Travelpro Platinum Elite 29" Review
Our Verdict
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Travelpro Platinum Elite 29" | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |
Price | $470 List $399.49 at Amazon | $289 List Check Price at REI | $279 List | $260 List $167.99 at Amazon | $119 List $104.11 at Amazon |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Great organizational features, impressive volume to weight ratio | Durable construction, large capacity, rolls with ease across mixed terrain | Smooth ride, sensible features, excellent organization, great style | Cavernous main compartment, scratch- and water-resistant, easy-roll spinners | Inexpensive, rolls easily, large capacity |
Cons | Seems less durable than other options, cumbersome, no easy ticket pocket | Limited interior organizational features, easy to overpack | Zippers could be smoother, low clearance | Tough to transport on mixed terrain, easy to overpack, limited organizational features | Low-grade materials, poor craftsmanship, sticky zipper |
Bottom Line | Excellent organizational features help you keep track of everything you pack in this huge suitcase | The perfect all-terrain rolling duffel with substantial storage capacity and useful organizational extras | A durable, stylish, and high-value suitcase suited for all types of travel | An oversized yet lightweight mega-bag with spinner-tight roll and control over smooth surfaces and surprisingly tough exterior construction | A low priced expandable suitcase with enormous storage capacity but dubious durability |
Rating Categories | Travelpro Platinum... | REI Co-op Big Haul... | Timbuk2 Copilot | Samsonite Omni PC H... | Amazon Basics 30" H... |
Storage & Organization (25%) | |||||
Ease of Transport (25%) | |||||
Reliability (25%) | |||||
Weight (15%) | |||||
Style (10%) | |||||
Specs | Travelpro Platinum... | REI Co-op Big Haul... | Timbuk2 Copilot | Samsonite Omni PC H... | Amazon Basics 30" H... |
Measured Weight | 12.2 lbs | 9.6 lbs | 9.4 lbs | 10.3 lbs | 11.6 lbs |
Volume | 143.5L | 109L | 80L | 145L | 127L |
Liters per Pound | 11.8 | 11.1 | 8.5 | 14.1 | 10.9 |
Construction | Zip open, softshell | Zip open, duffel | Clamshell plus topside u-shaped zip access, softshell | Clamshell, hard-sided | Clamshell, hard-sided |
Measured Packed Dimensions | 33" x 13.5" x 21" | 33.75" x 16.25" x 14" | 26.5" x 14.5" x 13" | 30.5" x 20.5" x 13" | 30.75" x 21" x 12 |
Expansion Zippers? | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Number of Wheels | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
Number of Large Interior Compartments | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Interior Storage Features | Folding hanging compartment, removable toiletries pocket, garment compresssion panels, side pocket | 2 mesh organizational pockets on inside of opening panel (one with key hook), 2 internal compression straps | 2 mesh clam panels with 2 organizational pockets | Elastic restraint straps in one-half clam, zip enclosure over opposite half; hanging zipper accessory pocket | One-half clam with elastic restraint straps, one-half large zip enclosure with 2 zip mesh pockets, hanging zip accessory pocket |
Number of Exterior Pockets | 2 large pockets | 1 side exterior zip pocket. 1 small top zip pocket with piggy-bag strap attachment, plus daisy-chain gear loops | 1 pocket on top, 1 large sleeve | None | None |
Compression System | Zip open mesh garmet panels | 2 external and 2 internal compression straps (4 in total) | No | 2 elastic straps for restraint but no functional compression | 2 elastic straps for restraint but no functional compression |
Handle Height from Ground | 42" | 42" | 40.5" | Low: 36" High: 41" |
Low: 36.75" High: 40.5" |
Built-In Lock | Yes | No | No | Yes, TSA Approved | No |
Main Exterior Material | High-density nylon fabric with DuraGuard | Recycled 400-denier nylon/recycled 1,680-denier nylon (bluesign®-approved) | Nylon and polyester | Polycarbonate | Extra-thick ABS, hard shell |
Unique Features | Folding compartment for hanging clothes, zip-out toiletry bag | Oversized wheels, rugged chassis, full-length bumpers, 2 internal and 2 external compression straps, stopper-stand, carry-on piggyback clip, 6 haul handle options, daisy chain lash points, water-resistant | Liquids pocket and padded front pocket to fit 13" laptop; skateboard wheels | Built-in TSA-approved lock; large packing capacity; impressive water resistance, expandable, anti-scratch exterior | 150D-polyester zippered clamshell enclosure, 3 organizational pockets |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Platinum Elite is a very large bag. Though we appreciate its capacity and excellent storage features, we find it hard to take advantage of all that volume and still hit airplane weight requirements.
Performance Comparison
Storage & Organization
This bag has an expandable zipper around the bottom of the front pocket, but we can't imagine that you'll need it. It's already ginormous. In our capacity test, this suitcase ate our lead tester's entire wardrobe with ease. With a claimed 143.5 liters of volume, you can pack pretty much anything you can think of on your next vacation.
The Platinum Elite does a pretty good job of helping you stay organized along the way as well. A folding compartment for hanging clothes like dresses or blazers minimizes wrinkling and tucks away on the backside of the main flap. The rest of the compartment is wide open. The runners for the telescoping handle make packing with packing cubes a little less efficient, though.
Two mesh garment panels let you compress some or all of what you pack in the main compartment. They double as mesh bags for toiletries or small items like socks or gloves. A zip-out, plastic pocket on the right-hand side of the main compartment provides a safe place to store any liquid toiletries. Another pocket on the left helps subdivide your smaller items further.
All told, the Platinum Elite provides a nice amount of storage, and that's just on the inside. Two large external pockets complete the package. They're nice for stashing a few extra layers, a magazine, and maybe your wallet. But they are also large, running the full length of the suitcase, so they won't keep smaller items very organized or within easy reach.
Ease of Transport
Despite a nice set of wheels, an adjustable telescoping handle, and three other grab-and-toss handles, we still don't love lugging this suitcase around. It's just too big to use casually. However, we appreciate many of the organizational features, and smaller versions are available if you don't require quite so much space. If you do need this much suitcase, you'll be happy enough with how readily it rolls. The wheels aren't our favorite, and the whole package is less responsive than smaller, sleeker models, but it works, even in gravel.
We also like the grab-handle on top of the suitcase and the one on the side. The one on the bottom is less pleasant. It has a rigid plastic facing that you can only grab from one direction. It works, but it's just not that comfortable to grab.
Reliability
After just a few months of testing, the front zipper pocket on our model began catching on stray strings. It's not the most significant part of the bag, but this doesn't bode well. The other zippers are a different style and seem to work better. However, the two main zippers are not that comfortable to use. Like every bag we tested with an integrated, TSA-approved lock, they have a large square of metal at one end for the locking mechanism to grab. We appreciate the lock but wish it didn't require such deformed zipper pulls.
A small scrape guard on the bottom railing protects the fabric from slamming into steps and curbs. There are also four platform guards on the left-hand side. These details should help the fabric last longer. Other than that front zipper, we don't have any pressing reliability concerns. The main fabric sheds splashes of water quite well, but they do soak right through the zipper.
Weight
This suitcase weighs just over 12 pounds, which we consider heavy. Given its massive capacity, though, the bag gives you a very reasonable weight-to-volume ratio. Of course, once you pack it full of all the stuff it is capable of carting around, you've got one heavy bag on your hands. The wheels deal with the load quite well, and the handles help. Still, it's big and hard to toss around and you will need to be careful not to overshoot the weight limit for your airline.
Style
The Platinum Elite looks nice, but it trends a little closer to dated than classic. The saturated color options are appealing, and the fabric looks like it's of reasonable quality — it's interesting enough to pull you in but not to impress.
Value
The Platinum Elite offers what we think is a good value. It gives you a lot of the same great organizational features of a much more expensive option, but for a much lower price. That said, it also seems less durable and is definitely more cumbersome. We also think its large size limits its usefulness. How often are you going to take a trip where you need that much luggage?
Conclusion
This big bag is well-done and helps you make heads and tails of your wardrobe, but it will take chronic over packers beyond the brink of any reasonable weight limit. Still, if you need to take everything with you on your next vacation, consider the Travelpro Platinum Elite.
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