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No two trips are the same. Some trips require sophisticated style, from chic urban getaways to business travel. Others a pure adventure. And some navigate a path of changing terrain, tackling outdoor trails one day and cobbled streets the next. No piece of luggage will suit every possible trip. But there are certainly common criteria that good travel pieces cater to. Durability is key, whether you want luggage to come out whole on the baggage carousel or successfully tackle the challenges of rugged outdoor terrain. Suitable maneuverabilty and portability is key, whether it’s smooth-rolling spinner wheels or backpack straps to take stairways head-on. Not to mention useful grab handles for transporting the luggage over shorter distances too. And of course convenient access and organization so you can easily get to the items you need during the journey and not end up with a jumbled mess for the rest of your gear.
Our Best Travel Luggage finalists are designed to thrive in a diverse range of environments, each doing a great job for their intended purpose. But which one delivers the ultimate first-class performance that merits the category crown? Decide below.
Topo Designs Travel Bag Roller
The more flexible you are in luggage portability, the more freedom you have to explore. Topo Designs helps maximize that freedom with the Travel Bag Roller. Adaptable and practical, it can be used as a roller bag but also features removable backpack straps and grab handles on four sides. So you can easily adapt on the fly to changing settings. The bag is built to handle the demands of travel, with a burly 1000D nylon body and 1680D ballistic nylon base. And you won’t have any trouble organizing items thanks to a variety of external pockets for quick-access gear and dual interior compartments with internal pockets for keeping smaller items tidy and secure.
Osprey Farpoint Wheeled Travel Pack 65
Osprey are a brand that know adventure leads to ever-changing environments and terrain. And to help you seek it out, they’ve designed a travel bag that conquers it all. Durable, oversized wheels allow easy movement over smooth and rough surfaces alike. Additionally, a stowable backpack harness and hip belt helps you easily conquer more challenging terrain and steps. The bag features panel-loading front access with interior pockets and compression straps for organization. Externally you’ll find quick-access pockets and attachment points for additional gear, as well as exterior compression straps to cinch the load. Tough enough for travel but lightweight enough not to weigh you down, the bag is made with 210D high tenacity nylon and weighs 2.8 kg.
Carl Friedrik The Carry-on
Carl Friedrik was founded by two brothers, Niklas and Mattis Oppermann, who have spent almost a decade honing the brand’s refined offerings with a focus on quality, understated style, and functionality. The Carry-on brings all these features to travel luggage, helping you stay sharp and efficient whether you’re traveling for business or leisure. The Carry-on is crafted with a lightweight polycarbonate shell and a durable zipperless aluminum frame. Complementing the design is vegetable-tanned Vachetta leather detailing, providing a pleasing visual contrast and enhancing the suitcase’s luxurious look and feel. Hinomoto spinner wheels keep you moving smoothly and silently, while TSA-friendly combination locks secure the contents. Inside you’ll find a zippered compartment and compression straps to organize gear. And for added functionality you can also pair the case with an optional removable battery to keep tech juiced wherever you go.
PROJECTKIN KIN Carry-on
Traveling has an undeniable environmental impact, both in terms of transport methods and constructing the luggage we use to carry our gear. So Copenhagen-based PROJECTKIN was founded to pursue a more sustainable approach to travel, starting with before you’ve even stepped out your front door. The KIN Carry-on is a highly innovative carry-on suitcase with a biodegradable shell made from a combination of flax and bioplastics, specifically PLA made from fermented corn starch. However, you’re not sacrificing durability for sustainability as the suitcase has been rigorously tested to ensure it’s ready for demanding travel. The lining is 100% flax linen, which is more sustainable to produce than nylon and cotton. Where any non-sustainable parts are not yet available, PROJECTKIN uses top-quality components that will provide many years of reliable use, thereby extending the lifetime of the bag to help travelers consume less. Designed not only to help people travel more mindfully but to encourage greater sustainability within the luggage industry, it’s a potential game changer in its own right.
master-piece Trolley Collection
Japanese bag brand master-piece have been crafting quality carry since 1994. A long time to build up a wealth of expertise, which they turn towards travel with their Trolley collection. The collection features a 75L and 34L suitcase, made from a ribbed polycarbonate mixed resin for light weight with dependable impact and heat resistance. The exterior features a subtle camouflage pattern, discreet enough to suit a variety of travel environments while still adding a touch of personality to your travel setup. Spinner wheels provide smooth maneuverability, with a caster locking feature to prevent the suitcase moving on slopes and public transport. Both sizes include interior compression and pocketing, with a useful removable partition that can be used as standalone organization. The 34L suitcase also provides separate front storage that’s ideal for a laptop, documents, books and magazines. Stylish, durable and practical, these are suitcases you can turn to trip after trip for long-lasting durability and dependability.
Filson Dryden 2-Wheel Carry-On Suitcase
Filson are known for their durable and timeless goods, built in a heritage style all their own. The Dryden 2-Wheel Carry-On Suitcase is no exception, crafted with abrasion-resistant 1000D Cordura nylon and a reinforced base to handle the unavoidable bumps and scrapes of travel life. Front and rear external pockets provide quick-access storage, while the interior features two zippered compartments and further pockets to organize the contents. Burly, functional and made to thrive when travel gets tough, it’s a solid trip companion for years of hard-wearing use.
Target Open Story™ Hardside 29″ Checked Suitcase
A lot of quality luggage comes with a premium price tag. But Target are looking to change that with their Open Story collection, offering reliable construction and travel-ready practicality with affordable pricing. The Open Story™ Hardside 29″ Checked Suitcase offers great value for money with a durable polycarbonate shell, Hinomoto spinner wheels, and a telescoping aluminum handle. A beefy YKK zipper secures the main compartment, inside which you’ll find dual zippered compartments and a choice of pockets to neatly store your travel gear. For added travel-friendly functionality the suitcase comes with a laundry bag and is backed by a 10-year limited warranty for peace of mind.
Bellroy Weekender Plus
Casual-chic style, easy access and considered organization are front and center with Bellroy’s Weekender Plus. Exterior-access pockets keep smaller items and frequently used gear close at hand, while the main compartment opens wide for packing ease and reveals a choice of pockets in a thoughtful ‘toolbelt’ position for convenient acccess. Pop-out pockets provide handy storage for the likes of shoes or water bottles, with an interior padded sleeve for up to 13″ tech devices. The Weekender Plus also has flexible carry well covered, with premium leather carry handles, side grab handles for easy maneuverability in tight spaces, a removable shoulder strap, plus a luggage passthrough to pair it with wheeled luggage.
Timbuk2 Copilot Deluxe
Like your suitcases sleek on the outside with savvy organization to keep you on top of your gear? Timbuk2 will have you soaring to smooth travels with the Copilot Deluxe. The carry-on suitcase gets clever with access and organization, dishing up a front panel-opening compartment, quick-access shoe and toiletries storage, and a clamshell main compartment with zippered storage to neatly separate and organize items. The suitcase has a comfy bike-inspired handle system and reflective detailing under the grab handles for added visibility in low-light conditions. Clean on the outside and well-considered on the interior, this is a smart and functional bag that lends itself to both work trips and holiday travel.
Halite Kraken
When you build bags for maritime operations, you know rugged dependability and protection from the elements is key. The folk behind Halite are no strangers to these demanding conditions. The brand was founded by ex-military personnel with backgrounds in special operations and designers with expertise in outdoor, climbing and expedition fields. And they build their gear accordingly to thrive in tough situations. Available in 100L and 140L sizes, the Kraken is a beefy gear hauler made with TPU-coated 840D high tenacity nylon and RF-welded seams for a highly abrasion-resistant and waterproof build. The bag secures with a waterproof YKK AQUASEAL zipper and an end wing design that enables an extended zipper length for easier access to the main compartment. Furthering the adventure-ready design are tapered side walls that provide stability when the bag is set down on a boat or roof rack, with daisy chain lash points for added security. The bag’s grab handles have a curved half-moon bartack design to efficiently spread the load, while the dual-density EVA foam backpack straps help keep heavy loads comfortable on the go. And for enhanced adventure performance, the bag is rounded off with an air valve that allows the bag to be inflated or deflated.
Pacsafe Dry Lite 40L Anti-Theft Duffel
When you’re on your travels, your gear needs protection. Not just from the elements but also opportunistic thieves. The anti-theft carry experts at Pacsafe deliver both with the Dry Lite 40L Anti-Theft Duffel. It’s made with a water-resistant TPU-coated 210D nylon ripstop and YKK AquaGuard zipper to keep the elements at bay. But it also integrates a variety of discreet anti-theft features including cut-resistant eXomesh slashguard, a PopNLock security clip, a cut-resistant anchor strap to secure the bag to a fixed object, and an RFID-blocking pocket. So you can travel with greater peace of mind come rain or shine.
Patagonia Stormfront® Wet/Dry Duffel Bag 65L
Whether you’re heading on a boating trip, venturing into monsoon season, or simply want to know your gear is well protected when storms strike, the Patagonia Stormfront® Wet/Dry Duffel Bag is a bag you can depend on to protect your gear from the elements. Plus it’s got a nifty trick up its sleeve to separate wet and dry items. The welded, highly weather-resistant design is made with 800D nylon with an interior TPU coating and DWR finish, complemented by water-resistant zippers. A dual (top and bottom) compartment design with a floating divider allows you to store wet and dry items separately while maximizing space where its required. And with multiple carry handles and a removable shoulder strap, you’ve got flexible portability to get gear where it needs to go.
Samsonite ECO-Nu Extra Large Expandable Spinner
Samsonite salutes a more sustainable approach to travel luggage with the ECO-Nu Extra Large Expandable Spinner. The suitcase is made with Recyclex® polyester fabric, created with 100% recycled rPET bottles. Clever features help make the travel experience easier, such as Smart Fix Buckles to secure compression straps out of the way while packing, T-bar zipper pulls for easy opening and closing, and a concealed expansion zipper to protect the zipper when not in use. Built for lightweight durability, the suitcase features a unique wrap-around frame design and Saguaro™ Wheel System to keep you moving smoothly during work trips or that long-awaited holiday.
SALKAN Backpacker
You may need to carry a lot of gear to your destination. But that doesn’t mean you want to continue hauling everything once you’ve reached your accommodation and it’s time to explore. So British carry brand SALKAN utilized the power of modularity to create an adaptable carry system for the journey and the destination alike. The SALKAN Backpacker features two bags, namely a 45L main backpack and a smaller 20L daypack. The daypack can be secured to the front of the main pack for maximized carrying capacity. Then once you reach your accommodation, simply detach the daypack for a compact day bag when carrying the essentials. The main pack offers both front-loading and top access, a padded 15″ laptop sleeve, and an adjustable torso length to suit different users. And additional helping hands come in the form of an included laundry sling and a flight and rain cover. The water-resistant, durable build is made with 900D COTNA polyester with a wax finish, all dressed up in heritage aesthetics that move easily between diverse urban and outdoor environments.
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