My Favorite Suitcases & Travel Bags

December 6, 2024

Last Updated on December 10, 2024 by Lauren Belzer

I am a travel bag lover, and maybe a borderline hoarder. This obsession with luggage, bags, and backpacks isn’t conducive to life in an apartment where I have little to no storage…but I stand strong in my opinion that there are different bags for different types of trips, so it’s good to have options!

Since I’ve tried quite a few and am interested in trying more, I thought I’d put together a list of my favorite suitcases and other travel bags. From roller bags to duffels to backpacks and more, I hope this list helps you find your favorite(s), too!

Rolling Luggage & Suitcases

There is no doubt that I am a BÉIS luggage girl through and through, so most of the suitcases and bags on this list are from them, but I’m here to tell you why these are my favorites.

BÉIS Luggage

I have these three BÉIS luggage pieces, all in Beige:

Important Note: The Carry-On Roller from BÉIS is often too big for most European and international airlines. If you’re willing to take the chance to see if it will fit/be accepted, by all means – but just be prepared that you may have to check it (which could cost you some extra money, depending on the airline). BÉIS has more recently come out with two smaller carry-on options if you’re set on having a BÉIS-only set: The Small Carry-On Roller and The Front Pocket Carry-On Roller.

I enjoy having the full set because they’re all essentially the same suitcase with the same setup and layout, just different sizes. This works for my type-A brain because I have become accustomed to packing a certain way.

I love the frosted pocket on the inside, and often use it for things like damp swimsuits or anything I’m concerned could leak. I also like using the standard zip pocket for miscellaneous items. But, I think my favorite features on all BÉIS suitcases are the padded handle and the weight indicator, so you know if your bags are overweight or not.

You might be wondering why I would need two check-in suitcases; the easy answer is that I don’t. But, it has come in handy to have two when you’re moving or traveling somewhere that you’ll need to bring a lot of stuff with you or plan to bring things back.

I tend to opt for The Medium Check-In Roller over the large one when I travel internationally, as their bag size requirements are often different (and smaller) than they are in the U.S., and so the odds of going over the weight limit are lower. Don’t want to get caught in a bad bag situation at a foreign airport! I will often use my large one when traveling to my parents or in-laws for longer periods, especially in the winter time when clothing isn’t necessarily heavier, but takes up more space.

Sidenote, at the time that I bought my first BÉIS suitcase, Black and Beige were the only colorways that they came in. Since I already had Beige, I stayed with it for a cohesive look across all of my purchased BÉIS products. They’ve since added more color options, and if I could do it again, I’d probably opt for the Maple or Olive so any scuffs would be less obvious. But hey, scuffs mean you’re getting good use out of it, right?

CALPAK Luggage

Before I had BÉIS luggage I had a 2-piece CALPAK luggage set. Leading up to our family trip to Italy in 2019, I realized I didn’t have a good check-in size bag, so I went to the internet to find something and landed on the CALPAK x Oh Joy 2 Piece Luggage Set in Confetti.

Unfortunately, it didn’t survive very long. It made it through two weeks in Italy with no problem and was a high-quality suitcase, so I have absolutely nothing against CALPAK. Unfortunately, on the very next flight back in the States, I brought it on a 1-ish hour flight from LAX to SJC on Southwest. Whoever was handling my bag must have been extra rough with it because when it arrived at the baggage carousel, it was completely missing a wheel, and the area around it was so torn up that a new wheel wouldn’t be able to be added even if CALPAK could send me one.

The saddest part was that I loved that suitcase, the way it functioned, the inside layout, the adorable confetti pattern…and I couldn’t replace it because it was a limited edition style. I still have the carry-on though, and since it’s a bit smaller than my BÉIS one, I sometimes use that when going on a really quick weekend trip or single-night stay. See, there’s a bag for everything!

While I love my tried-and-true luggage listed above, especially BÉIS, they are all the butterfly- or “clamshell”-openings, meaning that they open in the middle.

For anyone who’s traveled to Europe or other faraway destinations and experienced some more compact hotel rooms, butterfly-opening luggage isn’t always the best as it takes up more space when it’s open. If you have room to store more luggage options at home, or if you prefer top-opening luggage as your only option, here are a few luxury and saver options I’ve been eyeing:

BÉIS team, if you’re reading this and can make top-opening luggage as good as your original suitcases…we’d be eternally grateful!

Weekenders & Duffel Bags

I am quite honestly not much of a duffel or weekend bag person. I tend to gravitate toward backpacks. This is probably because we travel to and from mine and Max’s parents’ houses with our cat pretty regularly, and since a cat carrier becomes my carry-on, it’s easier to have his carrier and a backpack on my back than to lug a duffel and a cat.

However, when I travel without Mr. Todd or am going on a trip where I can roll a weekender on top of my suitcase, this is what I grab:

BÉIS Mini Convertible Weekender Bag

I love the BÉIS Mini Convertible Weekender Bag. It’s small enough to fit under most seats as a personal item, and I love that the bottom unzips to either be removed or fit additional items. I tend to use the zipper part underneath for extra shoes or clothes that I want on my person.

Lucky. for you, if you have BÉIS luggage, all weekender options come in a matching color so you can go with a monochromatic look if you’d like!

Other Bags, Backpacks & Pouches

I have a few other travel bags and accessories that I mix and match, and bring on some trips but not on others, and I truly love all of them. Again, there’s a bag for every situation, so here are my other tried-and-trues: