16 Best Luggage Brands in 2021 Compared

By Oscar Brumelis | Last Updated February 21, 2021

Most people think that luggage brands are basically identical, and go with whatever brand catches their eye first. Or, they go into Walmart and get a new suitcase on sale every other year.

But did you know that for paying a bit more you could get something that lasts decades? Some brands focus on durability, but a lot of them focus solely on the price, and those are the ones that end up breaking after the first trip.

If you want to make a smart purchase, you need to learn which luggage brands are solid choices, and which ones make crap.

In this article, we’ll be comparing the best luggage brands in 2020, and letting you know the winners.

We’ve reviewed 16 different luggage brands, and rated them on a 100-point scale. Each score was calculated by adding up points in six categories: quality, reviews, features, design, warranty, and prices.

Best Luxury and Business Luggage Brands

1. Briggs & Riley (92 points | 300$ – 700$)

Briggs & Riley’s luggage is one of the most expensive options out there. That said, in the long run, they’ll be a smarter choice for frequent travelers because they’re expected to at last 10-20 years. Their luggage is incredibly well made and is backed up by a lifetime warranty against all physical defects.

Out of all the high-end brands (Tumi, Rimowa, Hartmann), they’re the best choice because of the lifetime warranty, rigid build quality, and exceptional customer reviews.

2. Tumi (88 points | 400$ – 1200$)

Tumi is a high-end luxury luggage brand focused on business travels and wealthy individuals. They’re one of the most expensive brands out there, and we believe that they’re slightly overpriced. Around 100$ – 200$ is just paid for the brand.

Their suitcases are incredibly durable, good-looking, and take the first place in features. But unfortunately, Tumi doesn’t offer a lifetime warranty, as opposed to the similarly priced Briggs & Riley, which is the main reason why they don’t take the first place.

Best Medium-Class Luggage Brands

1. Chester (91 points | 200$ – 280$)

Chester is a newer and less-popular luggage brand, that makes high-quality hardside suitcases at moderate prices. Although they’re priced on the higher end, in the middle class, they’re hands-down the best choice for hardside luggage.

We got our hands on their Minima carry-on and performed several durability tests, which revealed that they’re very well-made. Not only that, but they also come with a 10-year warranty, and their products are reviewed exceptionally well.

2. Travelpro (90 points | 100$ – 300$)

Between all the middle-class luggage brands, Travelpro comes out in second place at 90 points. If you’re looking for a middle-class fabric suitcase, Travelpro will be the best choice. We tested one of their cheaper models at 100$ on a few trips, and it performed incredibly well.

Travelpro’s quality, customer reviews, and warranty terms are comparable to brands that cost twice as much. They’ll be especially useful for luggage crews, business travelers, and frequent travelers because their suitcases will easily last a decade.

3. Samsonite (85 points | 100$ – 300$)

Although Samsonite isn’t as durable as Travelpro, their suitcases are very well made nevertheless. Their warranty is one of the best ones out there, and they have dealers and repair centers just about everywhere. If you’re looking for a well-built, versatile, and somewhat cheap suitcase for frequent travel or leisure, Samsonite is a solid choice.

That said, we think that they’re somewhat overpriced and not as great as Travelpro or Chester. They’re enjoying their obvious market domination and can get away with slightly worse durability and features. If you didn’t know, Samsonite is by far the most popular luggage brand on the market.

4. Delsey Paris (83 points | 100$ – 300$)

In quality, customer reviews, and features Delsey is very similar to Samsonite. The key difference is that Delsey is better-looking and offers more selection than Samsonite or Travlepro. However, because of their slightly-worse warranty terms and sometimes unjustified prices, they take only the fourth place between all the medium-class brands.

Delsey is a solid choice for frequent travel and leisure because they’re not too expensive, very well made, and are backed up by a decent warranty.

5. Traveler’s Choice (82 points | 60$ – 160$)

Traveler’s Choice isn’t as popular as Samsonite, Travelpro, or Delsey, but they’re not too small either. They make high-end suitcases at affordable prices. Although we placed them in the middle class, they’re somewhere between the middle class and affordable class, because their suitcases are seriously cheap.

They offer a wide selection of affordable, well-made, and good-looking suitcases that are packed with many useful features. And what’s more, their warranty is also pretty decent. They’ll be a solid choice for leisure and moderate business travel, but they won’t last frequent travel.

6. Ricardo Beverly Hills (82 points | 70$ – 300$)

Ricardo Beverly Hills is another medium class luggage manufacturer from the United States. Their suitcases are very well made, come with smart packing features, and are somewhat affordable. However, in reviews, quality, and warranty, they’re slightly behind Samsonite, Delsey, Chester, and Travelpro.

That said, they’re still a solid choice for semi-frequent travel or leisure. Especially some of their cheaper models, like the Mar Vista, which we consider a pretty good deal.

7. Mia Toro ITALY (68 points | 70$ – 340$)

Mia Toro is a lesser-known luggage brand from Italy. They’re best known for their artistic and vivid looks. In fact, on our rating scale, they take the first place in the design category.

However, we do believe they’re somewhat overpriced. They present themselves as a luxury Italian brand, but their suitcases lack the durability and warranty that you would get from other brands in the medium class. We’d say that they offer similar quality to affordable luggage brands, only at higher prices.

Best Affordable Luggage Brands

1. Coolife (76 points | 50$ – 100$)

Coolife is an affordable luggage brand that’s lately become popular on Amazon. Although their warranty is pretty much useless, their suitcases are durable enough, packed with useful features, incredibly well-reviewed, good-looking, and really affordable.

If you’re looking for something in the affordable range, we think that Coolife is currently the best choice, even with their poor warranty terms. They’ll be great for individual suitcases as well as cheap luggage sets. That said, we wouldn’t recommend using them for frequent travel, because they’re built from cheap materials.

2. American Tourister (74 points | 50$ – 140$)

In the affordable class, American Tourister is one of the best choices. Their warranty is almost identical to Samsonite (because they’re owned by Samsonite), their quality and reviews are quite decent, and they’re really affordable.

That said, we wouldn’t recommend American Tourister’s suitcases for frequent travelers. They’ll be great for people who travel less than five times per year, and at that rate will last at least three to ten years.

3. It Luggage (71 points | 50$ – 150$)

It Luggage only takes third place in the affordable class, but we think that they’re the best choice for lightweight luggage. Their carry-ons start at 3.8 lbs. For comparison, we couldn’t find any other carry-ons from other brands that weigh under 5 lbs.

Although they aren’t too durable, and their warranty isn’t the greatest, their suitcases are priced really affordably. They have a large group of loyal customers who have stayed with them for over a decade. Their repeat customers understand that they’ll have to get a new bag every few years, but there simply isn’t a better alternative for lightweight luggage.

4. Merax (70 points | 50$ – 90$)

Essentially, Merax offers very similar suitcases to Coolife, but they’re slightly less-durable and have fewer features. Their warranty is also pretty much useless, but that doesn’t matter too much because they’re priced ridiculously low. You can get a hardside luggage set for just under 100$. Compared to Coolife, you can get similar suitcases for 10-30$ less.

Merax suitcases are also really well-reviewed, and their quality will be enough for most people who travel 1-5 times per year. We wouldn’t recommend them for frequent travelers, though.

5. Swiss Gear (70 points | 60$ – 170$)

Swiss Gear is a somewhat popular affordable luggage brand from Switzerland. They’re best known for making durable travel backpacks, which are pretty popular in the backpacking community. However, their suitcases aren’t as durable as their backpacks.

Compared to American Tourister, Swiss Gear’s suitcases are similarly durable, but are slightly more expensive, and have worse warranty terms, which is why they’ve taken only the fifth place between affordable luggage brands.

6. Lucas (68 points | 50$ – 120$)

Lucas is another affordable luggage brand that’s popular on Amazon. Their suitcases are best known for being really affordable and lightweight. That said, their warranty is pretty much pointless, and the durability isn’t enough for frequent travel.

Because they haven’t received as good reviews as Coolife or American Tourister, and because they offer pretty simple suitcases at slightly higher prices, they take only the sixth place between all the affordable luggage brands.

7. Rockland (63 points | 30$ – 100$)

Rockland is the most popular affordable luggage brand in online retail stores. They make colorful and fun suitcases in really affordable prices (a single suitcase available for $30-$100, or a luggage set for $50-$120.)

That said, don’t expect them to last a long time. They’re great as a cheap short-term alternative, but their reliability and warranty aren’t particularly stunning. In the affordable range, we think that Coolife, American Tourister, It Luggage or Merax are better choices.

F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions)

Which Luggage Brands Are the Most Popular?

The latest data that we could track online was from 2015, from theatlas.com, which was taken from Euromonitor.

According to this data, Samsonite is the most popular luggage brand on the market, by far. Although now things have likely changed a bit, Samsonite is probably still the most popular luggage brand.

Here are the most popular luggage brands in 2015:

• Samsonite: 17.3% (Samsonite, American Tourister, Tumi, Hartmann, High Sierra, Lipault, Speck, Gregory, Kamiliant)
• Louis Vuitton SA: 5%
• Delsey SA: 2%
• Rimowa GmbH: 1.8%
• VF Corp: 1.3% (Eastpak, The North Face)
• Tumi Holdings Inc: 1.3% (Now owned by Samsonite)
• VIP Industries Ltd: 1.2% (Aristocrat, Alfa, VIP, Skybags)
• Kering SA: 1% (Gucci, Saint Laurent)
• Hermes International SCA: 0.9%
• Shanghai Teifeng Cases Co Ltd: 0.6% (Manufacturer for other popular brands.)

Which Are the Worst Luggage Brands?

We’ve reviewed 16 luggage brands, but we’ve taken a look at much more. Generally, we know which luggage brands make bad quality products that you should avoid.

Here are the worst luggage brands:

• Rockland (Not all of their models. Some are okay.)
• Planet Traveler
• Perry Ellis (With a few exceptions.)

This is purely based on our own experience and the reviews on major online stores.

Which Are the Most Durable Luggage Brands?

Based on our own research, the most durable luggage brands are Rimowa and Briggs & Riley. Rimowa makes the most durable hardside suitcases, and Briggs & Riley makes the most durable fabric suitcases.

Rimowa is the best option for hardside because they’re made from aluminum and manufactured in the U.S. Although they’re incredibly expensive, they’ll likely last at least a few decades. Many people confirm that they’re close to indestructible, and only on a few rare occasions do people experience any problems.

And Briggs & Riley is so good because they’re made from 1680D Ballistic Nylon, every piece is rigorously tested before leaving the facility, and they’re backed up by a lifetime warranty against all functional defects. Most people agree that for fabric luggage, Briggs & Riley currently makes the most durable suitcases on the market.

But in addition to Rimowa and Briggs & Riley, there are a few other brands that are also really durable.

Here are the most durable luggage brands, ranked:

1. Rimowa
2. Briggs & Riley
3. Tumi
4. Travelpro
5. Chester
6. Away Luggage

Which Luggage Brand Is the Lightest?

Currently, the world’s lightest suitcases are offered by It Luggage. Their lightest option, the It Luggage World’s Lightest 2-wheeled carry-on, weighs just 3.8 lbs. We spent some time looking around, and we couldn’t find any carry-ons from other brands that weigh under 5lbs, so 3.8lbs is quite impressive.

They’re so light, because they’re made from thinner materials, and the main structural frame is made out of fiberglass, instead of aluminum or other metals. A lot of frequent flyers use them even though they’re not that durable. They know that they’ll have to get a new suitcase every few years, but that doesn’t matter too much because It Luggage is very cheap.

Other lightweight luggage brands are Lucas and Travelpro. Out of both, we think that Travelpro is a better choice. The Travelpro Maxlite 5 carry-on is only 5.4 lbs, it costs only slightly more than It Luggage, but it will last at least twice as long because it’s much more durable.

Read Next: How and Where Can You Weigh Your Luggage (Even Without a Scale)

What Luggage Brands Do Pilots Use?

On our post, what luggage do pilots use, we researched what the most common brands recommended by pilots are.

Here are the most common luggage brands used by pilots:

• Travelpro (Durable and affordable)
• Briggs & Riley (really expensive, but incredibly durable)
• Rimowa (really expensive, but incredibly durable)
• Samsonite (durable and affordable)
• Flight Outfitters (for pilot bags and flight crew flight bags)
• Lightspeed Aviation (for pilot bags and flight crew flight bags)
• Brightline (for pilot bags and flight crew flight bags)

Read Next: In-depth Comparison Of The Best Flight Bags

Which Luggage Brands Have the Best Wheels?

Currently, we think that the best spinner wheels come with Travelpro, Samsonite, and Chester.

With Travelpro, we’re talking about the magnetic double spinner wheels that come with the Travelpro Platinum Elite carry-on. They’re great because they’re massive, durable, they roll smoothly, and have a magnetic element that gently turns them in the same direction when not used. This results in the suitcase rolling in a straight line, but at the same time, it’s really easy to rotate to another angle.

And with Samsonite, we’re talking about the spherical Tru-Trac wheels on the Samsonite Silhouette XV spinner. This carry-on comes with double spherical spinner wheels that roll smoothly and in a straight line because they’re placed in a “v-shaped” pattern. Because they’re spherical and ball-shaped, they’re also more durable.

Another worthy mention is the wheels on the Chester Minima carry-on. We tested them in real life, and we must say that they performed quite amazing. They turn easily, roll smoothly, and feel really durable. From the inside, they’re attached with regular screws, which means that they can also be easily replaced. (They’re also covered by the 10-year warranty.)

Which Luggage Brands Offer a Lifetime Warranty?

Here are all the luggage brands that offer a lifetime warranty, ranked by how good their lifetime warranty actually is:

1. Briggs & Riley
2. Away Luggage
3. Eagle Creek
4. Patagonia
5. Travelpro
6. Osprey
7. Thule
8. Nomatic
9. Red Oxx

But out of all, Briggs & Riley’s lifetime warranty stands out as the best one, by far. They cover all physical defects to the luggage, regardless of whether it was from misuse, airline defects, or whatever. Also, no proof of purchase is needed and the warranty transfers between different owners. Only minor defects, like scratches and dents, aren’t covered.

What Are the Best Hardside Luggage Brands?

Here are the best hardside luggage brands, ranked from the best to worst:

1. Rimowa
2. Away
3. Chester
4. Briggs & Riley
5. Tumi
6. Travelpro

If you’re fine with paying a premium price tag (700$ – 1200$), then Rimowa is hands-down the best choice for hardside luggage on the market. They’re made from aluminum, and a lot of their customers are still using their aluminum suitcases from the ’90s or even the ’80s, which says how durable they are. Another expensive but solid choice would be one of the Tumi’s aluminum suitcases.

But if you can’t afford that, then the next best choice would be to get a hardside polycarbonate suitcase from Away or Chester (180$ – 250$). Both brands are new and offer premium hardside suitcases with excellent warranties for somewhat affordable prices. We can especially recommend the Chester Minima Carry-on, which we tested for several weeks.

What Are the Best Softside Luggage Brands?

Here are the best softside luggage brands, ranked from best to worst:

1. Briggs & Riley
2. Tumi
3. Travelpro
4. Samsonite
5. Victorinox

If you can afford something expensive, then the best choice would be the Briggs & Riley Baseline 2-wheeled carry-on. Briggs & Riley makes the best softside suitcases on the market. They’re incredibly durable, built from premium materials, and backed up by an outstanding warranty. Another good option would be Tumi, but they’re slightly more expensive while offering similar durability and features.

But if you can’t afford that, you should get the Travelpro Platinum Elite carry-on or the Travelpro Maxlite 5 carry-on, depending on how much you can afford to spend. Both of them are incredibly well-made, have solid warranties, and come with some nice features. We’ve been testing the cheaper Maxlite 5 for about a year now, and it has stood up several international trips without any issues.

How We Determined the Scores

Each luggage brand was rated on a 100-point scale. The total sum of points consisted of six categories: customer reviews, quality, features, design, warranty, and price. Each category had a different amount of points, based on how important it was.

Reviews (Max 30 Points)

Reviews and customer satisfaction scores should be the #1 thing to look at when you’re buying anything. It’s the best way to find out if the product really is as good as advertised.

To determine the score, we researched the customer reviews on various websites: Amazon.com, Sears.com, luggagepros.com, ebags.com, Kohl’s.com, travel forums, answers on quora.com, and other relevant sites. At least ten of their most popular luggage models were researched.

When we finished going through the reviews, we tried to find common similarities, their most popular flaws, e.t.c., and based our points off of that.

Quality (Max 20 Points)

Unfortunately, we couldn’t buy every brand’s products and test the quality for ourselves (but we’re planning to do that in the future.)

So we based our quality scores off everything that we could find online. While we researched 100’s of customer reviews, we got a good grip on how durable their products really are.

Additionally, we researched what materials the brand is using for their suitcases. And when we could, we tested some of the models for ourselves either by buying them or testing them physically at a local dealer.

Our final quality score was calculated by weighing all the factors mentioned above: Customer reviews, materials used, and when we could – tests performed at a dealer or home.

Features (Max 15 Points)

The features category represents how useful or innovative the brand’s products are.

First, we looked at what innovations they’re bringing to the table – innovative packing solutions, new materials, tracking systems, e.t.c.

After that, we looked at their most popular models and compared their features to the competition.

And finally, we determined how easy they are to pack into. For instance, positive features would be a large main compartment, expandable width, integrated TSA bags for liquids, laptop pockets, organizers, shoe pockets, compression straps, suiter compartments with hangers, TSA locks, e.t.c.

The final features score was determined based on all three points mentioned above.

Design (Max 15 Points)

For the design, we evaluated two factors and determined the final score off of that.

First, we rated how consistent they are with their style. We looked at their products and determined whether they’re known for a specific look (minimalistic, outdoors, professional, colorful, e.t.c.), or are they indistinguishable from others.

Second, we rated what’s their selection like. That is, are their products available in many colors and sizes, are they suitable for men and women, and is their style unique.

Warranty (Max 10 Points)

To determine the score in warranty, we evaluated two factors.

First, we evaluated the warranty itself. We read all the fine-print and compared that to other brands. It’s pretty common for luggage brands only to provide warranty for manufacturing defects, and nothing else, or do extensive repairs only in the first year.

Next, we researched other customer’s experiences. While reading all the reviews, we paid attention to all the cases where the bags were damaged and had to be sent back. Some brands are really deceitful about their warranties, and while on paper their warranty is good, in reality, it isn’t.

Price (Max 10 Points)

To determine the price, we didn’t just look at the average prices. The final score was also based on the actual value that you get.

For instance, we rated Briggs & Riley’s price at 8 points (even though they cost $400-$700) because they offer a lifetime warranty against all physical defects. Their customers are using their bags for 10, 20, or more years, and in the long run, it pays off, compared to getting a new bag every three years.

Conclusion

At the moment, the luggage market is still saturated with a lot of old brands that are rarely innovating and improving.

But lately, a few new brands have joined in on the race, by making smart luggage or claiming to be better than everyone else.

It’s necessary for someone to step in and make a useful resource that compares all the main brands so that you, as the buyer, can make an educated purchase (We’re trying to become that resource!)

Although we haven’t covered all brands just yet, we’ll include more as we go. If you’d like for us to research any other luggage manufacturers, please let us know in the comments, and we’ll do our best.