With so many choices on the market today, deciding between the best luggage brands can be a challenge. Identifying the best of anything involves personal taste and style, and so it is with luggage.
There are, however, some objective considerations in recommending the best luggage brands, such as design, warranty, and quality of materials, zippers, wheels, and handles. Beyond that, the best luggage brands should optimize interior space and offer sizes that meet both travelers’ needs and airlines’ requirements.
Price is also a consideration. One could spend thousands of dollars on a piece of luggage that might be the best on the market, but not everyone’s budget would permit that expenditure on a suitcase. Therefore, our recommendations for best luggage brands are based on value as well as quality and design.
The list includes luggage in various price ranges, ordered from low- to high-investment, with an emphasis on durability, style, and function.
American Tourister
For good quality at lower- to mid-range prices, American Tourister could be considered the best luggage brand for practical vacationers who may not travel frequently enough to demand extremely durable or luxurious luggage. Owned by Samsonite, this widely available and dependable brand includes softside and hardside luggage in a variety of bold colors and finishes, including bags for kids (and adults!) featuring favorite Disney and Marvel Comics characters.
American Tourister luggage is retailed at eBags, Kohl’s, and Amazon.
Samsonite
One of the best-known luggage brands, Samsonite began more than 100 years ago as a trunk manufacturer. Its wide range of products includes hardside and softside bags, garment bags, backpacks, and travel accessories. Four-wheeled spinners and gliders, with their lower center of gravity, are also included in their product line. Sold in the low-to-middle price range, Samsonite products offer durability, style, and value.
Samsonite luggage is retailed at eBags, Zappos, Macy’s, and Amazon.
Travelpro
This mid-priced brand, a favorite of flight crews, offers excellent quality, value, and durability. Its claim to fame is having been invented by an airline pilot who recognized the need for wheeled luggage and made it work. The popular Maxlite series includes softside and hardside styles in a range of colors, two-wheel rollaboard or four-wheel spinner. The just-launched Platinum Elite line, their high-end option comes with premium fabrics, leather trim, and a “Worry-Free” lifetime warranty.
Travelpro luggage is retailed at eBags, Amazon, and Zappos.
Delsey
Founded in Paris in 1946 as a producer of leather camera cases, Delsey expanded into the luggage business in 1970 with its first hardcase line. They still specialize in hardside bags, creating the first style with one main compartment similar to a softside luggage configuration. Their product line also includes stylish and colorful softside bags, garment bags, and duffels. Known for creative innovations, they offer excellent durability and value in the middle price range.
Delsey luggage is retailed at eBags, Zappos, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s.
Eagle Creek
This rugged luggage line has a casual, outdoorsy vibe with an emphasis on durability and functionality. Tough, weather-resistant coated polyester fabrics, heavy-duty wheels, and puncture-proof lockable zippers make it ready for rough treatment on long trips, and the company backs it up with its “No Matter What” lifetime warranty. Above mid-range in price, practical additions include a key fob with bottle opener and add-a-bag straps.
