The 10 Best Travel Trunks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Chic and capacious, a trunk-style suitcase is ideal for extended trips.

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Travel + Leisure

Wheeled suitcases are a modern marvel; up until the late 20th century, luggage was a clunkier (albeit far more fashionable) affair. Travel trunks were the suitcase of choice for long-haul journeys by land, sea, and air, thanks to their sturdy construction and generous storage capacity. Today, they’re my go-to for the same reasons—and thankfully they’re equipped with modern must-haves like spinner wheels, multiple handle heights, compression straps, and more travel-friendly details, all while maintaining a stylish aesthetic that stands out from the sea of basic black luggage. Trunks are typically taller than traditional suitcases, with deep compartments that often have a split ratio of 70/30, 80/20, or an even 50/50 clamshell-style opening.

We hand-picked our favorite travel trunks out of more than 700 carry-ons and checked suitcases that we’ve tested in the Travel + Leisure lab, ultimately selecting those with the most impressive capacities, best organizational features, practical designs, smooth maneuverability, strong durability, and fair values. After we tested them in our lab, which included hitting them with baseball bats and zig-zagging them through obstacle courses, we sent them out to various editors to travel with over a six-month period. Whether you’re hopping aboard a train journey or flying across the ocean, you’ll find an option for your personal style and budget with one of our favorite travel trunks.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: Away The Trunk at Amazon $435 Jump to Review Best Design: Hartmann Reserve Medium Trunk at Hartmann.com Jump to Review Best Carry On: July Carry On Trunk at July.com Jump to Review Best Expandable: Calpak Hue Trunk Luggage at Calpaktravel.com Jump to Review Most Stylish: SALE Delsey Paris Chatelet Air 2.0 26-inch Trunk at Amazon $390 $213 Jump to Review Most Durable: Travelpro x Travel + Leisure Large Check-In Trunk Spinner at Travel Pro $695 Jump to Review Best Aluminum: Monos Aluminum Trunk at Monos.com Jump to Review Best Value: Delsey Paris Cruise 3.0 26-inch Trunk at Amazon $240 Jump to Review Best for Long Trips: Briggs & Riley Extra Large Trunk Spinner at Amazon $729 Jump to Review Best Rugged: Delsey X Jeep Expandable Spinner Trunk at Amazon $220 Jump to Review

Best Overall

Away The Trunk

The 10 Best Travel Trunks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Away $435 at Amazon $435 at Away Travel Why We Love It

Despite its large size, it’s a breeze to maneuver on two or four wheels.

What to Consider

Be sure to evenly distribute the weight in order to keep this 70/30-style trunk balanced.

Smooth wheels make all the difference when it comes to good luggage, and Away has the best of the bunch that we tested—the smooth, silent type. We found that whether we were maneuvering this trunk tilted on two wheels or evenly on all four wheels, it rolled almost effortlessly, and its tall, rectangular shape provided more stability than a traditional suitcase. We raced it around sharp turns, through busy obstacle courses, and over rough surfaces like carpet and gravel; in each situation, it glided smoothly along and never caught on anything or felt heavy. Given the 70/30 ratio of the trunk’s opening, it’s crucial to evenly distribute weight while packing, or it may feel off-kilter. “The bag is shockingly lightweight for the large size, so I loved how easy it was to glide,” says T+L associate editor Anna Popp, who tested this suitcase.

It boasts a 107-liter capacity, easily fitting more than two weeks’ worth of clothing, shoes, and accessories. To make the most of all that space, there are convenient organizational features like compression straps and zippered mesh pockets to help keep you organized. Though it has gotten pretty scuffed after traveling with it multiple times over the course of a year, we still found it to be one of the most durable pieces that we’ve tested from Away. I personally own luggage from Away, and it has stood the test of time. We also love that it comes in more than a dozen colors so there’s something for everyone.

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Best Design

Hartmann Reserve Medium Trunk

The 10 Best Travel Trunks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Luggage Pros View on Hartmann.com $507 at Bloomingdales $675 $506 at Macy’s Why We Love It

Included packing cubes, removable dividers, and a garment bag elevate this beautifully designed clamshell trunk.

What to Consider

The leather details may crack with use, and the trunk weighs more than 14 pounds when empty.

Hand-painted wheels, waterproof pockets, and timeless leather accents set this trunk apart as a proper luxury item. We found the telescoping handle to be particularly sturdy and stylish, featuring a beautifully curved design and a dozen height options for maximum comfort. The trunk is also equipped with three leather grab handles on the top, bottom, and side, making it easy to pick up from any angle despite its size and weight. After we checked this bag on a trip to Seoul, we noticed the decorative leather trim had cracked a little, so it will be difficult to keep this trunk pristine. Crafted from sturdy polycarbonate, the suitcase is a bit stocky, yet we found it surprisingly easy to maneuver when we rolled it around the lab and through obstacle courses.

It features a 50/50 clamshell design with ample features to make packing easier, including three snap-in dividers that you can remove to create one large, open cabin for bulkier items. When zipped close, that half of the suitcase includes two waterproof pockets, which are ideal for stashing small essentials and toiletries. The other half of the trunk features a large, removable garment bag, which you can use to store the two included packing cubes and shoe bag. There’s no shortage of thoughtful extras, including leather straps that keep your belongings secure while in transit. Though we loved how much this trunk can hold, it does get heavy when you pack it full since it weighs 14 pounds on its own.

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Best Carry On

July Carry On Trunk

The 10 Best Travel Trunks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: July View on July.com Why We Love It

You can customize the handle up to 20 different heights, and the suitcase comes with an ejectable battery for charging.

What to Consider

The exterior gets scuffed easily with black marks, but we were able to buff them out.

Light packers and carry-on-aficionados will love July’s glossy, ultramod Carry On Trunk. Thanks to its lightweight polycarbonate exterior, it’s a breeze to lift into an overhead bin, even when fully packed. During testing, we loved handy packing features like dividers, mesh pockets, compression straps and a zip pocket that made it easy to stay organized. It has latch closures instead of zippers. Editor Hillary Maglin owns this bag and was able to fit enough for a five-day trip with some space to spare. “I love how many subtle pockets it has, and it’s something that honestly surprised me,” she says. “While packing, I kept finding more and more pockets and space for my things.”

We loved how smooth this was to maneuver on carpets and pavement alike, gliding effortlessly on two and four wheels. Our favorite detail was the unique customizable handle, which is incredibly sturdy and features 20 different heights. The bag also has charging capabilities, and even comes with its own ejectable battery. The sturdy hardside shell proved highly durable after a year of travel, and we felt like it protected our belongings completely, though the glossy color options tend to collect tons of black scuff marks, particularly on a baggage claim (even though it’s a carry-on, we checked it a few times). The marks did come off, but it takes a bit of elbow grease. The trunk also comes in matte finishes, which we did not test, but we think they’d be less likely to scuff than the glossy design we tried.

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The 10 Best Luggage Brands, Tested and Reviewed

Best Expandable

Calpak Hue Trunk Luggage

The 10 Best Travel Trunks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Calpak View on Calpaktravel.com Why We Love It

Multiple zippered pockets make for easy separation of shoes, clothes, and intimates, and there’s ample storage space even without the expander.

What to Consider

The trunk gets scuffed easily when you check it.

For longer journeys or shopping trips, a little extra packing space can go a long way. This Calpak trunk is spacious enough on its own, but you can also expand it an additional 2 inches when you need to squeeze in a few more items. It has a 50/50 split, with compression straps on one side that we felt were ideal for holding our packing cubes in place and a zippered overlay on the other side, as well as plenty of pockets and zippered sections inside for organization. “I am definitely an overpacker, and this trunk gave me plenty of space for a 10-day trip to Japan,” says senior testing editor Jackie Cucco. “I didn’t need the expander on the way there, but it was a savior for my return trip after I did some damage shopping in Tokyo and Kyoto.”

Given its size, we were impressed by how easily we could glide and lift the trunk, even when packed full. The handle has three heights, but we also found ourselves wishing it went up a little taller. After checking one of the lighter colors on several flights, we noticed that it gets scuffed with black marks easily, but selecting a darker color may help disguise that better, and it has not dented after a year of use. It’s also one of the more affordable options on this list.

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Most Stylish

Delsey Paris Chatelet Air 2.0 26-inch Trunk

The 10 Best Travel Trunks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Delsey $390 $213 at Amazon View on Delsey.com $780 $351 at Macy’s Why We Love It

Beyond its timeless aesthetic, this trunk’s deep compartments are a dream for transporting bulky items.

What to Consider

We wish the telescopic handle went higher.

Fashion meets function with this elegant Delsey bag. Our love for this suitcase goes beyond its trademark two-tone exterior, which comes in classic neutral shades as well as pink and blue. It’s roomy enough to fit a two-week packing list, and the 80/20 split features a deeper compartment that is perfect for larger items like ski boots or beach towels. We appreciated that the shallow compartment has two divider flaps with zippered pockets that are helpful for keeping track of travel documents or accessories, but we wish there were a few more—we’d recommend using packing cubes to avoid losing any items in the larger compartment.

After wheeling the trunk through our obstacle course and traveling with it for six months, we found that the wheels glided smoothly in all directions. We were pleasantly surprised by this bag’s durability, suffering no dents or scratches after we hit it relentlessly with a baseball bat, tossed it off a ladder, and checked it on multiple flights. Our only gripe is that the handle doesn’t go up very high, but that wasn’t a deal breaker.

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Most Durable

Travelpro x Travel + Leisure Large Check-In Trunk Spinner

Credit: Travelpro $695 at Travel Pro $695 at Bloomingdales Why We Love It

Reinforced zinc corners provide extra protection from drops or dents on this supersized hardside trunk.

What to Consider

It’s a bit heavy, and the inner straps could be easier to adjust.

If durability is the most important feature you’re looking for in your luggage, this hefty Travelpro trunk is built like a tank, resisting our baseball bat hits and table throws with ease. “The outer shell is reinforced with metal on the corners to prevent cracks and dents,” says editor Taylor Fox, who tested this suitcase in our lab. We wish the straps inside were easier to adjust, but we love that both sides of the interior zip closed, which helps to keep everything in place. There are also several pockets with zippers to stash smaller items, as well as a water-resistant pocket for packing toiletries or damp clothing.

This large trunk is ideal for a long trip or a moving day, but will likely cost you in overweight baggage fees given its impressive size and weight (over 12 pounds when empty). Still, we found it easy to push and pull through our obstacle course and on various surfaces even when fully packed. The ergonomic handle is comfortable and has four height adjustments, but we think the suitcase itself might be a bit awkward for shorter users to wield.

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The Best Lightweight Luggage of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Best Aluminum

Monos Aluminum Trunk

The 10 Best Travel Trunks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Monos View on Monos.com Why We Love It

This aluminum trunk is incredibly durable, with a sleek, metallic finish.

What to Consider

This is the heaviest suitcase on this list.

Aluminum luggage is often heavier and pricier than standard bags, but you’re paying for premium quality. Monos recently launched an aluminum collection, and we were fans of this trunk, available in three metallic shades. Inside, you’ll find two zippered pockets on one side and a large mesh pocket on the other side, which we were able to use to store underwear, socks, and a swimsuit with plenty of room to spare. The 70/30 opening also makes it easy to pack bulkier items in the larger side.

We love the design of this trunk and felt like everything was well-made during testing. The latches felt sturdy, even after we threw it off a table, and it was easy to close the bag up once it was packed. The handle has several different heights, and it felt solid while using it. We had no issues rolling this over tile, carpet, and even a concrete curb, and appreciated the various grab handles to help hoist it up when needed. We did notice a dent on the exterior when we hit the bag with a baseball bat—and aluminum luggage in general tends to dent much more easily than polycarbonate—but everything inside remained safe. It is important to note that this is the heaviest bag on this list, weighing 15.5 pounds, though it was not difficult to manuever.

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Best Value

Delsey Paris Cruise 3.0 26-inch Trunk

The 10 Best Travel Trunks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Delsey $240 $223 at Amazon View on Delsey.com $480 $240 at Kohls.com Why We Love It

This attractive trunk is a great value for the price and boasts a built-in weight indicator to avoid overweight baggage fees.

What to Consider

It’s fairly basic in terms of organization features but could easily fit packing cubes.

Reliable luggage can be costly, but this Delsey trunk is a durable option that won’t break the bank. We found it to be extremely spacious, with compression straps that easily condensed several days’ worth of clothes, including a very bulky puffer jacket. The interior is fairly straightforward, with compression straps on one side and a mesh zippered compartment on the other—for those craving a little more organization, packing cubes would be great here. The standout feature is a built-in weight indicator, which is designed to help avoid overweight baggage fees and turns red if the trunk gets too heavy.

Even when we filled this suitcase to the brim, we found that it maneuvered extremely well and easily made tight turns. It’s incredibly sturdy, and the polycarbonate shell and spinner wheels didn’t show any signs of wear and tear after our durability tests. The telescopic handle was easy to use, though we’d have appreciated a few more inches of length. It’s not especially luxurious or gimmicky, but we thought it was high quality at an affordable price.

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Best for Long Trips

Briggs & Riley Extra Large Trunk Spinner

Credit: Briggs & Riley $729 at Amazon $729 at Nordstrom $729 at Briggs & Riley Why We Love It

It feels lightweight despite its large size while being large enough for multiple people to share.

What to Consider

The exterior dented easily when we hit it with a baseball bat and after flying with it.

This gargantuan trunk is essentially a personal trailer, with more packing space than all of the other suitcases on this list. Given its size and shockingly lightweight construction, we think this would be ideal for long trips or for couples or family members who prefer to pack together rather than take separate bags. The 80/20-split design makes one side ultradeep, and a zippered compartment helps keep belongings in place, while compression straps give added security. Given how large this trunk is, we appreciated how smoothly the wheels glided in all directions and on various terrains, making it easy to maneuver. Although the hardware seemed durable, the outer shell dented easily, both when we hit it with a bat in our lab and when we checked it during long-term testing, so you can expect a few dings over the years. Luckily, Briggs & Riley has one of the best lifetime guarantees in the game as well as multiple repair centers (but read the guarantee in detail because that does not cover cosmetic wear or cleaning odors or stains).

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The 7 Best Luggage Covers of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Best Rugged

Delsey X Jeep Expandable Spinner Trunk

The 10 Best Travel Trunks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Credit: Delsey $220 at Amazon View on Delsey.com Why We Love It

Adventure travelers will appreciate the extra traction on the wheels, which mimic the rugged quality of Jeep.

What to Consider

Since the wheels are designed for more rugged terrain, they don’t roll as smoothly over airport floors.

Jeep owners, this one’s for you. The car brand’s collaboration with Delsey marries Jeep’s rugged aesthetic with the luggage brand’s reputation for quality and durability, making this a must-have for the adventure traveler in your life. The hardside shell features protective reinforced corners that are designed to withstand harsh conditions, and we also loved the extra-tough wheels. “I can tell the wheels were designed with traction in mind for tougher surfaces, and they definitely did their job,” says senior editor Lydia Price, who tested this trunk in the lab. While great for dirt paths or cobbled streets, the rugged wheels didn’t roll as smoothly on floors or tiles as other Delsey luggage we’ve tested.

This trunk is also enormous, with a 121-liter capacity and a 70/30 design that can easily accommodate bulky sporting gear, plus up to three weeks of clothing and supplies without ever using the expander. Even when packed, the sturdy handles on the front made it easy to lift and carry. If you’re looking to protect your gear while on the go, rest assured this heavy-duty ABS/polycarbonate blend is up to the task. It passed our durability tests with flying colors, with no dents or scratches after throwing it and whacking it with metal bats.

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Other Travel Trunks We Liked

Given that we’ve tested nearly 700 pieces of luggage, not all of the trunks we’ve tried could make it into this article—but there were several others that very nearly made the cut.

July Checked Trunk: This is the checked version of the July carry-on on our main list above. Though we did love it, it scuffs and scratches quite easily when you check it, which is why we prefer the carry-on version. You can also get them together as a set.

The 10 Best Travel Trunks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

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Herschel Heritage Hardshell Large Luggage: This no-frills clamshell trunk fits an impressive amount of clothing and performed well in the lab, but it’s fairly basic and doesn’t have as many unique features to compete with the trunks on our main list. We’d still recommend it, though, if you’re looking for a straightforward design.

The 10 Best Travel Trunks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

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Delsey Rempart Medium Trunk Expandable Spinner: We liked this as a medium-sized checked trunk, but the zippers were a bit hard to maneuver, and some of the colorways are partially translucent, and some travelers may not want people seeing inside their luggage.

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Pelican 1615 TRVL Air Travel Case: This huge case has more than enough packing space, and it comes with packing cubes and organizational features inside to help you make the most of the room. However, it didn’t stand up very well to our durability tests, so we aren’t sure how much we’d trust it to withstand rigorous trips through airports.

The 10 Best Travel Trunks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

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Our Testing Process

Our team of frequent-flying editors has tested more than 700 travel bags, assessing and gathering insights on every style of suitcase in our lab and in the real world. During luggage testing, we first verify each bag’s dimensions and weight, then thoroughly inspect the interior and exterior elements, looking for special features like smooth zippers, multistop handles, interior pockets, and built-in weight indicators.

We evaluate the storage capacity of each trunk by packing it with clothing, shoes, and toiletries; carry-on bags were assessed for a four-day trip, while larger trunks were packed for journeys of a week or more. Organizational features are also taken into careful consideration, such as dividers, pockets, and included packing cubes.

We then simulate real travel situations in order to assess each trunk’s portability and durability—we maneuver it over carpets and concrete, see how well the wheels turn through obstacle courses, shove the bags off of tables, and whack them with metal baseball bats to check for damage or dents. For carry-on sizes, we lift them into overhead bins on an airplane set that we built in our lab to see how lightweight or heavy they feel and how sturdy the handles feel.

For this article, we handpicked our favorite trunks out of the suitcases we’ve tested, only selecting ones that performed well. After lab tests, we send editors home with luggage to travel with on their own trips for a minimum of six months to ensure the bags continue to function properly over time.

The 10 Best Travel Trunks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

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Tips for Buying a Travel Trunk

Choose the size and features that fit your needs

Trunks come in a variety of shapes and styles these days, ranging far beyond the clunky rectangles of yore. Travelers have their pick of carry-on and checked options, which are typically available in one of three designs: a classic clamshell, which features a zipper or buckles straight down the middle, or a traditional split-size design of 70/30 or 80/20, in which one compartment is deep enough to transport bulky or oversized items like shoes, jackets, boots, sporting equipment, and more. Decide if you prefer a zipper or latches for opening the trunk, how many handle heights will work best for you, and what size capacity will suit you best (often measured in liters). While we love the aesthetic of vintage-inspired trunks, some of them fall short in terms of modern additions such as wheels, telescopic handles, and multiple carrying handles.

Look for lightweight construction

Most domestic airlines don't have a weight limit on carry-on luggage, but if you’re flying internationally, you’ll want to check with your carrier to confirm their individual baggage restrictions. Low-cost carriers such as RyanAir or WizzAir typically allow for a 10-kilogram or 22-pound bag (versus a more standard 12-kilogram or 26-pound allowance). For checked bags, there’s a standard 50-pound limit for travelers in economy class on almost every airline (while passengers in business and first-class are often allowed a greater weight allowance on checked bags).

Trunks themselves can be quite hefty, so it’s best to pick a design with lightweight construction — that way, you don’t lose half of your baggage allowance to the trunk’s weight and can confidently hoist it into overhead bins or roll it along all sorts of terrain. Heavier trunks can be difficult to wheel, particularly on unpaved roads. If you often fly business, first-class, or private, or hold status with airlines, the weight may not matter to you as much.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

For this story, writer Sophie Dodd reviewed testing insights from our team of T+L editors, who thoroughly examined dozens of travel trunks in order to select those with the best design, maneuverability, organization, capacity, and overall value. Each trunk was assessed in our lab and in the real world. Dodd added in her own additional research for each piece of luggage, highlighting travel-friendly details like smooth spinner wheels, removable garment bags, telescoping handles, and more. Dodd owns luggage from several of the brands tested, including Away, July, and Monos.

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