Best Carry-On Luggage to Buy in 2020

October 23, 2020

Premium luggage is the key to stress-free travel, especially during the COVID pandemic. Given the bubbling panic that surrounds air travel today, it is easy to overlook the significance of carry on suitcases. Regardless of the times, though, luggage can be the single link that transforms your travel experience from frustration to joy.

Most airplanes have strict guidelines regarding the weight, size, and shape of your luggage to ensure that it fits into the overhead compartment. Bags defying even a single criterion are chucked into the airplane storage. This can be incredibly annoying if you, like most travelers, need several tools and snacks handy during your airplane ride. With well-built carry on luggage, though, you can keep your favorite items close without fretting about the tricky rules.

Carry on luggage can range from sleek backpacks to bulky bags, but the best option during this pandemic remains a wheeled suitcase. Equipped with retractable handles and wheels, a suitcase can be rolled conveniently across any surface. This frees you from the hassle of slaving around with a loaded bag across your shoulders.  The only contact you, or others, have with the luggage would be through the suitcase handle, so you can swiftly sanitize it and avoid unnecessary contact. The hard case material also beats cloth bags by being noticeably less prone to picking dirt, debris, or nasty fluids off the airport surface.

Next time you travel, make sure to gear up with a premium carry on suitcase. To help you purchase the right fit, we have compared the top carry on luggage in the global market. Here are our picks for the Best Carry On Luggage to buy in 2020!

Best Carry-On Luggage to Buy in 2020

ProductOverall Size (inches)Price
Travelpro Platinum Elite Luggage – ( Editor’s Choice)23.5 x 14.5 x 9Check Price
Samsonite Omni PC Hardside Expandable Luggage22 x 15 x 9.5Check Price
DELSEY Paris Chatelet Hard+ Hardside Luggage24.5 x 15 x 11.5Check Price

(Editor’s Choice): Â Travelpro Platinum Elite Luggage

TravelPro’s Platinum Elite is a masterpiece among carry on suitcases, delivering the perfection its name implies. Travelpro is known for crafting versatile, innovative luggage, and the Elite’s multitude of features stands testament to that reputation.

The Platinum Elite is composed of high-quality polyester fabric, layered with the classic DuraGuard technology, making it stain-resistant and effective against abrasions. Its body is designed to accommodate bulging items, with a remarkable expansion potential of up to 2 inches. The bag is integrated with an extra full-length compartment on the exterior, alongside two folder-styled zippers. If you often stuff your carry on luggage with excessive items, the Platinum Elite will be a fresh change for you.

The Travelpro carry on luggage stretches to 23.5 x 14.5 x 9-inch dimensions. Although this can contrast with stingy local airlines, you won’t run across any trouble with the carry on size on international carriers. Like underseat luggage, the Platinum Elite is designed to be compact and adaptable to tight compartments.

In terms of mobility, the carry on suitcase utilizes four sturdy wheels to ride along any surface with ease. Most 4-wheel suitcases can suffer from a horrible misalignment among the individual wheels, but the Platinum Elite makes use of Magnatrac technology to keep them in sync. If you have used 4-wheel luggage before, you can immediately notice the brilliant fluidity of Platinum Elite’s movement as compared to conventional carry on luggage. Furthermore, TravelPro has formulated a comfort centric PowerScope design for the carry on luggage handle. Given its intelligent contours and curves, the handle feels painless in your hands, even after hours of gripping. There are attractive leather straps along the suitcase’s side and top which allow you to pick it smoothly off the ground, making it the most ergonomic luggage Travelpro has manufactured.

From the interior, the Platinum elite is a hub of convenience modules. It supports a tie-down system with straps that extend over your items, locking them in position. There are two folder bags built right into the base, alongside a removable toiletries bag and a drop-in suit bag. Need a toothbrush without having to strip down the entire suitcase? Just slide out the toiletry bag and brush on. Need your suit ready for a sudden meeting? Pull it smoothly from the wrinkle-free suit bag.

What’s more, the suitcase is fused with an external USB port that you can link securely with your power bank in a specialized pocket. If you find yourself in a bustling airport with a dead battery, your suitcase has your back! Through such diverse features, the Platinum Elite makes it a mission to erase each of your troubles while traveling, outstripping even the best luggage sets.

ProsCons
Smooth, Magnatrack wheelsSize may not comply with domestic airline rulings
Comfortable Handle designThe zipper can be tough to pull open
Integrated USB port
Removable toiletries and suit bags
Abrasion-resistant fabric

Conclusion

TravelPro’s Platinum Elite is a dutifully polished suitcase meeting all your needs. From removable bags to the integrated USB port, this carry on luggage offers the best of suitcase modules, but where it truly beats the competition is its magnetic, 4 wheel system and Powerscope handle, allowing it to be carried swiftly and effortlessly for extended periods. If you fly regularly across international oceans, the Platinum Elite is your ideal match.

Samsonite Omni PC Hardside Expandable Luggage

When it comes to suitcases, Samsonite is a household name. The Omni PC luggage represents the best of the brand’s flawless workmanship and attention to detail with an appealing hard-side frame, all at an affordable price tag.

The Samsonite Omni PC is built from modified polycarbonate. The exterior is engraved with a looping diamond pattern that resists scratches and ugly scrapes. Sturdy and resilient, this carry on luggage promises years of unflinching durability while remaining one of the best lightweight suitcases. Yes, this beast weighs only 6.81 lbs., a stark divergence from most hard-case bags in the industry. Its overall dimensions are 9.5 x 15 x 22 inches, which not only fit the carry on luggage size allowed by most domestic and international carriers but also serve as under the seat luggage.

The Omni PC operates as a zipper-lock bag. Despite possessing a hard case exterior, the bag offers a generous amount of expansion through its dual-layered zips. You can close the bag from the outer or inner zip depending on the additional space you need. Moreover, this carry on luggage is equipped with a TSA-compliant lock on its side. If you are concerned about airport theft, the lock can be a useful tool to secure your belongings, especially when traveling through small-scale airlines.

As a spinner suitcase, the Omni PC luggage glides across any terrain while minimizing your muscular strain. The 4 wheels can rotate 360 degrees to facilitate your course. Also, the carry on bag’s handle employs a push-button lock which prevents accidental extension or closure. You can even lean on the tough handle when jammed in an exhausting queue! This Samsonite luggage keeps up with the best travel backpacks by offering a diagonal strap lock on the interior. A mesh wall divides the suitcase into two compartments, which you can arrange according to the nature of your clothes. It’s especially handy if you want to segregate clean clothes from the dirty laundry!

The Omni PC may be cheaper than most competitors, but Samsonite extends a confident 10-year warranty with the suitcase, applicable to any manufacturing faults. And given the suitcase’s superior construction, we doubt you’ll need it any time soon!

ProsCons
Lightweight, 22” bodyLimited warranty against airline abuse
Durable polycarbonate hardcaseHardside Case pattern can be difficult to clean
360-degree Spinner wheels for movement
TSA-compliant side lock
Useful Mesh divider and strap lock on the interior

Conclusion

Focusing on compatibility, the Samsonite Omni PC excels through its compact design and a precise size that meets global airline requirements. It possesses a lightweight, polycarbonate body without compromising on strength or durability, a combination most carry away suitcases cannot claim. Coupled with a TSA lock, this carry on luggage is a budget-friendly choice for those who value endurance and agility over quirky features.

DELSEY Paris Chatelet Hard+ Hardside Luggage

It’s hard to find a worthy suitcase that combines fashion with practicality, but the Delsey Paris Chatelet manages both with careless fluency. Its elegant hard-side body is lined with leather accents for vintage appeal, making it so excitingly stylish you won’t wish to slip this luggage under seats!

The suitcase boasts a pristine hardcase body made from virgin polycarbonate, a material known for its heightened durability. The suitcase can withstand heavy impact, including the abusive handling that most airplane carriers often display. At a length of 21 inches, the Chatelet fits snugly into common overhead compartments, complying with carry on bag sizes enforced by international carriers.

What’s amazing about the Delsey carry on luggage is its innovating array of features that you cannot find in other suitcase brands. The carry on bag relies on 4 spinner wheels for ergonomic movement. The problem with spinners is that they slide smoothly, even when you don’t want them to. On inclines or escalators, they can roll out of reach and get lost, but the Delsey Chatelet has overcome this flaw by installing a quirky brake into the front wheels and handle. Press a single button and you can lock the suitcase in place.

The Suitcase interior provides separate compartments for clothes, shoes, laundry, and hangers. They can be removed or rearranged according to your needs. If customizability is something you crave, then keep the Delsey suitcase in your sights for the next luggage sale! A pristine zipper locks the suitcase, and for added security, you can set up the integrated TSA lock as well. But that’s not all, the Chatelet holds a secret tracking device within its layered interior.  If you happen to lose track of the suitcase, you can locate its exact coordinates without hassle, which also makes it ideal to serve as kids luggage.

ProsCons
Built-in tracking deviceNo external compartment for a bottle
TSA 3-dial lockFaux Leather may scratch easily
Durable polycarbonate hard case
Spinner wheels with Braking system
Beautiful, leather-infused design

Conclusion

The Delsey Paris Chatelet is not just a handsome suitcase. Engineered with precision, it delivers a balance of durability, style, and convenience. Its resilient hard case body is adorned with a range of innovative elements, like a one-push wheel lock and 3-dial zipper lock, which makes it one of the best luggage bags in the market.

FINAL VERDICT – EDITOR’S CHOICE

Choosing carry on luggage can be a drastically varied experience for everyone, but certain qualities, like size, durability, and mobility, always factor into our decisions.  Each of our top picks from Travelpro, Samsonite, and Delsey displayed outstanding standards in these areas, but the one that beats them all is the TravelPro Platinum Elite.

Unlike the competitors, Platinum Elite employs a soft-side case crafted from polyester fabric without sacrificing any durability. Its design ensures up to 2 inches of expansion that no hard-side suitcase can brag about. The TravelPro lifetime warranty outshines both Samsonite and Delsey’s 10-year protection. Moreover, it is loaded with features like an external USB port, full-length, removable suit bag, and TSA-compliant toiletries bag that you won’t find in the Samsonite Omni PC. Considering such all-rounded perfection, the TravelPro Platinum Elite has earned our Winning Pick title as the Best Carry On luggage in 2020!