Picking a suitcase that keeps formals like a business suit or evening dress as wrinkle-free as possible is hard to do these days. As airline luggage restrictions get ever so stricter, the space in your bags shrinks and makes it seem like an impossible task. That’s why when picking the best rolling garment bag luggage for your needs, you have to look at various factors to ensure you make the right choice. Our rolling garment bag reviews will help you with that.
If you can only travel with carry-on luggage, that task becomes even harder, but we have selected the best garment bags that are allowed as carry ons in most cases. However, if you can stick to larger bags that can be checked, as more packing space generally equates to fewer wrinkles. You can also pack more clothes into these and in some cases, even enough for a week long trip!
These larger garment bags are hard to carry over the shoulder, so you’ll have to get one on wheels. Most are two-wheeled bags, but we have two very good 4-wheeled options to give you as well.
Continue reading for our picks and reviews of wheeled garment bags for check in.
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Top Rated Rolling Garment Bag
Briggs & Riley Baseline-Softside Carry-On 2-Wheel Garment Bag
This Briggs & Riley Baseline model in blue and black is a wheeled garment bag that’s designed to address real world needs. Its innovative handle, expansion systems, pockets, and wheels are all aimed at delivering high functionality and maximizing storage space.
The garment bag will carry your hanging clothes in a structured and protected case. The outer fabric of the bag, ballistic nylon, is resistant to abrasion, wear, dirt, and moisture. Besides, the construction of the garment bag is highly durable.
The lightweight, height-adjustable telescopic handle is made of aircraft-grade aluminum. Having the outsider handle at the back allows you to pack more on the interior. The garment bag comes with hooks so you can hang it in the closet, and it comes with an add-a-bag strap and a TSA-approved lock.
Upon opening the main compartment, you’ll see a long panel that houses some useful storage pockets. Under this panel is the main compartment for suits or wedding dresses. Double zippers make it easy to open up the garment portion fully and you have tons of storage pockets including a t-shirt pocket and two mesh pockets for ties and a belt that can be detached if you don’t need them. In addition, there is a wet pocket you can use to store dirty clothes or your shoes.
You can securely hang around two to three suits in its main section that comes with a Wally clamp. Your clothes will be blanketed with centered foam garment panels that will keep wrinkling to a minimum. You won’t even need to worry about your longer garments. The bag’s removable extender panel should keep them neat.
At airport checkpoints, a speed-through pocket on the front allows you to quickly place your personal belongings inside. Additionally, there is a gusseted pocket below that is large enough to house a laptop, and it has an interior pocket for added storage.
The exact size of the bag is 9 x 21 x 15 inches. According to the company, you can carry it on most domestic flights, but the exact allowed cabin bag size varies from one airline to another, so it’s best to contact the airline you’re traveling with and inquire about their size requirements for hand-carry beforehand.
Quite amazingly, Briggs & Riley is the only brand offering unconditional lifetime guarantee, and that extends to its Baseline Carry-On 2-Wheel garment bag. In the event that your bag is damaged or broken, you can get it repaired without paying a penny. You won’t need to prove anything or be answerable to anyone when filing your warranty claim.
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If you’ve had a garment bag before you know how heavy they are by themselves. Because they have to be designed specifically to keep clothes as neat as possible, they are not as light as similar sized normal suitcases. Therefore, transporting the garment bag becomes tiring if you have to walk long distances. Some of today’s airports aren’t small!
This is where the SwissGear 7895 Premium Garment Bag on Wheels comes in handy. Its high-quality inline wheels, combined with a locking retractable handle, offer quiet and ultra-smooth mobility to take the strain off your arm and wrist so that even the heaviest bags can be rolled right alongside you with minimum effort. Plus, the bag can stand on its wheels and built-in foot without causing any issues, regardless of whether it’s filled to capacity or not.
The inside comprises four different compartments, each of which includes tie-down straps and several pockets to store shoes and clothes. You can carry tons of suits in this single bag. The complete product dimensions, including handles and wheels, are 24 x 23 x 9.5 inches and its weight is around 11.6 lbs. The packing dimensions for the bag are 47.5 x 23 x 4.75 inches.
You can also count on the bag to offer a durable construction of high-denier polyester. To ensure rugged mobility, there’s a strong cable handle for lifting on top, while the stand at the bottom also serves as a haul handle. The telescopic lift handle will smoothly collapse back into the frame when it’s time to store the case. The in-line wheels of the garment bag are highly durable and will safely outlast conventional two wheeled cases.
You’ll also be impressed with the organization and hanging hooks feature. The rolling hanging garment bag comes with two removable hooks that you can use to hang your bag in your closet without any risk of wrinkling your formal attire. The interior features four distinct grids containing a wet bag, two shoe pockets, and cinch and zip pockets. The two top corners feature triangular mesh pockets for underwear and belts.
There are two zippered pockets on the front exterior to store a laptop or some quick-access items. It’s not padded so you’ll need to protect any gadget with its own sleeve. There’s a very discreet luggage tag slip pocket at the back.
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Geoffrey Beene Deluxe Rolling Garment Carrier
For a slightly smaller bag that women will find easier to handle, the Geoffrey Beene Deluxe Rolling Garment Carrier in black is a good choice. With two inline skate wheels, a built in reinforced telescopic handle, a padded and adjustable shoulder strap, and a top grab handle, all the basics for maneuvering this polyester bag are there.
It has a large zippered compartment in front that opens outwards and is gusseted to prevent anything from falling out. This compartment features a zippered pocket and four drop pockets that are sized perfectly for shoes. The main compartment opens vertically and then book style with the inside of the lid divided into two zippered mesh pockets for casual clothing. The other side features a simple hanger clamp that can secure any kind of hanger for your suits and formals. Two triangular zippered mesh pockets in the top corners are good for undergarments and accessories. A single horizontal restraining strap that goes across the middle keeps your suits in place.
The entire garment bag can be hung up on a closet rod by the chain and hook located at the top. However, the bag has to be zipped closed first but not folded up. You can pack for a maximum of 3 days with it as it is a lightweight and small bag, although not sized for carry on.
We also rate this as the best lightweight rolling garment bag. Weighing 9.8 lbs, it measures 44″ x 22″ x 4.5″ when open and 22″ x 7.5″ x 22″ when closed.
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Best Value Rolling Garment Bag
Travel Select Amsterdam Business Rolling Garment Bag
The Travel Select Amsterdam Business Rolling Garment Bag is the least expensive on this list, yet surprisingly well made! It weighs 9.3 lbs and measures 23″ X 22″ (44″ Opened) X 7″ and is made of polyester in two tone colors.
The regular internal telescopic handle, inline skate wheels, top carry handle and detachable and adjustable shoulder strap with adjustable pad are all there and reliable.
For external organization there are two dual zippered pockets – one large and one small but long. The internal organization is simple, with a clamp for wire hangers, two corner zippered pockets and a restraining strap to keep garments in place. The main compartment differs from the other wheeled garment bags in that it opens bottom to top and there’s no hinged panel for extra storage pockets. The only pocket here is one zippered mesh pocket built into the inside of the opening flap. This means you’ll need to use your own packing organizers if you need to separate more items from the hanging garments.
This bag can hold 2 suits or 4 shirts or dresses in it and if the dresses are long they’ll need to be folded in and you’ll risk creasing them at the fold.
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Best Large Rolling Garment Bag
Briggs & Riley Deluxe Wardrobe Spinner Garment Bag Luggage
The Briggs & Riley Deluxe Wardrobe Spinner is the largest of all the garment bags here and is probably the best rolling garment bag for suits for tall men or gowns for women or for long business trips for both. Just like all B&R bags, it is not cheap but you pay for top quality and the best warranty of the bunch.
This wardrobe suitcase on wheels is made of ballistic nylon for durability, flexibility, and shape retention, and weighs 16 lbs. Its dimensions are 24.5″ x 23″ x 13.5″ with wheels and handles.
The telescopic handle on this bag is set into v-grooves on the outside so that it is less likely to jam while being extended or retracted and doesn’t take up any packing space inside nor cause creasing. It stops at three levels to suit anyone. It also has sturdy shock-absorbing dual spinner wheels, a cushioned top grab handle, bottom integrated fabric handle, and self-repairing YKK zippers with ergonomic zipper pulls. A TSA combination cable lock is included so that you can lock the zippers before checking the bag in.
The exterior features two zipped pockets. A small single zippered one is for quick access to travel documents or anything that needs to be stored before going through security. A large u-shaped double zippered pocket is gusseted and can be used for a jacket, a pair of shoes or any other large accessories. If you’re traveling with another bag, you can use the included SmartLink strap to add the bag to this one and roll both of them along with one hand.
The real star of this bag is the design of the interior. The main compartment opens to reveal a door panel with several pockets of various kinds on both sides to accommodate accessories, undergarments, shoes and casual clothes. The suiter section features three sets of Wally clamp hanger brackets to hold 6-8 suits or dresses, and garment tie downs in the center to keep your clothes in place with minimum wrinkles. If you’re carrying longer garments like a trench coat or floor length dress, the removable extender panel gently folds the bottoms over to keep them tidy. Two detachable mesh corner pockets at the top can hold a belt and other accessories.
You can hang this bag up on a door using the included garment bag hook. This bag can easily hold a week’s worth of clothes. Maybe even more!
While this garment bag is one of the best, the whole rolling upright B&R Baseline collection is among the best 2-wheeled softsided luggage collections to choose your travel bags from.
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How to Pack a Rolling Garment Bag
Now that we’ve explored the best rolling garment bags, let’s take a look at how they can be packed and how to travel with hanging clothes:
Hang Your Clothes Correctly
Whether or not a garment bag comes with hangers depends on its specific style. If your chosen garment bag doesn’t offer this feature, you can use your own hangers. The wire variety can help save space but don’t expect a lot of structure, and when hung for too long, they may leave impressions in the fabric. Tissue paper as a layer underneath the garment can help minimize this.
You may also want to combine related items on a single hanger. For example, a blouse and its coordinating blazer can be hung together on a hanger. Not only should this help you save space but also make it easier to get dressed quickly. Some clothes have hanger straps on the inside. When you secure them onto the hangers, they prevent your clothes from sliding off and will take some weight off the heavy suits.
We also recommend using pant hangers for securing your pants or skirts. Specialized hangers like these ensure that the garments remain immovable and crease-free on them.
Once everything is on a hanger, be sure to secure all fasteners and buttons, so that your garments stay in place and secure.
If you need to pack any shoes, place them in a cotton shoe bag before placing them in the garment bag at the bottom or in their own pockets.
Travel garment bags are foldable but don’t forget to ensure that everything is secured and zippered before folding it. The last thing you want after investing in a premium garment bag is to notice missing items just because a pocket wasn’t properly zipped.
Specifics for a Long Dress
Open up the garment bag, take your hanging long dress and place the hook of its hanger through the top opening of your garment bag. Fold both sides of the dress upwards towards the waistline. Keep the train of your dress (if there is one) outside the bag.
Slowly roll the train up, so that both sides of the dress remain folded in place. Roll the train so that it easily fits into the bag and carefully position it at the bottom.
Slowly zip up the bag. While doing so, run a finger along the inside of the zipper, to avoid catching the fabric.
Folding Your Garment Bag
Folding your garment bag carefully is crucial to minimize wrinkling. If your garment bag has a bi- or tri-fold structure, the job should be easy because it will fold over itself. If the garment has boning or some structure, keep the folds loose so the garment doesn’t get crushed inside. Tissue paper in the folds can help with this too.
Ensure that the garment bag stays securely folded and shut. Folding, opening, and closing the bag multiple times will create more wrinkles than necessary, so test the folding of the garment bag before putting your clothing in them, especially if you’ve never used a garment bag until now.
How to Choose the Best Large Garment Bag With Wheels for Checked Luggage
When choosing your garment bag, be sure to look for the following things:
Size of the Garment Bag
When going on lengthy trips, you’ll likely require a large garment bag that will go as checked luggage. It should be spacious enough to accommodate a range of suits. But for shorter trips of up to one or two days, a small garment bag should be more suitable. You may even use it as a carry-on on your flight.
Exterior Pockets
No doubt exterior pockets are a lifesaver at airports. Therefore, you can’t ignore this feature when looking for a large garment bag with wheels for checked luggage. Choose a garment bag that enables you to keep your travel documents/passport, laptop, tablet, etc. in an easily accessible pocket.
Interior Compartments
Smaller carry-on bags often come with a single compartment for clothes, but larger garment bags are different. They offer different compartments for items like apparel, shoes, belts, etc. This ensures that everything stays organized, leading to minimal wrinkles and that you’re able to find the right things and the right time!
Suit Hanger and Straps
To keep your suits wrinkle-free and tight, choose a bag that comes with a foam or padded center roll and top and bottom restrainings straps and a secure clamp or spot to hang your suits by a hanger. If you’re tall or need to pack a dress, an extender panel at the bottom prevents creases at the fold.
Waterproof Material
While you’ll always check the weather of your destination before traveling, most travelers fail to take this into account when buying a garment bag. To ensure full protection of your formals and the bag itself, make sure that both the interior and exterior compartments are water-resistant. This way, your bag should be adaptable to all seasons.
Handles
The best garment bags tend to be highly flexible for travel with top and side handles, a shoulder strap and telescopic handle so that you can use them as a shoulder bag, carry-on, or wheeled garment carrier. Wheels may only be necessary if it’s not a carry on size bag.