When you have to transport your luggage over cobblestones, cracked pavements, carpet or gravel, four wheeled luggage isn’t the best choice. Those are best left for mainly traversing airports and hotel lobbies. With the best two wheeled luggage you don’t have to worry about walking and dragging it all right behind you. It will go where you go and you don’t have to pause to get the bag unstuck.
If it’s a carry on, a 2 wheeled one will give you more packing space than a spinner for the same height. The wheels won’t break off either even if they do shred a bit and get worn out over time. While you won’t find two wheeled options in hard shell luggage, there are plenty of options in softsided luggage.
Keep in mind that most of the best roll aboard luggage is not very professional-looking these days because manufacturers assume buyers only use them for adventure travel and not for business travel. However, we have combed through several collections to find both kinds of 2 wheel luggage so you can find a good piece or set for any type of trip. Also remember that two-wheeled bags work like skates – you can only roll your luggage forward or backward and cannot spin it 360 degrees. If you want to know what are our picks for the best hardside 4-wheeled luggage are, click here.
If you’re not convinced, we’ve also reviewed some of the best lightweight softside spinners in checked baggage sizes.
Table of Contents
- 1 Best 2 Wheel Suitcase Picks
- 2 Best 2 Wheel Luggage Picks
- 2.1 Travelpro Maxlite 5 Softside Expandable Upright 2 Wheel Luggage
- 2.2 Travelpro Crew Versapack Softside Expandable 2 Wheel Upright-Luggage
- 2.3 OGIO Layover Travel Bag
- 2.4 Eastpak - Tranverz S
- 2.5 Timbuk2 Copilot Luggage Roller
- 2.6 Briggs & Riley Baseline Uprights
- 2.7 Travelpro Unisex-Adult Bold-Softside Expandable Rollaboard Upright Luggage
- 2.8 Mother Lode Carry On Luggage
- 3 FAQs on 2 Wheeled Luggage
Best 2 Wheel Suitcase Picks
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Overall Best 2 Wheel Luggage Pick  | Travelpro Crew Versapack Softside Expandable 2 Wheel Upright Carry-on |
| Check Price |
Runner up  |
| Check Price | |
Budget pick  |
| Check Price |
Best 2 Wheel Luggage Picks
While the collections above feature really good pieces in the checking size, the following ones have exceptional carry-on sizes where organization features and easy access to important items are important as well as not being too heavy for international weight restrictions or for lifting into an overhead bin.
The Travelpro Maxlite 5 rollaboard suitcase is great for airline travelers, as its dimensions fit within the carry-on requirements for most airlines and its construction makes it extremely lightweight. The Maxlite 5 pieces are quite a bit lighter than previous versions thanks to the honeycomb configuration of the interior frame. This can make all the difference in traveling when every ounce counts.
Its carry on bags are among our picks for best lightweight carry on wheeled luggage. All the bags are very easy to manouever because of their light weights, so this is probably the best 2 wheeled luggage for petite women and anyone that doesn’t like to handle heavy luggage.
The Travelpro Maxlite 5 comes in eight great colors and three different sizes – two for carry-on and one for checking. One carry on is 20 inches in height and perfect for international travel, while the other is 22 inches and works well for most domestic airlines.
The outside is constructed with water and stain resistant polyester material and the inside lining also protects from moisture build-up that could lead to mildew. It has multiple storage compartments for all your traveling needs and can expand up to an extra two inches to fit everything you want to bring with you.
The Travelpro Maxlite 5 is designed with a smaller top and wider bottom to prevent tipping when not in transit. Handles on both the top and sides allow for easy lifting when packing into your car or overhead carry compartment. This rollaboard suitcase has outstanding depth and special outer pockets made to fit laptops, phones, and tablets for easy access.
With a telescoping aluminum handle that extends and locks into two different heights, and ball bearing wheels that boast the highest performance, this rollaboard suitcase is easy to roll from terminal to terminal, over pavement, and down concrete sidewalks.
The Travelpro Maxlite 5 comes with a one year warranty coverage that reimburses the cost of repairs incurred by accidental travel damage. The various parts including the handle and the wheels are easily replaceable in the event of breakage.
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The Travelpro Crew Versapack Rollaboards come in three sizes, two that are for carry-on luggage in sizes 19″ and 21″, and one 26″ for check in. It is very stylish with availability in four great colors and the price is about middle of the road for comparable rolling suitcases.
The smallest rollaboard, with a capacity of 38L, is the Global Versapack and is meant for most international carry on flights, while the Max Carry-on, with a capacity of 55L, will fit into most domestic airline overhead bins. The check-in size rollaboard suiter has a capacity of 102L.
All the pieces feature tapered expansion of the main compartment by up to 2 inches just by the pull of a zipper. The bags are designed to have a low center of gravity with it being wider at the bottom and smaller near the top to avoid tipping over easily when not in transit. The stand at the bottom also helps with this.
These suitcases are perfect for those who love to be organized when packing. The carry on sizes come with a garment bag that zips into the main compartment, while the check in size comes with a built-in fold out garment suiter for extra wrinkle-free packing. All the pieces give you the option to purchase other zip-in organizers.
The included TSA compliant clear toiletry bag is super convenient for security checks and has its own dedicated exterior zippered pocket on the front. The padded compartment below that is built to easily fit most standard sized 15.6″ laptops.
Another excellent feature is the USB charging station on the side for portable access to power for all your electronic needs. You will need your own power bank but the inbuilt port is FAA compliant. Additionally, there is a designated add-a-bag strap to hook another bag so that you can roll with two pieces of luggage without having to carry anything.
The main compartment’s zippers can be locked into the inbuilt TSA combination lock. The zippers of the front laptop compartment are not lockable on their own but they feature zipper pull holes large enough to clip a luggage lock on for extra security of your devices.
The large ball bearing wheels are high performance and boast a smooth rolling ride to get you from terminal to terminal with ease. The PowerScope telescopic handle can be extended to 4 different heights so that users short or tall will find wheeling the bags effortless. There are cushioned low-profile handles on the top and side for lifting the bags.
The ballistic nylon fabric is coated for water resistance, and with skid guards and corner protection, the Travelpro Crew Verspack offers greater durability for rough travel.
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The OGIO Layover Travel Bag and International Terminal Bag are a great carry-on bag and large check in bag that measure 22 x 14 x 10 inches and 29 x 16 x 13 inches respectively.
The Layover Travel Bag is truly a traveler’s dream. Its popularity is well-deserved, thanks to its ideal size that complies with airline regulations, making it the perfect carry-on companion. The bag effortlessly blends functionality with style, boasting a sleek and easy-going design complemented by signature pop colors. Navigating through airports becomes a breeze with the Layover’s skate wheels and multiple grab handles, ensuring optimum mobility and stability.
What sets this travel bag apart is its durability. The reinforced back panel skids provide reliable protection, making it a sturdy choice for any destination. The 2-stage Pullman handle and internal compression straps add to its practicality, allowing users to customize their packing experience. The inclusion of two low-profile external pockets and a Custom OGIO ID sleeve enhances organizational convenience. Even with its compact airline regulation size, the Layover surprises with a 3-inch expansion zipper for additional storage, though it’s important to note that when expanded, it must be checked. With a weight of 8 lbs and a generous capacity of 46L, this travel bag strikes the perfect balance between functionality and convenience, making it a must-have for any journey.
The Terminal Travel Bag is a testament to superior quality, thoughtful design, and impeccable organization. From its robust structure to the meticulous attention to detail, this bag exudes durability. Clocking in at 10.6 pounds, it strikes a perfect balance between sturdiness and practicality. The 95-liter capacity with an internal mesh divider ensures that packing for extended trips is a breeze, offering ample space for all essentials.
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The Eastpak Tranverz rolling suitcase comes in three convenient sizes to accommodate different travel needs. The Small Tranverz is 20.1″ high, 12.8″ wide, and 9.45″ deep, the Medium Tranverz is 26.4″ high, 14″ wide, and 12″ deep, and the Large Tranverz is 31″ high, 15.7″ wide, and 13″ deep.
The organization of these suitcases into two main compartments offers an excellent ability to separate clothes from shoes or other bulky items. Plus, their compact size allows for easy storage.
The simple design of the interior compartments offers a lot of room for everything you need for your travels. Without the extra features of organizing compartments, multiple zippers, and extra lining, there is ample space for clothes, shoes, toiletries, and more.
This rollaboard suitcase features an integrated TSA lock, an easy-access zippered pocket on the front, and compression straps for keeping the bags stable and compact. The telescoping handle and two rear wheels allow you to roll it with ease through a busy airport.
The sleek and simple design is perfect for those who aren’t looking for fancy and frilly exteriors and is suitable for both men’s and women’s needs. The shell is made of 100% polyester fabric. To keep compact and lightweight, the outer laptop storage compartment is not padded, so take caution about storing fragile electronic equipment and use your own laptop sleeve for protection before packing the laptop.
Some customers have reported receiving their Eastpak Tranverz in a damaged condition or the stitching was less than ideal quality. Eastpak does offer a warranty which is worth looking at the different areas which it covers. This is especially important because certain parts such as the wheels are not available for replacement. In the event of a wheel breaking, you would need to purchase a new suitcase.
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While Timbuk2 is best known for its messenger bags, the Timbuk2 Co-Pilot Roller bags are very well thought out as well. They will work for leisure as well as business travel. Where these bags stand out is amazing flexibility you get for packing and accessing your belongings at any time. There are 3 sizes to choose from, all are some of the best 2 wheel luggage options you can find. The smaller carry on is 20 inches in height and is perfect for international flights and small regional jet travel. The larger carry on is 22 inches in height and will be allowed on board on most domestic airline flights. The XL roller is 28″ high and will have to be checked on flights.
Firstly, the dual pole telescopic handle is housed on the outside of the bag within slightly recessed channels. It extends and locks into place at two convenient heights. The skateboard wheels are nice and hardy and smooth rolling. If these get damaged or worn out, they’re easy to remove and send for replacements instead of sending the whole bag. There are grab handles on every single side of each bag. That means 4 in all for super easy lifting and hauling into an overhead bin or off a luggage carousel. The bags are constructed of nylon and reinforced with tarpaulin.
For packing your things, there are quite a few clever design elements here. There is a top zipped compartment near the handle that’s expandable and good for toiletries or anything that you would want to access easily from an overhead bin on planes or trains without getting the bag out. The front of the bags features a padded zipped compartment that’s large enough for a small laptop. Underneath that is a u-shaped zipped opening into the main compartment. This design allows you to access stuff from inside without you having to open the bag up fully in the middle of the airport or plane.
When you have to pack and unpack, the bags open clam-style via sturdy zippers. Each side of the compartment is separated from the other by zipped mesh divider panels. One of them also features two zipped pockets for small accessories or underwear and socks. The panels are unzipped to reveal two roomy spaces for your clothes.
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Frustrated with the lack of business travel luggage on just two wheels instead of four? The Briggs & Riley Baseline collection has very good two wheeled pieces; in fact, 9 in all!. The carry on choices include a 22″ domestic carry on, a 21″ wide body carry on, a smaller carry on at 19″ and a rolling cabin bag that fits under most airplane seats. These are some of the best carry on bags for business travel.
The rest of the 2-wheeled bags are all check in sized and include a medium 25″ upright suitcase, a large 28″ upright suitcase, a medium 27″ rolling upright duffel bag that made our list for best rolling drop bottom duffel, and a 21″ by 24″ garment bag that made our list for best rolling garment bags. We especially think that these are the best 2 wheel suitcase options for check in because they’re built to last.
The special feature that this collection boasts is the patented CX compression technology on all the expandable upright bags, which is different from what other expandable luggage has. With other brands, the way they allow for expansion is to use the common zipper feature that gives you about an extra 2″ of packing space. The trouble with this design is that it can only be utilized if your airline allows for the extra depth. It also makes your suitcase extra bulky and therefore harder to manoeuver.
With the B&R Baseline CX method, there are two expansion levers on the insides of the bags that you release to raise the overall height of the side walls of the suitcase. Then you pack your clothes till it’s full and maybe even overstuffed, and close the bag by zipping it up as you normally would. Now you see that your bag is pretty large. If it is a carry on size, it will no longer be allowed in as carry on luggage. But worry not! All you have to do is push down on both sides from the outside and the compression levers fold down inside to bring down the height of the suitcase walls back to their minimum size. This gives you up to 34% more packing space than in a similar sized bag of another brand but without adding to its original size.
Another nice feature is the suiter section on the inside of the lid which neatly folds 1 or 2 garments to minimize wrinkles. If you don’t need to pack formal clothes, this section can accommodate any other folded clothes or accessories.
The other features that make this possibly the best roller bag luggage are the exterior placement of the v-groove telescopic handle to allow for flat packing inside the suitcases, the security speed-thru pocket, the lightweight but very durable hybrid fiberglass frame, and the superior quality that backs up the brand’s well known lifetime warranty. Users may take a while to get used to the compression feature, but once you get a hang of it you’ll find it invaluable.
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Made of polyester that’s been coated with a water repellent, the Travelpro Bold Expandable Rollaboards are among the best adventure travel picks from the brand that patented the word “rollaboard”. While the brand also makes some of the best soft shell luggage, this collection stands out among the 2-wheeled options. There are 3 pieces to choose from – a 22″ carry on, a 25″ and a 28″. The two larger 2 wheeled checked luggage pieces feature tapered expansion of up to 2 inches each for additional packing capacity if needed. The tapering ensures that the bags don’t get top heavy and topple over when left standing upright.
The carry on comes with a vertical zipped pocket at the back for last minute things like keys, cables, etc. Below this are a pair of skid guards for protection when you drag the bag over a curb. These guards are much longer on the two bigger bags, as the pocket is not present on those. The length is useful because they’re prone to getting scraped when hauling out of a car boot or off a luggage conveyor belt. Three carry handles at key points help you haul the bags when you need to. The telescopic handle extends and locks into two different heights so that people of all heights find it comfortable to roll behind them. The ball bearing inline skate wheels are protected in sturdy crash guard housings.
These bags are well designed for organization and are lined with yellow polyester to help you see more easily inside. The front features two deep u-shaped zippered compartments. On the carry on, the narrow one is good for a rolled up newspaper or two, while the larger one behind that is big enough for a tablet. The bags open up book-style, with the inside of the lid fully utilized by two zippered compartments – one clear plastic for toiletries or wet clothes and one mesh for accessories. The other side is very roomy with one zippered mesh pocket along one long side and two restraining straps. Once you zip up the bags, you can secure them with two exterior cinching buckles that help to keep an overstuffed bag compact and reduce the strain on the zips.
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The final choice is similar to the Eagle Creek bags above, but the eBags Mother Lode Wheeled Duffel is a cross between an upright suitcase and duffel bag. It’s the best soft shell luggage for those that like the structure of adventure travel bags but like to have more inbuilt organizational features for packing. It is tough and features durable polyester construction. The bottom and back of the bags are semi-solid, which is a good thing for adventure travel.
What is unique about this bag is that you have 2-in-1 packing spaces. The upper compartment of the bag opens like a duffel but the zippered lid opens downwards instead of sideways. There is a zippered mesh pocket on the inside of this lid and two restraining straps to keep your clothes in place. There’s a strong zipped divider panel that keeps the lower compartment of the duffel separate. This panel holds a zipped mesh pocket.
The lower compartment can be accessed like a clam-style suitcase, so the upper compartment is also accessible from here and through the front lid. The lower compartment can also be expanded by about 1.5 inches if needed.
There’s an exterior pocket right on top of the bags, which is convenient for accessing anything you might need in the middle of a flight when the bag is in an overhead bin. It’s big enough for essential toiletries and you won’t need to remove the whole bag from the bin to access them.
The front of the bag also features a large zippered pocket that’s big enough for a laptop. There are two long zippered pockets along the sides of the bag. These are good for storing a water bottle and gloves or a pair of slippers that you can pull out easily.
The wheels are large and good for wheeling on rough terrain. The telescopic handle is sturdy and locks into place at 3 different heights. There is a grab handle on the front near the top, one on the side, and the rigid stand at the bottom can be used as another handle. This stand ensures that the bag doesn’t tip over when standing upright.
There is also a 25 inch check size version of the Mother Lode but the fact that it doesn’t have restraining straps for the lower compartment makes this large space difficult to keep tidy.
If you like this drop bottom design we have some more suggestions for good rolling drop bottom duffels. Otherwise, choose a simpler wheeled duffel bag for check-in in you prefer less structure to the bag.
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FAQs on 2 Wheeled Luggage
Inline skate luggage wheels come in pairs and are set into the bottom rear corners of a suitcase so that they spin forwards and backward only. This means that you can only pull the luggage behind you or push it in front of you and cannot roll it alongside you. Because they’re recessed into the suitcase and don’t protrude out, they don’t decrease the packing space by taking away from the overall height of the suitcase.
Due to the wheels moving in different directions and protruding out more, spinner luggage wheels are more prone to breakage. This is even more likely when rolling on uneven surfaces like cobblestone. The wheels of upright rollaboards, however, tend to be more durable since they only rotate forward and backward and are more recessed.
With a 4-wheeled suitcase, you can roll the luggage along on all 4 wheels, making it easier to maneuver. It is best used on smoother surfaces, such as at airports and train stations. On rougher surfaces, like carpet, they can sometimes be towed on two wheels.