When it comes time to major travel gear purchases, a checked bag typically tops the list in regards to both importance and price. It’s a staple for longer trips (anywhere from 10 to 14 days) and for anyone who wants or needs more room in their suitcase. And while large luggage tends to be relatively costly, a quality bag should last you for years to come, making it a worthwhile investment. That said, deciding which checked bag is best for you—whether you’re buying your first one or looking to upgrade from an older model—isn’t a decision to make lightly. You’ll want to consider a few factors:
- Material: Hard-sided suitcases usually function as clamshells (giving you space to pack on both sides); soft-sided suitcases often have one large compartment and a few exterior pockets.
- Organizational elements: If you’re a packing cube devotee, you might not care about extra pockets; overpackers—or anyone traveling with bulky items—will likely want a bag with compression straps.
- Wheel count: Two wheels are better for speed and rough terrain while four wheels cater to maneuverability. If you go with two wheels, you’ll be pulling your bag from point A to point B; four wheels give you the ability to push or pull, depending on your preference.
- Cost: Checked luggage ranges anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to a couple thousand. A higher price tag can indicate more features and higher-quality materials, but there are occasions when you’re simply paying for the brand name.
To help you narrow down the search, our editors and contributors spent months reviewing models from top luggage brands like Away, Calpak, Paravel, July, and Béis to determine which ones we recommend most. Read on to discover the 15 best checked luggage pieces to buy right now—all of which have been thoroughly road-tested for durability, functionality, and capacity.
How we tested
To help us recommend the absolute best luggage to our readers, more than a dozen Condé Nast Traveler editors and contributors spent months (and in some cases, years) road-testing the newest and best-selling bags from top travel brands. These bags accompanied us near and far on planes, trains, buses, and cruises, from local staycations and Hamptons getaways to the Paris Olympics and Marlon Brando’s private island in French Polynesia. We packed these bags to the brim, lifted them into overhead bins, rolled them down cobblestone streets, and inspected every bump and scuff they endured. We considered each bag’s weight, capacity, functionality, price point, and how well it held up after several trips. We also identified smart design features that make a bag stand out from its competitors, like having weight indicators, separate shoe compartments, or ample pockets. After traveling with each bag, we carefully reviewed them, keeping the aforementioned criteria in mind to determine which ones are worth the cost and a spot in our Luggage Week lineup.
This article is part of Condé Nast Traveler’s second annual Luggage Week, for which dozens of suitcases, backpacks, and weekender bags were road-tested by our editors.
