports easily week after week.
- Bargain: Delsey Helium at $129 or less. The ones I’ve had have been good without breaking the bank. They don’t have the sturdy construction of more expensive bags, but they’re a real upgrade from the ‘whatever is cheapest’ bags I used to buy in my earlier years.
- Sweet spot: I’ve never had a complaint about Briggs & Riley. I’ve had a well-constructed carry on for a decade. This is probably my recommendation at $500.
- Luxury: About six years ago I bought a Rimowa Salsa Deluxe Cabin Multiwheel for less than $600. I’d never spent anything like that on luggage before, but as often as I use it I figured it amortized across so many uses it was reasonable. I love the bag, and the wheels are sturdy, but price has gotten much higher and their customer service has become quite bad.
The most important thing for a carry on bag is size. Make sure the measurements you are seeing for your bag include the wheels if you want it to fit into an airline sizer. As a result I like smaller bags, that can even fit into larger regional jet overhead bins. If you travel internationally quite a bit, many airlines in the world weigh carry on bags, so you don’t want the bag itself taking up most of the allowable weight. The weight issue for the bag is true for checked bags as well assuming you’re facing a 50 pound limit and pack a lot.
One thing you won’t find in my hard-sided bags is pockets, and that’s a deal-breaker for some. To me, though, that’s what my laptop bag is for. I love doing one night trips with nothing but my laptop bag, and no need for overhead bin space so I don’t need to board until just before doors close. For a three or four day trip the Rimowa is great, and six days on my Briggs & Riley 20″ widebody.
I like Away carry on bags. Roll great and well constructed
I’ve got a 5-yr old Samsonite that has held up like a champ. I’ve used that, together with a Swissgear or Tumi Carlson backpack, and tiny crossbody bag,tocarryme through 2 months of winter weather in South Africa and Argentina. Layering packable down, cashmere, fleece, and quick-dry athleiusure is my secret. Rolling helps, too
I miss the Kirkland carry-ons. They were a bit heavier, but they took a beating, lasted for years, and were less than $130.
Had a Samsonite since 2015. Still going strong.
Been round the world a couple of times with it. It travels on multiple international trips of 1-3 months at a time almost every year.
SO loves her Away, both carry-on and regular. And there’s a Black Friday deal going on. As our Victorinox bags slowly die, I’d have no trouble replacing them with Away bags, especially at the price they’re offering them at today.
I’ll never switch to a 4 wheeled sissy carryon! I love the utility and the seemingly unbreakable nature of the drag behind. Particularly because it doesn’t get hung up on thresholds or lips. It’s like an all terrain vehicle that I an drag over anything. Plus I can fit more into it since it’s not allowing external wheels to take up space.
Plus pilots drag their luggage and they’re cool.
I got the Away carry-on with a front pocket a few years ago. I like the pocket for documents if needed, and it fits in every major airline’s sizer.
I also have a Briggs and Riley which is fine, but I find that I keep gravitating towards the Away bag when its just me (if two of us, we take both).
I have the backpacks and purses with zippers that lock and are slash proof. I hang them on my son’s wheelchair. I have never checked a bag. I put them in the overhead bin.
Briggs & Riley international carry on. 4 wheels and it is fantastic. all of my luggage is briggs & riley.
This is an excellent article, worthy of several follow-up articles.
I do not like to buy expensive luggage for check in. It gets thrown around and poorly compensated if damaged. In contrast, carry on luggage is well cared for and rarely checked (except by American Airlines gate agents on infrequent occasions).
I considered Luggage Works Stealth but they are very heavy. It’s full of metal and popular with airline pilots.
I got a replacement 2 wheeled bag by Atlantic from Delta in 2005 but Atlantic no longer makes anything similar. It was an average bag with average longevity. The zipper become easily stuck in 2017 after possibly 500 flights. The 2 wheeled design was great for cobblestone but less easy for smooth indoor floors than a 4 wheeler. However, the 2 wheeled designs use less space for wheels.
I got a replacement 2 wheeled bag by Andare from American in 2018 after an nasty AA agent insisted in checking in the carry on bag. It was roughly similar to the Atlantic but not as well constructed. The handle became a little frayed after only 2 years of use (roughly 40 flights). Later, AA checked it in again and busted the retractable handle and a zipper pull. Andare no longer makes 2 wheelers, only 4 wheelers.
I now have three carry on bags, a 2 wheeler and a 4 wheeler and a really cheap 2 wheeler from Walmart that is not used for airline travel. Both are moderately priced. They work. The Walmart one is really thin and not very good for airline use. The handle retracts but you have to lock the handle to keep it out. The zippers are of poor quality.
I may eventually consider a super light bag that might be flimsy. That might be for airlines that have unrealistically light carry on allowances.
I have mostly been using a small 20″ 4 wheeled polycarbonate roller bag but recently I needed more stuff for a long trip. I used a 15 year old Briggs and Riley 2 wheel expandable 22″ bag as a checked bag for my flights. While I prefer 4 wheels for walking, 2 wheels was way better on train, light rail and bus because it didn’t roll around.
My favorite bag has actually been a backpack. I purchased an Amazon’s basic travel backpack. Has 1 huge compartment and a front section where I put liquids and electronics. It is ultra lightweight- about 1pound. It fits if not stuffed easily in a Ryanair sizer and never have to gate check it because of its size and its on my back. Managed to stuff a 1-month trip into the bag in a trip in 2018.
With all the bag policing on flights a backpack is the new way to go. Unfortunately Amazon no longer sells this bag. I encourage the carry-on people to try a backpack out
Frequent travelers might have several carry on bags for different purposes. Perhaps a 22″ for general use spinner, 22″ 2 wheeler for cobblestone, 21″ for airlines with strict size requirements, 21″ super light bag?
On our international trips my wife and I take large Tumi hardside cases. Inside we pack very compacted soft bags. Whatever purchases we make can go in our Tumi and our dirty clothes go in the soft compacted bags. The soft bags can ride on top of our Tumi’s to the airport bag check in. This works well for us.
FYI, Rimowa added lifetime warranty last year so you are covered if anything breaks.
Tumi. Always and forever. Durable. Lots of compartments / options for storing things. Solid customer service.
I now have backpacks with hide away straps that are smaller and lighter than my four wheel roller carry-on. Weight restrictions apply on a lot of Asian carriers. These should fit the bill for both size and weight. With one on your back, you can use the stairs to beat the crowd down the escalator.
Would never do a four wheel spinner. Much easier to drag a bag than push a four wheel bag.
With the popularity of 4 wheels and the shrinking selection of 2 wheels, I caved and tried a hardside spinner set (Samsonite Ziplite). Hated them. If you want to move quickly, you flip to 2-wheel mode and now you’re all rickety. Since the pull/drag/weight is optimized for 4 wheels, it feels heavier too. Also 4 wheels are great for airports, hotels, and very even surfaces. That only describes half of the places I roll a suitcase. And then there’s the way it packs and opens, as a 50-50 clamshell. I don’t like that at all, since the only time I don’t simply live out of a suitcase when I’m traveling is when I’m on a cruiseship.
My current go-to brand for that awesome combo of value + price + 2 inline wheels is TravelPro Bold. It’s maximizes the standard dimensions, isn’t heavy or overly padded or fiddly inside. Good handle, zippers, wheels and the price was around $140 when I got it 2-3 years ago. My sisters keep trying to “borrow” it whenever they visit, so it was pretty easy to pawn off my pretty purple Samsonite Ziplite pieces to them instead.
I can’t bring myself to ever do a four wheel spinner because of the ease of pulling a two-wheel over just about anything including curbs, up stairs, etc., and the way most people handle the four wheel spinner bags drives me insane. They are like an out of control gyro, going every which way with the dang bag.. one moment you’re passing someone and the next they have swung their bag around in front of them into you on the other side. At least if people are towing behind you have reasonable assurance of where they are going. Plus, the ex-airline person in me says spinners are bad… they really roll well when pushed down the concrete of the bagroom or ramp. Usually out of control.
I stand by my Hartmann tweed roller that I’ve had for 20 years. It’s indestructible and Hartmann has been great at the one or two instances where I needed to replace a wheel or something. My dad carried a leather hard-sided briefcase of theirs for years and sent it in once to have a lock repaired. It was so beat to heck they mailed him a brand new one and wished him a great next couple decades with it.
My Hartmann has lasted through probably 1000 flights (I carry a Tom Bihn backpack for a day or two that is laptop and overnight in one) and has been checked many times. The worse damage it has had is my cat chewing on the leather side handle.
My favorite bag is the Tumi Avignon two wheel in ripstop nylon. Can’t check it but extremely light and most useable space of any bag I’ve seen. No longer made of course. I wish I could still buy it or find something as close to the same. If anyone has a suggestion I’d be most grateful.
@ Thomas — 2-wheeled Kirkland all the way! I wish Costco would bring these back!
I prefer a lighter soft-side bag. WENGER Identity Expandable Laptop Carry-On.
Have an Oakley two-wheeled bag that has flown over 2 million miles with me, mostly as carry-on but also a lot as checked luggage when it’s stuffed to the gills. It’s a bit battered on the outside but still works well. I picked it up on sale over 10 years ago at an outlet mall shop relatively close to the ONT airport in California. It’s held up way better than any Samsonite, Travelpro, American Tourister or any other such relatively mass market luggage I have used.
I have some two-wheeled classic aluminum Rimowa luggage that I use as carry-on luggage, and it’s held up well. And yet I doubt it would hold up as well if I used it like the Oakley bag has been used. My wheeled Tumi luggage in ballistic nylon has held up well but they too haven’t been treated anywhere nearly as roughly as my Oakley bag.
No question: TravelPro FlightCrew 5 for aviation professionals. $189 for the 22” expandable. Mine has done 1M+ miles and only had to have the telescoping handle replaced due to a bad fall.
Love my Briggs & Reilly baseline 22. I hate checking a bag and it fits perfectly in all but the smallest commuter planes.
Although the handle system is beginning to give me problems. I just can’t be without my luggage for more than a few days so dealing with it for now.
The free Away 4-Wheeler with outside pocket I got with Amex Green a couple years ago is pretty good. I put my hardhat and bulky boots in there and throw it around everywhere. Has held up well. Use it mostly for work trips. Typically for personal travel, I’m carrying a Patagonia black hole 60L with the backpack straps on and a regular sized backpack in front. I never check a bag. I’ve also got a smaller North face equivalent for shorter trips. Backpack much easier when you’re on the go after arrival.
I received a July carryon bag as a gift. Very pleased with it so far, maybe 6 months.
TravelPro is my choice. I used a Samsonite for many years and then a Delsey but have used a Travelpro for the past 5+ years and I like it a lot.
Reasons not to get a 4-wheel roller is that it slows you down. It slows everyone behind you down as well. The smaller wheels won’t go over obstacles and certainly aren’t good in a snow-covered or gravel parking lot. But if you never have to deal with rolling along rough sidewalks, gravel, bad weather, etc. then you can “get by” with a 4-wheel suitcase. Next time you are people-watching at an airport just observe those “4-wheel people” and see how much they have to work that suitcase to get it to where they are going. The other issue is that most leisure travelers have off-brand suitcases that have cheap wheels, and handles that are too low or don’t work well which causes grief for everyone. Cheap suitcases with 2 skate wheels tend to hold up better
I’m with John,
I have a Traveler Pro Flight Crew, think a 3, has over 2m miles, I have replaced the handle, my fault and the wheels. Still going strong, I don’t think I have ever checked it, maybe gate checked,?
Re: I’ll never switch to a 4 wheeled sissy carryon! … Plus … it’s not allowing external wheels to take up space. Plus pilots drag their luggage and they’re cool…
Given the same exterior dimensions, the interior dimensions of a 2 wheeler are significantly greater than a 4 wheeler which is also 2 more wheels for potential damage. There are several other reasons pilots and fight attendants all use 2 wheelers.
Lmao the 4 wheel hate is so real. I just switched to the travel pro 4 wheel and it’s been great, much more convenient and doesn’t take a lot of space like a 2 wheel does when walking. Also the guy complaining about the 2 inches of extra packing room.. nice now you can pack two more shirts
I agree that the Delsey Helium is a good, cheap cabin bag. Lasted 6 years of hard use, whereas my Tumi broke apart at 5. Trying an ultralight Hartmann for upcoming trips. I’ll let you know! BTW, our favorite checked bags are Kirkland Signature hardsides that we have had for 8 years, stuffed with scuba gear, and sent all over the world. They are great, and since Kirkland (Costco) is not a fancy logo, never looked like theft-worthy bags.
I’m definitely in the two-wheel camp. On sufficiently good surfaces a four-wheel moves better, but they are finicky about the terrain and don’t behave so well if they encounter lips, sidewalk cracks or the like. The one location they shine is going down the aisle. A two-wheel should work but just barely.
That being said, we have older TravelPro FlightCrew bags, they have held up to the admittedly fairly light travel we do. I do not think they sell something that’s exactly at the international limit anymore. They definitely are heavier than competing bags–but that’s the price of durability.
I have to be increasingly careful about cabin baggage weight because I’m running into more checking of cabin baggage weight and thus the empty bag’s weight matters more now than it used to be. Unfortunately that often means going for flimsy hard shell suitcases, but my workaround has been to go for light-weight collapsible duffel bags as my main cabin luggage when I can help it as their weight when empty is lighter than any wheeled bags out there.
Rimowa, final answer.
I have a wheeled Montblanc Nightflight (my version of Gary’s Salsa) that I do not get much current use out of. Also a Briggs & Reilly laptop bag that is very good (Gary, what is your laptop bag?). Currently however just use a Filson Backpack. I also have a vintage Filson laptop bag, but the combination is a bit heavy. I have an Osprey bag intended as a bag cover (airporter) that can also be used for lightweight luggage duffle bag style. No wheels so you carry it.
Why does nobody mention the Thule Crossover 2 roller in these lists about luggage? I’ve carried mine every week for years and I love it
I have a JanSport backpack that I’ve carries on every airline flight and trip. Still looks great after 15 years. Has been stuffed to the gills, shoved under many a airline seat, and used as a pillow on many a transatlantic flight.
As for a carry on bag, I gone thru sooo many, I can’t remember. However, I still prefer a two wheel bag. I’ve seen way too many damaged 3 wheelers at the boarding gates.
Not inexpensive, but hands down my Briggs & Riley ZDX 21″ spinner is the best bag that I have owned after nearly 40 years of traveling. Easily handled clothing and accessories for a 15-day trip to Italy last May. Great features which provide a ton of utility.
Tom Bihn Techonaut 30, nothing else needed. 15 day trip to Sicily, 21 day trip to China. Carries my 15 inch laptop and chargers. For guys who don’t need a lot of shoes, wear one pair of Vessis which double as dress shoes, all you need. Western Rise lightweight pants and Merino wool shirts. No problem even on the tiny regional jets.
Target has a great hard-cased 4 wheeled cabin bag. I fly to London several times a year, and mine has lasted for 4 years (in addition to domestic work travel and personal trips).
Crazy, but it works great!
The simpler Jansport backpacks are very light and thus help to reduce the chances of being hassled by cabin baggage-monitoring dragons in some parts. But they don’t always hold up so well when stuck in a downpour or if a pickpocket wants to cut into the bag and gamble on thieving that way.
Rimowa luggage set purchased in Italy has lasted over 10 years. Aer backpack the last 5 years. All very lightweight and very sturdy, except Rimowa’s inside zippers.
Have a Tumi Alpha two wheeler. Only complaint has been the retractable handle has needed to be replaced and isn’t as solid as I’d like.
Lots of room, on the heavy side, so if uyour airline is weighing it comes with some loss of utility.
Looking for a good international dimension carry on as the 22 inch pushes limits as well.
I have a TravelPro spinner with magnets so the wheels are always pointing in the right direction. Love the bag!
Only surprised no one has mentioned my favorite brand: ZUCA
However, the reasons are similar to what others here have stated, and it is NOT a one-size-fits-all solution. I usually stick to a backpack only. That’s like 80% of my flights. The other 20% I take a ZUCA Pro (bought in 2011). They’re repairable in the extreme (wheels, axels, handles, liners, frames – all available separately and simple to install), have 2 big wheels (good for most any surface), and double as chairs in a pinch (thanks, aluminum frame!).
I’ve replaced the wheels (for bling preference only), the axels twice (both times they covered under warranty!), and I’ve dragged the thing through Eastern Europe, all across India, Beijing and Hong Kong, Tokyo, Central and South America, from farms with dirt roads to sparkling megalopolis, and the sum total of its other damage is… getting dirty. The company continues to sell both the model and parts today, for a model that I bought new 12 years ago.
With all that said, it won’t fit in a CRJ overhead, though I’ve never had a problem with any Boeing or Airbus overhead bin. It’s metal and weighs 10 pounds on its own or something. It is flammable (though probably less than competitors).
Forgot to add: Because the ZUCA is aluminum frame and intended to support 300 pounds (it doubles as a chair, remember!), it is FANTASTIC as a checked bag, as well as serving light-duty as a carry-on.
The primary consideration is the number of wheels. It must have only two. Why? Because otherwise the wheels take up too much space. The ones that spin around may also last as long. Therefore, any with two wheels. TUMI used to have them up until half a decade ago, but no longer. TravelPro has a nifty lightweight one that is 5.4 lbs that I saw on sale at Macy’s for a net of around $145 in July. Otherwise, I’d go with a Briggs & R for approx $575 or whatever it is these days.
Sam’s club has these unique carry-on, that I bought. I figured if it didn’t last, I was only out about $100, including taxes and shipping. I really like the bag and it is very versatile.
https://www.samsclub.com/p/members-mark-hardside-carry-on-pro-spinner-suitcase-with-usb/P03013471?xid=cat1080131-lugg_carousel_members-mark_5_3