The 10 Best Spinner Luggage Sets
Special Honors
Calpak Trnk The styling of the Calpak Trnk calls to mind steamer trunks of yesteryear, but this updated, wheeled set offers far more in the way of usability features. For instance, you'll find a removable accessories pocket for those small items you don't want to lose; TSA-approved locks; fresh, modern color choices; and much, much more. calpaktravel.com
Mark & Graham Terminal 1 The Mark & Graham Terminal 1 is a popular favorite that offers a personalized monogramming option and a variety of handsome color schemes. The genuine leather detailing and striped liner are nice touches, as is the lifetime warranty that ensures you'll be using this set for a long time to come. markandgraham.com
Away Set You can configure the Away Set to meet your needs, since it's offered in two- or three-piece options with various sizes and colors to select from. Sleek and stable, they'll roll everywhere you go with ease, and if you need to nest them for storage, you can expect to do so without any hassles. awaytravel.com
Editor's Notes
March 17, 2020:
As luggage manufacturers update features, it's no surprise to see some models fall by the wayside or become harder to find, which is why we've removed the American Tourister Brookfield, the Traveler's Choice Midway, and the TravelCross Springfield. The AmazonBasics Black and the Coolife Softshell remain popular choices, however, especially for the budget-conscious. They're both softsided, three-piece models, with the latter offered in more colors for a slightly lower price. For a higher-end choice, there's the Caribbean Joe Castaway, a four-piece set that arrives with a tote, unlike most. Unfortunately, it's offered in a limited range of fairly drab neutral colors, which means it may not be for everyone.
As for hardsided models, the Samsonite Winfield 3 DLX and the Kenneth Cole Reaction Out Of Bounds make great options for most users, with the former being the pricier choice. Both have a sleek, elegant look and all the bells and whistles you'd expect, including telescoping handles and interior organizational features that complement packing cubes well. If you want something more eye-catching, there's the Kemyer Vintage World Series, available in attractive global-themed prints that are easy to spot on a baggage carousel. We've removed the Samsonite Centric 3-Piece Hardside, however, due to concerns about the exterior becoming dented.
Conveniently Saving Space
Imagine you’re looking at a person from above, and that said person is standing on a piece of graph paper.
Imagine you’re looking at a person from above, and that said person is standing on a piece of graph paper. They take up exactly one square. They also have an old-fashioned suitcase in their hand — one without any wheels — that takes up half of the square to their right.
Now, take away that suitcase and replace it with a piece of rolling luggage (not spinning; rolling). In order to pull it along, it has to sit farther out to their right and slightly behind them at an angle that increases its occupied area. Suddenly, this same traveler occupies the space of two whole squares on your graph paper, and realistically requires four squares to navigate an airport safely.
The above was an outline I created in protest of rolling luggage when its popularity initially soared. People seemed wholly ignorant of the extra space they were taking up, there was less room for the rest of us in airports and train stations, and if you so much as bumped their bags they’d look at you like you slapped their mother.
Fortunately, someone had the brilliant idea to add an extra two wheels to a piece of wheeled luggage and to let all four spin freely. The result of that innovation is the panoply of available spinner luggage sets you see on our list. These units are not only easier to maneuver through traveling spaces where no one seems remotely aware of their physicality, but they also allow you to push or pull them along in an upright position, taking up significantly less space. They represent the perfect compromise between carried and wheeled luggage, without sacrificing a single benefit of either. If anything, they’re a vast improvement to both.
Why Buy Luggage In A Set
You’ll notice that the spinning luggage on our list all comes in sets. There’s a chance that you might not see the benefit of owning a whole set of luggage, especially if you’re just one person or only a couple who packs light. Well, there are a number of reasons that investing in a set now will save you both money and hassle in the days and years to come.
A quick day trip up the coast for some wine and sunsets won’t require your behemoth of a traveling case.
A set allows you to bring a bag that’s right for the length of your stay. A quick day trip up the coast for some wine and sunsets won’t require your behemoth of a traveling case. Conversely, if you need to pack up whatever you can fit in a suitcase because there’s a contract out on your head and you need to get to Milan where your cousin Fredorico has acquired forged papers for you to start a new life an Italian fisherman, you’ll want to carry more than what could fit in your carry-on. Is one of those scenarios the plot to a thriller I’m writing in my spare time? No. But they do illustrate that it’s a good idea to own bags of multiple sizes.
Moving on, if you have a family, a large set will allow you to provide each family member with a case all their own. That’ll give each of them, especially the kids, a sense of privacy and responsibility. It’ll also make it easier for you to pick out your bags on the carousel at baggage claim, since you won’t have to remember five unique bag designs.
As far as those designs go, spinning luggage sets come in just about every exterior you can imagine. If the bulk of the use these bags will see is business-related, it might be wise to go with something understated and to invest in a recognizable luggage tag, or even a tracker. If, on the other hand, your bags are mostly for family vacations during which you suffer terrible anxiety attacks at baggage claim, go for something outlandish and impossible to miss. If it’s ugly enough, no one will try to steal it.
Tips For Packing To Perfection
Before you start putting any clothing items inside your bag, you should do your packing outside of it. That means taking all of the clothes and other materials you intend to bring and lying them out on your bed or any large surface where you can see all of them. Psychologically, you’re apt to neglect the fact that you’ve already packed three sweaters for a trip to Maui if they get buried underneath your wigs and boas halfway through your packing process. Having everything laid out will help prevent redundancies and over-packing.
Having everything laid out will help prevent redundancies and over-packing.
When you begin to pack, place awkward items like hair dryers and shoes into your bag first. That way, you can pack around them instead of trying to force them into an already stuffed bag at the end of the process. Placing shoes in first will orient their soles toward the outside of the bag, as well, keeping your clothes cleaner.
The biggest debate among packers is often whether to roll or fold your clothing. Barring any items that would — for whatever strange reason — suffer damage from rolling, folding should be your last resort. Rolling clothes compresses them in a way that folding cannot, and it also makes for easier organization with less overlap among clothing types.
You can stack thin, similar materials like T-shirts and underwear before you roll them to compress the items even further. This is especially useful if you’re headed anywhere that you intend to unpack upon arrival. If you’re the type to live out of your suitcase while on the road, however, this kind of stacked roll can make accessing a single pair of briefs rather difficult.
One last thing you can do to maximize your packing efficiency is to invest in some interior storage. Some luggage will come with compartments fitted for shoes or additional storage, and this can be a great feature to find. Shoe bags, packing cubes, and vacuum-sealed containers are easy to find online, and they can drastically cut down on the confusion and combustion inside your suitcase.