Luggage sets are designed for people who don’t tend to travel light. In fact, they need several different sizes pieces of luggage, so they can choose to pack extra for a longer trip. When owning several suitcases of different dimensions, they can also pick a single piece of luggage of just the right size for their needs. Doing this avoids traveling with a larger, heavier case than necessary which when traveling on a red-eye flight is certainly appreciated. With the best luggage sets, there’s also a question of design style, brand, materials used, locks and overall robustness too. With the use of modern materials like ABS plastic, there doesn’t necessarily need to be a trade-off made between durability and weight either.
Most sets are essentially suitcases on wheels which makes moving them around a breeze even when fully load up. Also, a set allow for cases that are suitable for a plane’s luggage hold plus usually have a regulation-sized carry-on to bring on the plane for the overhead bin. And from an overall esthetic design perspective, everything matches too. Here are our reviews of the top 5 luggage sets for the avid traveler.
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Best 5 Luggage Sets With Comparison Chart
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Top 5 Best Luggage Set Of 2020
AmazonBasics Geometric Luggage Spinner with TSA-compatible Locks
The AmazonBasics hard shell luggage set is designed for someone who wants an affordable set of luggage with useful features at a reasonable cost. They clearly won’t suit everyone, particularly people who are set on a specific brand or don’t want people questioning who their luggage was made by? However, for the discerning buyer, they’re finding a lot to recommend about the Basics range from Amazon which now spans many product categories. And the same is true here. The three pieces of luggage are sized in length (the standard quick measurement used in the industry) as 22-inches, 27.5 and 31.5 inches, respectively. Not only is the carry-on the appropriate dimensions to be let on different carrier flights, but there’s a combination and key locking mechanism which is TSA approved. This means the security agents can unlock the bag without needing the keys to do so, should they need to inspect the bag on the tarmac.
The geometric design is striking. The cases are available in several matched colors including black, cream, green, sunset orange and pink (a rich, deep pink, not a light-hued one) too. There’s twin spinner wheels on the underside of each case to roll them into and out of the airport too. The interior benefits from installed organizers that use tough 150 denier polyester complete with pockets that zip up to keep things separate. The usual telescopic handles make pulling the cases along behind you no problem. The interior capacity of the set is 40-liters, 71-liters and 111-liters. The weight (without contents) is 6.77 pounds, 9.04 pounds and 11.02 pounds, respectively.
American Tourister Moonlight Luggage with Spinner Wheels
The 3-piece hardside luggage set from American Tourister comes in some appealing named color choices (Anthracite, Rose Gold and Ascending Gardens come to mind!) but nevertheless there’s plenty of choice for appearance sakes. The design uses ABS plastic for the hard shell and PC printing to create a clean looking set of cases. There’s also a durable set of wheels that spin 360-degrees, should the need arise. The interior has polyester lining and zipper enclosures to partially separate what goes where. The opening is book-like with the divider (mesh) and straps crisscrossing the interior helping to keep carefully packed clothes in their proper position. This won’t obfuscate the possible benefits of using a separate set of packing cubes, but it’s till very convenient.
The telescope handles have a convenient centered push button to release and collapse it. The cases have expandable capacity on different sides depending on how much you’re wanting to pack and whether you can still stay within the luggage allowance from the airline. Also, be aware that this set is better suited for light travel compared to long-haul flights; it can dent when treated roughly by airline luggage personnel. The set comes in a 21-inch, 24-inch and 29-inch sized and are all styled the same. The respective weights are 7.5 pounds, 9.3 pounds and 11 pounds which is light enough to meet most exacting standards there too. There’s a limited warranty that covers ten years on poor workmanship or defective materials, so American Tourister stands by their gear. The brand has been around for almost 8 decades which is very reassuring too.
Samsonite Winfield 2 Luggage
With Samsonite, you have a brand that has resonance in the marketplace. And, so it is with their Winfield 2 luggage. This 3-piece set has a 20-inch convenient carry-on, a 24-inch case for one week or longer trip and a 28-inch case for an extended vacation. The model comes in a range of brushed colors that resemble metallic paint. The matches 3-piece set colors include brushed anthracite, charcoal, orange, navy, teal, and brushed black too.
The cases are produced using polycarbonate where it is durable, but the hard shell can still flex and bend without breaking when treated a little roughly. These upright bags also come with a set of four wheels that allow full 360-degree movement. They’re fitted to each corner of the underside of the cases with a reinforced corner molding to provide further support. Also, the aluminum handle telescopes up and tucks away neatly. It then releases through the use of a push button process. Each case opens right out like a book. Each side has different accommodations to helps clothes, shoes and toiletries stay in place during travel. There’s crisscross dividers to help clothes stay in place and a zippered section over the entire interior on the other, plus zippered pockets within it too. All of this will surely help packed items stay in place a little bit better than they would otherwise do.
The zipper and locking mechanism is interesting with this Samsonite set too. It features a TSA-compatible side lock and a 3-pin combination with large dials to select the right number without having to squint to see it like a traditional combination lock. Great for people with poor eyesight who don’t have their glasses handy at the time. For people worried about the weight of each suitcase, they’re very reasonable as the material is lighter. The 20-inch case is 6.7 pounds, the 24-inch case weighs 9.3 pounds and the 28-inch case weighs 11.5 pounds.
Steve Madden Luggage Honey 4 Piece Spinner
The Steve Madden Luggage 4-piece set is designed with women in mind through their purple patterned design. However, the same set is also available in a more manly black or blue without the girlie pattern on the fabric material. Take your pick! There’s a satchel to use for extra storage space and three other suitcases (one to use as a carry-on) which come with wheels that turn 360-degrees, as needed. Referring to the purple color set under review, the design is impressive. There’s a large, cream-colored tassel added to the front of the satchel. The busy textured pattern on all cases includes a matching trim, wheels and around the white zippers, which keeps everything looking consistent. It’s really quite stylish! The telescoping reinforced handle bears mentioning here too. The extended handle is thick and looks sturdy. The top of the handle bears the same coloration as the piping and other detailed design work on these bags. There’s also a push button to activate the release and locking mechanisms for the handle too.
The interior of the cases are fully lined. One side lifts open, rather than opening book-like. This does make packing a little trickier. However, it works just fine. The side that opens out has a zippered interior pocket that runs the length of that side. There’s also a separate space within the interior and useful internal securing straps too. There’s also space to add packing cubes without messing up the organizational elements already present which is good news. The satchel has an 18-inch length. The carry-on is 20-inches lengthwise, with the medium-sized bag 24-inches and the largest one measuring 28-inches. The carry-on is sized to be acceptable across a wide range of airlines regulations for bringing on-board. The weight is 3.5 pounds for the satchel, 7.8 pounds for the carry-on, 8.9 pounds for the medium-sized case and 10.1 pounds for the larger-sized case. The luggage comes with a 5-year limited warranty too.
Merax Travelhouse Luggage 3 Piece Spinner Set
The Merax 3-piece set is designed to be both affordable and practical. The Travelhouse set comes in many different color choices with largely the same design for each. The colors include green, gold, orange, purple, red and many several others. They’re each typically bold, bright and noticeable. The ABS used is fairly light compared to other materials and can hold up with durability too. The color styling is infused into it, so it shouldn’t fade over time. The telescopic handle is a simpler looking affair with a sturdy black plastic handle at the top and push button to lock or release it. There’s also a carry handle just behind it too.
The cases open up book-like to make them easier to pack. A zippered section across the whole of one side and the cross-diagonal straps across the other help to hold items in place. The locking mechanism at the side has an easier to access three-pin combination lock. However, while looking much like the TSA-compatible locks, it does not offer this feature. The set of three luggage pieces measures 20-inches, 24-inches and 28-inches in length. Both the 24-and 28-inch piece are expandable, but the 20-inch carry-on is not due to current airline regulations. Sets of spinner wheels are present on all three cases to roll them through the airport and change directions as needed. There’s a 5-year limited warranty with this set too.
Features to Consider When You’re Going to Buy Luggage Sets
When looking to purchase a luggage set, there are various features and points things to look at. Here are a few of them:
- Organizers and Zipped Pockets
An empty suitcase is difficult to pack without your clothes going in all directions when it goes through luggage systems, onto the plane and then take off again. As a result, when opening the case once you’ve arrived at the hotel, everything is usually in disarray! However, by making use of convenient zipped pockets, smaller items can be tucked away neatly. Also, some suitcases have entire zipped sections which keeps clothes on that side where they should be. Furthermore, elasticated straps that run diagonally in both directions link the four corners of one side of many cases under review to hold clothes down too.
- Hard-sided or Soft-Sided?
Hard-sided shell cases are usually made from ABS plastic with an exterior that’s shiny and somewhat flexible. Compression causes the case to get depressed and later rebound back into its natural shape and size. These types of cases come with spinning wheels and locks that typically are TSA-approved, so airport security can unlock them to check your luggage without assistance. However, some hard-sided cases can get dented when moving through luggage systems at airports with trolleys, and pulleys and sharp turns or even heavy drops possible. Therefore, with hard-shell cases, it’s a trade-off between weight versus durability.
Soft-sides cases tend to be made of a different material to ABS plastic and often are lighter. There’s more give and take because of the texture of the materials used. It’s unlikely to rip and being made of different material, blemishes are far less obvious. They can be stuffed to the gills or compressed down into an unusual shape to fit into specific spaces or even an overhead bin that’s getting cramped too.
- Material Considerations
With hard-sided cases, they’re often made from poly carbonate or ABS materials. These are fairly durable but can suffer the occasional dent or crack under extreme circumstances. The main plus point is they’re portable and not too heavy.
For soft-sided, textured material choices using Nylon or other blended fabrics provide some durability but can tend to get dirtier easily and aren’t easy to clean. However, it tends to last and can have attractive patterns or designs integral to the case compared to blander-looking ABS plastic ones.
- Capacity or Size
Some of the most common size choices measured in length are 20-inches, 24-inches and 28-inches. These are popular with the smaller bag suitable as a carry-on and the large case can go as stowed luggage in the hold. Also, there’s the possibility of a matching tote or satchel which is the case with one of our reviewed products above. Clearly, owning several cases of different sizes allows greater flexibility when packing depending on what trip is being taken and how long it’ll be for. The internal storage capacities are fairly similar between different manufacturers for bags with familiar dimensions.
- Spinner or In-line Wheels
Spinner wheels are castor wheels that attach onto the underside of the case. They are often capable of turning a complete 360-degrees. However, as they’re stick out from the case’s frame, they tend to be more fragile.
In-line wheels are fitted to run back and forth and so are bi-directional. Therefore, it’s necessary to lift the case up and manually turn it in a new direction to adjust your path. This is less flexible, yet it does make the wheels, which are more integral with the case itself, quite a bit less fragile as there’s little to snap off or get damaged in another way.
- Weight
With tighter restrictions on weight limits for luggage, especially on budget airlines, traveling with a light set of luggage is more important than ever before. For every extra pound of weight for a piece of luggage, this reduces the weight remaining within the airline luggage limits to fit everything you need. Therefore, cases should be looked at objectively for what weight they automatically use from the weight restrictions from airlines before even loading them with clothes, shoes and toiletries.
Which Size Luggage Set Do I Need?
When it comes to 3-piece sets, then sticking to something close to the 20-inch, 24-inch and 28-inch sizes makes sense. The 20-inch case for a carry-on is fine. It mustn’t have carry handles on the side to be acceptable to bring onto a plane though. Also, it cannot be expandable either. It’s important to check with any airlines that you frequently travel on to ensure their carry-on size restrictions haven’t changed for the worse.
With the luggage to go into the plane’s hold, there are weight restrictions and usually dimensional restrictions too. Therefore, while it’s possible to purchase a larger size than the 28-inch case, we wouldn’t recommend going too oversize for airline travel. However, for road trips, a larger, expandable case is a great idea. Otherwise, stick to the roughly 24-inch and 28-inch options for short trips and longer ones for the best of both worlds.
Conclusion
Choosing the right luggage for you depends on your priorities as a traveler. It’s more important to pay up for a good quality brand that uses better zips that don’t break and manufacturing that stands up to the rigors of travel. From there, it’s down to personal preferences, design styles and other quirks. Ultimately, there’s no one right luggage. There’s only what’s the best choice for you personally and everyone’s different in that respect.
