Best Luggage For College Students: Budget to Luxury Options

Samsonite Omni 2

Samsonite luggage is known for excellent quality and durability, but it’s often price. The Omni 2 is one of their more affordable luggage collections, which makes it an excellent option for all college students who can’t really afford to spend too much money on a suitcase.

The Omni is made from polycarbonate, which is considered the best material for a suitcase. It’s lightweight, flexible, and boasts excellent impact resistance. It’s got double spinner wheels, a height-adjustable wheel handle, a TSA-approved lock, and an expandable capacity.

Also, this luggage is available in two carry-on sized and two checked baggage sizes, so you’ve got plenty of options. The only difference between the smaller and larger suitcases is that the carry-ons include a convenient USB charging port.

The interior of the Omni luggage is somewhat underwhelming, but honestly fine for the price. It’s fully lined with a zippered divider in one compartment and elastic cross straps in the other. There’s only one small pocket inside the luggage, and it’s supposed to hold the power bank that connects to the USB port.

TravelPro Maxlite 5 (Softside)

Travelpro is a very popular luggage brand among frequent flyers and airline professionals. They’re known for the excellent quality of the luggage and generally affordable prices. Sure, some of their suitcases are pricier than others, but the Maxlite 5 collection is reasonably priced for the quality and performance it offers.

This is an excellent carry-on for many reasons; for starters, it’s very lightweight at just 5.4 lbs, and it offers an impressive capacity of 45 liters. The case is made from durable polyester fabric, which is treated for improved stain and water resistance.

One thing to note about this Maxlite 5 luggage, is that it features in-line skate wheels instead of spinner wheels. That’s partly the reason for the more affordable price point, but it’s not necessarily a downside. In-line skate wheels are more durable than spinner wheels, and they allow the luggage to have a large capacity while staying within the height limit for carry-ons.

Other features of the Travelpro suitcase include low-profile grab handles, an ergonomic wheel handle, exterior and interior pockets, and an expandable capacity. This luggage doesn’t have a lock, and that’s the only downside for me.

AmazonBasics Hardside Spinner

AmazonBasics is one of the best luggage brands for travelers on a very tight budget. Let me be clear; their suitcases are not of amazing quality, but they’re perfectly fine if you don’t travel too often and you can’t afford a high-quality suitcase.

The hardside spinner is a standard suitcase made from ABS plastic, a material that doesn’t have the best impact resistance but has really good scratch resistance. Although ABS plastic isn’t generally preferred for suitcases because of poor durability, it honestly doesn’t matter as much for carry-on luggage.

I’ve owned an ABS plastic suitcase for years and taken it on many trips, and the only thing that’s wrong with it is that I’ve torn the lining in a few places.

The AmazonBasics luggage also features double spinner wheels, a telescopic wheel handle, and a fully lined interior. You get a full-panel divider in the top compartment, as well as two zippered pockets, and elastic cross-straps in the bottom compartments. It might not be the best suitcase for frequent travelers, but it’s certainly a good option for the price, especially the carry-on size.

Away The Carry On

Away is one of the more expensive luggage brands, so it’s a good option only for college students who can afford to spend a bit more on a suitcase. All their luggage is manufactured with premium durable materials, and they have some of the best suitcases money can buy.

The luggage features smooth double spinner wheels, a height-adjustable wheel handle, and a TSA-approved combination lock. The capacity is not expandable but the luggage does have an internal compression pad that helps pack more items inside.

Also, it’s worth noting that Away Luggage offers a collection of expandable suitcases. However, even the smallest suitcase becomes a checked bag when fully expanded, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend them if you need cabin baggage. If you’re interested in this brand but want bigger suitcases, you’ll find plenty of options in Away’s collection.

The interior of this luggage is really great. It’s fully lined with a zippered divider in the top compartment and an adjustable compression pad in the bottom. There’s also a zippered pocket on the compression pad, plus Away includes a removable laundry bag with all of their suitcases.

Coolife Luggage Aluminum Frame

Coolife luggage is a great option for many college students. It’s made from durable polycarbonate and it features an aluminum frame, so it’s a great suitcase to use when you’re traveling home for a while. The luggage is available in two checked bag sizes, and it’s surprisingly affordable for the quality of construction.

This suitcase also features double spinner wheels, a TSA-friendly latch lock, and a height-adjustable wheel handle. The shell is textured for better scratch resistance, and the entire case is zipperless for ultimate security.

It’s not the lightest luggage you can get your hands on, but that’s because of the sturdy aluminum frame. If you value durability and impact resistance more than the weight of a suitcase, the Coolife luggage is still an excellent option, especially for checked bags.

This case also has a great interior with lining, a zippered divider, and multiple pockets for easy organization. The bottom compartment is equipped with tie-down straps that will hold the clothes in place.

Eagle Creek Cargo Hauler

If you prefer duffel bags to standard suitcases, the Eagle Creek Cargo Hauler might just be your new luggage. It’s an excellent duffel bag with shoulder straps that allow you to carry it like a backpack.

This duffel is available in three sizes, ranging from a 40-liter carry-on to a 90-liter checked bag. The smallest option works for trips of up to a week, while the largest duffel could easily help you transport all your belongings to the dorm.

It’s made from TPU and 1000D polyester, for excellent abrasion and water resistance. The duffel is also very lightweight at just 2,2 lbs for the 60-liter version, plus it folds completely flat for storage. It also features stowaway shoulder straps, so you can get them out of the way when they’re not necessary.

In terms of the packing compartment and organizational features, the Cargo Hauler is probably better than any of the suitcases featured here. It’s got loads of pockets and compartments, so you can easily organize all your belongings. The duffel even allows you to separate the main compartment in two, so two people can easily pack inside it.

Tumi 19 Degree

Tumi is a high-end luggage brand known for the premium quality and durability of its products. They’re certainly not the top choice for the average college student because their luggage options are very expensive, but if money’s not a problem and you can get any suitcase you like, this is one of the top options.

The brand offers high-quality luggage with innovative features and the 19 Degree collection is one of the all-time best-sellers. It features luggage made from metal and plastic, and I’ll focus on the polycarbonate suitcases here.

Coincidentally, PC luggage is also the most affordable option in this collection. The shell is textured for improved scratch resistance, and the luggage is available in quite a few different colors and sizes.

The 19 Degree suitcases from Tumi all feature a height-adjustable wheel handle, a TSA-friendly combination lock, double-spinner wheels, and low-profile grab handles. Also, every one of their suitcases can be registered into the Tumi Tracer system, which helps locate your bags if they ever get lost in transit.

This luggage also has an expandable capacity, and it features two spacious packing compartments with a zippered divider in the top one and tie-down straps in the bottom one. There’s also a USB port on the TSA lock.

Rockland Melbourne Luggage Set

Luggage sets are a great option for college students because they’re excellent value for money. It’s always cheaper to buy a set with multiple pieces of luggage instead of individual suitcases, and it’s the best thing to do if you genuinely need more than one suitcase.

The Melbourne luggage from Rockland is a good inexpensive option. The cases are all made from ABS plastic; it’s not the most durable material out of the bunch, but if you’re not a very frequent flyer the cases should still perform well.

The luggage set includes a 20” carry-on, a 24” medium suitcase, and a 28” large checked case. All three cases have the same features, which include double-spinner wheels, a telescopic wheel handle, and an expandable capacity. None of the Melbourne suitcases have a TSA-friendly lock, which is a downside.

Also, the interior of these cases is quite basic. It’s lined with a zippered divider in the top compartment and elastic cross straps in the bottom one, and one lonely zippered pocket.

US Traveler Boren

The Boren luggage is another great option if you’re on a tight budget. This affordable suitcase is made from polycarbonate, so you’ll get excellent durability for a very fair price. It’s available in three sizes and two luggage set options, as well as six different colors.

The US Traveler suitcases are equipped with double spinner wheels, a telescopic wheel handle, and low profile grab handles on the top and side. This luggage doesn’t have an expandable capacity and it lacks a TSA-friendly lock, but that’s honestly not too bad considering the construction quality and the price point.

Also, the carry-on suitcase is equipped with a USB charging port, which is very convenient for air travel. The interior of this luggage is standard; it’s fully lined with tie-down straps in one compartment and a full panel zippered divider in the other.

The divider features a large zippered pocket, so you’ll be able to organize your items as you pack. Overall, these might not be the best suitcases that money can buy, but they’re certainly some of the best affordable polycarbonate cases you’ll find.

SwissGear Sion

SwissGear is a very popular luggage brand best known for its awesome backpacks. They also manufacture suitcases, and they’re a really good option if you want a quality piece of luggage made from great materials. SwissGear luggage is not very expensive, and it’s a good option if you’re not on a super tight budget.

The Sion is a softside suitcase with single spinner wheels, height adjustable wheel handle, and an expandable capacity. It is a great option for a carry-on bag because of its multiple external compartments that allow you to have all the things you might need at the airport easily accessible.

The shell of this suitcase is made from durable polyester fabric with good abrasion and water resistance. The suitcase isn’t coated to repel water or anything, but it should fare well in light rain and keep the contents dry.

The Sion has one packing compartment with tie-down straps to keep your clothes in place. The top cover features a large zippered pocket, plus this luggage comes with a removable wet pocket.