Packing for trips makes me anxious. I want to be a light packer, the chillest rolling stone. But as someone dealing with the one-two punch of asthma and deathly food allergy, this has never been my reality.
Besides needing to carry life-saving medicine at all times, I also like to be prepared with allergy-safe snacks and meal accessories, stuffing them into my suitcase in whatever gaps I can conjure among my clothes. The more unpredictable the weather at my destination, and the more varied my planned activities, the more the available space shrinks and my stress intensifies. Once, I had to choose between packing homemade granola or a sweater (the granola won).
For years, I devised a packing schedule that started days ahead, but inevitably, my hard-shell spinner carry-on would seem to shrink as soon as I unzipped it. I’d revise my list, repack and repack, and still I’d lurch through airport security with my allegedly breezy suitcase and a “personal item” that stretched the airline’s limits.
After one too many packing panics, I splurged on the Briggs & Riley Baseline Essential 22″ 2-Wheel Expandable Carry-On, the upgrade pick in Wirecutter’s guide to the best carry-on suitcases. It is every bit as spacious, compressible, and lightweight as our guide says. I’d be lying if I told you that a luxury suitcase has eliminated my anxiety. But it has certainly lightened the load.
Upgrade pick
The two-wheel version of our upgrade pick offers superlative build quality, plenty of expandable room, and a uniquely effective compression system.
I chose my two-wheeled Briggs & Riley Baseline carry-on (in a beautiful navy) after extensive research. Of all the spinner suitcases we tested for the guide, the four-wheeled spinner version has the highest amount of usable space. But I knew that if I got the two-wheeled version, I’d gain even more packable space within the same compact, overhead-bin-friendly dimensions—and obviously I need all the extra space I can get.
The two-wheeler had another selling point: its relative durability. Since I aspire to drag this suitcase over many a cobblestone street in my lifetime, I was won over by the two-wheeler’s slight edge over the spinner model. (It’s partly a question of probability—there’s less to break—and partly because of the wheel design itself.) The justification for spending this kind of money on a Briggs & Riley suitcase is that its luggage has a reputation for longevity and repairability, and the more durable wheels on the two-wheeler gave me even more faith in my investment. (For the record, the two-wheeled Baseline carry-on is also a favorite of Wirecutter founder Brian Lam.)
Compared with the glide-y ease of a spinner, the two-wheeler is a bit old-fashioned. Navigating narrow airplane aisles isn’t the smoothest experience. But for me, the pros outweigh the cons. The two-wheeler costs $40 less than the spinner model. And after a long flight, dragging the suitcase behind me gives me a welcome shoulder-opening stretch. (It may seem like I’m reaching, but I genuinely feel this.)
Before I upgraded, I owned a hard-shell carry-on spinner, Away’s The Bigger Carry-On (which we also recommend). After switching, I’m a total soft-suitcase convert. Unlike a lie-flat clamshell suitcase, the Briggs & Riley Baseline has a compact footprint for packing and unpacking (welcome in small spaces). I can stow a heavy item such as a book or laptop in the outer pocket, making airport security less of a juggle and my personal item significantly lighter. We’ve sung Briggs & Riley’s praises in another article, as well.
But for me, the standout is the main compartment. Details that I thought would be minor were instantly significant. For example, since the handle mechanism is on the outside of the suitcase, the bottom of the packing compartment is completely flush, eliminating the “railroad” on many suitcases. The interior is remarkably bump-free, in fact; even the corners of the compartment are tight, nearly at right angles, maximizing packing space.
Together, these design decisions allow items to lie flat and cozy, as in a dresser drawer, without needing to accommodate odd protrusions. A padded garment folder, which doubles as storage pockets, neatly zips into the lid, staying tidily out of the way. I also appreciate that the interior is khaki, which helps with visibility.
And of course, there’s the satisfying expansion and ratcheting compression mechanism, which grows the suitcase’s depth by a solid 2.5 inches. I confess, when I bought this suitcase, I fully expected to return it—surely that feature wouldn’t be all it’s cracked up to be. Turns out, it is: I hook my fingers into the orange locks to expand the suitcase fully to pack it, and then I zip the suitcase closed and push down on each corner. With a few reassuring clicks, the suitcase compresses without struggle or strain on the zippers.
I don’t think any one of the Baseline’s elements alone would justify paying nearly $700 for a suitcase. But together they combine to make an exceptionally roomy carry-on. With the help of some compression packing cubes, I’ve found that the Baseline carry-on is the closest I’ve come to owning Mary Poppins’s carpet bag. Closed, the suitcase appears tailored and unbothered, yet I’ve made no compromises on my packing list, and my personal item is, at last, the appropriate size. It makes sense: If you’ve ever tried your hand at origami, you know that the first crease sets the course. The same, it seems, is true for packing.
The price tag, about $650 for the two-wheeler, kept me from purchasing it for years. But you can rack up a similar bill replacing lesser carry-ons over the next decade, and for my money, few of them would dissolve anxiety and carry a lifetime warranty.
That warranty is a standout since it applies to the luggage itself, not the purchaser—go into a licensed repair shop, and you can get service without proof of purchase. The “bag is guaranteed, not the person,” as Kit Dillon, Wirecutter travel expert and senior staff writer, put it to me. Briggs & Riley sells replaceable parts and has a global network of repair centers capable of handling everything from “minor” to “extensive” fixes, which gives me confidence that my investment won’t end up in a landfill in a few years.
Still, the Baseline carry-on is unquestionably out of many people’s budgets. It’s a piece of luggage that falls into the nice-to-have category, and if you’re less stressed by packing, or if you bring less when you fly, it may not be worth the money, even if you have the means. I, for one, can now pack everything I need to keep my cool—and barely break a sweat.
This article was edited by Hannah Rimm and Maxine Builder.
