The Best Affordable Carry-On Luggage of 2026

You are likely familiar with AmazonBasics: Amazon’s in-house brand that’s known for selling affordable products from batteries to button-up shirts. AmazonBasics offers a wide range of luggage at fantastic prices.

You shouldn’t expect premium materials or innovative designs from AmazonBasics luggage, but if you’re looking for a simple, functional suitcase for a low price, you can find some great options.

Affordable carry-on luggage doesn’t need to be flashy or have lots of high-end features. Your top priority should be finding quality luggage with adequate interior space and well-built handles, spinner wheels, and zippers that won’t break while you’re traveling.

The AmazonBasics 21” Hardside Spinner is a simple but well-thought-out little suitcase that is surprisingly well made. It’s the most affordable suitcase on this list, and it provides just the right amount of features for a functional suitcase that will stand up to frequent use.

This bag is built with an ABS outer shell that is textured for scratch resistance and has a wavy, rippled design. This isn’t just for show, as the rippled surface actually increases the strength and impact-resistance of this case.

The organization is simple, but effective. This bag has elastic compression straps, a zippered divider, and three zippered pockets. Splitting the main body into multiple compartments with the divider helps you make the most of the packing space.

What this suitcase is lacking is external pockets. Having pockets that you can easily access without opening the main compartment is a huge benefit, so make sure you evaluate whether that’s a feature you need.

If you are looking for a basic suitcase that’s cheap and well-built enough for frequent travel, I highly recommend the AmazonBasics 21” Harside Spinner.

The SwissGear brand comes from a 125-year history of Swiss design and manufacturing, including the makers of the original Swiss army knife. Nowadays, SwissGear is actually owned by Victorinox, and is marketed as the company’s most affordable brandThe SwissGear brand sells a wide range of travel and work gear, from watches to laptop bags to luggage. They emphasize delivering high-value products and have much better quality testing than most budget-oriented brands. 

Softside luggage has the advantage over hardside luggage when it comes to exterior pockets and accessibility. This is especially a benefit for carry-on bags where you may want to easily access electronics, books, or documents while traveling.

The SwissGear Sion is a soft-sided expandable carry-on that makes the most of this advantage with multiple external pockets that make it easy to keep important items at the ready while you’re on the go.

This soft sided luggage is made of a thick nylon fabric and has sturdy wheels and telescopic handle. You can count on this bag to hold up well to the abuse of travel. I really love that it has handles on the top, sides, and bottom. When you’re lifting a bag into the overhead bin, extra handles are a huge help. It is also expandable with a wrap-around zipper that can give you a few inches of extra space. This makes it that much more versatile for trips where you need a more spacious interior.

If you’re on a budget and are looking for a well-built softside suitcase, you won’t be disappointed with the SwissGear Sion.

While being one of the more expensive luggage pieces on this list, the Samsonite Freeform Carry-On Spinner is a compelling suitcase that successfully balances low mass with structural integrity. Its lightweight, expandable, affordable, and durable. It comes in a few different colors and the sunken metal logo plate gives the bag a modern look and feel.

The sleek design and plastic-based hardside exterior make it the perfect choice to turn over to the baggage handlers at the gate check or hoist into the overhead compartment. It will fit easily overhead or under the seat and slide free when it comes time to leave the plane, enjoying your smooth ride on the suitcases high qulaity spinner wheels that perform well on any terrain.

Features of the Samsonite Freeform include expandable zippers, TSA approved lock, a spacious interior with plenty of packing compartments, multi-directional wheels, and compression straps. It also has a built-in luggage tag so you can easily find your bag.

Travelpro is one of the best luggage brands in the business. Started by an airline pilot, they originally built bags specifically designed for flight crews and other travel professionals. That expertise now carries over to some of the best quality luggage you can find.

While spinner luggage is all the rage these days, more traditional two-wheel rolling carry-on luggage is more durable and rolls much better over rougher surfaces.

The Travelpro Maxlite 5 International is a well-built rolling suitcase that gives frequent travelers all the features they need for international travel without any unnecessary complications.

Unlike most of the bags on this list, this suitcase just has two wheels, which is actually a plus. Roller bags are better suited for international travel, especially on uneven terrain.

It’s more durable, rolls better over rough surfaces, provides more packing space, and even has improved ergonomics. This bag has a large front pocket with a padded laptop sleeve. This makes it easy to access electronics or anything else you may need at the airport. The water-resistant polyester exterior fabric is highly durable and is reinforced at the corners. You can count on this rolling suitcase to protect your belongings and survive the abuse of travel.

LEVEL8 builds sleek, modern luggage with intentional designs that are meant to streamline and simplify the travel experience. They focus on eliminating unnecessary frills and delivering a minimalist product that gives you everything you need and nothing you don’t. 

One of the biggest differentiators for luggage specifically for international travel is the difference in carry-on size restrictions. Domestic flights in the US typically limit carry-ons to 22” tall while international carry-on size is limited to 21.5” for many airlines.

International carry-ons need to fit these strict size restrictions while still maximizing interior space. Durability is also even more important during international travel. It’s worth knowing how to measure luggage to be sure your suitcase will fit.

The LEVEL8 Textured Carry-On is a stylish, streamlined carry-on spinner that packs in high-end materials and construction at an impressive price.

Built with a durable polycarbonate shell that’s reinforced at the corners and textured for scratch resistance, this suitcase is made to handle rough travel. Polycarbonate is significantly stronger and more resilient than the ABS and polypropylene materials commonly found in budget hardside suitcases. It can absorb impacts and hard knocks without cracking.

The spinner wheels are very well built and feature an innovative anti-shock design. This means they can withstand impacts from rough use and still roll smoothly. This suitcase has a sturdy telescopic handle, a TSA-approved lock, and great interior organization. You won’t find yourself short on features with this case.

If you want easy-access external pockets, you may be better off with a softside rolling luggage like the TravelPro Maxlite 5. Overall, though, this is a well-built, reliable suitcase for international travel.

Whether you’re going hiking or just need a day bag for short excursions from your hotel, this is the  ideal packable travel daypack for almost any traveler.

It’s made of lightweight recycled ripstop fabric, it is durable but still can pack down small inside your suitcase. It also can be used as your personal item on a flight.

Many of the affordable suitcases on this list don’t come with built-in locks.

If you still want the peace of mind of securing your luggage from theft, this inexpensive combination lock is approved by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and will work with most zippered bags.

Dealing with dirty laundry while traveling can be difficult. This lightweight laundry bag gives you a dedicated place to put your dirties and keep them separate from the rest of your clothing.

The best thing is that this bag has backpack-like straps that make easy to carry for trips to the laundromat.

If you’re like me, keeping your suitcase organized while traveling can be a struggle. It’s so easy for everything to just become a jumbled mess inside, and then you can’t find anything when you need it. The easiest fix is a good set of packing cubes.

These packing cubes from AmazonBasics can go a long way toward taming the chaos. They are lightweight, open fully with a zipper, come in different sizes, and have a mesh front panel so you can easily see what’s inside.