Summer is right around the corner. We’re headed out on adventures and bringing our stuff with us. Here are all the tech and tips that WIRED Reviews recommends for your travels.
There is a surprisingly robust debate among frequent travelers about whether it’s best to carry on a suitcase or to check it. Sure, checking a bag saves you from worrying about space restrictions and confusing security requirements, needing to tote your suitcase into a bathroom stall with you, and sweating about snagging overhead bin space once you board. But you need only one really bad experience with checking luggage to convince you to avoid doing so whenever possible in favor of being a carry-on purist. My version of that incident occurred at the Delta counter in Dulles International Airport and almost made me miss my flight. (In fact, I’d prefer to not even use a carry-on! But that’s another story entirely.)
Photograph: Adrienne So
I fly more often than I’d like—short work trips, cross-country flights to visit family, and international vacation hauls. I’ve tested countless carry-on suitcases and have now enlisted my family members to help as well. These are the best carry-on suitcases that we’ve found that will fit pretty much any traveler’s needs.
Don’t see anything you like? Check out our buying guides to the Best Travel Totes, the Best Laptop Backpacks, and the Best Toiletry Bags. Here’s our guide to packing your carry-on correctly.
Updated May 2026: I completely overhauled this piece with new picks, new write-ups for existing picks, and updated FAQs. I also checked links and prices to ensure the most up-to-date information.
Table of Contents
Best Overall
Does it surprise you that I didn’t pick the iconic Away polycarbonate carry-on, that gorgeous colorful unit that jump-started the whole direct-to-consumer luggage movement from one of the few affluent-millennial–coded companies to have weathered multiple scandals and economic storms successfully since its founding in 2015? Sometimes it surprises me, too. Multiple WIRED staffers own the hard-sided carry-on because it’s good-looking and reasonably priced. However, I prefer the brand’s Softside Carry-On. In general, I prefer soft-sided luggage because it shows scuffs less easily, won’t crack, and is more flexible if I overpack.
With regard to this specific soft-sided case, it also has a little more flexibility than its hard-shelled cousin regarding organization options. It has exterior pockets, but they’re cleverly hidden. The straps compress a back panel over half the suitcase, so your stuff is squeezed down evenly. There’s a proprietary interior stabilizer to help keep it balanced—it never tipped over on its front, even when I was trying to slide tote bags or backpacks onto the handle while rolling it down a rickety aluminum gangway ramp. It has three exterior handles, not just two, so you can fling it about any which way. Also, the bag’s profile and hardware are pleasantly understated. There’s no giant shiny logos or ugly plastic zipper pulls, and all the available colors are attractive.
The nylon is also water-resistant; last year, I sat (sadly) with my Softside in the rain in the Philippines, waiting for a ferry, and it kept its contents dry. Unlike other carry-ons that falsely bill themselves as small enough for international carriers, the Softside’s dimensions are accurate. I’ve flown on multiple international flights with it to Europe and Asia without issue.
Best Value
Bagsmart
Getaway 20-Inch Carry-On
In all previous versions of this guide, I have recommended a Travelpro suitcase for this category. But this year, Bagsmart’s latest carry-on suitcase shocked me with its strong value. I picked the 20-inch version to test because it comes in a yellow mango color that’s just plain gorgeous. While this one may not pass the requirements for carry-on size on all budget or international airlines, it’s available in a 19-inch version that should work universally.
Both my 8-year-old and my 11-year-old conducted suitcase-racing tests and commented on how smoothly the four-way spinner wheels rolled compared to much more expensive suitcases. The Getaway also never toppled forward off-balance, which Travelpro suitcases have an unfortunate tendency to do, in my experience. The storage options are identical to other, much more expensive suitcases, with several interior zip pockets and a compression panel. It’s expandable and has a TSA-combination lock. It also comes with a few fun accessories, like a luggage tag and a piece of nylon webbing that you can clip to the outside if you end up having to check it.
About my only complaint is that the telescoping handle is a bit wobbly, but its value is amazing for around the $150 mark. (It also comes in a slightly pricier front-opening version ($170) with a padded front compartment for your tech.) If you’re unwilling to ditch Travelpro, I recommend the Maxlite Air V2 ($160), which comes in at around the same price point but weighs about two pounds less. It’s also expandable, the wheels roll smoothly, my hand fits in the handle, and the interior is made from 100 percent postconsumer recycled plastic bottles.
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