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 wheel 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.
For Best Personal Item Bag, I nominate Take OFF. It is the max dimensions to fit in the sizers for Spirit, Allegiant, Frontier, etc so you can maybe get away with no paid bags. It’s a hard side with a telescoping handle and – the true genius – removable spinner wheels. I use it at least 8x a year for trips up to 5 days. $100-120.
@ Gary — Buy Briggs & Riley and buy it at londonluggage.com. Lowest prices you can get. Period.
Sweet. Getting blasted with B&R texts for Black Friday, but shoot my 1999 Baseline 21” wheelie is going strong. Only three major repairs all quick and easy. Last one a few years back they offered a deal on new,. I’d like 4 wheels, but my bag and I had gone around the world many times with more to come. 🙂
My personal item is a many years old NorthFace Surge which I can get by with on weekends to Tokyo or wherever.
I’m a big fan of Travel Pro. The wheel bearings are sealed and the magnetic alignment keeps it rolling true through any situation. It’s like it rolls itself.
I even wash mine by occasionally throwing it in the bathtub.
Hard-shell carry-on: Monos.
Camera bag: Nomatic.
I bought two Rimowa bags about 10 years ago. The lightweight shell cracked on the third airline trip I used them. When I contacted Rimowa, they informed me the warranty did not cover the shell. Are you kidding me? The lightweight shell was their main marketing message. I switched to Tumi and have been happy ever since.
My B&R Baseline 21″ and Tumi 22″ are still going strong after 15+ years of heavy usage across cobblestone, rain, dirt, etc. The Tumi is sturdier IMO. No repairs – knock wood!
We also ordered a hard-shell Away carry-on that so far is ok.
Eagle Creek duffel bag was torn before first trip was completed – pathetic. Travelpro used to be good but is crap now. Samsonite is the worst.
I’ve had good luck with TravelPro, both 21” & 22” bags which have been around the world. Ricardo is the absolute worst.
Unless you are as insecure as a pre teen girl and need brand name luggage to stroke your fragile ego, what exactly is the point in spending thousands on a well built but heavy premium carryon? It’s a carryon, you aren’t checking it, it doesn’t need to be indestructible. I bet thieves target luxury luggage at every opportunity as well.
I’ve been happy with my cheap lightweight 4 wheel carryon, and it has lasted a decade. Luggage is simply a container meant to hold things of value, not be valuable themselves. Take that money you would otherwise waste on luxury luggage and invest it.
Most carry-on roller bags that I have had in the 20 inch size or larger actually exceeded 22 inches from my measurements (the standard maximum long dimension for many airlines). I measured including the wheels and the top handle which always sticks out a bit. Further they always weighed quite a bit when compared to the 7kg maximum allowed on EVA Air at no extra cost. Additionally, they are the ones that gate agents look at when they are going to get people to gate check them, so that adds the possibility of additional wear. To change things up I went to a large travel backpack that is significantly lighter and cheaper. It works better on rough ground. It is less likely to be flagged for checking (not yet). It’s dimensions are less than the maximum requirements of most airlines for carry-on baggage while still carrying the same loads.
The best bag is one that you steal because it’s free.
(Kids, don’t do this at home!)
Travelpro platinum elite regional carry-on rollaboard is great quality, and fits both regional jets and even the personal item sizers for Spirit etc. It’s the perfect size for trips of a couple of days. For longer trips my 22 inch B&R baseline has been perfect. Both have lasted many years of 50+ flights per year.
Best bag I’ve had was my wife wife’s FA crew bag from Travelpro. It can hold a lot of stuff and when combined with compression bags and packing cubes, it’s been great.
My newest bag is a carryon four wheel spinner from Ridge. It’s taken some getting used to but it’s nice to not have sludge stuff around with a two wheeler
There’s Briggs & Riley, and then there’s everything else.
I like my sub-$50 expandable travel backpacks picked up from stores like Nordstrom Rack, Marshalls and TJ Maxx.
They are being used by some associated mileage runners doing the SAS million points promo as they even fit under the seat on the planes if need be.
We’ve used iT bags for several years with nary a problem.
Samsonite hard shell are great or travelpro. 10+ year warranty. I taken my checked bags over 1,000,000 miles over the world. Had to replace the wheels but that is about it.
PSA: If the airline damages your bag, go to their office at baggage claim, be nice to the people there, explain that your bag was damaged by the airline, and request a replacement. Depending on the airline and the circumstances, a few times over the years I have received a new bag on the spot. Now, is it a top-of-the-line bag? No. But, free is free. Woop woop!
Best value? This is easy. Go on eBay and find a lightly-used Kirkland Signature (Costco) ballistic nylon 2-wheeler. This product was basically an indestructible Tumi bag at 1/8 the price.
My 10 year old 2-wheeled soft-sided international Tumi roll on is still going strong. Some fading and lots of dings and scratches, but looks good to go for another 10 years….
@ CW — Agree! This is my favorite luggage. Not sure it is indestructible, as we have gone through several over 15 years.
The bag is not made by Tumi. I found the manufacturer last year, and the company is out of business.
The Travelpro BOLD is my choice. It is two-wheels but I find that four-wheel bags can have problems with the handles getting out of sync (meaning hard to extend/contract).
This bag is sturdy, adaptable and can even carry my laptop in the front pouch so I don’t have to carry a second bag (giving me more legroom). It’s also fairly priced (under $200). The straps help with keeping it within size even when expanded. I’ve been very, very pleased (I travel over 75k miles a year).
Travel Pro FlightCrew model specifically. I’ve had the 4 spinner mag alignment bags (Also Travelpro) and can’t tell you how many wheels I’ve had to replace due to carrier damage. My FlightCrew bags take a beating and keep on delivering.
I am really enjoying my Hartmann international size hard sided spinner. It is really lightweight, only 3 pounds, but feels more substantial. It’s not too expensive (easy to find around $300) and fits in every bin, including regional jets. It lacks an expansion zipper but that has not been problematic so far.
A high volume luggage repair shop once told me Briggs & Riley is hands down the best brand for quality, durability, and warranty coverage. However, their prices are so high it’s like you are paying for 6+ luggage instead of just one.
I prefer hard side luggage and have had good results with brands like Travel Pro and Amazon Basics. I choose bright colors like red instead of the standard black. Thieves don’t like bright colors. In addition, I can easily spot my luggage from far away.
Another vote for Travel Pro. My first one lasted 20 years and would have kept going if I hadn’t switched to four wheels.
Got a 15 yr old Travelpro 22″ two wheeler. Not sure of the model, but it probably wasn’t a higher end. Only wear/age issue was that the rubbery stuff on the handle got sticky. Removed it with 91% rubbing alcohol. It tends to fall over when the expansion is unzipped, but that is my only complaint.
Looking to get a Travelpro Crew Classic carry-on spinner before Christmas travel, but cannot decide between “Compact” and normal size. I’ll probably only be traveling domestic, but may start flying other airlines depending on SWA’s changes.
Eagle Creek. They have a “no matter what” warranty which is actually honored, and it is one of the best made bags that I have owned.
I have had a hard time keeping Delsey bags not falling apart when they are checked in. Has happened on three of them.
My Samsonite carryon has been great. It is slightly bigger it is supposed to be but no one gives me trouble.
For some reason, I still want a Tumi sometimes carryon to match my backpack but the more I use my Samsonite, the less I want it.
Costco 22″ 2-wheel roll-a-board.
No longer made.
I had six of them. I still have four new ones left.
Here here for the Delsey Helium! I purchased new Tumi luggage two years ago. I wouldn’t ever recommend Tumi again. My Delsey luggage got me through weekly flights MSP to east coast usually on US Airways for five years. I still have it and it’s never failed. My new Tumi luggage has been in for repairs twice. Tumi is no longer an upgrade for luggage (they do make a superior back pack though), and the change to a 5 year warranty is the end of Tumi for me.
TravelPro or Briggs & Riley next. Both offer lifetime warranties (TravelPro admittedly only on some models) and I am lucky enough to have a very large and reputable TravelPro and Briggs & Riley independent luggage retailer in my area.