Connie Park/NYT Wirecutter Connie Park/NYT Wirecutter Connie Park/NYT WirecutterTop pickThis spinner carry-on offers the best balance of size, value, reliability, and durability, plus high-end details. It’s backed by a lifetime warranty.This two-wheeled carry-on bag isn’t as maneuverable, but it offers slightly more space, a garment folder, and larger, more durable wheels.The Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-On Spinner is our top pick for a soft-sided carry-on; if you need a little more room, we also recommend the Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-On Rollaboard.It has a history of great performance. Travelpro’s Platinum Elite line has been our top pick for almost every iteration of this guide because it addresses the concerns of most travelers for an affordable price: In addition to smooth-rolling, replaceable wheels, it features solid and comfortable telescoping handles and a hard-wearing nylon exterior propped up by a solid 7.8-pound internal chassis. Travelpro backs it all with a lifetime warranty that covers airline damage and shipping to the repair facility (as long as you register the luggage within 120 days of purchase).It’s sized to maximize your space, but you do have options. Officially, the Platinum Elite measures 23 by 13.5 by 9 inches. Some sharp-eyed readers will notice that these actual dimensions, which include the handle height, exceed the 22-inch height limit for carry-ons on most domestic airlines. In reality, any luggage manufacturer maximizing its overhead allowances will push handles into the gray area between a case’s stated dimensions and its true overall dimensions. Travelpro, if anything, is being more honest in reporting the bag’s true 23.5-inch height than many other brands. As you can see in the photo below, the Travelpro’s frame fits into the American Airlines baggage caddy located at check-in, as it does in most standard-size caddies. The Platinum Elite fits within most major airlines’ luggage sizers for overhead storage. Caleigh Waldman for NYT WirecutterI’ve personally traveled with Travelpro carry-ons this size for more than 45,000 miles spread across 50 flights, from regional to long-haul to international routes, and I’ve never had an issue fitting within gate-side luggage sizers. If you’re nervous about getting caught at the gate or often fly in very small regional planes, Travelpro makes a 20-inch Platinum Elite as well as a slimmer international size, but they hold less (naturally) and lack a suiter insert.It moves well across most surfaces and through most situations. The spinner bag’s configuration stands out in particular because of its MagnaTrac wheels, which magnetically snap into a forward position when the bag is moving. The small tracking assistance makes a large difference when you’re navigating the Platinum Elite through a crowded airport or down a busy street. It also has an easy-to-use, removable garment bag. After years of testing, we think the superior maneuverability of spinner luggage, along with improvements in manufacturing processes, makes four-wheel bags a better choice for most people. However, if you prefer slightly more packing capacity (the equivalent of squeezing in two more sweatshirts), larger wheels that run more smoothly over rough terrain, and a more protective built-in garment folder, you may appreciate the two-wheeled 22-inch version of the Platinum Elite. One of our paid testers, who’s 6-foot-6, told us that although he could see the appeal of a spinner, “I would still choose the two-wheeler. It has a little more space, and when you’re my size, packing is just so horrible.” The MagnaTrac wheels magnetically snap back to the right position. It’s a subtle feeling when you’re using the bag, but it separates Travelpro’s luggage from other spinner suitcases. Caleigh Waldman for NYT WirecutterIt keeps clothes compacted but not creased. Inside, the Platinum Elite has a pair of tie-down straps and two broad panels with pockets that cinch down, similar in design and function to what you’d find in much more expensive Briggs & Riley luggage. Compared with the simple tie-down straps you often find in cheaper luggage, the panels do a great job of keeping things compacted without creasing clothes—a problem we’ve encountered in numerous other bags we’ve tested. Beyond that, the Platinum Elite’s internal organization system is about average. It will be familiar to anyone who has used a suitcase before, which means there’s no learning curve for optimizing the storage capacity. One long mesh pocket sits on one of the bag’s sides, and a smaller removable transparent plastic bag sits on the other side for easy TSA inspection of toiletries.The Platinum Elite Carry-On Spinner comes with a removable garment bag. Connie Park/NYT WirecutterLike most two-wheel suitcases, the Platinum Elite Carry-On Rollaboard has a built-in garment folder rather than a removable garment bag. Connie Park/NYT WirecutterThe Platinum Elite Carry-On Spinner comes with a removable garment bag. Connie Park/NYT WirecutterIt’s tough yet flexible. The exterior is made of a hard-wearing nylon fabric, a key feature of all the bags we’ve tested. It hides scuffs and scratches, and it’s much more versatile than hard-sided bags. An expansion zipper lets you increase storage by about 30% in a pinch—although the bag is no longer carry-on compliant at that point. We prefer to use the expansion zipper as something of an ad-hoc compression system: We unzip the expansion zipper while packing the bag and then zip it at the end, tamping everything down tight. The Platinum Elite carry-on also has a variety of convenient exterior pockets, including two in the front, suitable for a sleep mask and other small miscellaneous items, and one on the side for a battery, though it can fit a bit more if necessary. It also has an accordion pocket on the front for magazines and electronic tablets. With the roomy Platinum Elite Carry-On Spinner, we easily packed everything we needed for a five-day trip. Caleigh Waldman for NYT WirecutterIn total, the Platinum Elite has an 1,856-cubic-inch interior, which we measured using hundreds of Ping-Pong balls. In real-world terms (the needs of Ping-Pong champions notwithstanding), the Platinum Elite swallowed up five days’ worth of clothes with no problem and had a good deal of room to spare—and that’s without our resorting to the expansion zipper.It has an excellent warranty. Should anything go wrong, you can take advantage of Travelpro’s generous lifetime warranty, which covers airline damage and shipping to the repair facility (as long as you register the bag within 120 days of purchase). The sole other company we’ve seen offering this extensive a warranty is Briggs & Riley, whose carry-on suitcases start at about $500. Travelpro has multiple repair centers. To get repair service, you can either drop the bag off at a repair center or ship the bag to Travelpro, the cost of which the company will cover. Keep in mind that the warranty doesn’t cover cosmetic wear.It’s important to note that the Platinum Elite’s warranty coverage is “better” than the standard Travelpro warranty (including the one offered on our other pick from Travelpro, the Maxlite) and most forum discussions we’ve read covering the subject over the years seem to agree that Travelpro’s service was prompt and painless. Of course, it’s better if nothing breaks in the first place.Travelpro has a history of fixing production errors remarkably quickly. In 2019, we noticed a small uptick in Wirecutter reader complaints about zipper tabs breaking. We reached out to Travelpro, and a representative told us that a production error expanded the capacity of the front pocket of the Platinum Elite; this allowed travelers to overpack the pocket, which put excessive strain on the zipper. Travelpro identified and fixed the issue before it had reached the threshold of more than a few comments online.Dimensions: 23.5 by 14.5 by 9 inches (HWD)Weight: 7.8 poundsVolume: 46 litersHow the Platinum Elite has held upAfter nearly a decade of testing the Platinum Elite line of bags from Travelpro, we have yet to encounter a single serious issue. The fabric exterior brushes off scrapes and is easy enough to clean. Simply, it is a remarkably built bag that continues to travel well, year after year.Flaws but not dealbreakers The Travelpro Platinum Elite’s underwhelming skid and curb protection. Caleigh Waldman for NYT WirecutterThe skid protection could be more robust. Though the Platinum Elite rolled well in general, we are still concerned when dragging the bag up stairs. Some of the other bags we tested had long plastic bumper strips running most of the way up the length of the bag; this Travelpro model’s skid plate isn’t as big or as protective. I haven’t had an issue, but if you’re particularly rough on your luggage or uncomfortable lifting the bag over curbs or up stairs, it’s something to be aware of.The battery pocket on the Platinum Elite sits on one side of the bag for easy access. (Airlines request that you remove a portable battery from your bag before your flight.) You will need a portable battery capable of USB-A output, however. Connie Park/NYT WirecutterAn internal pass-through cable links your battery with a USB-A port on the back of the bag for plugging in a phone charging cable. Connie Park/NYT WirecutterThe battery pocket on the Platinum Elite sits on one side of the bag for easy access. (Airlines request that you remove a portable battery from your bag before your flight.) You will need a portable battery capable of USB-A output, however. Connie Park/NYT WirecutterIt’s wired for power. We like the battery pocket, but the built-in cable itself, which routes from the pocket to a USB port less than 6 inches away, is an unnecessary item, which at best adds a potential point of failure to the bag—USB cables do not last forever. Does it ruin the bag? No. Is it a feature? Not really.The warranty may be getting harder to claim. We’re tracking a few reports that the Travelpro Platinum Elite warranty system is difficult to navigate for people. That said, we haven’t heard of many reports of people ever being denied their claims, only that initiating or entering your claim is potentially onerous or unwieldy.That’s real leather. Some vegan readers may dislike the leather accents.
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