There was a time when I didn’t give much thought to my luggage. As long as I could fit my clothes inside and the zipper closed, it was fine. If a wheel got a little wobbly or the handle stuck once in a while, I just figured, “Eh, it’s a suitcase, what do you expect?”
Once we started traveling more, that mindset didn’t hold up for long.
Dragging bags through airports is one thing. Dragging them down train platforms, over cracked sidewalks, through subway stations and a couple of blocks to a hotel is another. After our first trip to Japan—where getting from the train station to the hotel meant actually walking a real distance with our suitcases—I realized I had more requirements than just “holds clothes and doesn’t explode.”
I wanted a bag that was agile but sturdy. I didn’t want something that tipped over every time I let go of the handle, but I also didn’t want a tank, because a heavier bag means more to lug around and less you can pack before hitting stricter weight limits.
That’s when the “cheap vs. expensive luggage” debate started to get real for me.
Our Luggage Evolution
My wife Sharon used her Samsonite EZ Cart bag for years (Note from Sharon: OMG how I adored that bag!). It did its job well, but eventually, it was time to say goodbye. She upgraded to a Victorinox bag that served her nicely—and when the handle broke, the warranty actually worked and she got a replacement. That was my first reminder that sometimes you’re paying not just for the bag, but for the support behind it.
Eventually, Sharon joined me in the Travelpro club. I’ve loved my Travelpro—light, well-balanced, easy to maneuver. But bags don’t last forever. Mine is getting older, and I’m starting to look at what’s next.
The interesting part? Even within the same brand, I’ve noticed changes. The Travelpro Sharon bought more recently isn’t quite the same as my older one. It’s not bad, but the handle feels a little less sturdy, the zipper a little less heavy-duty. All “small things,” but they’re the exact things that start to matter when you’re rolling that bag through airports a few dozen times a year.
Which brings me to the big question…
Is Expensive Luggage Really Worth It?
When you start shopping for a replacement, it’s easy to get pulled toward the “fancy” brands: AWAY, Tumi, Briggs & Riley, and others that show up in ads, on Instagram, and at the airport baggage claim.
I’m not looking for a logo. I’m looking for function. But sometimes, function and price travel together.
Here’s what you’re usually paying for when you buy a more expensive bag:
- Better hardware: smoother wheels, sturdier handles, and beefier zippers.
- Thoughtful design: handles that don’t wobble, balance that keeps the bag from tipping, pockets that are actually useful.
- Materials: higher-quality fabric or shells that hold up better to scraping, dragging and being tossed around.
- Warranty and repairs: Some brands back their products for the long haul, which can dramatically lower your “per trip” cost.
If you travel a lot, the math can start to tilt toward “buy once, cry once.” Spending more up front for a bag that survives hundreds of trips and can be repaired might be cheaper than buying a mid-range bag every few years and tossing it when something important fails.
But it’s not always that simple.
What The Testers & Bag Nerds Say
It’s not just frequent travelers who notice these things—testing sites and bag obsessives do, too.
Wirecutter’s checked luggage review includes both Travelpro and AWAY among its top picks, and calls out Briggs & Riley as an “upgrade” choice for people who want something built to a higher standard and are willing to pay for it.
On the other end, the folks in Reddit’s r/ManyBaggers community sound a lot like many of us: they’re suspicious of overhyped brands, they complain when quality drops, and they frequently recommend Briggs & Riley, Travelpro and Samsonite for people who actually travel a lot. The catch is that Briggs & Riley often gets described as “amazing, but wow, that price.”
So if you’re looking at your aging mid-range bag and wondering if you should finally step up to something pricier, you’re not imagining it—independent reviewers and bag nerds see the difference, too. The question is whether that difference matters for you.
What To Look For When You’re Comparing Bags
If you’re standing in a store (or scrolling online) trying to decide between a cheaper bag and a pricier one, it helps to know what actually matters.
Consumer Reports’ luggage buying guide highlights a few themes that come up over and over again:
- Weight: For carry-ons especially, every pound counts. A heavier empty bag means less you can pack before hitting airline limits.
- Wheelability: How smoothly a bag rolls and how well it tracks behind you matters more in the real world than an extra pocket or two.
- Durability: Check how the handles, wheels and corners are attached—these are the parts that usually fail first.
- Zippers and hardware: A heavy-duty zipper and solid pulls are less exciting than a built-in USB port, but they’re a lot more important for longevity.
- Warranty & repair: Some brands focus as much on their repair/warranty programs as on the bag itself. That’s where Briggs & Riley tends to shine, which helps explain the price jump.
If a more expensive bag is clearly better in those areas—and is backed by a stronger warranty—that’s when spending more starts to make sense. If not, you might be paying for style and marketing instead of actual function.
Why Cheaper (But Decent) Bags Still Make Sense
On the other hand, you don’t have to spend $500+ to get a perfectly good suitcase. There are plenty of mid-range bags from familiar brands that are:
- Lightweight
- Reasonably sturdy
- Comfortable to roll
- Good enough for a few trips a year
If you’re only traveling once or twice annually, a well-made but less expensive bag might last you a decade. In that case, paying double or triple for marginally better hardware and a fancier label may not be worth it.
Cheaper bags also make sense if:
- You’re still figuring out what size or style you like.
- Your travel patterns are changing (kids, different airlines, different destinations).
- You’re rough on your luggage and don’t want to stress about every scratch.
For us, the frustration comes when quality within a brand drops. You think you’re buying “the same” Travelpro, Samsonite, or whatever you had before, only to find that the new version isn’t quite as solid as the old one. That’s when you start wondering if it’s time to jump up a tier.
Softsided vs. Hardsided: Why I Still Like Fabric
Another piece of this decision is construction. I’ve always gone for soft-sided bags because they’re more “stuffable.” A soft-sided bag usually has:
- More give when you’re trying to squeeze in that extra sweater.
- Exterior pockets where you can stash a jacket, documents or last-minute items.
Hard-sided bags often look sleek and can be more protective, but they sometimes sacrifice flexibility and storage options. If you’re a chronic “just one more thing” packer, softside is very forgiving.
That said, many of the more expensive brands lean toward hard-sided designs, so if you really prefer fabric, that can limit which “premium” options make sense.
A Quick Detour: 4 Wheels vs. 2
No luggage discussion is complete without rolling into the “two wheels vs. four wheels” debate.
Four-wheel “spinner” bags are incredibly popular because they’re easy to maneuver—especially in tight spaces, like busy terminals and mass transit. Two-wheel “roller” bags tend to be a bit tougher and better over rough surfaces (curbs, cobblestones, sidewalks, etc.).
But there’s another wrinkle: some types of bags are more likely to get mishandled by baggage handlers than others. I’ve written before about the type of luggage that’s most likely to be mishandled, and how design choices can make a difference in how your bag survives behind the scenes.
If you’re checking your bag often, it’s worth thinking not just about how it rolls, but how it holds up to being launched into a cargo hold by someone who’s trying to load a plane in five minutes.
How I’m Thinking About My Next Bag
So, where does that leave me, now that my beloved Travelpro is getting up there in years?
Here’s my current thought process:
- I still want a soft-sided, expandable carry-on. The flexibility is too useful to give up.
- I’m willing to pay more than “mid-range,” but only if I can see and feel that the hardware and build quality are truly better.
- I’m looking closely at warranty terms and how easy it is to get repairs or replacements.
- I’m factoring in how often we travel now—multiple trips a year, including international—and what that does to the bag over time.
I’ll admit: looking at Briggs & Riley, I’m starting to get won over by the combination of form and function. The lifetime “we’ll take care of it” approach is really appealing when you’ve watched quality slowly slide on bags you used to trust. But then you see the price tag and instinctively flinch a little.
For now, I’m in “wait and see” mode—watching for sales, holiday promos, or a good Cyber Monday deal that might bring the cost down into my personal “OK, that’s worth it” range. In the meantime, I’m also looking at higher-end options from the brands I already know, in case they hit the right balance of price and durability.
Final Thought
In the end, it really comes down to this:
- If you travel a lot and hate dealing with broken handles, stuck zippers and wobbly wheels, investing in a higher-quality bag can absolutely be worth it.
- If you travel occasionally and take decent care of your things, a solid mid-range bag may be all you ever need.
Like most things in travel, Your Mileage May Vary. But if your suitcase is starting to feel more like a liability than a tool, it might be time to run the numbers and decide whether “buy once, cry once” finally makes sense for you.
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