We've Tested Nearly 800 Pieces of Luggage—These Are Our 8 Favorites on Display at the 2025 World's Best Summit

Travel + Leisure

15-07-2025

For over 50 years, Travel + Leisure has informed and inspired millions of travelers, offering practical advice, essential travel news, and personal narratives from our network of on-the-ground writers around the world. Our goal is for you to have impactful, enjoyable, and smooth trips every time you take off or hit the road. While you can't control every variable of a trip, you can control the comfort and convenience you bring along.
At Travel + Leisure , we are just as passionate about what to buy and pack as we are about the destinations we visit. We know firsthand what a difference the right pillow and headphones make on a long-haul flight, that long days demand ultra-comfortable shoes, and that high-quality luggage significantly enhances a trip (while subpar options can quickly derail it). To date, we've rigorously tested over 5,000 products—including luggage, apparel, footwear, outdoor gear, travel accessories, tech essentials, and more—to bring you the best options for the smoothest journey possible.
We're especially particular about the luggage we recommend. We've tested nearly 800 luggage pieces across a variety of brands and price points. Our editors truly understand what makes a suitcase stand out and last for years, so you can travel with complete confidence. (Read more on our testing process below.)
These eight suitcases, which will be featured at the 2025 World's Best Summit in New York City, are our editors' all-time favorites. See them at the event (and enter to win one!)—or if you can't make it this year, read about these standout items below—one of them might just be your ideal travel companion. $200 $121 at Amazon View on Nordstrom View on Samsonite
The Samsonite Freeform Carry-on Spinner has been the frontrunner for a few years in a row. We've tested this carry-on suitcase three times in our New York City lab—in addition to road-testing (or should we say flight-testing it) on our editors' real trips. The repeated takeaway? It offers incredible capacity. Every time, we've been able to pack this carry-on for trips of up to a week—the standard by which many would hold a checked bag— thanks to its expandable capability. This suitcase holds more than meets the eye, so while it's ideal for any traveler, it's especially great for those who tend to overpack or do some retail therapy when traveling.
Additionally, it handles tight turns like a champ and hops concrete curbs without incident. We also gave it a few whacks with a metal baseball bat and noticed that the slight bend of the exterior shell made this suitcase impervious to dents while still protecting its contents. This Samsonite suitcase is the gold standard for carry-on luggage.
View on Nordstrom View on Away Travel
Away's built-to-last luggage can always be counted on to help overpackers travel more efficiently, and The Carry-On Flex is a testament to that. Its easy-gliding 360-degree wheels practically floated through our lab's obstacle course, and it showed practically no damage after our durability tests (including a step where we hit it with baseball bats and throw it off a table)—a good indicator that the exterior will stand up to the roughest of handling. Expanding an additional 2.25 inches, this suitcase is a great choice to have extra packing space, especially for 'just in case' items or last-minute souvenirs. $430 $366 at Amazon $366 at Travel Pro View on Bloomingdales
We love the special features of this suitcase that differentiate it from the competition. The interior is equipped with a large zippered pocket on the opening flap and a tie-down compression flap with two zippered pockets to create extra space in the main compartment—something we love in a carry-on suitcase. Beyond that, it includes a detachable, fold-out suiter and a quart-size wet bag. Plus, the exterior has three zippered pockets and a USB port in the back for charging on the go. It held up perfectly during our durability tests—not a scratch or scuff to either the premium nylon fabric or the leather handles. (And trust us—we don't go easy on the bags.) With plenty of stand-out features and a durable build, we think this softside suitcase is an excellent purchase. $330 $236 at Amazon View on Delsey.com $660 $264 at Macy's
T+L editors reach for this timeless carry-on from Delsey Paris again and again, thanks to its vintage charm and simple but effective functionality. The polycarbonate shell is accented with reinforced corners that protect it from bangs and bumps along your journey, and with its two-tone colorway, you're guaranteed to arrive at your destination in style—a step above the many monotone suitcases out there. Aesthetics aside (though, we do love the look of this one), there's also substance, including several pockets, compression straps to tie down your belongings, plus a handy USB port to which you can attach your own battery pack. The spinner wheels glide smoothly (even over carpet!), and its lightweight profile (under 8 pounds) makes it a breeze to travel with. One of our editors owns the white colorway of this suitcase in both the checked and carry-on sizes, and after two years and nearly 20 flights, they both look good as new (yes, really).
We know that when it comes to style, in particular, softside luggage is oftentimes found lacking—it doesn't have that same polish and crisp aesthetic that a hardside suitcase does. Enter: Dagne Dover's Seattle carry-on. The brand completely changed the game when it launched its debut luggage collection last summer that featured a softside suitcase that was (dare we say?) elegant. T+L editors were among the first to try them out, and we were enamored by this modernized softside bag with the structure and sturdy frame of a hardside suitcase. Its 33-liter capacity and 20.5-inch height is ideal for short getaways. It also offers two ways to pack: via clamshell opening and a top-loading option. Even when it's packed full, the wheels glide like a dream over multiple surfaces with no wayward drifting (usually a point of failure for softsides that may lean with weight).
If you've ever been on an airport shuttle, bus, or train, you know the struggle of trying to keep your luggage from rolling away while holding on for dear life. Aer, a new kid on the luggage block, saw this common problem hadn't yet been solved by its competitors and created a carry-on suitcase with brakes. Similar to a stroller, the wheels on Aer's Carry-on Max can be locked in place with the simple slide of a button located beneath the handles. *Genius* Despite being a novice among luggage veterans, we were immediately impressed. Beyond its innovative brake feature, it also glides very easily, and its capacity lives up the "max" in its name; while it's not expandable, we were still able to pack an impressive amount. Added bonuses? The top and side handles also have a hole to attach other bags with a carabiner, and it has a hidden pocket where you can stash a luggage tracker. View on Samsonite $550 at Macy's View on Staples
Let's get this impressive fact on your radar right away: The Samsonite's Proxis was sent into space, dropped from 130,000 feet, and barely saw a scratch. To date, this is the most lightweight and durable suitcase Samsonite has ever released. While we can't recreate a galactic environment (yet), we do have an impressive testing lab in New York City, and we brought this suitcase in to do some experimenting of our own. We found that this textured, hardside carry-on lived up to its claims of being virtually indestructible. The outer shell of this bag is made of Roxkin, an exclusive recycled material developed by Samsonite that is lightweight and engineered to bounce back into shape. While it's certainly one of the more expensive options on this list, the Proxis is a worthy investment for carry-on loyalists who want the maximum amount of packing space and a durable design that will last for years.
This July weekender makes for the perfect personal item on a flight—pair it with one of our top carry-on options above thanks to its luggage sleeve that slips over a suitcase handle—or choice of luggage for a quick getaway. In our testing, the minimalist nylon bag could fit enough clothes for a two-night trip (perfect for a weekend away), plus a 16-inch laptop that has its own dedicated pocket. After six months of use, our testing editor still found it to be a sturdy and durable option for any trip.
Our luggage recommendations come from rigorous, hands-on testing as well as consultations with travel experts.
We start by interviewing experts in the luggage space—manufacturers, product designers, and even pilots and flight attendants—to get their insider advice on what to look for in a piece of luggage. Based on that initial research, we scour the internet for top-rated or trending luggage items on the market to purchase for hands-on testing.
We follow a consistent methodology during every test to make sure that all items are evaluated equally and fairly. First, we make surface-level observations, such as any useful features that stand out, as well as the style and aesthetic. Next, we pack each bag with all the essentials you may need on a trip, including apparel, shoes, toiletries, and even some breakables for good measure to evaluate capacity. Once packed full, we maneuver them over various surfaces—carpet, concrete, grass, cobblestone, you name it. Lastly, we test the durability of each by pushing them off tables and—our favorite part—whacking them with baseball bats. If a suitcase can pass our lab tests, we're confident that it'll hold up on your trips.
But just to be safe, our editors then take them on their upcoming trips (for at least six months) to see how they perform in a variety of circumstances. We collect feedback at regular intervals to ensure the bags are still holding up as we'd expect, and we analyze all insights and data from each test to recommend the best products for your trip. Only after we decide that we really love a product do we recommend it to you. We test luggage all year long and frequently update our articles and lists with the most up-to-date information.