The Best Luggage for Teens Who Love to Travel

Are you excited to start traveling again? One of the little things that can make a huge impact is the luggage that you use. Having bags that are the right size for carry-on, and are durable, and will stand out when it’s time to wait at the baggage claim are all things that will take away some of the stress of traveling, and make the overall experience a lot better.

Because of this, we’ve put together this list of the best luggage for teens to help you make the most of your next trip, whether it’s a road trip across the country, a quick flight, or if your wanderlust is taking you to the other size of the world. Whatever you’ve got planned, here’s some great luggage to help get your stuff there in one piece, whether you’re a guy or you’re looking for teenage girl suitcases instead.

Buyer’s Guide: Luggage for Teens

Skip this section if you want to get right to our top recommendations!

Before we get into the recommendations, let’s go over some of the traits to look for when you’re shopping for luggage for teenagers. Luggage for adults or teens isn’t inherently different, but there are some traits that may matter more to younger folks, so that’s what we’re keeping in mind with this guide and the upcoming luggage recommendations. Here’s what to look for…

Durability: This one often goes hand in hand with price, but not always. Some brands are expensive, just because they’re popular brands, whereas some unknown brands cost less and offer higher quality bags. We’re here to help you figure all of this out.

Size: Is a small bag good enough, or do you need multiple bags? A luggage set will have a large bag that you can check in at the airport, a medium bag that you can put in the overhead compartment easily, and a smaller bag to take with you when you’re running around, exploring, and going on adventures. A backpack works great for the smaller bag, but it really comes down to what you’re using it for. If you’re just looking for baggage to take to the lake, or for shorter trips, or day trips, you can get away with something smaller. If you’re traveling to the other side of the world for a month or two, you’ll need larger bags.

Purpose: What are you using your luggage for? This will be the biggest determining factor on what you choose. For example, if you rarely travel, and you’re only looking for something to carry your stuff to the beach, you probably just need a beach bag for teenagers instead of anything fancy. But if you’re globetrotting around the world, flying on planes, you’ll want to keep that in mind, too. You may want something with wheels, that’s larger for baggage check, or something small enough to be a carry-on, or just a personal bag that you carry with you. The less you travel and the less you’ll use and the less you’ll be carrying with you, the less you can spend on it (As a rough rule of thumb, of course.)

Budget: How much are you looking to spend? Your thoughts and answers on the previous points will determine how deep of a budget you’ll need.

luggage for teens

Style: At the bottom of the list is the style/aesthetic/appearance of the luggage. We get it, you want something that looks good and suits your style – and there’s actually an advantage to buying unique looking luggage, so it’s not just for vanity. Luggage that stands out means you’ll have an easier time spotting your bag when it comes down the conveyor belt at the baggage claim. If you’re traveling by bus and your bags are getting loaded into the bottom with everyone else’s luggage, this is still a really nice feature to have. You can also tie a bright bandana or a piece of unique fabric onto the handle to help it stand out, too.

By the way, if you’re heading to the beach, check out the best beach bags for teens.

Finally, Here’s The Best Luggage for Teens:

Let’s get right into our recommendations now. You can’t go wrong with any of the following luggage, so choose the one that best fits your budget, your travel plans, and your style.

AmazonBasics Travel Duffel With Wheels

amazonbasics wheeled travel duffel for teens

Here’s a travel duffel by AmazonBasics. If you’re not familiar, Amazon takes a lot of popular products and creates their own version of it, the idea is that it’s a no-frills kind of product for a really good price.

This luggage would cost a lot more from any other brand, it’s super high quality and will last you for years and years of adventure. It’s available in small, medium, or large sizes. It’s expandable, so you’ll have room for anything you buy on your vacation. It comes in seven different colors of fabric. The wheels and handle are sturdy, which is a hallmark of quality luggage. Don’t buy luggage when the wheels or the handle feel loose, because that usually means it’s not great quality.

The handle pops out of the top so you can wheel it around, or it has handles to carry it when you aren’t on terrain that permits wheels.

Bottom line: This bag is super high quality, and a perfect choice for a teen who takes their travel seriously and wants something that will last them for many years. It makes an excellent gift, too, because a lot of teens don’t want to spend a lot on their baggage.

You can find all three sizes at Amazon.

Travelers Club Expandable Carry-on Bag

spinner bag for teens

If the price of the aforementioned AmazonBasics bag is a little steep for your taste and you’re looking for something that doesn’t need to be able to survive a nuclear explosion, this carry-on bag by Travelers Club is a great choice. It’s very, very affordable for luggage (which can get insanely pricey!), and it’s made plenty durable. Granted, it’s not the same tier of quality as some other options, but for the price, it’ll definitely get the job done so you can spend that extra money you’ll save on some nice meals out at restaurants, or some cab rides around town, or an upgrade to your airplane ticket.

The dimensions of this hard-shell case are 20x13x11, it weights 5.6 pounds, and it has 4 wheels on the bottom for smooth travel. The telescopic handle has a comfy rubber coating on it, and it can lock in place with a handy button. It’s available in 9 different colors, too.

Bottom line: This ultra-affordable bag gives you a ton of bang for your buck, it’s a lot better quality than it has any business being at this price point.

Check out this bag at Amazon.

Kensie Rose Gold Luggage for Teens

cute luggage for teens

Here’s a unique set from the brand Kensie. If you want something that’s unique but not too “out there” it’s worth considering (Editor’s note: If you want something a little more out there, check out what we’ve got next…)

This luggage is available in a 20 and 28 inch set with two bags, or you can get the 20 inch one on it’s own. The rose gold stands out, you won’t be mistaking it for anyone else’s bags when it’s time to claim your luggage, or carry it on and stow it overhead for added convenience.

It also comes in midnight blue or black, but the color isn’t the coolest part of this luggage. The handles are slick, comfy, and make these bags very easy to maneuver. Each bag has four wheels, making it extra simple to wheel around. It’s just super well made and designed, you can’t go wrong with these suitcases. They’ll protect your stuff very well and they’re very well made.

If you’d rather have a larger suitcase and a smaller bag to take on the plane with you, you’ll want to check out our next recommendation for something truly unique.

Bottom line: Great quality, unique look, buy one or get the bundle of two – either way, this is some excellent luggage with a lot of great features.

You can find this set on Amazon.

Kensie Gemstone Spinner + Tote Combo

kensie gemstone luggage

Okay, how cool is this set, also by the brand Kensie? This is absolutely unique. There’s a 1 in 1,000,000 chance that you’ll ever see another set like this while you’re traveling, making it super easy to find your bags at the airport. If you want your luggage to stand out from the crowd, here’s how.

There’s a main bag, and a smaller tote that attached to the handle. You can remove the tote in half a second and carry it around with you, then re-attaching it so that you have less to keep track of. This unique design feature is amazing when you’re on the go. You can pop the main bag overhead as a carry-on, while still having access to everything in the tote. If you need to check bags, you can just get a duffel or a larger bag. This set of two is great for taking on the plane, on a train, or tossing in the trunk for a road trip.

Bottom line: Stunning looking, versatile luggage, super convenience and well-made. This set is a WINNER!

Get your own on Amazon.

Types of Luggage

When it comes to traveling on planes, there are 3 main categories of luggage. Here’s a quick peek at each of them and what they’re for…

Checked Luggage

Your checked luggage will be your largest suitcase/bag. These are usually about 2-3 feet tall, but make sure you double-check with the airline you’re flying to ensure your luggage meets their requirements.

There are also weight restrictions, so if you have a lot of gear to bring with you, you may want to opt for a lighter and simpler bag.

Carry-on Luggage

If you don’t want to check all of your luggage, or you have valuables that you want to keep close, your carry-on luggage can be up to 22x14x9 inches, in most cases (but again, double-check first!)

Different carriers have different size requirements. A smaller carry-on is easier to store overhead, and will work with more carriers.

Personal Bag

Your personal bag is the smallest option of the three, it needs to fit underneath the seat in front of you. Use this for things that you’ll want to have access to on the flight, like entertainment devices, your passport, your phone, and so on.

As long as this bag fits under the seat, you’re good to go. You could even use a fanny-pack if it holds what you need!

Final Thoughts and Our Picks of the Best Luggage for Teens

Hopefully you’ve found our picks to be useful, you may end up choosing something else but that’s all good – we’re just here to show you some options. Amazon is a great place to buy luggage, compare some of the prices you’ll see there with what you’ll find at the airport or at a luggage store in the mall and your mind will be absolutely blown.

Some of the prices might be similar, but we’ve found that the quality on Amazon is a lot higher. Anyways, don’t spend too much time harping on what luggage you’re going to buy, just pick something that seems to suit you, fits your budget, and then start planning your trips – that’s the most important part! Where are you planning on going? Leave a comment and let us know!

Mat Woods

Author Information

Mat Woods is the lead writer at TeenWire.org. He works tirelessly alongside the rest of the team to create useful, well-researched, trustworthy articles to help parents and their teens.