There are so many different brands of luggage out there that it’s become very difficult to pick one that will work for you and your travel style without diving into a rabbit hole of online reviews. Just about every type of luggage you can imagine is available, from carry-on to check-in to weekender to duffels, in a assortment of material, from aluminum to recycled polycarbonate to leather, in a huge variety of colors, and an even bigger variety of price points. Bounce, an app that helps travelers find safe places where to drop off their luggage wherever they are in the world, has conducted a study to determine which of the big luggage brands are the best and which are the worst.
Photo: Alex from the Rock/Shutterstock
The Highest-Rated Luggage Brands, and the Ones to Avoid
Bounce’s Luggage Brand Index 2024 rates the best and worst luggage brands according to a variety of criteria, including: the brand’s number of Instagram followers, the number of Instagram posts where the brand is tagged, Trustpilot reviews, the volume of people searching for the brand’s carry-on and suitcases online, and finally, the price. Compiling all these elements, Bounce gave each brand a score out of 10 and then ranked the best and worst luggage brands according to their scores.
Graphic: Bounce
Unsurprisingly, Rimowa, leader in the realm of aluminum luggage since 1937, tops the list. The German brand is associated with (somewhat) affordable luxury and extremely high quality. Away, also well-known for its aluminum cases but more affordable and targeting a younger and more casual type of traveler, comes third. Louis Vuitton, with its outrageous price tags and classic pattern comes fifth. Two much more affordable brands take the second and fourth places: Samsomite, a high-quality American brand that dates back to 1910, and American Tourister, a brand that offers a variety of bright and colorful luggage and is owned by Samsomite.
Graphic: Bounce
At the bottom of the ranking are five luggage brands, many of which are lesser known and have an aesthetic that is less Instagrammable, two elements which have likely contributed to their low scores. Luggage brands Carl Friedrik and Horizn Studios have scored high when it comes to Trustpilot reviews but don’t have the Instagram numbers of established brands like Rimowa and Louis Vuitton and therefore can’t compete.
Needless to say that looking at social media popularity and search volumes are far from perfect ways to judge a luggage brand. The writers and editors at Matador Network frequently test luggage on the ground and review them according to elements that have very little to do with how fashionable they might be; instead they judge their practicability, their durability, their price, their sustainability, etc. That’s what they did for the following luggage brands, for which you can read the thorough reviews and therefore make a better-informed decision:
- Away: “Away’s Carry-On Luggage Is the Best Roller Case For Your Money“
- July: “How This Hardshell Roller Got Me to Switch From My Carry-On Backpack Lifestyle”
- Monos: “This Luggage Has the World’s Best Features“
- Paravel: “This Carbon Neutral Roller Bag Makes Packing for Two a Breeze“
- Tortuga: “Tortuga Travel Backpack 40L Is the Best Travel Backpack for Your Money“
- Sterling Pacific: “This luxury suitcase is made from airplane grade aluminum“
- Patagonia: “Even Patagonia’s Smallest Black Hole Duffel Is Fit for a Two-Week Trip“
- Cotopaxi: “We Put Cotopaxi’s Top-Rated Travel Packs to the Test“
- Roam: “This Luggage Company Lets You Customize a Suitcase Unique to You”
