Best hand luggage 2024: Top tested cabin luggage and carry-on bags

With travel bag allowances and fees growing tighter in recent years, it pays to get the best hand luggage and cabin bags available. Not only will you cut your travel costs by avoiding hold charges, but you’ll also get to your destination faster because there’ll be no carousel to wait (and wait, and wait) for.

However, with a huge range of bags available, from soft backpacks to hard-shell wheelie cases with security locks, it can be hard to find one that is perfectly sized and suited to your needs. That’s where our expertise comes in. We’ve analysed the size, weight, features and price of more than 40 carry-on bags, and tested more than 10 of the best ourselves. Similarly to our recommended best suitcases, our top cabin bags selections are focused on durability and features, they just happen to be smaller and more portable

Read on to discover the best 9 pieces of luggage we’ve tested in terms of appearance, durability, performance and value. At the bottom of the page you’ll find our buying guide, which has all the information you’ll need to choose your perfect travel bag.

Prefer to carry it on your back?

Read our rundown of the best backpacks you can buy instead.

Best hand luggage: At a glance

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The best hand luggage and cabin bags you can buy in 2024

1. Eastpak Tranverz S: Best soft cabin bag

Price when reviewed: From £94 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for… folding away in the hotel so you don’t feel like you’re living out of a case
• Not so great for… transporting cameras and other items that need the safety of a hard shell

Eastpak is well known for its street-smart and functional rucksacks and cases. Having initially produced bags for the US military, it knows a thing or two about producing durable, hard-wearing pieces, and all cases come with a reassuring 30-year warranty.

We found it easy to organise our clothes in this two-wheeled case thanks to its two large inner compartments. There’s also a handy front pocket for smaller items such as passports, iPads and chargers. The exterior compression straps won’t be able to shrink an overstuffed bag, but they did help us pack everything down neatly and securely.

The sturdy fabric shell of this case makes it easy to fold away when you’re not using it, allowing you to pop it under your hotel bed. Despite being a soft shell case it feels secure and durable, and the strong double-stitching protects against airport-security scuffs. It’s also a smooth mover, with a lightweight telescopic handle and padded handles on the top and side that we found easy to grip. There are loads of colours and designs on offer, too, from business-friendly black to bold graphic prints.

2. Antler Icon Stripe Cabin: Best cabin suitcase to last a lifetime

Price when reviewed: £185 | Check price at Antler

• Great for… securely protecting your clothes and valuables
• Not so great for… a budget bag that you don’t mind getting knocked and scuffed en route

It’s not cheap, but the new cabin case from British brand Antler will travel with you for decades. British brand Antler has spent more than 100 years making premium luggage, and this new addition has all the best features of its existing suitcase line-up, including four wheels and secure TSA locks.

When we tested the Icon Stripe, we were instantly impressed by the way its wheels glide in silence – a real difference from the squeaky wheels of budget cabin cases. Similarly, the telescopic handle opens, extends and closes smoothly and easily, and the zips and lock are excellent quality. The Icon Stripe lacks the external laptop pocket of Antler’s more expensive Clifton Cabin (£220), but there are plenty of organising features inside, including three zip pockets and compression straps.

We tried the Icon Stripe in Heather Purple, but it’s available in five classy (and expensive-looking) colours, including Indigo Blue and Antler Green. Whatever colour you go for, the semi-sheen shell is water-resistant and partly made from recycled materials. Like all Antler’s cases, this one comes with a 28-day trial period and 10-year warranty.

3. Aerolite Lightweight: Best value hard shell cabin case

Price when reviewed: £50 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for… staying within the carry-on baggage size for cheap short-haul flights
• Not so great for… getting a first class upgrade

Whether you’re opting for free carry-on luggage for a long-haul flight or paying to take a bag on Ryanair, this lightweight suitcase from Aerolite is a great value option. Its hard-shell exterior meant we could cram it to our heart’s content without worrying about it bulging out of the baggage gauge at the airport, while also being sure that our belongings were secure.

Looks-wise, it’s pretty unassuming (who wants loud luggage anyway?), but is available in a range of colours from Wine to Rose Gold, and feels much more premium than the price tag lets on. Our 5ft 4in reviewer had one small bugbear: the handle was a little on the short side, so word of warning that it may not be comfortable for the more statuesque among us.

4. Kono Hard Shell Spinner Cabin: Best hand luggage for small spaces

Price when reviewed: £50 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for… staying within the carry-on baggage size for cheap short-haul flights
• Not so great for… getting a first class upgrade

Whether you’re opting for free carry-on luggage for a long-haul flight or paying to take a bag on Ryanair, this lightweight suitcase from Aerolite is a great value option. Its hard-shell exterior meant we could cram it to our heart’s content without worrying about it bulging out of the baggage gauge at the airport, while also being sure that our belongings were secure.

Looks-wise, it’s pretty unassuming (who wants loud luggage anyway?), but is available in a range of colours from Wine to Rose Gold, and feels much more premium than the price tag lets on. Our 5ft 4in reviewer had one small bugbear: the handle was a little on the short side, so word of warning that it may not be comfortable for the more statuesque among us.

5. IT Luggage: Best lightweight carry-on case

Price when reviewed: £50 | Check price at Argos

• Great for… breezing quickly through airport terminals
• Not so great for… staying upright on its own when fully packed

We found this soft-shell bag a joy to carry and manoeuvre, thanks to its two 360-degree easy-glide skate wheels, silica-gel padded handle and extremely lightweight design – the case weighs just 1.56kg. Its fabric casing may not seem sturdy, but the solid fibreglass frame gives it a robust feel, and you also get a 10-year guarantee.

We liked the wealth of pockets, too: there are four internal mesh pockets for neat storage, and three external pockets to make items like books and phones easy to access. The extra-wide handle can take a bit of getting used to if you’re more familiar with telescopic handles, but overall we found this bag very easy to travel with.

6. American Tourister Bon Air Spinner (Small): Best looking cabin suitcase

Price when reviewed: From £60 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for… looking a million dollars without spending it
• Not so great for… squashing down when you need to save space

This polypropylene hard-shell case is strong and sturdy enough to protect your precious souvenirs, but surprisingly light and easy to manoeuvre. Available in a range of bright colours, all with a sleek ridged design, we found the American Tourister Bon Air to be both functional and fashionable – and easy to spot on the carousel if it happens to get bumped to the hold.

Inside there are two roomy sections: a zipped compartment with two outer mesh pockets (great for liquids) and an open-sided area that can be secured with elastic ribbons. We liked the smooth 360-degree rolling of the four wheels, and the high quality locking system that secures the zip with a combination code. There are some nice smaller details on offer too, including a discreet address label on the back.

Cabin Max Metz Backpack: Best versatile hand luggage

Price when reviewed: From £35 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for… a journey that includes planes, trains, automobiles, walking and more
• Not so great for… keeping valuables safe from knocks

This UK-designed carry-on backpack weighs less than 1kg but we found it to be deceptively roomy, with a 44l capacity. It opens like a suitcase rather than a traditional rucksack, so you don’t need to squish all of your gear into it from the top down. A large front zip pocket has handy compartments for accessories, and our tester found that the side compression straps worked a treat to keep things neat.

The Cabin Max Metz complies with most European budget airline hand-luggage rules and its nifty soft-sided design means it’s easy to stow under the seat in front of you. It’s also easy to carry in different ways, using adjustable padded straps or the top carry handle, and its showerproof 600D polyester material will protect your possessions from the elements too.

It’s functional rather than fashionable and it’s not as robust as some of our other picks. However, for a no-frills, cabin-friendly bag to accompany you on weekend escapes, you can’t go wrong with this budget buy.

8. Trunki: Best hand luggage for children

Price when reviewed: £50 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for… making travel a pleasure for (and with) kids
• Not so great for… carrying any child larger than 50kg

Go to any airport and you’ll almost certainly see children wheeling or riding on a Trunki – not bad for an idea turned down by Dragons’ Den. These compact little cases are useful, practical and fun, and inside we discovered more storage space than we would have expected. You can easily pack enough clothes for a weekend away.

The hard plastic exterior can withstand all sorts of bumps and bashes, and the wheels and fastenings feel robust and smooth. Inside, a Teddy Bear seatbelt holds things in place. The clasps are easy for little hands to master, as long as you don’t overfill the case, and can be locked with a cute key. There’s also a long strap that you can use for shoulder carrying, or for towing your little one while they hold the horns on the front.

We tested the popular green Dudley the Dinosaur Trunki – so popular that he was out of stock at the time of writing. But Dudley has many friends of many types and colours, from unicorns to fire trucks. You even get a five year guarantee, which may well outlast your growing child’s suitability.

Antler Stamford 2.0 Cabin: Best-looking suitcase

Price when reviewed: £200 | Check price at Antler

• Great for… keeping valuable souvenirs safe in style
• Not so great for… a budget option

For anyone who thinks it doesn’t really matter what cabin luggage looks like, we give you the Stamford Cabin 2.0. Sleek and smart across its range, we opted for the stylish khaki model, though its black and putty options are also great looking. Whatever colour you choose, your case will have a hard polycarbonate shell casing in a matte finish, which makes inevitable scratches much less noticeable.

When we tested the Stamford, we found it to be far more than just easy on the eye. It’s seriously well-made, boasting a combination of British design and Japanese invention. The latter of which can be credited with creating the Lisof tyre fabric on the 360-degree hinomoto spinner wheels, which makes experience of wheeling the case almost impossibly quiet and smooth.

Inside it’s just as smart, with a host of different compartments, including a pocketed packing divider that keeps things neat and crisp. It really feels that everything has been deeply considered and painstakingly put together. Overall, the Stamford 2.0 is a joy to look at and a pleasure to use.

How to choose your ideal hand luggage

Should I buy a suitcase or a backpack?

This mainly comes down to how you like to travel.

At one end of the scale you have luxury hotels and business travel. These trips are crying out for the great looks and tough exterior of a premium hard-shell case such as the Antler and American Tourister suitcases we featured in our rundown. These cases are ideal for keeping expensive souvenirs and business attire safe and unharmed, and will look the business when you swish through the airport.

Business trippers should also look for a case with packing compartments to keep clothes neat, and outer pockets to store documents and laptops for easy access.

If speed, comfort and space-saving are your priorities, then a backpack may be a better option. These are ideal for multi-stop travels that include trains and buses as well as plane travel, and they’re much easier to squeeze into the seat in front of you when space is at a premium. A backpack also leaves both hands free for when you’re moving around. However, if you have back problems or trouble lifting, we recommend you go for a suitcase sinstead, make sure it’s light and easy to manoeuvre.

Should I go for a hard shell or a soft-sided suitcase?

If you’re travelling with precious cargo, expensive gadgets or plan to buy fragile souvenirs, you should consider the material the case is made from.

A hard-shell suitcase will offer the best protection for your belongings and, although it might pick up a few scuffs, it won’t see as much wear and tear as a canvas or polyester bag. Hard-shell cases rarely feature outer pockets, though, which can be handy for storing easy-to-grab items.

If low weight is an absolute priority, then a soft-shell case is a great weight saving option. Just bear in mind that it won’t last as long as a hard-shell. A good soft-sided suitcase should come with compression straps that allow you to keep things secure and to reduce the overall size of the bag depending on how much you’ve stuffed inside.

How many wheels should my suitcase have?

Suitcases with four wheels are the easiest to move around, and especially so when heavily loaded. Two-wheeled suitcases are still very common, and perfectly usable, but bear in mind that they’re more awkward to manoeuvre.

A four-wheel “spinner” suitcase is the easiest to move around. Weight is spread evenly across four corners of the case and, as the spinner wheels can move in all directions rather than just back and forth, you’ll be able to glide through airports with a smooth 360˚ motion.

You may prefer the simplicity of two fixed wheels, though, and this does tend to be the cheaper option. You’ll also shave off an all-important couple of centimetres from the overall case dimensions.

Airline baggage allowance dimensions

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