Every luggage brand swears its suitcases are durable, lightweight, and worth the price. Most of them are stretching the truth on at least one of those. The trouble is you rarely find out whether you chose the right luggage until you’ve already traveled with it a few times.
That’s why I’ve done the testing for you. After almost two decades of wheeling suitcases through airports, fitting them into overhead bins, and hauling them up subway stairs, these are the best luggage brands I actually trust. Most notably, the ones whose suitcases still feel worth the money years and many trips later.
Below, I’ve broken down what each brand does best, from trendy minimalist carry-ons to reliable classics, so you can skip straight to the one that fits your personal style and how you travel.
Shopping for the whole family? Read my guide to the best hardside luggage sets.
Short on time? Here’s a quick look at my recommendations
- Monos – Best Minimalist Luggage
- Level8 – Best Luggage For Maneuverability
- BÉIS – Best Luggage For Overpackers
- Calpak – Best Luggage For Organization
- Rimowa – Best Luxury Luggage
- Briggs & Riley – Best Buy It For Life Luggage
- Samsonite – Most Reliable Luggage
#1 Monos
Best Minimalist Luggage
I’ve owned my Monos Carry-On for five years, and it’s still the one I bring on most trips. It’s the suitcase that got me to switch from soft-sided to hardshell, and I liked it enough to talk my dad, brother, and sister-in-law into buying their own before a family trip through the UK.
Monos built its name on a clean, minimalist design, and that’s the draw. The smooth polycarbonate shell, vegan leather accents, and various stylish color options give it a sleek look.
Little touches show the thought they put into how they design their suitcases, including high-quality wheels, a release button hidden under the handle grip, and four handle height settings that work well for me as a tall woman (I’m 5’10”). Their suitcases also offer decent organization for a hardshell, and their carry-ons come with a compression pad.
My Monos carry-on, specifically, is very lightweight (I’ve carried it up and down so many stairs) and has cleared every major airline sizer, so you don’t have to worry about having to gate check it due to size.
Beyond looks and features, Monos is the first North American luggage brand to become a certified B Corp, with recycled shells and vegan materials. Their suitcases come with a 100-day trial too, which is nice for being able to test them properly before a trip.
One honest con is that the shell scuffs somewhat easily if you have to check it. The scuffs show more on lighter colors like my Blue Haze, so you might want to go for a darker color if you’re worried about it. Monos now includes a magic eraser with orders for this reason, and I’ve heard it’s pretty effective at getting off the scuffs. They also include a laundry bag, two shoe bags, and a luggage tag with orders.
–> Read my Monos Carry On review
#2 Level8
Best Luggage For Maneuverability
I’ve been testing the Level8 Voyageur Carry-On for a few months now, including a recent trip to Hawaii, and I’ve never rolled a smoother suitcase through an airport. A lot of that comes down to their wide handle design, which is the feature that sets Level8 apart from other brands.
Instead of a telescoping bar that runs up the center of the case, the handle sits at the outer edges of the frame. It makes their suitcases more stable, especially when you have a personal item stacked on top that would tip a normal carry-on over (it’s happened to me a lot at the airport).
Because the handle isn’t running through the inside, you also get a completely flat packing surface on both sides. No metal bars are eating into packing space, and the handle never gets stuck when you pack it to the brim.
Their shells hold up well too, with a look and feel that’s very durable. My husband checked the Voyageur on a work trip to LA, and it still looked pretty clean when he got home. It came back with a few scuffs, but they mostly wiped off.
There are a couple of downsides to know about. The biggest is that although I love the wide handle design for its maneuverability, it means you can’t easily use the luggage sleeve on a personal item. So, if you like sliding a bag over your handle the way I do on travel days, that’s worth noting. The shape is also a little boxier than most hardshells, so it’s not quite as sleek, though I personally still like how it looks.
–> Read my detailed comparison of Level8 vs Monos
#3 BÉIS
Best Luggage For Overpackers
If you like to bring more than you should but still want to travel carry-on, BÉIS is the brand to look at. Their suitcases are roomy to start with, and their carry-on expands for the trip home when you’ve picked up more than you left with. Plus, their suitcases pass for something more expensive, with clean lines and a beige-and-black palette that looks high-end without the luxury price.
Our writer Elina traveled with the BÉIS Carry-On Roller across Europe for two months as her only bag, and it held up to constant trains, buses, and flights. She’s an overpacker, and the roomy interior gave her room to work with.
She also liked the strong, flexible zippers that still close when the bag is stuffed, the cushioned handle, and the extras most of their suitcases come with, like shoe and laundry bags and a weight indicator that warns you when your luggage is near 50 pounds.
Similar to Monos, the downside with BÉIS luggage is scuffing. Their polycarbonate shells pick up marks easily, and lighter colors show them most. BÉIS sells a buffer to clean them up, but if you check your bag often, a darker shade is the safer pick.
–> Read Elina’s BÉIS Review
#4 Calpak
Best Luggage For Organization
Calpak is the brand I recommend to people when they want quality luggage with some personality at a slightly friendlier price than Monos or Away.
Their range is huge, spanning hardshell suitcases, soft-sided duffels, totes, and backpacks, and almost all of it comes in colors and prints you don’t see elsewhere, from metallics to pastels and bold patterns. The branding skews fun, feminine, and a little younger, but the quality holds up, and I still love their luggage as a 30-something-year-old.
Organization is where Calpak separates itself from other luggage brands. Their suitcases and bags are loaded with well-designed pockets and compartments, so you’re not digging through one open cavity to find your charger.
Their most popular hardshell, the Ambeur Carry-On, comes in various fun colors and has compression straps and multiple mesh pockets. And I’ve traveled to Hawaii with their Terra 26L Duffel Backpack, and it’s one of the smartest-designed bags I own. It opens flat like a suitcase, converts from a backpack to a duffel, and has more pockets and compartments than most bags its size.
If you want travel luggage that’s well-organized and actually fun to look at, Calpak is hard to beat.
–> Read my Calpak Terra 26L Duffel Backpack review
#5 Rimowa
Best Luxury Luggage
If money is no object and you want a suitcase that lasts decades, Rimowa is the top brand to look at. The German brand has been making luggage since 1898, and its grooved aluminum cases are the ones you’ve seen in every airport lounge and some of your favorite movies.
Although the grooved design has become somewhat synonymous with Rimowa, it isn’t just for looks. The grooves add rigidity to the shell and help prevent the aluminum from cracking. Every new suitcase comes with a lifetime guarantee on functional parts, backed by a global repair network that services cases from decades ago.
Their flagship is the Original Cabin, an iconic aluminum carry-on. It’s beautifully engineered, with smooth wheels, a handle that locks at any height, and a leather-lined grip. Rimowa also makes a lighter, more affordable polycarbonate line called Essential if aluminum isn’t your thing.
The obvious caveat is price. Since LVMH bought the brand in 2017, aluminum cabin cases run well over a thousand dollars, and prices have climbed far past inflation. It’s a serious investment, but if you travel constantly and want one stylish suitcase for life, few brands justify the splurge like Rimowa.
#6 Briggs & Riley
Best Buy It For Life Luggage
Briggs & Riley makes soft-sided luggage that’s built to survive decades of travel, and then backs it with the strongest guarantee in the industry.
Their Simple As That guarantee covers any functional damage for the life of the bag, free of charge, with no proof of purchase and no questions asked, even if an airline is the one that broke it. Almost every other luggage brand excludes airline damage, which is exactly when suitcases get wrecked, so that coverage sets them apart.
Their flagship Baseline line is built from ballistic nylon with an exterior handle that frees up interior space and lets you pack flat, plus a compression-expansion system that adds room and then cinches everything down.
The main cons are the higher price and look of their suitcases. Briggs & Riley isn’t cheap, and the design can be a bit boring for some; think polished professional rather than fashion-forward. But if you want a bag you’ll never have to replace, nothing else comes close.
This brand is especially great if you’re a frequent business traveler or take multiple trips per year and need a suitcase that can take a beating.
#7 Samsonite
Most Reliable Luggage
You’ve almost certainly rolled past a Samsonite suitcase in an airport, because the brand has been making luggage since 1910, and it’s about as close to a safe default as luggage gets.
Samsonite doesn’t chase trends or flashy designs. What it does is make dependable, widely available suitcases at a range of prices, which is why it’s lasted more than a century.
Their Freeform Carry-On Spinner is the current favorite, a lightweight polypropylene hardshell with a grooved finish that hides wear, smooth double-spinner wheels, and an inch of expansion for the trip home. It comes in a range of colors and sizes, it’s easy to find in stores and online, and it’s the most budget-friendly pick on this list.
The caveat is style. Samsonite is one of the least stylish options out there, so if that’s important to you, you’ll want to look elsewhere. However, for a reliable suitcase from a brand that’ll still be around in twenty years, it’s a solid pick.
Honorable Mentions
These didn’t make my top seven, but they’re solid brands worth a look depending on what you’re after:
- Carl Friedrik – This London brand makes leather-trimmed polycarbonate hardshells that have shown up in Succession, The White Lotus, and The Gentlemen. It rolls on premium Hinomoto wheels and comes with a lifetime warranty.
- July – The Australian brand behind the CaseSafe carry-on, which builds luggage tracking right into a TSA lock that works with both Apple and Google networks, so no separate AirTag needed.
- Antler – A British brand founded in 1914, best known for its Clifton line. The double-spinner wheels roll beautifully, the colors are rich enough to spot at the carousel, and every suitcase comes with a lifetime warranty.
- Travelpro – A flight crew favorite. The Maxlite is the affordable, ultralight soft-side pick, and the Platinum Elite is the heavier-duty one.
- Paravel – The sustainability pick. Their Aviator is the first carbon-neutral carry-on, made from recycled polycarbonate with a lining spun from upcycled plastic bottles.
FAQs About Luggage Brands
It comes down to preference and how you travel. I prefer hardshell suitcases because they protect what’s inside better and the surface wipes clean easily.
Soft-sided bags have their own advantages, like exterior pockets and a little more give when you’re packing tight, so it’s worth thinking about which matters more to you.
A few things signal luggage that won’t last. Skip anything with only two wheels, since four spinner wheels roll more easily and are a lot more maneuverable. Watch for thin shells or flimsy fabric, which is the most common sign of a cheap bag. Extend the handle a few times before buying, and if it wobbles or rattles, that’s usually the first thing to break.
Be cautious with unknown ultra-budget brands that have no clear warranty or way to get replacement parts, since a bag that fails with no support behind it often costs more in the end than spending a little more upfront.
I lean toward small carry-on sizes for versatility, and I think everyone benefits from having a bag that fits in the overhead bin when needed.
Most domestic carry-ons run around 22 by 14 by 9 inches, though it’s always worth checking your airline since limits vary, especially on budget and international carriers.
That said, the right size depends on your trips. Quick getaways rarely need much space, while longer trips or anything requiring items you can’t bring in the cabin may call for a checked bag.
A few do, but the details matter. Briggs & Riley has the strongest, an unconditional lifetime guarantee that covers functional damage even when an airline causes it.
Rimowa and Monos both offer limited lifetime warranties that cover functional defects but exclude cosmetic wear and airline damage. Always read what’s actually covered, since “lifetime” means different things across brands.
For hard use over many years, Rimowa’s aluminum cases and Briggs & Riley’s ballistic nylon bags are among the toughest you can buy. Samsonite is a reliable middle ground that holds up well for the price.
Durability usually tracks with materials and construction, so heavier-duty shells and fabrics tend to outlast ultralight ones.
If buying American matters to you, Calpak and BÉIS are both California brands based in LA, and Level8 and Briggs & Riley are both based in New York.
Keep in mind that even American luggage brands typically manufacture their bags overseas, so US-based usually refers to where the company is headquartered rather than where the luggage is made.
Final Thoughts On Choosing the Best Luggage Brand
The best luggage brand is the one that fits how you actually travel. Someone flying carry-on only every few weeks needs something different from a person checking a big hardshell twice a year, and no single suitcase wins for everyone.
The good news is that any of the brands on this list will serve you well. They all get the fundamentals right: smooth wheels, a sturdy handle, a shell or fabric that survives being tossed around, and a company that stands behind its product. So the choice really comes down to what you want most, whether that’s a minimalist look, the smoothest roll, standout organization, or a bag built to last for decades.
Figure out how you travel most often and what matters most to you, then pick the brand that lines up. Whichever way you go, you’ll end up with luggage that’s worth the money and ready for wherever you’re headed next.
Shopping for bags and luggage for your next trip? Check out my related articles below!
Best Hardside Luggage Sets For Women
Best Carry-On Luggage For Europe
Most Stylish Travel Purses For Europe
Best Travel Backpacks for Women
Best Wheeled Backpacks For Travel
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