The best suitcases can help transform the quirks of travel to a more enjoyable experience. Without a relaible suitcase, your clothes get wrinkled, your gear gets scrambled, and more and more time goes down the drain as you pack and repack endlessly. The best vacations, weekend getaways, or day trips only seem to go so well with the best luggage on hand.
But selecting the best luggage can amount to taking on the internet itself. There is a huge array of options, from wheeled suitcases to weekender bags, travel duffels, and backpacks. To choose one is to untangle this knot, relating characteristics of a suitcase to your travel needs and guesstimating durability, comfort, and more.
GearJunkie’s suitcase testers brought 30+ combined years of experience in travel-oriented lifestyles to this roundup. Interests and focuses vary widely among the team: CrossFit, water sports, running, adventure racing, rock climbing, tradeshows and conferences, and general pleasure travel have all caused us to act on airline app alerts.
You can head straight to our comprehensive buyer’s guide and FAQ at the bottom of the article. Our comparison chart can also help you make a decision. Otherwise, read our complete gear guide below.
The Best Suitcases of 2024
- Best Overall Suitcase: Eagle Creek Gear Warrior XE 2-Wheel
- Best Budget Suitcase: NEMO Vantage 30 Adventure Backpack
- Best Wheeled Duffel: 5.11 Tactical Mission Ready 3.0 90L
- Best Weekender Bag: Peak Design Travel Duffel 35
- Best Travel Duffel: Jack Wolfskin Traveltopia 45 Liter Duffel Bag
- Best Travel Backpack: Rab Depot 28L Daypack
- Best Commuter Backpack: Thule Subterra 2 27L Backpack
Eagle Creek Gear Warrior XE 2-Wheel 30”
Specs
- Dimensions 29” x 16” x 12”
- Weight 8 lbs., 11 oz.
- Sizes Carry-on, Carry-on (convertible), Medium checked, Large checked (30”)
- Material 600D polyester
- Features Offroad wheels, reinforced corners and seams, skid plate, removable inner divider
![Product Badge](https://gearjunkie.com/wp-content/themes/ldm-theme/assets/img/badges/gearjunkie/BestOf_2024.png)
![The Best Suitcases of 2024](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2024/05/Eagle-Creek-Gear-Warrior-XE-2-Wheel.jpg)
Pros
- Dimensions: 29” x 16” x 12”
- Weight: 8 lbs., 11 oz.
- Sizes: Carry-on, Carry-on (convertible), Medium checked, Large checked (30”)
- Material: 600D polyester
- Features: Offroad wheels, Reinforced corners and seams, Skid plate, Removable inner divider
Cons
- Pricey
NEMO Vantage Endless Promise Backpack
Specs
- Dimensions 19” x 11” x 11”
- Verified weight 3 lbs., 1 oz. (30L), 2 lbs., 9 oz. (20L)
- Sizes 20L, 26L or 30L
- Material 100% recycled polyester, proprietary recyclable PET, CCubed foam
- Features lots of compartments, tech pocket, duffel zip, shoe compartment (on 30L model)
![The Best Suitcases of 2024](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2024/05/NEMO-Vantage-30-Adventure-Backpack.jpg)
Pros
- Ideal for city or off-road travel
- Packing capabilities of a small duffel
- Incredible ventilation and comfort
- Very durable
- Made from recycled materials
Cons
- Water bottle pockets are too small (no water bottle pockets on 20L)
- Slightly heavy compared to other daypacks
- $180-200 for a daypack is quite expensive
5.11 Tactical Mission Ready 3.0 90L
Specs
- Dimensions 28.75” x 16” x 13”
- Weight 14 lbs.
- Sizes 90L
- Material 1050D nylon, 1680D ballistic nylon
- Features 150 lb. capacity, interior frame rails, rollaway top divider, Velcro patch attachments
![The Best Suitcases of 2024](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2024/05/5.11-Tactical-Mission-Ready-3.0-90L.jpg)
Pros
- Huge
- Durable
- Plenty of external pockets
Cons
- Heavy
Peak Design Travel Duffel 35
Specs
- Dimensions 22" x 14" x 10"
- Weight 2 lbs.
- Sizes 35L, 65L
- Material 600D nylon canvas shell, 900D bottom liner
- Features Configurable backpack/hand/duffel carry, main compartment frame, water-resistant zippers, companion packing cube/camera bag inserts
![The Best Suitcases of 2024](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2024/05/Peak-Design-Travel-Duffel-35.jpg)
Pros
- Excellent organization
- Plenty of camera-specific features
- Durable
- Multiple carry options
Cons
- Main compartment wants to close on its own
Jack Wolfskin Traveltopia 45 Liter Duffel Bag
Specs
- Dimensions 22.5” x 12.5” x 12”
- Weight 1 lb., 12 oz.
- Sizes 45L
- Material 600D poly
- Features Removable straps, exterior compression, Inner mesh pockets
![The Best Suitcases of 2024](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2024/05/Jack-Wolfskin-Traveltopia-45-Liter-Duffel-Bag.jpg)
Pros
- Easy to load/stuff
- Tough zippers
Cons
- Awkward to carry when heavy
- Backpack carry created pressure points
Rab Depot 28L Daypack
Specs
- Dimensions 21.5” x 12.5” x 9”
- Weight 2 lbs., 8 oz.
- Sizes 28L, 22L, 18L
- Material 50% recycled ballistic nylon
- Features Top drop-in pocket, pleated front panel, exterior compression, water-resistant laptop pocket
![The Best Suitcases of 2024](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2024/05/Rab-Depot-28L-Daypack.jpg)
Pros
- Easy to organize
- Comfortable all-day carry
- Tough shell
Cons
- No side carry or roller bag handle
- Can become top-heavy
Thule Subterra 2 27L Backpack
Specs
- Dimensions 20” x 13” x 9.5”
- Weight 2 lbs., 13 oz.
- Sizes 26L
- Material Nylon, polyester
- Features Clamshell or top load, included packing cube
![The Best Suitcases of 2024](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2024/05/Thule-Subterra-2-27L-Backpack.jpg)
Pros
- Plenty of storage options
- Comes with integrated packing cube
- Durable
- Expandable
Cons
- Thin shoulder straps get uncomfortable when fully loaded
Best Suitcases Comparison Chart
Suitcase | Dimensions | Weight | Sizes | Material | Features |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eagle Creek Gear Warrior XE 2-Wheel 30” | 29” x 16” x 12” | 8 lbs., 11 oz. | Carry-on, Carry-on (convertible), Medium checked, Large checked (30”) | 600D polyester | Offroad wheels, reinforced corners and seams, skid plate, removable inner divider |
NEMO Vantage 30 Adventure Backpack | 19” x 11” x 11” | 3 lbs., 1 oz. | 30L | Proprietary PET, EVA | Shoe compartment, tech pocket, duffel zip |
5.11 Tactical Mission Ready 3.0 90L | 28.75” x 16” x 13” | 14 lbs. | 90L | 1050D nylon, 1680D ballistic nylon | 150 lb. capacity, interior frame rails, rollaway top divider, Velcro patch attachments |
Peak Design Travel Duffel 35 | 22″ x 14″ x 10″ | 2 lbs. | 35L, 65L | 35L, 65L | Configurable backpack/hand/duffel carry, main compartment frame, water-resistant zippers, companion packing cube/camera bag inserts |
Jack Wolfskin Traveltopia 45 Liter Duffel Bag | 22.5” x 12.5” x 12” | 1 lb., 12 oz. | 45L | 600D poly | Removable straps, exterior compression, inner mesh pockets |
Rab Depot 28L Daypack | 21.5” x 12.5” x 9” | 2 lbs., 8 oz. | 28L, 22L, 18L | 50% recycled ballistic nylon | Top drop-in pocket, pleated front panel, exterior compression, water-resistant laptop pocket |
Thule Subterra 2 27L Backpack | 20” x 13” x 9.5” | 2 lbs., 13 oz. | 26L | Nylon, polyester | Clamshell or top load, included packing cube |
![GJBG Suitcases Rab pack in Singapore](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2024/05/IMG_4887.jpg)
How We Tested the Best Suitcases
Travel amounts to a second full-time job for most gear testers, and GearJunkie’s team is no different. Our frequent fliers packed their suitcases for everything from day commutes to weekend junkets to weeks-long international adventures. Needs came from a wide variety of travel tasks: remote work at beachside bars, multi-stop airport connections, rock climbing, road trips, and casual city outings.
Key factors were capacity and comfort, versatility of use, and the suitcase’s ability to help the tester stay organized. Our testers made notes on style but paid the most attention to what each suitcase most helped them accomplish. Bulky, heavy-duty suitcases work best for cramming with mounds of gear and clothing in a race against check-out time; low-profile suitcases with plenty of pockets and compartments can make for smooth day trips.
Our testers paid special attention to how each suitcase performed in differentiated environments. The best wheeled carry-on luggage might still roll if we took it between international airports and sandy beach towns. A duffel bag can make a great high-volume gear bag, but cramp your style (and shoulders) if you’re facing a long walk.
We mostly used suitcases for their intended purpose, but did allow for some crossover use. The Jack Wolfskin Traveltopia 45 duffel, for instance, did duty as a general gear cache, a carry-on for weekend getaways, and even a crag pack.
Why You Should Trust Us
Each tester involved in this article travels frequently for professional and recreational reasons. Since the mid-2000s, testers have crisscrossed the United States and the planet to pursue stories, sporting events, trade shows and conventions, lifestyles, and adventures.
Lead tester Sam Anderson has lived out of suitcases for months of his life — between extensive rock climbing travel, long-distance relationships, and friends and family scattered across the U.S. Sam has learned on the job, stuffing bags with equipment as varied as burly trad racks, cameras and laptops, and dress clothes for weddings.
His packing lists need to be precise and complete — and so does the way he configures his bags. Choosing the right bag is also key. Sam has pitted his suitcases against desert dust at Red Bull Rampage, torrential rain in Yosemite National Park, and too many delayed flights to count.
Our testers and writers at GearJunkie have also tested and reviewed all sorts of travel luggage, from the best duffel bags and travel backpacks to the best carry-on luggage.
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Suitcase
Suitcase Size
To size a suitcase, you should start with what you know you need to bring with you. Try concentrating your needs and wants in the gear department, then consider the suitcase when you’re done.
For most people, volume doesn’t mean anything — if you know what 35 L worth of clothing looks like, you (like us) may need help. Instead, focus on dimensions.
Carry-on luggage size limits, generally, are the following:
- U.S.: 22” x 14” x 9”
- International: 21.5” x 15.5” x 9” (though it varies more).
Most roller bags like the Eagle Creek Gear Warrior XE 2-Wheel 30” are designed specifically for air travel, so they follow these general guidelines. But not all luggage does.
If you’re not traveling on an airline and you don’t have to care, we recommend focusing on weight and details like handles and reinforcement. You might frequently find yourself yanking, shoving, and carrying your luggage from here to there. You don’t want it to be any more awkward than it has to be.
![GJBG Suitcases Eagle Creek Gear Warrior](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2024/05/DSC00415.jpg)
Fully loaded, the biggest bag on this list, the 5.11 Tactical Mission Ready 3.0 90L, weighed more than some of our testers. You don’t want to have to shoulder one of those bad boys in a busy foreign bus station or boat ramp.
Roller Bag or No?
There’s no denying it, roller bags have become the international standard. Trying to calculate the number of roller bags sold each year would take precious years off the life of anyone trying to count.
And they’re great for some things — and awful for others.
![GJBG 5.11 Tactical Mission Ready 90L](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2024/05/DSC00420.jpg)
Conventional roller bags with cheap plastic casters do just fine on light duty from the jetway to the rideshare trunk. But if you take one on a potholed rural street, a beach, or a hiking trail, you’re risking a busted wheel and a very uncomfortable carry.
If you tend to get into the nitty-gritty while traveling, try roller bags like the 5.11 Tactical Mission Ready 3.0 90L, with its lugged wheels that support 150 pounds.
Handles/Carry
More and more, luggage designers appear to be asking one worthy and overdue question: why not put a handle on every surface of this thing? And even: why not make it a sturdy one?
Gone are the days when a suitcase or backpack should only have one handle on the top. Most suitcase builders now include a side carry handle attached to otherwise unused space. Some even put a carry handle on the top, bottom, left, and right side of the rig — like the Eagle Creek Gear Warrior XE 2-Wheel 30”.
Suitcase Materials
If you’re worried about airlines damaging your luggage, stop now: SITA reported as recently as 2019 that baggage handlers damage less than 1/1,000th of bags.
That doesn’t mean it’s not important to consider what your suitcase is made of. A lot depends on what you will do with the luggage. Hard-sided suitcases don’t suffer snags or rips like soft-sided units do, but they can also crack if they end up at the bottom of a heavy pile.
![GJBG Suitcases Jack Wolfskin duffel](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2024/05/wolfskinpacked.jpg)
The best soft bags are made with durable external materials like Cordura or nylon. The NEMO Vantage 30 Adventure Backpack is made with durable recycled PET, and the Peak Design Travel Duffel 35 is made with 600-denier nylon. Both have held up very well to rough travel. But even if they don’t abrade, soft bags can be crushed. So don’t keep your Fabergé eggs in there.
Durability
Durability in a suitcase often comes down to choosing the right unit for the use cases involved. For suitcases that will live a rough-and-tumble life, pay attention to areas that absorb a lot of abuse: corners and bottom panels. A kick plate, between the wheels on a roller bag, usually isn’t a bad thing. And reinforced corners and stitching can also help.
There’s also no getting around the fact that any suitcase, duffel, or backpack is only as good as its zipper. Try to reduce the strain on your bags’ zippers by avoiding overloading.
Compartments
How organized do you need to be? Entries in this article range from techy backpacks with dedicated shoe compartments to straight-up duffels with a few pockets, like the Jack Wolfskin Traveltopia 45 Liter Duffel Bag.
![GJBG Suitcases Thule Subterra 2](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2024/05/DSC00413.jpg)
The reality of the matter is, sometimes you don’t need to keep it all that tight. In those instances, a main compartment and a pocket or two is plenty to stay happy. For the most businesslike travelers, highly compartmentalized units like the Thule Subterra 2 27L Backpack can feel more appropriate.
FAQ
As we mentioned in the previous section, hard-sided and soft-sided suitcases resist different types of damage better. Insofar as durability requires retention of quality over time, it’s important to consider what kind of hazards your suitcase will face.
Hard-sided cases can slip past snarls and snags easily. And they can, arguably, protect what’s inside better. Hard-sided cases can’t give way and squeeze a tube of hair gel or lotion until it pops open. But they can also crack, and when that happens, you’re left in a predicament.
Soft-sided suitcases can stretch and flex more easily among other bags and gear. But you could also get a nasty tear on a sharp corner, exposed nail, etc. Also note that hard cases can resist water better than soft cases, depending on the zipper.
Carry-on size limits actually vary by airline, so there’s no real standard. A good starting place is to go by general TSA standards:
- U.S.: 22” x 14” x 9”
- International: 21.5” x 15.5” x 9” (though it varies more)
First we should answer, do suitcase locks work against what? Lost or delayed luggage amounted to about six bags out of 1,000 in 2022. The San Francisco Standard attributed these losses to luggage theft, but suggested plenty of ways to protect yourself from luggage loss.
While you can purchase TSA-approved suitcase locks, you can take plenty of other steps to protect your gear. First of all, the Standard suggested, place a smart tracker like a Tractive GPS tracker in your bag. Developed to help locate lost dogs, Tractive links to a satellite array and thus has no range limit (unlike Apple Airtag). Open your app and, bingo!
Also consider keeping all your valuables in your carry-on or personal item. In this case, the importance of any lock diminishes.
![](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2023/09/MTC2334.jpeg)
The Best Carry-On Luggage of 2024
Carry-on luggage comes in a variety of styles, from the hardshell classics to soft-sided, duffel bags. Whether you value features like external pockets or 360-spinner wheels, internal compression, or TSA-approved locks, we’ve got you covered with our wide selection of the best carry-on luggage of 2023.
![](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2024/02/GearJunkie_Mens_Best_Travel_Pants_2024.jpg)
The Best Men’s Travel Pants of 2024
We’ve tested the best wrinkle-resistant, quick-drying, and comfortable men’s travel pants of the year. Pack your bags and get ready for adventure.