When traveling, you want your suitcase to be light and comfortable to hold and wheel along. You’ll also want it to look good, and you want to be sure of its durability.
You definitely don’t want your suitcase to look too inconspicuous as thieves like to target bags and cases which won’t draw attention to them when they’re trying to get away with your possessions. Therefore, we’ve reviewed three suitcases to find the best ones for travel.
The Samsonite Wheeled Underseater
Underseaters are different from the standard type of suitcase. They are more square-shaped and designed, as the name suggests, to fit under your seat on an airplane, but they can also fulfill this same purpose on a train, or a bus.
Features
- Available color: black
- Material: polyester/nylon blend
- Weight: 6 lbs. 9 oz.
- Length: 12.5“, Height: 9”, Depth: 14”
Pros
- Loads of pockets of varying sizes lined with different materials
- Two durable wheels for movement on flat surfaces
- Small enough to fit within airlines’ carry-on restrictions
Cons
Carrying handle may be too short for taller people
The Timbuk2 Co-Pilot Luggage Roller
The Timbuk2 Co-Pilot’s sophisticated clamshell design immediately makes a strong impression, and its durability serves to keep you traveling, lasting longer than similar suitcases on the market. The overall wheel and handle design borrows heavily from bikes and skateboards—improving the handling and increasing the speed at which you can push or pull your luggage. Additionally, an internal dividing mesh allows you to keep your items separate and organized.
Features
- Available color: Black, Carbon/Fire, Marsh, Merlot, Midway, Surplus, Army/Acid, Nautical/Adobe
- Materials: nylon/fabric
- Weight: 6.6 lbs.
- Height: 20”-28” (depending on model chosen)
Pros
- Smooth, quiet recessed wheels can easily be placed in the overhead compartment
- Lots of space for your items within the clamshell design
- Rugged, sturdy and durable enough to protect your electronics from shocks
Cons
The handle can occasionally be temperamental and can require some effort to lock into place
Summary
A host of added extras shows that a lot of thought has been put into the making of this suitcase, such as padded front pockets which are sized exactly for the most common electrical products. There’s also an integrated ID window for you to show your important personal documents without rummaging through your luggage.
ISEYMI Travel Luggage Suitcase – with stylish protective cover
Upon first laying eyes upon these suitcase covers, you’ll be struck by the extravagant and eye-catching artwork. This suitcase cover is available in seven different travel-themed artwork styles, so there’s bound to be one that strikes your fancy.
Features
- Design description: London, Black – “All You Need Is Travel” Big Ben, Statue of Liberty; Red – St James Cathedral; Yellow – “I want to travel”; Gray – Reindeer Sleigh; Fruit – “Thank you We are Family”
- Materials: high elastic spandex
Pros
- These covers can really liven up your suitcase
- Makes your suitcase a lot easy to spot
- Reduces the chance of your suitcase being stolen
Cons
Make sure you have chosen the right size for your suitcase before purchasing; it’s easy to make a mistake and be left with an unusable, non-fitting product
Summary
Suitcase covers are a spectacularly good idea as they not only spice up an otherwise quite dull and boring suitcase, they also make it a lot easier to pick out of a crowd of other suitcases. This act of making your suitcase more conspicuous also deters potential thieves from preying on your property, as they tend to go for low-key, less easily noticed designs. They also make it easy for you to pick out your suitcase when it shows up at the baggage claim or for others to mistakenly take your bag.
While these suitcase designs are nice and stylish, it’s down to you, the customer, to make the final decision over what you want to see when you look down at your luggage.
Conclusion
When traveling with a suitcase, you need to have confidence that the one you’ve chosen is going to be large enough to fit everything you plan to take, plus leave extra space for souvenirs and the inevitably greater amount of space that your no longer freshly ironed and tightly packed clothes will take up on your return journey.
A suitcase has to be well-built enough for you to be sure that the wheels won’t suddenly buckle or break before you’ve even stepped on the plane or boarded the ferry.
You’ll want to be safe in the knowledge that the fabric of the lining won’t suddenly rip and cause all of your carefully organized clothes, toiletries and other items to go all over the place.
With these points in mind, we’ve selected what is, in our opinion, the best suitcase, the Timbuk2 Co-Pilot Luggage Roller, as it combines the best qualities in terms of durability, ease of use, and aesthetics.