Composite: Antler, Carl Friedrik
Our travels can take us all over the world – from exploring culinary delights and culture in Tokyo to wining and dining in Paris, recharging at a luxe resort in Bali or driving the Great Ocean Road. The locations will change, but a thoughtfully designed travel bag for all your holiday essentials should be a constant, reliable companion wherever you go. The best luggage brands and designers understand this, considering both the practical and the aesthetic for their collections.
So whether you want a designer suitcase, sleek weekender bag or something as sturdy as an engineered hiking pack, these quality luggage brands offer something for every traveller.
GT’s top picks for luggage brands
- Best for frequent flyers and business travellers: Carl Friedrik
- Editor’s pick for long-lasting luggage: Antler
- Best luxury brand: Rimowa
- Best affordable brand: Nere
- Best for short trips: July
- Best for long holidays: American Tourister
The best luggage brands in 2025
Read on for our curated edit of the best luggage brands available in Australia – and buon viaggio.
Carl Friedrik has a penchant for functional elegance. The London-based luxury brand, founded in 2012 by Swedish brothers Niklas and Mattis Oppermann, prioritises luxury through a quality lens: from choosing premium materials to obsessing over design details for durable luggage that can handle red eye flights and cobblestone streets.
Also available at:
Core Carry-on,
$970
Hybrid Check-in,
$1350
Core Carry-on,
$860
Heritage Palissy Briefcase,
$1750
02
With over 100 years of expertise, heritage British luggage maker Antler delivers on quality and reliability in its contemporary designs of suitcases, backpacks and travel accessories. Hard or soft shell, black or pastel, the brand founded in Bury in 1914 has plenty of options. Plus, Antler is so invested in high-quality design that it has offered a lifetime warranty on all luggage since 15 May 2023 (with a 10-year warranty for luggage bought before that).
“I’ve travelled with the same Antler suitcase for over 15 years and it’s still going strong. After countless trips, its lightweight, durable design hardly shows its age –proof that a quality suitcase really does last.”
Amy Bradney-George, Contributor
Also available at:
Icon stripe large luggage,
$399
Icon stripe large carry-on luggage,
$319
Icon stripe large carry-on luggage,
$299
Single stripe large luggage,
from $335
03
Known by its iconic grooved aluminium suitcases, luxury heritage brand Rimowa has been in the luggage game since 1898. It’s the type of luggage brand that always catches the eye of discerning travellers in airports. Also offering polycarbonate carry-ons and checked sizes, superior engineering meets craftsmanship with this line.
Original Cabin suitcase,
$2230
Essential Check-In L suitcase,
$1775
Original Trunk Plus,
$3630
Hybrid Cabin suitcase,
$1675
04
Founded in Australia in 2022 by parent company Strandbags (now known as Strand), Nere has quickly made a name for itself as one of the best luggage brands for affordable, considered design. Its luggage comes with a 10-warranty and includes hard suitcases and travel bags you can use both in the air and on the ground, like the ultra-stylish, wheeled Relm Underseat Bag, which can double as a shopper.
Also available at:
Venture dual open 76cm suitcase,
$270
Stori check-in 75cm suitcase,
$250
Stori 3pc suitcase set,
$399 (usually $690)
Bondi nylon large tote bag,
$79.99
05
Melbourne-designed, July is relatively new on the scene but is quickly becoming a cult luggage brand for weekender bags and suitcases. With considered features – like new wheel and handle housing, bespoke scratch-proof texture, and custom anodised aluminium bumpers – that aim to course correct the ways of traditional suitcases, July is about evolution.
For frequent jetsetters, the Carry On Pro suitcase is a fine choice, featuring a hard-shell front pocket for easy access to your laptop plus an ejectable power bank to charge your electronics on the go. For longer trips, the July Checked or Checked Expandable have capacities of 80L and 90L respectively and are ideal for a weeks-long vacations.
Checked 80L luggage,
$395
Carry on luggage,
$345
Carry on trunk,
$545
Everyday large tote,
$185
Handcrafting artful luggage out of Hertfordshire, England since 1897, Globe-Trotter has long been favoured by both royalty and adventurers, with Queen Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, Daniel Craig, Emma Watson and famed explorer Edmund Hilary among those who have travelled with the brand’s luggage.
The signature suitcase corners are made on an antique Victorian press over five days – a true testament to keeping the flame of craftsmanship alight. But the handmade nature of this luggage brand also means it often sells out in Australia. We’ve found it at both Net-A-Porter and Farfetch, with designs often getting snapped up fast.
New season carry-on suitcase,
$2886
007 suitcase,
$5041
Safari carry-on suitcase,
$3161
Large check-in leather-trimmed suitcase,
$4094
07
Luxe luggage doesn’t get much more premium than Gucci. From bold logo prints to red and green webbing decorating its pieces, the iconic brand’s travel collection includes duffels, roller bags, cabin trolleys and more. We’re fans of the Savoy luggage collection that’s definitively Gucci and exquisitely Italiano.
Also available at:
Savoy small cabin trolley,
$4650
Porter medium trolley,
$5950
Savoy medium duffle bag,
$3850
Savoy small toiletry case,
$1200
08
Founded by a former Peace Corp volunteer in 1975, TUMI has established itself in the decades since as a premium luggage brand concerned with sustainability and technical innovation in its designs. Standing out among the brand’s extensive collection of suitcases, backpacks, handbags, accessories and more, are the 19 Degree aluminium Extended Trip packing case and the Voyageur Celina backpack. Before all products are finished, they’re put through a series of 41 unique tests – including being tossed in a tumbler 125 times – so rest assured, TUMI is all about the businesses of quality and reliability.
Extended trip packing case,
$2425
International carry-on,
$2095
Aero international 4-wheeled
carry on, $2920
Celina backpack,
$890
Established in 1933, American Tourister offers high quality luggage backed by a global warranty, and perhaps is most notably known for its lightweight Applite suitcase.
As an example, the largest Applite 5 expandable suitcase has a volume of 82cm and weighs just 3kg – a whole 1kg lighter than the American Tourister Light Max 82cm suitcase. And most other suitcases we’ve looked at with similar volumes weigh around 3.6kg to over 5kg. It’s also primed with an array of premium security features such as a TSA combination lock and smart sleeve.
Also available at:
Dashpop spinner 77cm suitcase,
$201 (usually $335)
Light Max 55cm spinner suitcase,
$144 (usually $240)
Curio 2 69cm spinner suitcase,
$215.40 (usually $359)
Soundbox Alu 68cm aluminium suitcase,
$939
10
A veteran in the luggage game, Samsonite was founded in 1910 and to this day produces innovative travel accessories for the voyage-inclined. The brand’s signature piece is the lightweight, hard-shell wheeler but also offer laptop bags, soft suitcases, backpacks and more.
Also available at:
Upscape 75cm spinner EXP,
$315 (usually $525)
Hard side 75cm spinner suitcase,
$279 (usually $465)
Hard side 81cm spinner suitcase,
$299.40 (usually $499)
Restackd 81cm expandable suitcase,
$299.40 (usually $499)
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GT picks: travel essentials
Antler, American Tourister and Samsonite have strong reputations in the luggage space and offer suitcases and accessories at a range of prices, with many suitcases offering 10-year warranties and Antler offering a lifetime warranty on suitcases bought after 15 May 2023. Meanwhile, Rimowa and Globe-Trotter stand apart as heritage luxury brands renowned for exceptional craftsmanship and durability – and all of the luggage brands featured here have designs of high quality.
Ultimately, it comes down to the luggage and features you want for your travels, so you can use these brands as a starting point to find the right suitcase, travel bags and accessories for you.
the best type of bag to travel with depends on the length and type of trip you’re embarking on – as well as how cutthroat you are with your packing principles. For overnight or weekend getaways, a small carry-on suitcase or weekender bag will do; for trips under a week, a duffel bag or medium suitcase suffices; and if you’re gallivanting for a while, you might want to consider larger luggage or a travel backpack.
The best luggage brands, luxury or otherwise, are all about durability, materials, and craftsmanship. Luxury brands like Rimowa, TUMI, and Globe-Trotter often use high-quality aluminium, polycarbonate, or full-grain leather that can last for decades. However, there are also a variety of mid-range and affordable luggage brands that are just as good.
Brands like Nere, Samsonite, and American Tourister focus on lightweight, durable, and practical designs without the designer markup, while many affordable brands now include TSA locks, spinner wheels, expandable compartments, and water-resistant materials, features that were once exclusive to premium luggage.
