The perfect suitcase for family travel

I was deluding myself. But sometimes it’s hard to admit the truth, even when the evidence stares me in the face. My trusty faithful case, the one which travelled all over the world with me, the perfect suitcase for family travel, was on its last legs.

The right size to fit everything my daughter and I need on a trip, incredibly lightweight and highly visible print, for years it had been my ideal luggage.

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But after snapping off not one but two zip pulls and cracking the padding on the pull handle after countless trips, there was a reasonable chance all my belongings might end up strewn over the carousel. Which meant just one thing: time for some luggage shopping.

I decided to bite the bullet, skip the cheapo brands which can’t really take the punishment baggage handlers dish out to mine on a regular basis, and look for something with a bit more staying power.

Because with the amount of travel I do, I’m tough on suitcases – some of the ‘bargains’ I’ve found over the years haven’t lasted a single trip without something going wrong. While you can find some great discounts on Amazon, it pays to stick to the better-known brands on there unless there are a huge number of positive reviews (otherwise, buyer beware).

I’ve no intention of spending my precious free time trawling a zillion different luggage shops though: so my first stop is often a department store online (John Lewis has some of the big names like Samsonite and Antler, as well as its own brands, not to mention some impressive discounts at times.

Otherwise I’m a big fan of Tripp suitcases – lightweight, brightly coloured, sometimes expandable, easy to pull along, plus there are some soft suitcases as well as the hard shell ones. You can get those on Amazon too, as well as buying direct too.

In fact, the only drawback is that lots of people love the vibant turquoise, yellow and watermelon shades, so ours isn’t the only one cruising around the luggage carousel! My solution of adding these travel-themed stickers has definitely helped.

But I’m happy with anything that’s instantly visible – no black, thank you, to get lost in a sea of black cases. My daughter had a major fondness for the ‘apple suitcases’ as she always called the apple print ones I had when she was little, so always tried to steer me towards patterns.

If you fancy something eye-catching American Tourister has some fun branded options including Disney options, an R2-D2 case and Marvel legends.

Whatever the colour or design, it has to have four spinner wheels – SO much easier to roll along when my hands were full of four-year-old, and still handy now she’s bigger and sometimes pulling her own case – as well as sensible internal pockets, and ideally a reliable lock plus the ability to expand. I am not known for my ability to pack light.

A soft case has the benefit of being a bit lighter, especially if you have restrictive weight limits – we’ve found internal flights in Asia and small planes in Kenya and the Maldives all needed smaller lightweight soft sided cases.

Oddly, a lot of luggage manufacturers seems to think that soft cases have to be black. Samsonite used to be one exception with oranges and yellows among its expandable collection but even these are harder to come by so be prepared to hunt around or settle for a less well-known brand.

How to choose a suitcase: my tips

Whenever I find myself in the market for new luggage once again, it gets me thinking about all the factors you need to bear in mind when you’re choosing a suitcase.

Price, performance, size, hard shell or soft case, expandable, weight… the list goes on. So here are my tips for all you need to know about choosing a suitcase.

What type of suitcase do you want?

Assuming you’ve already decided on a case rather than holdall or backpack, do you want a hard shell case or a softer exterior? Hard sided suitcases tend to be sturdier but also more expensive and often heavier, while cheaper versions can crack and scratch.

If you prefer an expandable model, soft sided cases used to be the only option – these days you can find expandable hard cases too. Soft sided cases are usually lighter, cheaper and may have external pockets as well (although if you’re checking them as hold baggage, the latter isn’t much of a bonus in terms of security).

How many wheels is best?

This depends where you’re likely to be wheeling your case (and if you’re planning to carry it, remember times have moved on – wheels are the way forward!)

If it’s mostly around airports or the occasional train station, four-wheel cases with their ‘spinner’ wheels are ideal as they’ll glide easily in any direction as well as being more stable.

If you know you’ll be dragging it up and down curbs or over bumpier ground, two wheels can actually be better than four. Bear in mind the handle will make a difference too – an adjustable handle lets you adapt it for your height, which helps.

How big a suitcase should you buy?

For family travel, bigger might sound better – but as well as considering the type of travel you’ll be doing, bear in mind the airlines you’ll be using. A large case isn’t necessarily best if weight restrictions on low-cost flights mean you’re never able to fill it.

Equally if you’re travelling solo with kids, a medium case might be easier to manoeuvre when you’re also lugging a buggy and various other bags around.

And while cabin bags tend to stick to the same measurements, medium and larger sizes do vary so check the dimensions before you buy.

How much room do you need in a suitcase?

Once you’ve settled on your perfect suitcase size, always check the volume – not all cases are made equal, so you might find one has a larger internal size than another.

Then look at the extras – is it expandable? If your trips vary between solo short breaks and long family holidays, that’s far more versatile.

Are there internal or external pockets? A basic one size suitcase might seem a bargain, but if it drives you mad with no compartments or you need to buy extra luggage dividers, it’s not such a great deal.

How heavy is the suitcase?

Luggage technology means cases are getting lighter and lighter – after all, you don’t want to blow too much of your baggage allowance on the bag itself.

The more lightweight the suitcase, the more it can cost – so when you’re desperately trying to get everything below the limit, or dragging it around the terminal, ask yourself how much difference the extra weight will make.

What design do you want on your suitcase?

Not purely a superficial question – although there’s nothing wrong with choosing a suitcase which cheers you up every time you start packing.

For instance, how easy will it be to spot on a luggage carousel? If you prefer a basic black model, that’s fine but be prepared to hunt for it each time.

For brighter colours and prints, will you still love them in two years? And will they work as well for family travel as a chic hotel or a business trip?

Do also bear in mind that there’s a good reason you don’t see many light coloured fabric cases…

Any bonuses?

Is there a guarantee, and if so how long for? Does it have a TSA approved lock (and if you’re not travelling to the USA much, do you care?).

Is the pulling handle padded or moulded so it won’t hurt your hand? Anything else which sells it to you?

How do the reviews compare?

It’s always worth taking a quick look at reviews, and something like the Which? Best Buy list. Big names often have a good reputation for a reason, but there are lower-cost brands with plenty of fans.

If too many reviews talk about broken zips and wobbly wheels, it could be an expensive mistake.

I once bought what seemed to be the perfect suitcase – an expandable hard case, with four wheels, a lock, a cheerful turquoise colour, dividers… the works. The lock broke on the first one on the first trip, and while the company replaced it without hesitation, the second one also developed a fault on its first outing.

Again, the company gave me a refund so thankfully I wasn’t out of pocket, but I probably should have been forewarned by the limited number of reviews for such an apparently great case when it came to choosing a suitcase.

What’s the price?

If you’ve worked out your perfect case, can you find one in your price range? Would you rather get a cheaper case and accept it will need replacing before too long, or spend a bit more on something which will hopefully last longer?

For more of my best buys, check out my Shop the Blog page as well as my Cabin Zero review for hand luggage.

*First published 2016, last updated 2026*

Image courtesy Depositphotos

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