Durable and lightweight, these are the pieces of July luggage that impressed us most after testing them in our lab.

Credit: Travel + Leisure/Joy Kim

Australia-based luggage brand July has taken the luggage industry by storm since it was founded in 2018, creating some of the most lightweight suitcases in the industry. We got our hands on 19 pieces of July luggage to find out more about the brand with hands-on testing.

From the popular carry-ons to the stylish trunks, we tested one size from each of the brand’s luggage collections to get a well-rounded testing experience. We packed the bags full to look at their capacity, ran them over carpets and through obstacle courses to check maneuverability, and threw them off tables and hit them with baseball bats to check durability. We also recreated an airplane set in our Travel + Leisure lab to lift the carry-ons into overhead bins and place personal items underneath seats to get a feel for how lightweight and portable they really are.

Many of the bags wowed us and proved to be exceptionally durable even after we hit them with baseball bats over and over, and we also love the appealing colors and adjustable handles that go up to 20 different heights. Keep reading to find out more about which July suitcases and bags we recommend most.

Top Picks

Best Carry-on: July Carry On at July.com Jump to Review Best Set: July Trunk Set at July.com Jump to Review Best With Laptop Compartment: July Carry On Pro SnapSleeve at July.com Jump to Review Best Large Capacity: July Large Luggage at July.com Jump to Review Best Expandable: July Carry-on Max at July.com Jump to Review Best Checked: July Checked Plus Light at July.com Jump to Review Best Lightweight : July Carry-On Light Expandable Suitcase at July.com Jump to Review

Best Carry-on

July Carry On

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

• It’s the ideal size for a week-long trip and comes with a portable charger.

What to Consider

• There could be a few more pockets for organizing items while packing.

While July has several carry-on models, the classic option won us over in testing. We were impressed with the sturdy design of the suitcase that proved to be just as durable as it looked after we hit the outside with a baseball bat and dropped it off a countertop several times. The German-made polycarbonate shell features bumpers on the corner, and we noticed that the corners didn’t scuff, dent, or scratch at all after our durability tests. The original model also comes with an ejectable battery with a USB-C charging port to charge devices on the go.

We had no issues filling up the suitcase with our week-long packing list, and everything fit perfectly with the help of the compression flap. The only note of improvement we had is that the interior could use a few more pockets (there’s just one currently) to add more organizational options. Other than that, we felt like this suitcase checked all the boxes (and more) for what we look for in a high-quality carry-on.

The Details: 21.5 x 15 x 8.5 inches | 7.4 pounds | 42-liter capacity | Polycarbonate, nylon | Ejectable battery with USB-C

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Best Set

July Trunk Set

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

• Both suitcases have sturdy latch closures and comfortable handles.

What to Consider

• Since these trunks don’t have the flexibility that zippers offer, there’s no room for overpacking.

Buying a set of luggage can be practical for some shoppers, and we recommend July’s stylish Trunk Set. The carry-on and checked bag duo have similar features that include adjustable handles, aluminum latch closures, and an 80/20 clamshell design that has one larger side for storing bulkier items. In testing, we were able to pack everything on our packing list into the suitcases, but the checked trunk is smaller than other July checked bags at 95 liters, so it was a tight fit (and it’s not expandable). These latched trunks do not offer the packing flexibility that luggage with zippers typical have, so you have to be very practical with your packing list since there is no room for overstuffing.

Both suitcases held up well against the baseball bat with no visible damage to the polycarbonate shell, though we did find that the glossy exteriors collect black scuff marks easily during a year of real-world travels — but it’s not hard to buff them out. The trunks are now available in matte finishes as well, which won’t scuff as easily. Like most July bags we tested, we were blown away by the durable materials and sturdiness of both of these bags.

The Details: 21.7 x 15 x 8.7 inches for carry-on; 28.25 x 16.5 x 14.5 inches for checked | 8.4 pounds for carry-on; 13.2 pounds for checked | 42-liter capacity for carry-on; 95-liter capacity for checked | Polycarbonate

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The Best Luggage Sets of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Best With Laptop Compartment

July Carry On Pro SnapSleeve

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

• The removable laptop compartment has generous padding, and the white suitcase held up perfectly against a baseball bat.

What to Consider

• The wheels didn’t roll as smoothly as the other July bags we tried.

This July suitcase boasts all the features we love from the classic carry-on with the special addition of a detachable laptop case. The ultrapadded case has a magnetic snap closure that secures it to the front of the suitcase to give travelers easy access to technology while on the go. We tested the white-and-black colorway and were blown away by the durability of the polycarbonate shell. Even with the snow white color, the suitcase didn’t scuff or scratch after we tossed it off a table and hit it with a baseball bat many times. The 42-liter bag was big enough to fit everything on our packing list for about a week’s worth of travel, and the only issue we ran into was with the wheels that didn’t roll as smoothly over rough surfaces like carpet and stone. While it’s a slight inconvenience, the helpfulness of the removable laptop sleeve and durable exterior make this carry-on well worth the investment.

The Details: 21.5 x 15 x 8.5 inches | 8.6 pounds | 42-liter capacity | Polycarbonate, leather

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Best Large Capacity

July Large Luggage

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

• The sturdy handle and smooth wheels make it exceptionally easy to roll this large bag.

What to Consider

• It’s easy to go over the 50 pound weight limit with such a spacious bag.

If you’re in search of a seriously spacious checked bag, July’s Checked Plus is your best bet. With 110 liters of space, this bag can hold more than enough items for a two-week trip or longer, so it’s safe to say our week-long packing list fit perfectly between the two spacious compartments. One side has a large compression flap, which was helpful for packing down bulkier items like jeans and jackets. Despite its very large size, this suitcase was impressively easy to roll over rough surfaces like carpet and cobblestone, and we could maneuver it through our obstacle course without any issues. Similar to the design of the classic carry-on, it also features aluminum bumpers on every corner to absorb hard impact, so this suitcase is extremely durable as well.

The Details: 30.25 x 19.75 x 12.5 inches | 10.5 pounds | 110-liter capacity | Polycarbonate

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Best Expandable

July Carry-on Max

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

• This is the largest carry-on size we’ve ever seen, and it comes with a packable tote for even more packing space.

What to Consider

• This carry-on may be too large for some overhead bins when you have it fully expanded, depending on the airline and airplane.

If you’re team carry-on but still want as much packing space as possible, this is the largest carry-on in July’s range — and the largest carry-on we’ve ever tested. It’s plenty spacious before you even expand it, but you can also unzip the expandable zipper to add an additional 1.6 inches to the diameter. Plus, it also comes with a packable tote bag that folds into a small square. The suitcase isn’t that bulky even for its large size, but we did notice that it felt a little heavy after fully packing it, wheeling it around, and lifting it into overhead bins. The wheels were not as smooth as the smaller July carry-ons we tested and got stuck at times when making sharp turns through our obstacle course. We think this is a great choice for overpackers, but note that some airlines may force you to check it at the gate because of the large size as it may not fit into all overhead bins when fully expanded.

The Details: 23 x 16 x 9 inches (23 x 16 x 10.6 when expanded) | 8.16 pounds | 50-liter capacity (62-liter capacity when expanded) | Polycarbonate

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The Best Luggage Brands of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Best Checked

July Checked Plus Light

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

• It’s shockingly lightweight for how much it can hold.

What to Consider

• The handle got a bit stuck after we checked the suitcase on a flight.

One of the hardest parts of traveling with a checked bag is keeping it under the usual 50-pound limit, but this July suitcase solves that problem. Weighing just a bit over 9 pounds when empty, this lightweight checked bag offers 105 liters of storage space, meaning you can pretty much fill it to the brim and still stay under the weight limit for the most part since it’s not overly large or heavy. It would be even better to have stronger or larger compression straps to add even more packing space, but the bag is still nice and large without being bulky. In testing, we were able to fit our entire packing list on one side of the suitcase, and it never felt cumbersome to roll or pick up when packed. The lightweight proved to be just as durable as all the other July suitcases we tried after sustaining zero damage during our durability tests. The handle did somehow get a bit stuck after we checked the suitcase on a flight, but we still travel with it all the time.

The Details: 30.32 x 20.87 x 11.22 inches | 9.2 pounds | 105-liter capacity | Polycarbonate

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Best Lightweight

July Carry-On Light Expandable Suitcase

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

• It weighs less than five pounds and is expandable.

What to Consider

• It lacks internal organizational features.

Clocking in at just under five pounds, this featherlight suitcase impressed us with its sleek look, expandability, and deceptively spacious packing capacity. Despite having a compact frame, which is ideal for flying internationally, it has a 35-liter packing capacity that balloons to 40 liters when the expandable sides are unzipped, providing enough space to pack for a five-day trip. the suitcase felt easy to roll over all surfaces and easy to lift into the overhead compartment, even the fully packed, and liked that the telescoping handle had four different height settings, which is ideal for individuals of various heights. All its zippers ran smooth and its TSA-approved lock opened and closed with ease. Our only gripe is that there are no internal organization features, aside from two zippered mesh panels on either side of the suitcase, which is why we’d recommend using packing cubes to keep everything nice and secure.

The Details: 21.25 x 14.17 x 8.66 inches (when expanded) | 4.9 pounds | 35-liter capacity (40L when expanded) | Polycarbonate

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Our Testing Process

July luggage has been on our radar for a while now, especially since the brand is known for its shockingly lightweight luggage. While we’ve tried several suitcases from July over the years, we decided to thoroughly research and select 19 pieces of luggage to test in a July-specific lab test in New York City (plus some additional pieces that we have tested since then).

Travel + Leisure

We tried one suitcase size from each collection to gauge the durability, capacity, maneuverability, and design during our rigorous testing process. We created designated packing lists for the carry-on and checked bags and put together obstacle courses with various types of surfaces like carpet and cobblestone to wheel the luggage over, testing how smoothly the wheels glide and how stable the handles are. And of course, we performed our signature durability tests that involve tossing the suitcases off of tabletops and hitting them with baseball bats repeatedly.

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We paid special attention to how lightweight the carry-on bags felt by lifting them into real overhead bins on our airplane set and noted how well smaller personal items fit underneath airplane seats. After taking thorough testing notes and photos, we sent the luggage out to our travel editors to test while out traveling for up to six months to get further testing notes to update this article.

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Other July Luggage We Liked

This option didn’t make our main list because of some problems during testing, but it’s still worth considering and may be the right fit for some travelers.

July Carry On Essential: It’s a durable and easy-to-pack suitcase, but we preferred the extra features of the Classic Original Carry-on compared to this more basic model.

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Tips for Buying July Luggage

Know the difference between the collections

July has several collections of luggage that have pros and cons for each type of traveler. The collections are Classic, Trunk, and Lightweight, and all three include carry-on and checked luggage options. The Classic collection features the Original and Essential suitcase options, while the Original suitcases boast more technical features like USB charging ports and aluminum corner bumpers for durability. The Trunk collection offers all sizes in the unique 80/20 design for a more modern spin on the vintage-style travel trunk. And lastly, the Lightweight collection features the brand’s iconic featherweight suitcases that all weigh under 10 pounds.

Consider special features

As mentioned above, certain collections offer more special features than others, so doing some research into each style of suitcase can help you decide which one to get. The Classic Original suitcases offer features such as a removable USB port for charging and aluminum corner bumpers. The Classic Essential doesn’t offer those features, but it is lighter in weight. The Trunk collection also boasts the USB ports and a more robust compression system but doesn’t offer the corner bumpers for durability. If you choose the Lightweight collection, you’ll get an extremely lightweight suitcase but will forfeit those extra features.

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Don’t forget about bags and accessories

July has a variety of bags and accessories besides luggage, and we particularly loved the Carry All Weekender during testing. The bags proved to be just as durable as the luggage, and they complement the sleek and stylish designs of the minimalist luggage. The brand also offers crossbody bags, tote bags, backpacks, packing cubes, shoe bags, luggage covers, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

Anna Popp is an associate editor at T+L, where she writes some of the team’s tested content. She has tested dozens of suitcases in the last few years, and she spent the day in the lab testing July luggage. Anna sifted through testing notes and pulled from her personal experience testing the luggage to put together this list of the best July luggage.

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