Best Affordable Hardside Luggage [Top Picks!]

Luggage doesn’t have to be expensive. You can find some of the best features of expensive luggage even among those that are affordable. To make sure you’re not buying a cheaply made hardside luggage, here are a few things to look into when buying the best affordable hardside luggage.

1. Wheels

The top pick for best affordable hardside luggage should include high-quality wheels. It’s easy for wheels to become stuck in cheaper models of hardside luggage. Either the spokes break or the wheels themselves just end up becoming deformed.

That’s why you want an affordable hardside luggage that has high-quality wheels. They can be made with aluminum and other plastics for longevity and durability. You also need to make sure that they offer a 360-degree range of turn.

Cheaper hardside luggage only offers the standard back and forth motion with the wheels. While this can get the job done, you’re going to find it a pain when you have to lift your heavy luggage just to make it turn sharply.

The best affordable hardside luggage should still offer that 360-degree turn radius. You can turn on a pivot and easily bring your luggage with you.

2. Durable

Another aspect of affordable hardside luggage that should be included in the top pick is durability. Cheaper hardside luggage won’t offer great durability. The plastic can break off or become deformed.

When looking for the best, you want a material like polycarbonate that stands up to a lot of abuse. You can often get away with not including additional features like scratch-resistance and even waterproofing. The hard shell of the polycarbonate should be enough to keep your items safe inside of it.

3. Latches

An often overlooked part of the luggage is its method for opening and closing the case. Many hardside pieces of luggage use either zippers or latches. Which is the best? Both have their advantages, but when it comes down to ease and durability, you’ll want to choose a case that has latches.

Zippers can break if handled a lot. They also tend to snag on the cloth inside of the luggage. If you prefer zippers, then just make sure that the zipper itself is big and made of a high-quality material.

Otherwise, you’ll want to look for an affordable hardside luggage with latches. These are easily opened and secured with a flick of your fingers. You can also increase the security of your luggage by including a padlock or another form of lock. In order to access the luggage, you’ll either need the key or the passcode.

4. Expandable Room

Not all hardside pieces of luggage come with the ability to expand. Some can even quite literally expand. You can attach a pump that can help inflate the luggage a few more inches to pack it even more. Then you simply deflate the luggage to retain its compact shape.

If those models are too expensive, then you can easily find an affordable hardside piece of luggage that offers pockets and pouches inside of the case. Some even have fabric dividers inside of it. You can unzip these and open up another portion of your case for further storage.

5. Durable Handle

One final aspect to consider is the handle. Cheaper models might come with a handle that can break after extended use. Or the stem of the handle might become rusty or corroded if exposed to water or humidity.

That’s why your affordable hardside piece of luggage should have a high-quality handle. Aluminum is a great material for some of the handle. When finished with plastic, it becomes timeless.

Best Affordable Hardside Luggage