Luggage: Ratings of Sources
Total of 25 Sources
For an explanation of how we rank reviews, see our ratings criteria page.
The Best Lightweight Check-in Luggage
by Editors of Good Housekeeping
Our Assessment
Good Housekeeping tests 11 spacious bags that are too large to carry on, but light enough to make it easy to meet new airline weight limits. Tests cover maneuverability, capacity, construction and… durability. Recommended are the five bags that pass a handle-strength test; the bags that fail aren't specified. Only one of the top picks, the Briggs & Riley Transcend 24-inch Expandable Upright, earns perfect scores for water resistance, durability and fabric abrasion, but its expandable handle sometimes sticks.
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2. ConsumerReports.org
Oct. 2008
Toughest Travelers
by Editors of ConsumerReports.org
Our Assessment
Editors at ConsumerReports.org subject a dozen small rolling bags to abuse in a large tumbler to simulate durability. Editors also maneuver each bag through an obstacle course. Most bags survive pretty well, but many of the testers don't care for spinner bags. More expensive rolling bags generally are preferred.
Summer Buyer's Guide: Luggage
by Editors of Outside magazine
Our Assessment
For six years, Outside editors have been abusing new luggage and picking the best one or two each year. Their 2009 picks are the REI Wheely Beast (which earns a Gear of the Year award) and Case Logic… 29-inch Lightweight Rolling Duffel (which is named a "killer value"), but five of their top picks from previous years are still available. Editors test 42 bags in all, making Outside a rich source of reviews. The focus is on luggage for adventure travel, so there are more reviews of duffels bags than on other sites.
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Best Suitcases May Not Be Most Expensive: Abusive Lab Test
by Erin McCarthy
Our Assessment
We'd rank this review higher if more suitcases were tested. To find out if expensive rolling luggage is more durable and protects contents better than an inexpensive suitcase, Erin McCarthy compares three… suitcases ranging in price from $180 to $630. Each suitcase is packed with paint-filled glass bottles wrapped in towels and then thrown off a loading dock 40 times. The luggage is also tested for maneuverability, on bumpy terrain as well as hairpin turns. Unfortunately, none of the three bags excels in all three tests. The most expensive bag, the Titan 360 Four Diamond Edition 22-inch USA Carry-on, proves the most durable and second-best at protection, easy to pull but hard to push.
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Product Reviews -- Household
by Editors of Wired
Our Assessment
Brook Wilkinson tests four rolling carry-ons from Tumi, Samsonite, Eagle Creek and Victorinox. Each one gets a brief evaluation and a list of what's "wired" and what's "tired." However, a non-wheeled carry-on reviewed by itself -- the Tumi Alpha Classic Garment Bag -- gets a higher rating than any of the wheeled cases, with nine points out of 10. The Samsonite bag earns a score of only four.
We Test 5 Supersized Suitcases
by Jason Kephart
Our Assessment
SmartMoney magazine asks Travel Channel host Samantha Brown to test five big, expensive suitcases. Prices range from $665 to $995. The SmartMoney award goes to the $950 Tumi Alpha 28-inch Travel & Business Wheeled Expandable, which Brown finds light, durable, stylish and practical.
Field Test: 5 Lightweight Bags
by Charles Passy
Our Assessment
Charles Passy tests five lightweight rolling suitcases in a hands-on torture test. Each bag gets an overall grade (ranging from A- to D), plus brief evaluations for durability, functionality, features and warranty. The Eagle Creek Tarmac 25 bag gets a much higher overall grade than the other four bags, and it is the only one that carries a lifetime warranty.
Test Lab: The Best Wheelie Bags
by Brad Tuttle
Our Assessment
Brad Tuttle and editors from Budget Travel test five wheeled bags by dragging them over cobblestones and cracked sidewalks in New York City. The main focus of this review is on the bags' rolling… performance, with a bit of attention to packing and comfort. These medium-sized bags are too big to meet requirements for carry-on luggage, but the reviewers reason that testing larger, heavier bags is the best way to test a brand's wheels. The review provides details about the performance of each bag on fast pulls, cornering, bumpy terrain, curb hopping, stability and maneuvering through a crowd. The Eagle Creek Velocity 25 is the clear winner.
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Luggage with Four-Wheel Drive
by Charles Passy
Our Assessment
The same reviewer who tests medium-sized rolling luggage for CNNMoney.com also tests five carry-on spinner bags to find out if this four-wheeled style is easier to use than the usual two-wheeled bags. Each… bag is run through an obstacle course of traffic cones, on both carpet and tile -- but not over anything rougher. All five spinner bags prove easier to maneuver than the unspecified two-wheeled luggage used for comparison, but they can get out of control on a slanting floor. The Atlantic Graphite Lite earns top ranking. The American Flyer Elite Quattro 360 21-inch is judged the best value, but some drawbacks are noted.
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The Latest Luggage
by Ryan Malkin
Our Assessment
SmartMoney editors ask David Neeleman, then-CEO of JetBlue, to evaluate five models of carry-on luggage for maneuverability, packing space and overall appeal. The least expensive carry-on, a Delsey model, turns out to be the top pick of both editors and Neeleman. It's not the very lightest, but it scores highest on all three points.
Rating Carry-On Luggage
by John Flinn
Our Assessment
Travel editor John Flinn recommends against rolling luggage, favoring carry-on bags that can convert into backpacks instead because they're lighter, hold more, are easier to pack and provide better freedom of movement. He recommends several bags based on his personal experience, including the Patagonia MLC, the Rick Steves Convertible Carry-on and the eBags Weekender.
Travel Gear
by "Kevin"
Our Assessment
One of this blogger's specialties is one-bag travel. He prefers non-wheeled carry-ons for their lighter weight. His reviews are incredibly detailed, with lots of photos. Tom Bihn backpacks get the best marks here, but Kevin also highly recommends the Red Oxx Air Boss shoulder-strap carry-on and the inexpensive Rick Steves Classic Back Door Bag convertible backpack.
What to Pack It In
by Doug Dyment
Our Assessment
Doug Dyment, whose luggage recommendations have also been published in Kiplinger's Personal Finance and in Ski magazines, recommends specific luggage for leisure travel, business travel and dual-purpose luggage that serves both needs well. A long article on why wheeled bags are a bad idea also includes some criticisms of popular luggage.
Test: Freeway-Legal Scooters, Top HD Tuners, Tricked-Out Travel Mugs
by Jen Trolio
Our Assessment
Though this older review's title doesn't mention luggage in the headline, it includes three rolling suitcases. Each bag gets a rating on a 10-point scale, plus a brief summary of its pros and cons. Only two make the cut. Interestingly, the inexpensive L.L.Bean Rolling Adventure Duffle gets a slightly higher rating than a Tumi bag that costs over seven times more.
The Best Carry On Bag
by Editors of TheTravelInsider.info
Our Assessment
We'd rank this review much higher if it were updated to cover current rolling carry-ons. However, some top picks are still available, and it's possible to guess the current models that replace the… discontinued luggage recommended here. The testing includes measuring the actual bags -- crucial now that airlines are tightening up on size and weight requirements -- and the reviews are detailed, noting drawbacks as well as strengths.
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Carry-on Bag Buyer's Guide: Avoid the New Airline Luggage Fees
by Doug Stallings
Our Assessment
This expert travel site recommends four carry-ons (a backpack, a rolling duffel and two wheeled suitcases), but notes that if you only plan to take one or two trips, a discount-store carry-on is fine. Though no testing is documented, this is an authoritative source. The review includes useful tips on how to choose a bag to maximize the chances of being able to carry it on.
Brand-new Bags for Flying Light
by Jayne Clark
Our Assessment
Jayne Clark recommends five lightweight carry-on bags to help travelers travel without incurring fees. Their sleek designs also make it easier to get these bags into overhead compartments. The brief… description of each bag includes both pros and cons, evidently based on examination of the luggage. Criticisms are quite minor, but no real testing is documented, and it's not clear how many other luggage brands and models are considered. Readers add useful comments.
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Top 9 Carry-On Bags
by James Martin
Our Assessment
Only four of the nine carry-on bags recommended here have full reviews based on testing, but these tests are quite thorough. A few of the picks have been discontinued. The site also has many tips on packing and European travel. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
Luggage Ratings & Reviews
by Contributors to LuggageOnline.com
Our Assessment
This retail site publishes owner-written reviews and ratings of luggage from a great many brands. The lists show the average rating and are easy to narrow down to your specifications. The main luggage page… also has a tool for finding the carry-on bags that meet a specific airline's requirements. Though not all specific bags have accumulated enough reviews to give their average ratings much weight, the site lists a few bags that get great marks with lots of reviews. It also shows the average rating for an entire brand. Most luggage brands get average ratings of four on a five-point scale, but Briggs & Riley, Hartmann and Tumi rate slightly higher.
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Luggage Reviews
by Contributors to eBags.com
Our Assessment
Many brands and styles of luggage are sold here, most getting fairly high average ratings -- sometimes from hundreds of owners. The site is valuable, however, because it lists out the best-rated bags in each category. You can also sort the reviews of a bag to read the most critical comments. It's a good site for checking owner-written reviews once you've narrowed your choice.
Luggage
by Contributors to REI.com
Our Assessment
We rank the owner-written reviews here a bit lower only because fewer brands are sold here. This retailer makes it easy to browse luggage listings, showing not only the average rating for each bag, but the number of owner-written reviews on which it's based. When you click on the luggage to read reviews, the main pros and cons are nicely summarized at the top.
With These Bags, You Can Carry On
by Ellen Crean
Our Assessment
In this "Early Show" segment, Real Simple magazine editor Kris Connell names the best carry-on bags from a test of more than 100. Connell picks a winner and runner-up in each of four categories: pullmans, duffels, totes and backpacks.
The Right Luggage for Any Trip
by Yolanda Wikiel
Our Assessment
This undated article recommends two wheeled carry-ons and two larger wheeled suitcases, but it doesn't specify exactly which models. Based on the brands, dimensions and photographs provided, we found that three of the four suitcases are still available: the Tumi and Victorinox 22-inch carry-ons and the Mandarina Duck 26-inch Work Bag.
Luggage
by Contributors to Amazon.com
Our Assessment
You'll find thousands of bags for sale here from many brands. Only a few get enough reviews to be meaningful. However, since quite a bit of luggage gets low ratings here, it's worth checking this site after you've narrowed your choices to see if any criticisms are important to you.
Message Boards
by Contributors to Flyertalk.com
Our Assessment
Search this frequent-flyer forum for "best luggage" and you'll find lots of posts. These seasoned travelers recommend a few brands over and over: Hartmann, Travelpro, Briggs & Riley, Tumi and Red Oxx. The Red Oxx Safari-Beanos and Air Boss carry-ons are often specifically recommended. Posters also discuss brands to avoid, including Pierre Cardin.
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