Samsonite vs Travelpro: Which Brand You Should Buy?

Samsonite and Travelpro are among the most popular luggage brands, like Away and Delsey, and both of them are known for their uniqueness and trustworthiness. Each brand has pros and cons and outperforms each other in different aspects.

Each brand fulfills different purposes; for some, Samsonite might be a better option, and for others, Travalpro might be a perfect fit.

But you don’t have to worry at all. In this guide to Samsonite vs Travelpro, we’ll break down everything and compare both brands on different aspects that matter the most for every traveler so that you can find your perfect travel companion and don’t lose your money on the wrong product.

So stay with us till the end to have an in-depth understanding of both brands, but if you’re in a hurry, you can directly jump to the key takeaways of this guide for your convenience. Let’s start with the background of each brand.

Background of Samsonite and Travelpro

Samsonite Overview

Samsonite is one of the oldest and most popular luggage brands, and it was founded in 1910. They started with wooden trunks, and with dedication to their work, they gradually started growing and included different travel gears in their product line.

Samsonite products, including suitcases, are durable, reliable, and affordable, but what Samsonite is known for is their affordability without compromising on quality. Despite being one of the oldest luggage brands, no other brand could outperform Samsonite even in this modern age, and their products are still in huge demand.

In terms of sales and market share, Samsonite is the biggest luggage brand, and it’s owned by Samsonite International S.A. Apart from Samsonite brands, Samsonite International S.A. also owns other big brands like Tumi, American Tourister, High Sierra, eBags, and many others.

Travelpro Overview

Travelpro is not as old as Samsonite, but it’s still an old player in the luggage industry. Travelpro was founded by a pilot of Northwest Airlines in the 1980s.

In terms of sales and volume, Samsonite is bigger than Travelpro. In 2022, Samsonite alone, excluding all its other brands, made over 1444 million US dollars, while Travelpro’s revenue fell to around 100 million dollars. You can see a big difference.

But revenue is not everything, and it never means that Travelpro cannot be considered a good luggage brand. Today, in terms of durability, Travelpro is among the top brands, and frequent travelers, especially those who prefer softside luggage, choose Travelpro luggage.

Especially the crew members always prefer going with Travelpro brands because it was founded by an ex-pilot who knew the requirements and problems of pilots and crew members. That is one of the reasons why crews and pilots have a soft spot for Travelpro products.

Pros and Cons of Each Luggage Brand

Samsonite Luggage Brand

Travelpro Luggage Brand

Key Takeaways: Which brand should you consider: Samsonite or Travelpro?

Honestly, Samsonite and Travelpro are both excellent, with their own pros and cons. But overall, Travelpro makes more sense if you’re ready to spend a little more on your suitcase. Their suitcase is slightly more durable, lightweight, and offers better features.

And the overall quality of their suitcase is also better, and the most important thing is their lifetime warranty. There’s no doubt that Travelpro is more expensive, but it’s worth it in the long run. Because of these reasons, Travelpro is always the first choice for airline crew members.

Samsonite is also an excellent choice, especially for hardside suitcases. If you want hardside luggage, I’d recommend Samsonite hardside suitcases like the Samsonite Winfield 2, the Samsonite Omni PC, or the Samsonite Freeform. These are excellent choices for an affordable price.

But for softside luggage, Travelpro is a better choice. If you want affordable softside luggage, the Travelpro Maxlite 5 is an excellent choice, but if budget is not a problem at all. You can also consider the Travelpro Platinum Elite luggage.

Also Next: Samsonite vs Away Luggage Brand (Detailed Comparison)

Detailed Comparison Starts: Samsonite vs Travelpro

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Material and Durability Comparison

Samsonite and Travelpro, both luggage brands, focus on manufacturing both types of luggage, hardside and softside. But the difference is that Samsonite mainly focuses on hardside luggage, while Travelpro is mainly known for its softside luggage.

Hardside Luggage

Samsonite uses all types of materials, from ABS, polypropylene, and aluminum to polycarbonate. Each material is used for different purposes, but the most commonly used material is polycarbonate. Samsonite’s most popular suitcases, like the Samsonite Winfield 2, the Samsonite Omni PC, and many others, are made from polycarbonate.

In a few other models, like the Samsonite Freeform, Samsonite uses polypropylene or ABS. Polycarbonate is the most durable plastic material used in suitcases, followed by polypropylene and ABS.

Talking about Travelpro, Travelpro never uses any other material except polycarbonate; that’s the main reason why their hardside suitcases are more expensive than those of Samsonite. Because, unlike Samsonite, the primary purpose is not to make an affordable suitcase but rather to make high-quality, durable luggage.

Softside Luggage

In the department of softside luggage, Travelpro outperforms Samsonite; that’s what they’re known for. They use three types of material in their softside luggage: polyester, nylon, and ballistic nylon.

All three materials are quite durable, but when compared side by side, polyester is less durable than nylon and ballistic nylon. That’s the reason why, when they plan to make an affordable suitcase like the Travelpro Maxlite 5, they prefer using polyester material instead of nylon and ballistic nylon. But for their extremely durable luggage, like the Travelpro Platinum Elite softside, they use nylon or ballistic nylon.

On the other hand, Samsonite mostly uses polyester to keep their softside luggage affordable, like the Samsonite Solyte DLX. They’re durable enough to last for a year, but compared to nylon luggage from Travelpro, they’re less durable.

Also Read: Samsonite vs American Tourister Luggage Brand Comparison

Price Comparison

Undoubtedly, Travelpro is way more expensive than Samsonite. This is because of various factors like durability, warranty, and features. As we explained above, quality comes at a cost. Travelpro luggage and other products are more durable and long-lasting than those of Samsonite.

But it never means that all the products from Travelpro are all expensive; those suitcases, especially those made from polyester like the Travelpro Maxlite 5, are very affordable and are equally priced like the Samsonite suitcases.

But their polycarbonate and nylon suitcases, like the Travelpro Platinum Elite hardside and Travelpro Crew Versapack, are expensive, but they’re still worth it because they’re made to last for many years.

Samsonite mostly suitcases are reasonably priced, whether it’s hardside or softside luggage. The best Samsonite suitcases, like the Samsonite Winfield 2, Samsonite Freeform, Samsonite Omni PC, and Samsonite Outline Pro, are affordable and worth the money.

Features Comparison

Samsonite and Travelpro offer features like expandable zippers, spinner wheels, TSA-approved locks, and multi-stage handles. These are the essential features that both luggage brands offer, even their basic luggage.

Besides these features, you get a compartment with a middle opening, along with compression straps and a zipper divider. Besides these essential features, both Samsonite and Travelpro also offer additional features like a USB charging port and laptop pocket.

The best examples of Samsonite and Travelpro suitcases with USB charging ports are the Samsonite Omni 2 and the Samsonite Centric 2 hardside luggage, the Travelpro Platinum Elite, and the Travelpro Crew Versapack softside luggage.

Let’s find out where the difference comes from. Travelpro always offers dual spinner wheels that give their luggage better stability on different surfaces, while Samsonite sometimes offers dual and sometimes single spinner wheels, depending on the model you choose.

Moreover, the overall quality of features like the TSA lock, zippers, wheels, and handle of Travelpro is better than those of the Samsonite brands.

In terms of the number of features, there is not a big difference between the brands, but in terms of quality, Travelpro does a much better job.

Also read: Samsonite Omni 2 vs Omni PC (Most Popular Suitcase Comparison)

How do they align with airlines’ regulations?

Whether it’s Samsonite or Travelpro, most of their suitcases slightly exceed the airlines’ limit for both carry-on and checked luggage. The most followed limit for carry-on luggage is 22 × 14 × 9 inches, and 62 linear inches for checked luggage, including wheels and handles.

You might be wondering what 62 linear inches is; it’s simply the sum of the height, width, and depth of your luggage. If your luggage slightly exceeds the limit by one or two inches, generally it doesn’t cause any problems. But if you encounter an overly strict crew officer, you might be asked to pay a fee for oversized luggage.

As we mentioned above, no brand 100% follows the guidelines of airlines; however, Travelpro is slightly better at complying with the airlines’ restrictions. There is only one piece of carry-on luggage from Travelpro that stays within the airline’s limit; it’s the Travelpro Crew Versapack.

All other suitcases from both Samsonite and Travelpro exceed the limit by around 1 inch. Notably, the medium-checked luggage always falls within the guidelines, so you don’t have to worry about getting any of them.

Customers’ Review and Rating Comparison

Both Samsonite and Travepro have a large base of loyal customers and have earned thousands of excellent reviews and feedback across the globe. On Amazon, the average Samsonite suitcase rating is 4.5 out of 5, which is good.

Travelpro, on the other hand, has a rating of 4.6 out of 5, which is excellent. It shows that both brands are doing excellent, but when comparing both brands side by side, Travelpro has scored slightly better than Samsonite because of its ultimate durability and longevity.

We cannot ignore the fact that Samsonite is the biggest brand and has hundreds of products under the Samsonite brand, so maintaining ratings and reviews is more challenging than Travelpro. Overall, both brands are considerable, but undoubtedly, Travelpro is slightly better.

Warranty and After-Sales Service Comparison

The terms and conditions of both brands are pretty much the same, except for a few things. The main difference between both brands is the warranty period. The Samsonite warranty is valid only for 10 years from the date of purchase, while Travelpro offers a lifetime warranty.

Another thing that I like the most about Travelpro is that when you encounter any problem with your suitcase, you don’t need to pay any shipping costs, but to avail of this facility, you must register your product within 120 days. These are the two things that make the Travelpro luggage brands standout from the crowd.

On the other hand, with Samsonite, you’ll have to pay the shipping costs for one side, and Samsonite only covers the return cost. The common thing between both brands is that both brands cover only manufacturing defects, like seams getting loose or coming out, stuck wheels and zippers, etc.

Any damage or issue caused by airlines, transportation, or normal wear and tear is not covered. No doubt Travelpro is more expensive, but it’s worth it, and Travelpro clearly outperforms Samsonite in terms of warranty.

Also Read: Samsonite vs SwissGear Luggage (Detailed Comparison)

Official Resources

• Travelpro Official Website
• Samsonite Official Website