Home / Luggage picks / Best softside carry-on luggage
Researched picks
Best softside carry-on luggage
Travelpro Maxlite 5 Softside Carry-On Luggage Spinner
22 x 14 x 9 in, wheels and handles included; 5.1 lb listed
The Travelpro Maxlite 5, 20-inch, is listed at 22 x 14 x 9 inches including wheels and handles for $160.00, landing exactly at the 22 x 14 x 9 inch figure American, Delta and Alaska each publish, with no margin left over on any side. At 5.1 pounds empty it is also one of the lightest carry-ons in the catalog, which matters both for lifting it into an overhead bin and for any airline that enforces a carry-on weight limit. Travelpro built its reputation on bags designed for people who fly for a living, and this line is the brand's most widely carried softside model.
$160.00 Check price on Amazon
Prices change often.
The three tiers
Beginner: Best first softside carry-on
For Someone who wants the lightest, cheapest bag that still holds up for occasional trips
Beginner pickAmazon Basics 18" Medium Carry-On Softside Expandable Suitcase with
20.9 x 14.4 x 8.3 in with wheels, 5.51 lb$54.98Check price
The Amazon Basics 18 inch Medium Carry-On Softside is $54.98 and listed at 20.9 x 14.4 x 8.3 inches including wheels, narrowly over the 22 x 14 x 9 inch standard's 14 inch width by under half an inch. At 5.51 pounds empty it is one of the lightest bags in the catalog, and it is expandable if you need extra packing room on the way home. The narrow width overage is unlikely to matter on most gate sizers, but it is worth noting if your trip is entirely on the strictest carriers.
Not for: Skip it if you need a bag confirmed to clear every dimension of the 22 x 14 x 9 inch standard with no exceptions; the Travelpro Maxlite 5 topPick above lands exactly at the limit on all three sides.
Intermediate: Buy once
For Frequent flyers who want a confirmed fit, low weight and a brand built for repeated travel- Intermediate pick
Travelpro Maxlite 5 Softside Carry-On Luggage Spinner
22 x 14 x 9 in with wheels, 5.1 lb$160.00Check price
This is the same Travelpro Maxlite 5, 20-inch, described above: 22 x 14 x 9 inches including wheels for $160.00, landing exactly at the 22 x 14 x 9 inch figure on every side, with none to spare. At 5.1 pounds empty, it is noticeably lighter than most hardside alternatives at a similar price, and softside fabric flexes slightly to squeeze into a tight overhead bin without the risk of a hard shell cracking.
Not for: If you want a hard shell that resists scuffing on rough baggage handling, softside fabric is not it; look at the Samsonite Winfield 2 in our hardside roundup instead.
Expert: Performance ceiling
For Frequent international travelers who want an expandable premium softside bag and self-repairing hardware
$729.00Check price
The Briggs & Riley Global 21 inch Carry-On Expandable Spinner is $729.00 and listed at 21 x 15 x 9 inches, a figure not confirmed to include wheels and handles, so treat it as a starting point rather than a guaranteed sizer fit. Its listing states a self-repairing zipper, a feature aimed squarely at travelers who put a bag through hundreds of cycles a year, and the expandable design adds packing room without buying a second bag for longer trips.
Not for: Do not buy this if you fly only a few times a year, or if you need a bag with a confirmed with-wheels measurement rather than a listed figure; the Travelpro Maxlite 5 above gives you that confirmation for less than a quarter of the price.
How do they compare?
| Bag | Price | Listed size | Fits 22 x 14 x 9? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travelpro Maxlite 5 (20-inch, Green) | $160.00 | 22 x 14 x 9 in (with wheels) | Yes |
| Amazon Basics 18" Medium Softside | $54.98 | 20.9 x 14.4 x 8.3 in (with wheels) | No |
| SwissGear Sion Carry-On Spinner (22.75-inch) | $130.00 | 22.75 x 14.25 x 10.25 in (with wheels) | No |
| Samsonite Element 21-Inch Softside | $139.99 | not listed | not listed |
| Travelpro Maxlite 5 (21-inch, Black) | $160.00 | 23 x 14.5 x 9 in (with wheels) | No |
| Briggs & Riley Global 21" Expandable Spinner | $729.00 | 21 x 15 x 9 in (as listed) | size as listed: check |
More options across the price range
SwissGear Sion Carry-On Spinner Luggage
22.75 x 14.25 x 10.25 in with wheels, 8.8 lb$130.00Check price
ASYSUIT 20'' Aluminum Zipperless Carry on Luggage with Laptop Compartment
21.3 x 13.8 x 8.3 in with wheels$189.95Check price
Monos Carry-On Plus Luggage 21 Inch Hardside Spinner Suitcase
23 x 15 x 9.5 in as listed, 7.38 lb$295.00Check price
$575.00Check price
Briggs & Riley Essential 22" Carry On Expandable Spinner
22 x 14 x 9 in as listed, 10 lb$729.00Check price
$995.00Check price
How we chose
Nothing on this list was tested in person or measured by hand. Every dimension and price is the catalog's own listing data, and we only marked a bag Yes or No against 22 x 14 x 9 inches when the record confirms the figure includes wheels and handles. Where a bag's dimensions are listed but not confirmed to include wheels, such as the Briggs & Riley pick above, we wrote "size as listed: check" instead of guessing.
We limited this roundup to catalog records with a confirmed soft fabric shell, drawn from the softside and premium softside categories, and spread the picks from a $54.98 budget spinner to a $729.00 Briggs & Riley so it covers occasional and frequent travelers.
Buying tips
What is the real advantage of softside over hardside?
Softside fabric flexes slightly to squeeze into a tight overhead bin or sizer, and most softside carry-ons include exterior pockets for quick access to a phone charger or boarding pass, something hardshell bags generally lack. The tradeoff is less resistance to scuffing and a fabric shell that can tear rather than dent under a hard enough impact.
Does a softside bag's flex mean it always squeezes into a sizer?
No. A softside bag that is only slightly oversized can compress enough to pass a strict gate check, but one that is genuinely over the limit will not reliably squeeze in regardless of shell material. Check the confirmed with-wheels dimensions against your airline's published limit rather than counting on fabric to save you.
Is a self-repairing zipper worth paying for?
A self-repairing zipper, a feature Briggs & Riley states on its premium bags, is designed to be fixed by realigning the slider rather than replaced, which matters most for travelers who put a bag through frequent, heavy use over years. If you travel occasionally, a standard zipper on a budget bag is unlikely to fail before the bag is outdated for other reasons.
Should I buy an expandable softside carry-on?
An expansion zipper adds real packing room for souvenirs or a longer trip home, but expanding the bag can push it past the size limit you bought it to meet. If you plan to use the expansion regularly, check the bag's expanded dimensions, not just its collapsed ones, against your airline's carry-on page.
How much does the bag's own weight matter for a softside carry-on?
A lighter empty bag leaves more room under any weight limit your airline enforces and is simply easier to lift into an overhead bin repeatedly. The lightest softside carry-ons in this catalog run around 5 to 5.5 pounds empty; some premium softside bags with more hardware and structure run heavier, so check the listed weight if your airline enforces a carry-on weight cap.
Email me this shortlist
Every item and price on this page in one email, so you can shop it later or in pieces. No sales sequence.
Frequently asked questions
What size softside carry-on fits most US airlines?
22 x 14 x 9 inches is the figure printed on American Airlines', Delta's and Alaska Airlines' own carry-on pages. The Travelpro Maxlite 5 in this roundup is listed at exactly that figure or under it including wheels, while some softside bags marketed as "22 inch" run larger on width or height, so check the confirmed with-wheels dimensions, not the marketing name.
Is softside luggage less durable than hardside?
Softside fabric can tear or fray with rough handling in a way a hard shell will not, but it also will not crack from a hard impact the way some hardside plastics can. Overall durability depends more on the specific fabric, stitching and wheel hardware than on shell type alone, and premium softside brands like Briggs & Riley are built specifically for frequent, heavy use.
Why does the Briggs & Riley pick not have a confirmed Yes for the size limit?
The catalog record we checked lists 21 x 15 x 9 inches for this bag but does not confirm the figure includes wheels and handles, which is what a gate sizer actually measures. We do not guess on that distinction, so this roundup marks it "size as listed: check" rather than a Yes, even though the listed figure is close to the 22 x 14 x 9 inch standard.
Do softside carry-ons have exterior pockets worth paying for?
Most softside bags, unlike hardshell bags, include at least one exterior pocket for a phone, boarding pass or charging cable, which saves opening the main compartment at security or the gate. This is a genuine practical advantage of softside luggage beyond just flex and weight.
Is a $729 softside carry-on ever worth it over a $160 one?
For travelers who fly weekly or put a bag through hundreds of cycles a year, premium hardware like a self-repairing zipper and reinforced stitching can genuinely outlast a budget bag by years, which spreads the cost out. For occasional travelers, a $160 confirmed-fit bag like the Travelpro Maxlite 5 does the same job at a fraction of the price.
Researched from published specifications, airline pages and verified owner reviews; nothing here was tested in person. Not professional advice.