If you're going to be living large on your next trip, you'll need a big suitcase with wheels.
A big suitcase should be large enough to hold all your clothing and travel gear but small enough (62 linear inches, maximum, and under 70 pounds) to go into checked baggage. Otherwise, an airline can charge a penalty. To calculate the linear inches of your big suitcase, add the height, width, and depth. Also weigh it.
Below are my top choices for a big suitcase that can accompany you on your journeys.
Briggs & Riley is a well-known luggage brand, and they've combined strength, stability, and relative lightness in a big (28" x 21" x 12") suitcase. It's not the cheapest one you can find, yet features such as reinforced corners means it's going to be around for a while. And I like the extras it provides: A removable garment sleeve and a waterproof pocket. And if you need to carry more, you can easily attached a second bag using its SmartLink system. Small details, like the leather grip handle, reinforce this is a quality suitcase. Available in olive, silver, and black.
Never to be mistaken at the luggage carousel, this big suitcase (58.25 linear inches) is available in red, pink "lemonade," "tender shoots" green, and yes, even black. Hard-sided yet lightweight, the polycarbonate shell can hold plenty. Since many travelers use a big suitcase as a luggage cart base to wheel their smaller pieces, the push-button, locking handle is designed for multiple transport options. Recessed, comfort-grip carry handles make toting big and small suitcases easier.
A top-of-the-line big suitcase for serious travelers only — and its price reflects that — the hard-sided Rimowa stands 32" tall, weighs just under 13 pounds, and measures 64.5 linear inches. Shock- and scratch-resistant, this big suitcase is meant to last a lifetime. Four wheels (2 castor and 2 fixed) allow the user to easily swivel it in any direction. The interior is fully lined and has a divider panel to help make the best use of all the space in the big suitcase.
Leave it to a Beverly Hills brand to build its own digital scale into a big suitcase (57 linear inches). The read-out is located on top of the suitcase, right by the handle. Designed for stylish and svelte passengers, this big yet lightweight suitcase also features multiple interior pockets to organize gear and it can be expanded to a depth of 12 inches.
Colorful, durable, and inexpensive for a suitcase this big (61 linear inches), the JanSport SuperBreak comes in purple, turquoise, a pool blue print, and other shades and prints. What do you sacrifice for price? There are no dividers on the inside of this big suitcase and only one mesh pocket on the inside cover.
A favorite of serious travelers, Tumi luggage is durable, stylish, and highly organized. Available only in black, this sleek and good-looking big suitcase (60 linear inches) is made of water-resistant nylon and has multiple compartments and a garment sleeve. You can handle it from the top, side, even the bottom. Like all Tumi products, this big suitcase comes with Tumi's Tracer product ID system, so that when a lost or stolen bag is recovered, you'll get it back.
A popular and affordable luggage brand, Delsey's big suitcase (29" x 19.5" x 12.5") is spacious yet light and handles well. At 13 lbs. and 3 oz., it also weighs less than comparably sized big suitcases, a plus when you're trying to stay under airlien weight limits.
This big suitcase (59 linear inches) is tough and durable. The smart design of the big suitcase allows it to open like a book for easy packing and reach, and the main compartment can expand to give an extra 15% of space, important for couples who like to buy things on a trip. Eagle Creek also makes inserts to organize packing. I also like the company's "no-matter-what" policy on this big suitcase: If the luggage is ever damaged, E.C. repairs or replaces it free.
