The Travelers Guide To The 6 Best Places to Buy Luggage

Suitcases were once bland, blah, and boring. Think back to images of the 1970s and 1980s. Luggage was a means to an end. A black, gray, or brown rectangle that you tossed in the trunk of your car or took to the airport.

Baggage carousels at the airport were strewn with endless suitcases that all seemed identical. Every once in a while, you’d see a cool antique steamer trunk or some other relic of the past, but luggage was rarely cool and trendy.

Fast-forward to today, and the world of luggage is much different, with mind-blowingly bright suitcases from trendy luggage brands littering conveyer belts at a million different styles, sizes, and price points. With so many options for luggage today, where do you go when you need a new piece of luggage?

As you might expect, some retailers do better than others, and you’ll want to shop around to snag your ideal travel bags. Is it worth strolling into a store for your new luggage, or should you rely on the internet to find deals on the best luggage brands?

Here’s a rundown of the best places to buy luggage.

TL;DR

• Best Luggage Retailer for Overall Luggage – Samsonite
• Best Luggage Retailer for Mid-Range Luggage – Travelpro
• Best Luggage Retailer for Luxury Luggage – Away
• Best Luggage Retailer for Variety – Amazon
• Best Luggage Retailer for Backpackers – REI

Best Places to Buy Luggage (Both Online and In-Store)

1. Samsonite

Samsonite is one of the most familiar luggage brands travelers will recognize, having been founded more than 100 years ago in Denver, Colorado, in 1910. The brand was named after the Biblical character Samson, who was known as a particularly strong human. The founders of Samsonite wanted to convey the idea of strength in the naming of their product.

Today, Samsonite remains a well-known brand in the travel industry, with most of its offerings hanging out in the affordable or mid-range area for the price. The company manufactures softside and hardside luggage, each of which tends to hold up well during intense travel excursions for frequent travelers.

The prices of different styles of Samsonite luggage are generally affordable or at least reasonably priced, but the company does charge quite a bit for its sturdiest models. You can generally rely on the durability of all of its offerings, but you do need to increase your budget substantially for their top-of-the-line checked and carry-on luggage.

Our…