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Luggage can be pricey, so it's important to find quality pieces able to withstand the stress of travel, whether you're dragging it through the airport or stuffing it into your car trunk. And finding the perfect luggage becomes even more difficult when you're shopping online. Without being able to roll the bags, test out the handles and open the compartments inside, it can be hard to decide which bag is perfect for you. At Good Housekeeping Institute, we test all kinds of luggage — from hardside suitcases to smart luggage to carry-on bags. In recent years, we've tested over 30 new luggage styles from well-known brands and have amassed over 4,000 data points for analysis. In our Textiles Lab, we evaluate properties like scuff and scratch resistance, water resistance, weight, durability and more before sharing the luggage with consumer testers who roll it through an obstacle course and provide us with feedback about maneuverability, ease of use and handle comfort. We also search through Amazon reviews to discover what real users have to say about the bags, both good and bad, and combine this information with our Lab results to make the best picks. Here is the best luggage on Amazon to take you anywhere, whether it's an overnight stay, a road trip or an international voyage.
Keep reading to learn about our favorite luggage on Amazon, along with information about how we choose the best luggage and a helpful shopping guide for buying luggage online.
Samsonite's luggage has always stood out in the Textile Lab's evaluations, especially in tests for ease of use and durability. This bag received perfect scores for being easy to open and close, and it performed fairly well in our drop tests, taking on little damage. Testers who tried the Freeform suitcase agreed that the wheels were smooth and rolled with ease. Because it's simple to maneuver, easy to pack and durable, it's the perfect pick for someone who's always traveling. According to testers, the carrying handles are on the smaller side, so it's best to roll around rather than carry. The small carrying handles also make this suitcase more difficult to lift into an overhead bin. On Amazon, there are a dozen neutral and fashion colors to choose from, and you can pick between the carry-on, medium or checked bag, as well as a two-piece luggage set.
Amazon Basics' luggage proved spacious in our Lab tests and received perfect scores for being easy to pack. Over 25,000 Amazon reviewers have given it a five-star rating, with common feedback highlighting how lightweight it feels and how well it holds up to repeated travel. One reviewer said, "It feels like it's floating," because it's so lightweight and easy to maneuver. The luggage is made of ABS plastic, which is more affordable but not quite as durable as other hard materials. That being said, it still held up well in Lab durability tests, showing some scratches but avoiding excessive denting.
Softside luggage is less rigid, which can make it easier to pack with more of your belongings and easier to store when you're not traveling. SwissGear's collection of soft luggage is popular on Amazon for being spacious and easy to maneuver. The front of this bag unzips to reveal one large inner compartment with tie straps to secure your things and two zippered mesh pockets for organization — plus, it comes with a small wet bag for toiletries, and there are two outer zip pockets for even more storage. If you're prone to overpacking or want room for souvenirs, this bag expands an additional 2 inches for extra packing space. Amazon reviewers shared that they love the "smooth" wheels that they say are easy to maneuver. One went so far as to describe it as "the perfect luggage." However, some reviewers noted issues with the telescopic handle feeling flimsy and breaking with repeated use.
At less than $150, this four-piece luggage set from Travelers Club is a total steal, and it has amassed over 8,000 five-star ratings on Amazon! The set comes with two rolling bags (a larger checked bag and a carry-on bag), a tote and a small toiletries bag. The checked and carry-on bags are designed with two spacious compartments — one fully enclosed compartment and one with cross straps to keep belongings secure. An Amazon reviewer described the rolling bags as "huge" and added that there's tons of space for organizing.
The tote bag features a sleeve that slides onto the handle of the rolling bags, which makes getting all of your luggage through the airport so much easier. Plus, there are five color options to choose from including tan, rose gold and lilac. Reviewers say it's great for occasional travel, but the ABS material used for the rolling bags is prone to cracking with repeated use, so it may not work well for someone who travels regularly.
An underseat suitcase is a great way to avoid added carry-on or baggage fees when traveling for a short trip. This bag from Samsonite will hold just enough clothing for a weekend getaway, and the front pocket features a laptop sleeve and a zipper compartment for additional storage. A built-in USB port (battery pack not included) means you'll never be stranded at the airport without a charged phone, and the back sleeve slides on top of a carry-on bag for easy transport.
Amazon reviewers say that the compact case fits perfectly under most airline seats and love that, although it's small, it's still designed with four wheels for easy movement. Plus, the polyester fabric used for Samsonite bags proved durable in our Lab tests, resisting damage from abrasion and rubbing.
Herschel's bags, including its laptop bags, backpacks and duffels, are a favorite of Textiles Lab experts who are always impressed by the quality and simple design of the bags. This duffel is designed to be the perfect overnight bag with a large compartment for your belongings and a mesh pocket for organization. Plus, there's even an additional shoe compartment to keep your extra pair separated from the rest of your things. Reviews on Amazon highlight how durable the bag is — one reviewer said he uses the bag daily, tossing it around in his car, and still it "doesn’t have one blemish or tear." The brand does offer other colors with faux leather detailing, but it's important to note that some reviews mention the faux leather peels with repeated use.
Rockland's hardside expandable luggage has over 21,000 five-star reviews on Amazon highlighting the "sturdy" handle and "impressive" amount of space for packing. Inside the bag, you'll find two storage compartments — one compartment with cross straps to keep your things in place and one fully enclosed with a zippered panel. There's also an extra zippered storage bag inside.
Amazon reviewers share that there is plenty of room for all of their belongings, including heavier clothing like jackets, long sleeve tops and pants. According to some reviews, the lightweight ABS material isn't the most durable and is prone to cracking, especially near the wheels. This model is available in large and medium checked bags, carry-on bags and two- and three-piece sets, and you can choose from over thirty colors.
It can be difficult to find a quality backpack on a budget, but this pick from Matein is just $30 and is loved by over 55,000 reviewers who gave it five-star ratings on Amazon. Reviewers love that the bag is designed with lots of padding — both along the straps and around the laptop pocket. Also included in the design are a strap to secure the backpack on top of a carry-on, a hidden pocket to keep your things safe and a USB charging port (battery pack not included). Plus, it's filled with "SO many nifty pockets" that make for easy organization, says one reviewer. Some reviewers mention zippers that come unzipped when the bag is packed full, so be sure not to overstuff!
Making it through airport security is stressful enough. Thanks to Level8's carry-on bag with a convenient front laptop pocket, you no longer have to worry about losing your laptop in your luggage. Two compartments inside — one with a zippered panel and one with cross straps — keep all of your belongings in place, and there's a TSA-approved lock for added security. If you need extra space, there's an expandable version, too. Amazon reviewers say this suitcase is better than others they've used from more expensive, well-known brands. One review called it "perfect," and another said that the bag is "lightweight, well-built and so far the nicest carry-on I've ever owned!"
This bag is perfect for anyone who sees luggage as an accessory and wants to travel in style. And you get the best of both worlds with Vera Bradley luggage — it's stylish and durable. In Textiles Lab tests, it was a top-performer, proving to be drop, scratch and water resistant. Some testers who rolled this bag through our obstacle course thought the handle felt flimsy but liked how well it performed overall, agreeing that the wheels rolled smoothly and that it was easy to maneuver. Plus, the inner compartments are spacious, so there's plenty of room to pack your things, and it's lightweight, making traveling with it a breeze.
With over 5,000 five-star Amazon reviews, this wheeled duffel bag is a great option for car travel. A soft bag like this is more flexible, so it's easy to stack in the trunk or squeeze into a smaller space. Plus, in addition to the large interior compartment, there are a whopping eight pockets for extra storage and organization. Amazon reviewers are impressed by just how much they can fit in the bag, saying that it holds more than it appears to. One said, "Words can not describe how much I was able to fit inside here WITH ROOM TO SPARE!" Some users who have had the bag for years say that it still performs just as well now as it did when they first bought it. Keep in mind that there are only two wheels, so you have to tilt the bag and can only roll front to back, which makes maneuvering more difficult. But there are carrying handles to make lifting the luggage easier.
The product testing pros in the Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab spent months evaluating luggage with standardized test methods and lab equipment. We then set up an obstacle course for users to test out the luggage. For this article, we combined our categorical expertise with feedback from Amazon reviewers to choose the best luggage on Amazon. Here are some of the characteristics we take into consideration:
✔️ Size and weight: We weigh each piece of empty luggage to validate that the weight listed online is correct; we've found the listed specs are not always accurate. If the luggage is considered "carry-on" size, we place it into a 22 x 14 x 9-inch area to ensure it complies with TSA regulations.
✔️ Packing capabilities: Textiles Lab pros fill each suitcase with a standard load, including clothes, shoes and toiletries. While packing the luggage, we rate how easy the luggage is to open and close, how well the zippers work and whether or not a standard load of clothing actually fits inside. We also consider how other design features like wheels, telescopic handles and locks operate. Once the bag has been packed, we ask consumer testers to roll it over different surfaces such as tile, wood flooring and carpet and lift it up onto countertops to test the carrying handles.
✔️ Drop durability: We place the packed luggage in our drop tester (shown here), which releases the luggage from a set 3-foot height, allowing us to analyze any imperfections that occur as a result, including dents or cracking.
✔️ Abrasion resistance: If the luggage is softside, we cut out swatches of fabric to place in our abrasion machine, which rubs the fabric 15,000 times with an abrasive material. Once the abrasion test is complete, we grade the luggage fabric for signs of wear, like fiber pilling or holes.
✔️ Scratch resistance: We drag a wire over the surface of hardside luggage and visually evaluate any scuffs or damage left behind.
✔️ Water resistance: After placing blotting paper inside the suitcase, we pour water onto the luggage zippers and then measure how much water has seeped through to the inside.
✔️ Consumer tests: It's important to mimic real use when evaluating luggage, so we set up an obstacle course in the Lab and have consumer testers run through the course. They then rate the luggage for subjective characteristics like ease of using the handles, wheel performance, overall maneuverability and sturdiness. The obstacle course includes rolling the luggage over different types of flooring, moving it through twists and turns, lifting it over curbs and more.
With so many luggage brands available on Amazon, it can be difficult to decide which ones are worth it. Here are some things to keep in mind when shopping for luggage online:
✔️ Wheels: We recommend looking for luggage with four 360-degree spinner wheels because they consistently receive high scores in our tests for maneuverability.
✔️ Telescopic handle: Because you're unable to test out the luggage before buying when shopping online, it's a good idea to look through the product description and reviews to learn more about the telescopic handles — if they're adjustable to different height levels, if they're made with grip material and if there's any added padding for comfort.
✔️ Side handles: If you plan to place your luggage in overhead compartments or stow it away during travel, make sure to look for side carrying handles for easy lifting.
✔️ Compartments: Luggage interiors vary from model to model, so it's important to consider whether or not you would like your luggage to unzip into one large compartment or two separate compartments for your belongings. Some suitcases feature exterior pockets, as well, for easy access to essentials like electronics or toiletries when traveling.
✔️ Weight: Airlines have weight restrictions, and heavier suitcases can be more difficult to carry in general. Look for a lightweight piece to make travel easier. Hardside luggage doesn't always weigh more than softside luggage — added components like wheels and handles contribute to the overall weight of the luggage as well.
✔️ Return policy: This is especially important when shopping online. If you're worried about committing to luggage that isn't great, check if the brand offers a return policy or trial period so you aren't stuck with luggage you don't love.
Both hard and softside luggage have performed well in our tests, but there are benefits to each material. Here's what to keep in mind:
✔️ Hardside Luggage: Hardside suitcases are becoming popular for being both lightweight and protective. But not every hardside case is made of the same material:
✔️ Softside Luggage: Fabric luggage is more malleable, so it's typically easier to fill with more belongings and can be compacted more for storage:
Amanda Constantine joined the Good Housekeeping Institute in 2022 as a home and apparel reviews analyst. She tests and reports on home and apparel products in the Textiles, Paper & Apparel Lab. She has researched and written about luggage, including hardside suitcases and carry-on bags, for Good Housekeeping and has evaluated some styles firsthand, analyzing performance properties. For this article, she used her categorical expertise and the feedback from real users to determine the best luggage picks on Amazon.