If you – like me – need durable luggage, I think you’ll appreciate this list of some of the best hardside luggage bags with spinner wheels.
Because, here’s the thing: I travel a lot. I’ve been to at least 47 countries and every souvenir I’ve brought home is currently held together with duct tape and a prayer. And yet, it took me a while to realize that I needed to start using hardside luggage.
What is hardside spinner luggage? It’s luggage with a firm exterior structure that stands upright and has four wheels that spin. It’s durable, adult toddler-proof, and able to keep my belongings safe despite my clumsy manic pixie dreamgirl ways. #endearing #alsowhyIcanthavenicethings
Hardside luggage — also known as hard-case or hard-shell — is also great for rougher travel conditions, as it can withstand more impact or weather hazards that softer luggage might not able to handle. So, if you too need a little extra padding but want a bag that meets the carry-on requirements of most airlines, read on.
The 8 Best Carry-On Hardside Luggage Bags with Spinner Wheels
1. Away Bigger Carry-On With Pocket (Away, $$$)
Dimensions: 22.7” x 14.7” x 9.6”
Capacity: 46L
Weight: 8.5 lbs
Warranty: Lifetime
A carry-on that can charge your phone? Yes please — we love a bag that keeps us from living in the moment! You’ve probably seen promos for Away all over your Instagram, because their phones are always charged enough to create more ads. But their hardside bag is legit.
The lightweight, roomy bag features a durable polycarbonate shell and comes with a TSA-approved ejectable battery, a lockable zipper, a padded interior laptop sleeve, hidden laundry bag, and 360° spinner wheels. It also has a front kangaroo-style pocket for easy access to your passport, iPad, boarding pass, and wallet. If you get nervous during the flight, we don’t think you can burrow into it, but it’s worth a try!
Available in 5 colors directly from Away.
2. Briggs & Riley Sympatico International Carry-On Expandable Spinner (Briggs & Riley, $$$$)
Dimensions: 21” x 14” x 9”
Weight: 8 lbs
Capacity: 39.2 – 47.9L (expanded)
Warranty: Lifetime
Are you one of those people that goes full WWE on your suitcase to fit in that puffy parka you’re bringing to Bora Bora…you know, just in case? Then you definitely need to read up on how to pack a travel capsule wardrobe.
Also, this is the hardside carry-on for you. Briggs & Riley’s CX system expands to give you 22% more space for whatever you need to fit, then compresses back to its original size. That means you can be 22% more prepared for that weekend work retreat — so go ahead and pack a month’s worth of jeans. Maybe bring your mom’s old wedding dress, too. You never know when Craig from accounting might decide to make your secret staircase meet-ups more official.
3. Hartmann Luggage 7R Hardside Spinner Small (Amazon, $$$$)
Dimensions: 22” x 16” x 9”
Weight: 5.1 lbs
Capacity: It’s a mystery!
Warranty: 2-year limited warranty
If basic bitches had a team color, it would be rose gold. Don’t just embrace your inner basic bitch — buy her something shiny.
With spinner wheels and a retractable carbon fiber handle, this small Hartmann 7R hardside spinner luggage is super-easy to maneuver, so you’ll barely feel the weight of the 14 different floppy hats you packed for your trip to Tulum! And, you can tuck them into the carry on’s different mesh-divided zippered compartments? #blessed.
Finally, the bag is sculpted from super durable layers of woven translucent polypropylene, so it won’t break when you throw it through the hotel window when a Swedish DJ dumps you for a social media “influencer.”
Available in 3 colors from Amazon.
4. AmazonBasics Premium Hardside Spinner Luggage (Amazon, $)
Dimensions: 21.5” x 14” x 9”
Weight: approximately 7 lbs
Capacity: It’s a mystery!
Warranty: 3-year limited warranty
Okay, so maybe this spinner isn’t the flashiest. Maybe it’s not covered in crystals. Maybe it didn’t graduate from Harvard and is “between jobs” right now and doesn’t measure up in the eyes of your father — but that doesn’t mean it can’t make you happy, OKAY?!
Wait, sorry, wrong baggage. Anyway, this hardside spinner suitcase from AmazonBasics might be humble — but it has all the essentials at a fraction of the price. There’s the flexible polycarbonate shell, a fully-lined interior organizer with three zippered pockets, and a built-in TSA-friendly lock in case you’ve lost yours. You get what you pay for with this as it’s not as durable as other hardside spinners on this list but it’s better than nothing.
Available in 6 colors from Amazon.
5. Globe-Trotter Safari 20″ Travel Trolley (Bloomingdale’s, $$$$$$$$$)
Dimensions: 14.5” x 20.4” x 6.3”
Weight: 9.9 lbs
Capacity: 34L
Warranty: 2-year warranty
Move over Kendall Jenner — Queen Elizabeth was the original influencer, and she brought a bag from this iconic luggage line on her honeymoon.
Crafted with lightweight fiberboard and leather trim, Globe-Trotter’s ultra-luxe hardside Safari Trolley Case is more practical than it seems — it actually has plenty of space. And when it comes to letting people know you take yourself quite seriously, buying this bag is a lot easier than growing a handlebar mustache.
Available in 2 colors at Bloomingdale’s.
6. Coolife Luggage Expandable Suitcase (Amazon, $)
Dimensions: 22.4” x 15.4” x 8.7”
Weight: 6.7 lbs
Capacity: 38L
Warranty: 2-year warranty
Sure, “Coolife” might sound like a bad singles cruise or a second-rate EDM festival, but they make some solid suitcases. This budget-friendly option is lightweight, durable, and designed to resist impact and keep your valuables (a.k.a. duty-free gin) thoroughly protected.
The 28-inch version – while not carry-on friendly – does include an expandable compartment so you can take overpacking to the next level. Plus, the color selection is ca-yuuute! They’ve got orange, burgundy, navy, white, and that teal color that makes even consider buying a Prius for half a second.
Available in 5 colors from Amazon.
7. Samsonite 20” Centric Expandable Hardside Luggage with Spinner Wheels (Amazon, $)
Dimensions: 22.5” x 15.5”x 9.5”
Weight: 7.5 lbs
Capacity: It’s a mystery!
Warranty: 10-year limited warranty
This is the perfect carry-on bag to take on an epic adventure through the harshest travel conditions, like Siberia or your ex-boyfriend’s wedding. The polycarbonate tweed shell is scratch-resistant, which is great news for anyone with claws. (No judgment, werewolves.) And it in no way resembles a Transformer.
It’s missing interior compartments, but for the price, the lightweight design and multi-directional spinner wheels make it easy to maneuver through the airport when you’re sprinting to catch a plane.
Get it in 8 colors from Amazon.
8. Delsey Paris Luggage Chatelet Hard+ Carry On Spinner Suitcase (Amazon, $$)
Dimensions: 20.2” x 9” x 14”
Weight: 9.3 lbs
Capacity: It’s a mystery, but watch the video below to see how much It’s a Golden Lifestyle crams into it!
Warranty: 10-year limited warranty
Pinkies up — this Delsey spinner trolley is the epitome of Parisian chic.
With faux leather accents throughout and a luxurious soft-touch interior lining, it screams “sophistication,” which is better than screaming “what do you mean there’s no beverage service on this flight?!”
Zippered compartments, a mesh divider, and a travel hanger keep your belongings in place — even when you’re desperately trying to cram your bag into the last few cubic inches of overhead space — and a unique front wheel brake system makes it easy to come to a screeching halt when you pass a Starbucks.
Get it in 3 colors from Amazon.
Chelsea has traveled to over 50 countries and has had every major third-world disease (but like, in a hot way). Follow her on Instagram and Twitter!
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