Top Rated Luggage

Our top rated luggage is sturdy, functional, and designed to last. Our editors test gear in a variety of settings, from big cities to rugged high-country destinations.

Whether you’re looking for sleek soft-sided luggage or hard-sided options, there’s something here for every type of traveler. Be sure to look for sealed wheel bearings, which can prolong the life of your wheels.

1. Briggs & Riley Baseline Large Expandable Spinner

This sporty spinner suitcase sets a new bar for expandable luggage, offering up to 2.5 inches of zip-open expansion depth. The patented CX system makes this an exceptionally roomy bag, and it includes cinch-down garment panels to keep your clothes crisp and immaculate during travel. Multiple exterior and interior pockets, a large divider, and the legendary Briggs & Riley durability make this the best bag for an extended trip.

It’s not cheap, but it’s hard to beat the no-hassle lifetime guarantee, which — along with the build quality and great design — more than justifies the price tag. You can get it directly from Briggs & Riley, or at a variety of department stores like Nordstrom, Macy’s, and Bloomingdale’s, which also offer free shipping and returns.

The durable YKK zippers were slightly difficult to toggle, but they’ll likely get smoother with use. They’re lockable, too, which adds an extra level of security to this already sturdy bag.

This carry-on is a bit larger than the maximum allowed by most domestic airlines, and may be too big for some international carriers. If you’re concerned, consider the smaller Medium size top rated luggage instead, which has the same dimensions but has a little less capacity. It’s $30 cheaper and weighs a pound less than the Large. Both are made of tough-as-nails 1680D ballistic nylon.

2. Travelpro Platinum Elite

The Platinum Elite is a great looking bag with lots of useful features. It’s perfect for a short to medium trip, storing several days of clothing in its generous main compartment, guarding against wrinkles with a built-in suiter, and keeping all your accessories organized under the deluxe tie-down system. A zippered 2″ expansion option offers additional packing space if needed and complies with published carry-on size restrictions for most major domestic airlines. A dedicated power bank pocket keeps your backup battery charged on the go, and an external USB port allows you to charge your mobile device without opening the suitcase.

The sleek collection’s premium design details include scuff- and scratch-resistant fabrics with leather accents in online-exclusive colors, plus chrome zippers. The PrecisionGlide system combines an adjustable PowerScope handle, patented Contour Grip and MagnaTrac spinner wheels for precise control and effortless mobility. Its telescoping handles also feature a smartly designed load-release mechanism that pulls away from the bag to maintain a slim profile when not in use.

In addition to a wide range of sizes, the Platinum Elite comes in a number of stylish color combinations and is backed by a limited lifetime warranty. For the best travel experience, pair it with the companion underseat duffel for overnight trips and weekend getaways.

3. Amazon Basics 30″ Hardside Spinner

For price-conscious travelers, this hardside carry-on from Amazon Basics delivers a good value. It scores well in our lab tests and ticks most of the boxes we look for, including a telescoping handle that extends and retracts with ease, sturdy 360-degree spinner wheels, and an internal compression system to maximize packing space. The zippers and straps on this Amazon Basics bag feel less durable than those on the Away The Carry-On, however, and its exterior fabric is rougher than the more sophisticated design of Away’s polycarbonate suitcase.

Its clamshell-style interior fits a week’s worth of clothes with room to spare and offers ample organization with zippered compartments and a divider pocket for shoes or accessories. In our impact resistance tests, this suitcase showed very little damage after being tossed around, even when a backpack was dropped on top of it.

Its simple style may not be as flashy as some other options, but it stands out in the luggage carousel and on busy airport conveyor belts. And the four large rubberized spinner wheels scoot along smoothly on most flat surfaces and easily negotiate curbs, cobblestones, and gravel paths. The telescoping handle feels comfortable and secure, and it can be locked in place for stability. Other features we love include a spacious front SpeedThru pocket, an embedded TSA-approved lock, and an expandable compartment to stash souvenirs on your return trip.

4. Timbuk2 Copilot

A favorite among globetrotting Timbuk2 fans, the Copilot is light and easy to pack. Its sleek new styling works downtown or way out of town, and its bike-inspired handle system and broad-base skateboard wheels yield a smooth roll. Its clam shell structure makes it easy to pack and repack, with multiple reinforced grab straps for an easy heave into overhead bins. And it offers enough space for a week’s worth of clothes, while the internal dividers and padded front sleeve pocket keep electronics safe and organized.

Like the Briggs and Samsonite bags that ruled our tests, the Copilot is made of strong yet lightweight materials. It also has a sturdy top handle, a comfortable telescoping handle, and a TSA-approved lock. The bag is also one of the few that kept water out of its critical pockets through our extensive wholesale designer purse vendors testing, and it showed very little wear after harsh handling and exposure to rough roads and city sidewalks.

The only drawback is that the Copilot doesn’t crush down as easily as some of the other soft-sided luggage we tested, which can be problematic on international flights. But most travelers can work around that if it’s the only bag you need to stow in an overhead bin, or you don’t have a lot of bulky items. Plus, the Copilot is a great value at the price point.