The Travelpro Versapack system consists of modules that zip into the lidded half of the main compartment. It comes with a single compartment module that's good for separating dirty laundry, and others are available separately: one that folds into thirds to keep suits and shirts wrinkle-free (what's called a suiter), and another made of several small compartments. It has a sealed, clear-plastic pocket for toiletries that’s removable if you have to go through a security screening. I like it for the peace of mind. I’m always worried about a bottle breaking and soaking all my clothes when there’s not a way to separate items.

I give points to Travelpro for adding a pocket for a battery bank, with a pass-through for a cable. You can buy an Anker power bank and stuff it in there, and it'll probably work better than the ones other suitcase companies build into their bags.

The Crew Versapack is heavy at 7.9 pounds for the roll-aboard version, but it hasn’t been struck by Travelpro’s cost-cutting the way the Maxlite line has been. There are lots of pockets, and the handles are nicely padded, securely attached, and … kind of tight. The aluminum handle extensions are solid, smooth, and don’t get hung up. It's heavy but very tough and full-featured.

Away's newest bag is a version of its stalwart hard-sided Bigger Carry-On, with a twist. An expandable fabric section between the two polycarbonate clamshells allows you to grow your bag an extra 2 ¼ inches when you're coming back from a trip stuffed to the gills. Hard-shell bags tend to be unforgiving when you need to cram extra stuff into them, so I enjoyed the ability to expand the Flex when needed and keep it small when I didn't. All the better for cramming into overhead bins. There's a built-in TSA-approved combination lock, four spinner wheels capable of rotating 360 degrees, and an included laundry bag to keep dirty clothes separate from the rest of your stuff. 

The Travelpro Maxlite 4 was a top pick of mine. The Maxlite 5 is still good but not perfect. At 5.4 pounds, it's "up to a half-pound lighter" than the older model, but it seems to be lighter because of cost-cutting measures.

Still, it’s very light for a rolling suitcase. The exterior toiletry pocket is a nice touch for when you go through security and need to take out your liquids. The zippers are also quite strong and don't tend to get stuck, which is a big problem with cheap suitcases. The wheels also rolled nicely on both the spinner and roll-aboard versions. Cheaper suitcase manufacturers will skimp on the wheels and pick ones that have too much rolling resistance.

The aluminum extensions for the handle have a tendency to stick, and the Maxlite 5's main handle is only single-stitched. I also worry about the durability of that handle and the fabric slit at the bottom of the suitcase that replaced the Maxlite 4's bottom-side handle. Despite this, it's made better than most everything else at this price and is your best bet for a cheaper suitcase.

A Briggs & Riley carry-on was WIRED reviewer Adrienne So's first and most expensive post-college purchase. Its bags will almost certainly outlive you. B & R is one of the few companies with a lifetime unlimited warranty, which she has never had to use in over 10 years of dragging this bag all over the world.

Its components are top-of-the-line. The face fabric is a heavy-duty ballistic nylon that’s water-repellent and abrasion-resistant, and hers is still as gleaming bright-red today as when she bought it. The zippers have survived a decade of being yanked on, and the low-profile wheels haven't broken or fallen off. The grab handles are also luxuriously padded. Back when we used to travel, her husband had her carry his suits for him because they'd stay wrinkle-free. The only downside is that at 9.3 pounds, it’s pretty heavy.

For a long while, if you wanted an aluminum suitcase, you were going to spend four figures. Away's suitcase is not exactly affordable, but it is attainable (9/10, WIRED Recommends).

The metal is thick, and the fixtures are solid; Away didn't cheap out on the materials. Two organizer panels inside keep your stuff from shifting around, and there's a stowable interior laundry bag to keep dirty clothes off your clean clothes. There's also an option of an integrated power bank that's accessible through a flip-up door near the telescoping handle. I generally recommend a stand-alone power bank, but it's a $20 option on the Away, so you may as well get it.

An aluminum bag will dent and scratch over time, and you should accept that before you splash down big money on one. You may be able to baby it a little more if you never check it—don't count on that, because it's common these days for airlines to run out of carry-on room—but it's unlikely that you'll make it more than a few trips with it looking minty new. I'm hesitant to buy into marketed "authenticity," but I have to agree with Away: A dinged-up and well-traveled bag ends up looking pretty sweet.

I've been trying to ruin my PR5 for almost a decade. It's my standard traveling bag, whether I'm taking it through an airport for a weekend trip or hauling a bunch of gear to a dirty base camp. I've used it for whitewater paddling trips and to lug mountain climbing equipment from coast to coast. I've tossed pointy, pokey things like ice axes and trekking poles into it and overloaded it beyond a reasonable weight; I still can't find a frayed thread.

Everything about Red Oxx is overbuilt. The zippers are huge, its thick pieces of nylon webbing are robustly sewn, and chunky metal rings hang the detachable carrying strap. All that said, it's not abominably heavy. At 3.4 pounds it's still lighter than many wheeled bags.

I, like a lot of habitual travelers, breathed a sigh of relief when Eagle Creek was bought last September and given a new lease on life. Earlier that year, the brand's previous owners had announced they were discontinuing the brand, and Eagle Creek bags became suddenly hard to find. Now they're back, and I'm a happy traveler. 

Two things jumped out about the Cargo Hauler. One: It weighs 1 pound, 13 ounces, which is only slightly heavier than air. Two: The fabric is slick and water-repellent on the top and sides. If you've ever dragged a regular duffel on a kayaking tour or onto a boat, you know they grow increasingly damp throughout the day. The Cargo Hauler is your bag. I had my doubts about the long-term durability of the plastic buckles and lightweight handles when I got the duffel back in February, but after test-driving it for seven months, I'm satisfied that you should get years out of this bag.

It's also nice that it has backpack straps that stow away in a front pocket. Sometimes, when you're on a trail or hitting the beach, it really helps to free up a hand or two.

Wheeled duffels are a bit left of center. You've got your wheeled regular luggage and your normal duffels, and then there's this thing that's halfway between them.

On some models, like the Eagle Creek Caldera Convertible I also tested, you get the downsides of both, but on the Gear Warrior you get the ability to cram its soft sides into tight spaces but also have a frame and hardware that can support a heavy load without flopping all over the place.

It weighs only 4 pounds, 14 ounces, making it a lot lighter than any rolling suitcase, but it has about a quarter less storage space than them. The Gear Warrior has been going in and out of stock lately, but if it's sold out at the moment it should become available again soon.

Not every good product can snag a best-in-category title, but there are several more bags we've tested that get our thumbs-up and deserve a mention.

Solgaard Carry-On Closet Plus ($295) is a tiny bit over what most airlines list as the maximum dimensions, but the difference is so small that it's accepted 95 percent of the time. WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe praises its optional clip-in closet clothing organizer, which makes for efficient packing. The built-in TSA lock is easy to use, and there's an internal power-bank pocket. This suitcase is included in our Favorite Upcycled Products guide.

Samsonite Outline Pro Carry-On ($152) is a hard-side, four-wheeled spinner carry-on made from an outer shell of durable polypropylene. Standout features include an interior fabric made from 100 percent recycled plastic bottles and a “WetPak” storage pocket for keeping damp items separated from the rest of your luggage. Product reviewer Medea Giordano, a notorious overpacker, was able to fit an entire long weekend's worth of wardrobe in the Outline Pro.

Patagonia Black Hole 40L ($129) is another great adventure duffel with a water-resistant fabric coating and backpack straps. Compared to the Eagle Creek Cargo Hauler, though, less of the external fabric is water-resistant, and it's an inch and a half too thick in one dimension for US domestic carry-on requirements. But it's a duffel, so you can squish it to fit in an overhead bin if it's not completely packed full.

Paravel Aviator International Carry-On ($345) has an interior lining made of recycled plastic bottles, a telescoping handle made of recycled aluminum, and vegan leather trim to help it stand out from all the plain black bags at the airport. Product reviewer Jaina Grey really fell in love with its roomy interior and durable, anti-scuff hard-shell exterior.

The North Face Base Camp ($129) is a cylindrical duffel bag, unlike most duffel bags these days. If you're a folder, it can be difficult to keep everything straight and wrinkle-free as you pack it into the Base Camp's curved bottom, although those who roll their clothes won't have any problems. The materials felt cheaper than other duffel bags in this guide. It's a workhorse used often by the outdoors crowd, so while the water-resistant fabric and the handles are durable, they just don't feel as nice to the touch. 

Away Bigger Carry-On ($295) offers all the same handy interior organization modules as our top luxurious hard-shell pick, the Away Bigger Carry-On Aluminum Edition, but for less than half the price. And you can choose from a range of colors, from discreet navy blue to pink, green, or lavender. The optional, ejectable battery bank costs an extra $20.

Once you've got your bag, you'll want to pack it with a few more useful items:

Tripp One-Outlet Surge Protector ($10) protects your devices from power surges. Some countries have less reliable electrical infrastructure, and you never know how well that discount hotel's outlets are wired. Keep your devices safe with this hand-sized portable surge protector.

Eagle Creek Specter Pack-It Cubes ( Set of Three for $30) keep everything inside your bags organized by allowing you to separate it into different cubes, so you won't ever have to hunt through seven pairs of socks to find your bathing suit again.

UrPower Portable Steamer ($25—Click the Coupon) beats a travel iron because it's far lighter and you don't need to hunt down an ironing board at your hotel. WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano and I both have been using UrPowers for years. For a tiny thing, it's powerful and effective at steaming practically anything. You just need to refill it often.

Ceptics Adapter Plug Set ($14) is my preferred go-to for plug adapters when I travel outside the US. It includes five of the most common adapters—for the UK, Japan, Canada, and several European outlets. Plug adapters can be finicky, and by the time you find out one isn't working right, it's often too late. I've used several of these in Europe and North Africa for years and never had an issue. There's also a more comprehensive set of 13 plug adapters for $55. You can use the website WhatPlug to find out which outlets you'll encounter wherever you're heading.

Samsonite Manual Luggage Scale ($15) isn't something you need to bring on your trip (unless you plan on bringing back a lot of souvenirs), but it's handy to have when you're packing a heavy bag for an upcoming trip. Use it to weigh your luggage and make sure it's within the weight limits. International airlines are sticklers for carry-on weight, and even American airlines will be unforgiving about weight for checked bags.

Every airline sets its own dimensional requirements for carry-on baggage. Broadly, they're split into two categories: domestic and international.

Domestic flights by US airlines (and a few others) have standardized on 22 x 14 x 9 inches.

International carry-on bag sizes tend to be about 21 inches tall and a bit narrower, but they're all over the place. It's tough, because many international airlines will measure your bags at the airport and reject anything even slightly bigger than the allowed size. If you fly outside the US a lot, you may as well buy a bag sized for international flights.

You'll also want to check each airline's weight limits. It varies wildly, but some international airlines restrict you to 15 or 20 pounds, including the weight of the bag itself. There are also East Asian airlines that limit carry-on bags to 11 pounds. Once you subtract 6 or more pounds for the bag, you're not left with much wiggle room to put stuff inside.

The other difference is how many wheels a bag has. Two-wheeled roll-aboard bags are lighter than ones with four spinning wheels, have more room inside, and their wheels are larger and more durable than spinners. That could come in handy on cobblestone streets when you're heading to your hotel.

For carry-on sizes, I prefer roll-aboard bags. Any extra space in a carry-on is precious, and suitcases this small tend to be easy enough to maneuver without spinning wheels. Most of the rolling suitcases we recommend are available in either configuration, although spinners tend to cost more.

Battery banks, also known as power banks, are a travel must-have. Whether you're using a tablet to watch movies on your flight or relying on your phone to coordinate rideshares, hotel check-in, and handle your boarding passes, you've got to keep those devices charged and topped up. Many bags, such as our Away Bigger Carry-On pick, offer a removable battery bank that slides into a special pocket or notch of the suitcase. 

For carry-on luggage on a flight in the US, you're allowed to bring a lithium-ion battery of 100 Wh (watt-hours) or less. You don't need to remove it from the suitcase's pocket if you're storing your bag in the overhead bin.

Lithium-ion battery banks are not allowed in checked luggage. If you check your bag or have to gate-check it, make sure to remove the battery bank before you give your suitcase to the gate agent. Slip the battery bank into your purse, backpack, or pocket for the duration of the flight.

Primary testing was done by Matt Jancer. Adrienne So, Louryn Strampe, and Jaina Grey also contributed to this guide.