Major Luggage Brands Ranked By Geek Appeal

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There are so many fantastic benefits to traveling, whether you can only go on one trip every few years or if you count travel as one of your main hobbies. Whether you stay within your country or take a trip abroad, travel broadens your perspective, lets you experience unique cultures or customs, and allows you to more easily step back from the fast pace of everyday life. If you're someone who loves to travel, you might want to have luggage that reflects this passion. Sure, having money to spend on hotels and one-of-a-kind experiences is important as well, but your luggage is what sticks with you on all those flights and train rides.

Investing in a high-quality, reliable suitcase can enhance your travels in many ways. Some luggage brands make it easier to pack more, with compression straps or helpful design elements. One suitcase may have a spot for a power bank, with a handy USB port on the outside for convenient charging, while other luggage brands prioritize overall durability or sleek designs. If it's time to upgrade your suitcase (or simply add another to your collection), one of these major luggage brands is bound to have what you're looking for.

One of the most popular brands you'll find luggage lovers mention often is Briggs & Riley. This brand offers a "Simple as That" lifetime warranty to cover all repairs for free. Most of its suitcases feature 360-degree wheels as well, and an outside handle, which is attached to the outside of the suitcase so you have a nice, flat surface inside to make packing easier. Many Briggs & Riley suitcases also feature a hinge front door for quick, easy access to your laptop or whatever else you can fit in there, and a CX Compression-Expansion system that allows you to pack in extra stuff before heading out.

Named one of the 'best soft-sided carry-on' pieces by Wirecutter, the Briggs & Riley $699 Essential 22-inch Carry-On Expandable Spinner suitcase packs in a ton of helpful features. This gem comes with a front SpeedThru pocket for a laptop or tablet with RFID shielding, compression panels, a PowerPocket that allows you to connect a USB cord to a power bank (not included) inside, and a zip-around expansion that adds up to 25% of extra packing space for longer trips. This well-reviewed suitcase weighs 8 pounds by itself and has exterior dimensions of 22 x 14 x 9 inches. The Essential 22-inch Carry-On fits most airline requirements for carry-on luggage to go in the overhead bins, but verify its dimensions and weight with your specific airline prior to flying. At the same time, the interior dimensions of 20.5 x 14 x 8 inches give you plenty of packing space.

Carl Friedrik luggage screams high-end craftsmanship, with thoughtful color combinations and unique designs that are both sleek and practical. The brand is transparent when it comes to the materials used in its luggage (which include polycarbonate, nylon, nubuck leather, Vachetta leather, aluminum, and grained leather) and where exactly each material is sourced from. The company puts emphasis on sustainability, writing on its About Us page that "Focusing on durability reduces the waste associated with short-lived, flawed products." Carl Friedrik suitcases aren't cheap, but they're built to last a long time.

The Carry-On X is a bit pricey, at $695, but it's garnered many positive reviews, including coverage from The Modest Man, which calls it "a beautifully made piece of luggage." It features a hard-shell zippered pocket that's perfect for laptops, 360-degree Hinomoto silent wheels, TSA-approved locks, and two sets of compression straps paired with a compression pad to make packing easier. For longevity, it's constructed with an aluminum frame and an impact-resistant polycarbonate hard shell. The Carry-On X weighs 9.5 pounds and measures 22.3 x 14.8 x 10.4 inches, so it'll fit the carry-on requirements for most airlines.

Delsey is a French luggage brand known for lightweight and stylish products that are incredibly durable. Among all available Delsey luggage pieces you'll find suitcases with TSA-approved locks, bags equipped with Securitech zips (that are much more resilient than plain old zippers), models with an included laundry and/or shoe bag, and a variety of ergonomic handles.

One of the most highly-rated carry-on options from Delsey is the Chatelet Air 2.0 Carry-On Plus Spinner, which is sold for $329 in five beautiful color schemes. This suitcase has all the features mentioned above, and then some. There are dual compartments with compression cross straps, a zippered divider, and mesh zippered pockets to keep your belongings organized and secured, along with antimicrobial fabric inside to hinder the growth of microbes and prevent odors.

The suitcase's exterior is made out of a textured basketweave polycarbonate hard shell and a vegan leather trim. This suitcase meets the carry-on requirements for most domestic airlines, with a weight of 7.7 pounds and exterior dimensions of 22.8 x 15 x 10 inches.

According to multiple customer ratings and a GearLab review, Rimowa is the go-to luggage brand for those looking for a suitcase with a sturdy yet lightweight aluminum frame, seamless wheel maneuverability, and a well-constructed handle that operates smoothly. The only downside, common to all Rimowa suitcases, is their high-end price.

For example, the Original Cabin suitcase that GearLab reviewed is a mid-range Rimowa piece, and it's a whopping $1,500. This gorgeous suitcase comes in four different colors: bronze brown, silver, black, and titanium. The design is simple but effective, featuring Rimowa's signature grooves and iconic lines that look great and act as bumpers to protect your belongings inside. Many of those who have purchased Rimowa luggage in the past justify the high price tag with the durable, reliable build quality the brand consistently delivers. Rimowa is to luggage as Herman Miller, maker of chairs that cost more than your rent, is to office ergonomics.

The Original Cabin suitcase features TSA-approved locks, a height-adjustable Flex Divider inside, a telescopic handle, and the Rimowa Multiwheel system, which promises seamless steering via ball-bearing mounted wheels. For most domestic airlines, the Original Cabin suitcase meets carry-on requirements, with dimensions of 21.7 x 15.8 x 9.1 inches and a weight of 9.5 pounds. As always, double check with your preferred airline to make sure these specs will work for you.

If you're looking for luggage that's both affordable and durable, one brand you might have heard about is Samsonite. The company pioneered four-wheel spinner luggage and was the first to mount a three-point locking systems on a suitcase, and now Samsonite claims that designing durable pieces and lowering its environmental impact is a top priority. 

Most suitcases made by Samsonite offer classic designs, often with solid colorways and simple grooves, roomy interiors, and four smooth wheels for easy handling. Some luggage comes with a tough, hard exterior shell to ensure your belongings inside are as protected as possible, while other Samsonite suitcases have a soft exterior, which makes them more lightweight and flexible. The Outline Pro Carry-On Spinner is only $209 at full price, and yet it boasts some great features. It has a molded handle that's comfortable to grip, a built-in TSA lock, an interior lined with the company's "eco-conscious" Recyclex fabric, and a USB port.

If you're not sure how to use a USB port on a suitcase, no worries. You'll need to purchase a power bank to put inside the suitcase and power the USB port, and then you can use the USB port conveniently throughout the airport to charge your devices. If your power bank is large enough, you can go beyond a simple smartphone and use this port to power all the great USB travel gadgets you can think of.

Horizn Studios is known for making "smart" luggage, with many of its products featuring built-in portable chargers and even optional GPS tracking. Horizn Studios claims to put sustainability high on its list of priorities, selecting long-lasting, sturdy materials because "the most eco-friendly product is the one you only have to buy once."

One of the Horizn Studios products with the best value per money on offer is the $540 M50 Pro. This pricey suitcase features a TSA-approved lock and a quick-access front pocket for your laptop and other important travel items that your phone could probably replace. The M5 Pro is constructed with an aerospace-grade German polycarbonate hard shell, 360-degree Japanese ball-bearing spinner wheels that are super quiet, and a telescopic handle that's easy to lift and lower.

Inside the suitcase, you'll find a compression pad and straps to shrink your clothes into a more manageable size. There's also a laundry bag, so you can keep your dirty clothes separate from the clean ones as you travel. The M5 Pro measures 21.7 x 15.7 x 9 inches and weighs 7.7 pounds, making it slightly too wide to meet carry-on requirements for certain airlines.

Victorinox, the brand famous for creating Swiss Army Knives, also makes luggage, and its suitcases are as reliable and durable as you'd expect. Just like a Swiss Army Knife, Victorinox luggage is full of helpful features, all designed to improve your travel experience.

The $450 Airox Advanced Frequent Flyer Carry-On is a standout suitcase and only one of Victorinox's many products to have won a Red Dot Design Award. This suitcase is protected by a lifetime guarantee, features a zippered pocket for your electronics designed to prevent scratches, and has an expansion system that can add over one inch of additional packing space.

This suitcase measures 22.8 x 15 x 9.4 inches, dimensions that are similar to competitors and meet most airline carry-on requirements. Unlike many competitors, however, the Frequent Flyer Carry-On has a weight of just 6.6 pounds. Most carry-on suitcases we've seen weigh one to three pounds more, making this a great option if you're looking for a lightweight yet durable suitcase.

Luggage from Tumi can be quite pricey, but you certainly get what you pay for. The brand is known for using ballistic nylon in its luggage — a tough, synthetic fabric that is highly durable and very resistant to tears. Tumi makes it easy to customize whichever suitcase you buy with an accent color, for an added fee. The classic embossed monogram, on the other hand, is complementary, but for $15 per letter, you can opt for a premium monogram sewn into your luggage instead.

One of Tumi's many suitcases with a 4.5-star average rating is the Alpha Continental Dual Access Carry-On, priced at a hefty $1,050. It comes with a front U-zip pocket that's perfect for a laptop or tablet, up to two inches of extra space with a zipper to zipper expansion, a telescopic handle, dual spinner wheels, a built-in USB-C charging port, a TSA-approved lock, and a 20-digit serial number on a metal plate (called the Tumi Tracer) used to identify the luggage if it's ever lost or stolen.

Inside you'll find a removable garment sleeve that can hold one suit, a hanging mesh zipper pocket, and multiple other pockets and zippered compartments to keep all your belongings organized. With everything it includes, it's no surprise that this suitcase is on the heavier side, at 11.1 pounds. Its dimensions of 22 x 16 x 9 inches meet the carry-on requirements for most airlines, but not all, so make sure to double-check before heading to the airport.

For those who frequently go on rugged adventures, need to transport pricey camera or tech equipment, or simply want to ensure their belongings stay dry and protected at all times, one of the best luggage brands you can invest in is Pelican. This brand offers plenty of micro cases, to stash small, but important belongings like a microSD card, as well as sling bags, backpacks, and suitcases that can be brought as an overhead carry-on item.

One of the best options among Pelican's many cases that you can bring as a carry-on is the 22-inch ATX Carry-On Hard-Sided suitcase, which earned a spot as a 2025 Travel Goods Awards winner. For $499, this suitcase features built-in TSA locking latches, Hinomoto 360-degree spinner wheels, a telescopic handle, and a waterproof and dustproof design with a durable polypropylene blend hard shell.

With exterior dimensions of 22 x 14 x 9.1 inches, the 22-inch ATX suitcase meets most airlines' requirements to bring along as a carry-on. However, the suitcase does weigh 12.8 pounds by itself, which might make it too heavy for some airlines.

If you're often on social media, you might have seen the luggage brand Away pop up on your feed once in a while, maybe as a sponsor for one of your favorite content creators. The brand definitely knows how to market itself, but its luggage wouldn't be as successful if it wasn't well-constructed and full of helpful features. Away used to offer luggage with a built-in battery for convenient charging, but the company has since discontinued this feature. Now, it's simply known for creating sleek pieces of luggage with great interior organization, built-in TSA-approved locks, and high-quality materials inside and out.

With nearly 7,000 reviews, 4.7 stars out of five, and a price tag of $275, The Carry-On is a fan favorite. This classic piece comes in many different colors, all of which feature the same horizontal grooves on the exterior. This small suitcase features 360-degree wheels, a water-resistant laundry bag, and the brand's signature interior compression system, to help you pack more and stay organized.

Thanks to its 100% polycarbonate hard shell, The Carry-On is both sturdy and lightweight, coming in at just 7.5 pounds. Its exterior measurements are 21.7 x 14.4 x 9 inches, meaning it meets most airline requirements for overhead carry-on items. If you're looking for a larger suitcase to bring with you, The Bigger Carry-On is about the same price ($295) as the regular version, has over 13,000 positive customer reviews, and while it's larger, it still counts as a carry-on by the standards of most airlines.

We compiled this list of major luggage brands by looking at professional reviews through reputable sites and user reviews through Reddit and other enthusiast forums. We used those reviews to verify the brands' claims before deciding which of them have the qualities luggage enthusiasts are looking for.

By "luggage brands with geek appeal", we mean companies that produce luggage that has unique qualities that a detail-oriented user would appreciate. Geek appeal can manifest in different ways: Some brands prioritize exterior sturdiness to protect your belongings, while others focus on interior organization or convenient travel features like a built-in USB port.

Although the brands here are roughly ranked from highest to lowest geek appeal, those companies all make solid suitcases that an enthusiast could love, and that would serve a regular user splendidly.