Best Carry-On Luggage Brands
CR members share their experiences using more than 8,000 carry-on suitcases. They'd take the top brands to the ends of the earth.
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Owning a great piece of carry-on luggage may not make you feel better about soaring airfares and inflated gasoline prices, but a carry-on that lasts through years of long-haul excursions and overnight stays alike is a money-saving investment. And if that carry-on suitcase rolls effortlessly through airport hallways, onto escalators and stairs, and along grassy stretches and bumpy cobblestones, that’s one less travel hassle to deal with.
In fact, wheelability and durability—how well zippers, handles, fabric, and other features hold up—are the most prized features in a carry-on luggage brand, according to a recent survey of 8,168 Consumer Reports members who own carry-ons. And among the 23 luggage brands members reported owning, only two—the premium names Away and Briggs & Riley—excelled in both attributes.
"Away and Briggs & Riley got really high ratings for all the attributes in our ratings, especially the key attributes of durability and wheelability," notes Tian Wang, senior research associate in Consumer Reports’ survey department. "So it’s not surprising that they’re at the top."
Top Brands for a Reason
Away, in fact, earned a near-perfect score for overall satisfaction. In addition to its stellar wheelability and durability ratings, the on-trend, direct-to-consumer brand hit high notes for ease in packing and carrying, stowability, and weight. (The Carry On, Away’s baseline carry-on spinner model, weighs about seven pounds.)
Briggs & Riley, another premium brand that’s been a longtime favorite of CR members, performed nearly as well overall. The brand garnered top marks in every attribute but the weight of its carry-ons; for that feature, it earned a favorable score. While Away only makes hard-shell carry-ons, Briggs & Riley also manufactures soft-sided luggage.
Notably, both Away and Briggs & Riley offer consumers strong warranties. Briggs & Riley says its lifetime guarantee is unconditional, offering to repair of all functional aspects the bag for its lifetime—or as long as you own it. Similarly, Away’s lifetime limited warranty indefinitely covers noncosmetic issues such as breaks and cracks, broken or unusable telescoping handles, and nonfunctioning zippers. Those extra perks were not included in CR’s scoring.
Lots of Great Carry-On Choices
Our survey on members’ luggage satisfaction and preferences, conducted in Summer 2022, found consumers quite satisfied with most of the 23 carry-on luggage brands in our ratings.
In addition to Away and Briggs & Riley, ten other carry-on suitcase brands earned top-tier overall satisfaction scores. Those other stellar performers are, in ratings order: Eagle Creek, Tumi, Kirkland (Costco’s in-house brand), Eddie Bauer, Ebags, Rick Steves, Amazon Basics, L.L. Bean, Travelpro, and Heys.
Check out our updated luggage ratings and buying guide to find the best brands and advice on selecting bags that meet your needs.
Top Carry-On Luggage Brands in CR's Ratings
Below, CR members will find details on the two carry-on luggage brands that earn the highest overall satisfaction ratings, along with price ranges for carry-ons measuring 14x9x22 inches (WxDxH)—the maximum allowed for domestic travel on three of the biggest U.S. airlines: American, Delta, and United.
Considering a hard-shell carry-on case? We’ve tested a dozen to find the best hard-shell carry-on spinner bags. And if you want more information to help choose a suitcase that’s right for you, you’ll find it all in our luggage buying guide. To see how other suitcase brands stack up in our survey, check out our comprehensive carry-on luggage brand ratings.
