Best suitcase 2026: quality luggage, bags and rolling models for your next trip
Pack everything, including the kitchen sink, with the best suitcase, luggage and trunks
Spencer Hart
The best suitcases make packing and travelling much easier and pain-free. But while it's easy to grab the nearest one at the shop or the first one you see online, it all comes down to what you need the suitcase for.
Are you heading on holiday? A city break? A business trip? Or a round-the-world adventure? Whatever you're about to embark on, you'll need to have the right suitcase to take your stuff in... and luckily, T3 are here to help.
T3's Top 3
Best small suitcase
The Samsonite Cosmolite 55cm Spinner Cabin Case is petite, lightweight, and great for frequent flyers.
Best medium suitcase
If you need a medium-sized suitcase (over 55cm), the Antler Icon Stripe fits easily onto flights, trains and other modes of transportation.
Best large suitcase
The American Tourister Soundbox Suitcase (77cm) is big, lightweight and surprisingly affordable for such a large case.
Beth is Home Editor for T3, covering style, living and wellness. Always off on a weekend away, Beth is often seen dragging a suitcase behind her, so she's well versed in the ones that fit the most clothes, which brands offer the best storage and the models that roll the smoothest.
19/02/26: We've updated the best suitcase guide with a full layout refresh.
Best suitcase ranking 2026
The best small suitcase
If you’re a frequent flyer, whether it is for business or pleasure, you need to have a Samsonite. You'll be super impressed by the space inside, and it's certainly built to be durable (so is worth the money). What's most impressive is how lightweight this cabin case is. The 4 smooth spinning wheels make it really easy to get around the airport with no fuss.
It also has a TSA lock which is perfect for those who travel to the states, and the hard casing means you’ll have peace of mind if you’re ever asked to put your bag in the hold. A highly recommended choice for anyone who travels on a regular basis.
The best medium suitcase
Antler is one of T3's favourite suitcase brands, as they have plenty of options for both check and cabin luggage. But specifically for those who need a medium suitcase, the Antler Icon Stripe is our top choice.
The Antler Icon Stripe has a distinctive design that has lots of storage space, plus it can be expanded for even more room. As a four-wheel suitcase, the wheels are smooth and silent, and the handle is easy to hold and manoeuvre.
Available in multiple colours, the Antler Icon Stripe has an organised interior, and cool exterior. It does pick up marks easily, and the handle does protrude, but it's near-perfect which is why we rated it highly in our Antler Icon Stripe review.
The best large suitcase
Ideal for longer trips away, the American Tourister Soundbox 77cm Suitcase is a large suitcase with a hard polypropylene shell and TSA-ready locks. The big draw here is that, rather unusually for a hard case, it is expandable on all sides, allowing for that extra bit of wriggle room when returning home with those holiday souvenirs.
As this is a spinner case, it comes with four double wheels on the bottom as well as a double-tube handle for easy manoeuvrability. Its design is inspired by a vinyl record, and it'll certainly stand out on the luggage carousel.
American Tourister Soundbox cases are available in a huge number of colours (but we prefer this mint green colour) and a selection of sizes as well.
The best check suitcase
If you want a bigger-than-life suitcase or a trusty check-in bag, the Away Trunk is hard to beat. It has a massive 112-litre capacity, but unlike some trunks, it still has that classic suitcase design.
Available in multiple colours, the Away Trunk has a huge amount of storage, including a deep main compartment and interior compression. The hard exterior shell is durable and lightweight, and a slimmer top lid for easier moveability.
The Away Trunk comes with two handles, one on the top and one on the bottom. The four wheels turn 360 degrees and it comes with luggage bags inside. It's hard to beat, really!
The best carry-on suitcase
For the ultimate carry-on luggage, the Carl Friedrik The Carry-On X is hard to beat. It's the perfect shape to fit into overhead bins and to travel comfortably with throughout airports, train stations and more.
The hard shell has a fun striped pattern, and there's a laptop section for easy access to your tech. We gave it five stars in our Carl Friedrik The Carry-On X review as we enjoyed the design and interior space. What we didn't love was the price and weight, but if you want to make a statement while you travel, the Carl Friedrik The Carry-On X is a great choice.
The best budget suitcase
This case from Aerolite is extremely light, and extremely affordable, two things we think are very important. It features four robust wheels and a double-tube retractable trolley grip handle, which make it simple to glide around the airport in any direction. It all feels very well made, despite its affordable price.
The outer casing is made from durable but lightweight anti-scratch ABS hard shell plastic to protect against the rigours of travelling, with chunky zippers on the main body. The interior features packing straps and an internal zipped divider with elasticated pockets (perfect for shoes), to keep the contents in place during transit.
The case includes a free three-digit combination barrel padlock for extra security, plus a five year guarantee for ultimate peace of mind.
This suitcase fits exactly to the maximum possible allowance for Ryanair (one of Europe’s most of the UK’s most popular airlines with the strictest ), as well as fitting within the maximum restrictions for Easyjet, and British Airways, etc.
The best luxury suitcase
If travelling in luxury is your style, then you'll love the Monos Hybrid carry-on. This suitcase comes with a serious price tag but it's made from high quality materials and has lots of pretty colours and stylish design choices.
While it has limited internal space, the Monos Hybrid carry-on does have clever features both inside and outside, including dual combination locks and an extending handle. Its four spinning wheels glide smoothly, but for over £400 / $300, it'll cost you!
See our Monos Hybrid carry-on review for more details.
The best hard shell suitcase
There are a lot of hard shell suitcases on this list, but the Db Ramverk Pro Carry-on Luggage is the best one in our humble opinion. Made from recycled materials, the Db Ramverk Pro Carry-on Luggage has a sturdy, durable frame and case, and will keep all your belongings protected.
A downside to the Db Ramverk Pro Carry-on Luggage is it can get a bit heavy, but it has a lot of internal space for you to pack full of clothes and tech. It has plenty of organised compartments, including a Velcro strap-secured laptop sleeve, mesh pockets, and large zipped compartments.
The Db Ramverk Pro Carry-on Luggage also has two daisy chains at the front of the case so you can attach other Db bags on to it for a full travel set. Read our full Db Ramverk Pro Carry-on Luggage review for our thoughts.
The best soft shell suitcase
If you prefer a soft shell, the Antler Discovery Wheeled Duffel is our pick. It has a hard polycarbonate back and a soft polyester front so you get the best of both worlds.
While it only has two wheels, the Antler Discovery Wheeled Duffel moves smoothly, thanks to the rubber material and oversized design. It has a comfort-grip handle, drop pocket and side pockets, and internal divider for organisation.
It's surprisingly big for a soft shell bag so it might not be best for short trips, but we gave it five stars in our Antler Discovery Wheeled Duffel review due to its design and price.
The best suitcase for storage
Sometimes all you need is a lot of storage and the Gomatic Method Carry-On offers that in bundles. It can be expanded from 39 - 47 litres and has lots of internal zips, straps, pockets and compartments for tidy packing.
Despite its lots of room, the Gomatic Method Carry-On is compact, and comes with lots of clever features, including TSA locks and a hidden GPS tracker pocket. It'll cost you, but it's worth it.
Check out our Gomatic Method Carry-On review for all the information.
How to choose the best suitcase
There are all kinds of considerations when it comes to picking the best suitcase: budget, size, how long you’re going away, security and even longevity (how long you expect the case to last).
In essence, you have three main choices when it comes to size: up to 56cm for cabin luggage, between 57-71cm for what we'd call a medium-sized suitcase, and 71+ for large suitcases. How much you plan to take on holiday, and whether you like to travel light, will dictate what size of suitcase you need. Each of these size ranges can then be divided into whether you want a hard or soft case.
How we test the best suitcases
We spend a lot of time reviewing the best suitcases, so when it comes to recommending what luggage to buy, you can be safe in the knowledge that we'll recommend the best options for you.
Where possible, we take these suitcases travelling with us. This gives us an idea of what they're like to use in the real world; how practical they are, how smoothly the wheels glide along the airport floor, and generally how robust they are. While we can't take every suitcase we recommend on holiday with us, we do look at the materials they're made from, the design features, durability, and specs, to understand whether they work as intended or not.
Once the initial review period is complete we'll publish a full review, give the luggage a star rating, and add an abridged review to this guide. If it's really good then we'll also continue using the suitcase, and update our recommendation if we discover anything interesting after extended use. This is particularly important for suitcase reviews, as they might work perfectly on one trip, then fall to pieces on the next.
FAQs
Hard vs soft case: which should I choose?
Hard or rigid cases are usually made from polycarbonate or ABS plastic. In theory, they offer better protection for fragile items and can withstand a reasonable level of abuse without damage, although some glossy-finished cases can get scratched all too easily.
Hard cases are generally more waterproof and secure than soft cases, although that obviously depends on the quality of the seals / locks / zips located around the case. Some of the better soft cases are waterproof too. The downside is that hard cases don't offer much in the way of flexibility bringing back holiday souvenirs along with all the stuff you took on holiday in the first place?
The rigid nature of hard cases means you may not be able to fit your purchases inside. Having said that, some cases now – including the Samsonite Flux – do include some level of expandability, but even then they don’t have the flexibility that a soft case does.
Soft cases, on the other hand, are flexible by their very nature – the sides of the case will bulge out to accommodate the extra items you’re trying to stow inside. They are also more likely to have external pockets for stowing additional items in and the best examples are also made from waterproof materials with waterproof zips, helping to keep the stuff inside dry.
The flip-side is soft cases are more vulnerable to having their contents stolen, since they often rely on zip fastenings. However suitcases of either type often include 3-digit combination locks so you don't have to worry about losing an extra set of keys, and most are TSA-compliant – that is they are able to be opened easily by security at US airports should the need arise.
2-wheels vs 4-wheels: which should I choose?
Most suitcases come with either two sets of wheels on the base, or four. Which one you choose is largely down to personal preference.
Two-wheel ‘puller’ cases are easier to manoeuvre in the real world of pavements and staircases where you can just tilt the bag and pull; Four-wheel ‘spinner’ cases are ideally suited to places with smooth floors, like hotel lobbies and airports where they get to glide around on all four sets of wheels – come across trickier terrain though, and you’ll have to drag them along on two wheels just like the others.
Of more concern, potentially, is how robust and smooth-running the wheels are: ideally, they needed to be bolted (rather than riveted) to the case so they can easily be replaced if one does break, it also helps if they're recessed into the case corners a little – this makes them less vulnerable when they’re being tossed around by baggage handlers and have the advantage of making the footprint of the case slightly smaller.
What are the different suitcase sizes?
When you’re buying a case, you obviously need to think about why you're buying it, and what you’re going to use it for – you’re clearly not going to want to take a massive case with you if you’re going on an overnight business trip or a weekend away; but likewise you won’t want a tiny case when you’re off for a month in Kathmandu.
For many travellers though, the most important thing is that they buy a case that can be stowed either in an overhead locker or under the seat in an aeroplane cabin – that means they don't have to hang around for ages in baggage reclaim, they can just grab their bag and go.
Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules on what constitutes a carry-on case; different airlines have different size and weight limits and what might be acceptable on one airline won’t be on another.
It pays to do some research – and make sure any case you buy complies with size limits for your favourite carrier, otherwise you may find your suitcase ends up in the hold after all.
What size should my suitcase be for a plane's check luggage?
Checked luggage is when your suitcase or bag goes into the main part of the plane. The maximum size suitcase you're allowed is 23kg.
What size should my suitcase be for a plane's carry-on luggage?
Carry-on luggage is when your suitcase or bag goes into the overhead compartment. The maximum size suitcase you're allowed measures 55 x 40 x 20 cm (22 x 16 x 8 inches) but this can be different depending on the airline.