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As a travel writer, I’ve amassed quite a collection of small suitcases for hand luggage, as well as large but lightweight suitcases for longer trips. I like to think I’ve become a bit of a luggage expert over the years. In fact, I must have tried pretty much every brand, size and style since I started this job. So every time Manchester Airport’s baggage handlers destroy another suitcase and cause me to start hunting for a new one, I know exactly what I want.
I’ve put together this very detailed guide to share what I look for when buying luggage, in the hope that it will help some of my readers. It includes some of the best small suitcases for hand luggage that I’ve found, and some beautifully lightweight large ones for those longer trips. And of course, all of the luggage is either lovely bright colours (essential) or just very chic looking, because you know a suitcase isn’t going to make it onto my blog photos if it’s ugly and boring.
So put the kettle on and get ready for my expert guide to practical but stylish suitcases…
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post with Very, who offered to send me some of their luggage to test out. I researched and chose the suitcases myself out of the hundreds they stock. Recommendations and words are 100% my own, and I was under no obligation to say anything nice.
Small suitcases for hand luggage: what I look for
Hand luggage needs to be a very specific size
Size is the most important thing when it comes to picking small suitcases for your hand-luggage-only holidays.
You don’t want to be THAT person who has to check in their luggage because it doesn’t fit in the little hole that RyanAir have provided, and be slapped with a ridiculous charge for doing so.
When you’re thinking about hand luggage suitcases, you need to make a size-based decision depending on what your usual airlines are. For me, that’s EasyJet, Jet2 and RyanAir so I normally stick to a maximum size of H55 x W40 x D20 cm, which satisfies even the stingy RyanAir limits. Okay, a few airlines like KLM have a smaller width allowance of 35 cm, but I so rarely fly with those that it’s hardly worth it. Get whatever works best for you.
Hand luggage (cabin bag) size limits for different airlines
Note: Many airlines, including many below, don’t give you your cabin baggage allowance for free. It doesn’t get added automatically when you’re buying your tickets (a bit like paying to reserve seats). You have to select ‘large cabin bag’ or similar and it’ll add a tenner on for the privilege. If you don’t do this, they only allow you a handbag that fits under the seat in front. There are a handful that are nice and let you have it for free (like Jet2).
I’ve tried to think of most of the common airlines you might fly with from the UK so you can pick your hand luggage limits:
- Easyjet: H56 x W45 x D25 cm
- Jet2: H56 x W45 x D25 cm
- Ryanair: H55 x W40 x D20 cm
- TAP Air Portugal: H55 x W40 x D20 cm
- SAS: H55 x W40 x D23 cm
- Emirates: H55 x W38 x D22 cm. This one has at least a 2cm smaller width than the rest (harsher even than RyanAir!). I never fly with Emirates, but if I did then I’d probably be going far enough that I’d need a checked-in suitcase, so I disregard it when considering small suitcases to buy. But if you’re going to be flying with them regularly and might want hand luggage, bear it in mind.
- TUI: H55 x W40 x D20 cm
- Lufthansa: H55 x W40 x D23cm
- Wizz Air: H55x W40 x D23 cm
- AirFrance: H55 x W35 x D25cm
- British Airways: H56 x W45 x D25cm
- KLM: H55 x W35 x D25 cm
Let me know in the comments if I’ve missed any airlines that you use. But the easiest way to double-check for any other airlines is on their own websites.
Also, remember that some of the posher airlines have more generous hand luggage allowances if you’re flying in business or first class.
3 gorgeous small suitcases that fit common cabin luggage limits
- It Luggage Cabin Bewitching Suitcase in black with rose gold zips. Dimensions: 56 x 35.5 x 21.5cm, which is within the EasyJet/Jet2 limit.
- Rock Luggage Lisbon small suitcase in candy pink (also available as part of this gorgeous 3-piece set). Dimensions: 55 x 40 x 20 cm, which is within the RyanAir. She looks like she’s raring to go to Lisbon for a weekend… and she meets the TAP Portugal limit too!
- March15 Readytogo small suitcase in loads of nice colours. Dimensions 55 x 38 x 20cm, which is within the RyanAir limit.
Small suitcases need 4 wheels
Even if they’re only small, it’s imperative that a suitcase has four wheels. Rolling a suitcase upright at your side rather than pulling it along behind you is a world of difference. It’s also much easier when getting on and off escalators in airports.
Those soft bags with a handle and two wheels seem to be fairly common for hand luggage. IMO, they’re the worst of both worlds. As a bag, they have a rigid structure so don’t squish into small spaces. And as a suitcase, they generally only have two wheels and aren’t easy to manoeuvre. Plus, it seems to be the law that they come in dull colours and have a general look of something from the 90s. Not for me.
And of course, a small suitcase has to be stylish and colourful
I will never understand anyone who opts for a plain old black or navy suitcase. I want my suitcases to be just as colourful as my wardrobe. Okay, I’ve got one black one but it has rose gold zips and handles, so isn’t boring.
Colourful suitcases not only look pretty, they’re easier to spot from afar. Although you might not be checking a small suitcase in so you don’t need to be able to spot it on the carousel, but you might need to easily see it in a luggage rack on a train or quickly locate it from the storage area under a bus/coach when you’re travelling.
Even if other people have colourful suitcases too, they’re rarely exactly the same colour/tone, so it’s much easier to pick out yours if it’s distinctive.
Plus, if you get a colour you wear a lot, you can match it to your airport outfit and feel an unparalleled sense of achievement.
Large suitcases for longer trips: what I look for
Right, let’s get onto what I look for when buying large suitcases… because I very rarely manage to do any more than two nights just with hand luggage.
Large suitcases need to be affordable
Other than being a nice colour, the most important thing for me when buying a large suitcase is the price. It’s absolutely bonkers how much you can spend on suitcases, especially if you start looking at brands like Samsonite and Antler.
You might think it’s worth investing £500ish in a suitcase because it’ll last longer and be more robust. But as a very experienced suitcase user and frequent traveller, I can tell you that your luggage could be made of solid titanium and the baggage handlers at UK airports would still reduce it to a scratched, battered mess within a few trips.
I’ve had a very posh suitcase (albeit bought from a discount place) and it fared exactly the same as more affordable ones once it was launched through check-in at Manchester Airport. And I do mean launched.
If a suitcase is just going to get battered after a year, I’d rather it didn’t cost the earth. That money can go on more travels!
Plus, if you do your research, the more affordable suitcases look just as stylish as the fancy ones:
- The big lad in this lovely lemon 3-piece set is an absolute whopper and would be great for a long adventure. The medium is probably all you need for a week-long trip, and you get a little cabin-size cutie too. The whole fam costs only £175 and believe you me, some people spend that on just one suitcase.
- If lemon isn’t your colour, there’s also this gorgeous 3-piece set in candy pink for around the same price.
The bigger the suitcase, the more important it is to be lightweight
Obviously a vital thing with large suitcases is weight. The bigger it is, the more shoes, clothes and makeup/hair stuff you can pack. AND you will inevitably cram in more ‘souvenirs’ aka presents for yourself on your way home. So the lighter, the better.
Look for large suitcases marked as ‘lightweight’ or check the weight (a lot of the luggage on the Very website lists what it weighs, which is dead handy). I try to keep it under 5kg.
2 gorgeous lightweight large suitcases
- The medium and large suitcases in this pink 3-piece set I mentioned earlier are both ridiculously light. The large (and it is GIGANTIC) is only 4.4kg and the medium (your standard suitcase size) is only 3.3kg.
- The sage green it Luggage case is only 3.47kg; in a similar colour I like this turquoise one in medium (aka standard big size) and that’s only 3.5kg.
Bigger, checked-in suitcases need to be colourful
I mean, as I explained in the bit about small suitcases, this goes without saying.
I like to live in full colour, not greyscale. Colourful suitcases are vital for me.
A bright colour is always going to be easier to spot. You’re much less likely to accidentally pick up someone else’s suitcase off the baggage carousel at the airport. You can also much more easily keep an eye on it in a luggage rack on a train. And you can instantly locate it when the coach/bus driver opens the storage area.
If you get a colour you wear a lot, then it might even match your outfit. What more could you wish for?
And like small suitcases, you still need 4 wheels on a big one
Finally, the four-wheel tick box also has to be ticked when it comes to large suitcases, just like with small hand luggage suitcases.
Trying to drag along an old-style two-wheeler when it’s a big’un and full of stuff is just going to make travel a pain. Possibly quite literally a pain as pulling them around with difficulty can’t be good for your back.
Make sure any large suitcase you’re considering has at least four wheels and can glide along with good stability.
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