Carry-on luggage with large wheels

This is kinda a silly post; I tried to ask for help with this on Reddit but "something went wrong with your post" and I could never get it to work. Then, after extended searching, I answered my own question. So in case anyone else is looking for this, I am posting my research here in blog form:

2-wheels vs 4-wheels

Many years ago I had the unfortunate experience of my spinner luggage's small wheels breaking mid-trip. I had to carry it for the rest of my vacation. Ever since then I have tried to only buy luggage with larger wheels, e.g. 3", which I assume are more reliable. Some might debate that assumption but I reason that physically-bigger wheels are stronger (less like to collapse), also the larger diameter means the hub rotates slower (less wear on the bearings). And, larger wheels are better on uneven surfaces. 

The only way to get bigger wheels is to buy 2-wheel luggage, i.e., not the more-popular 4-wheel 'spinner' design. Unfortunately, as I look for new luggage today, most of the 2-wheel carry-on's appear to have the same small 2" wheels as the spinner bags. For instance, the Travelpro MaxLite5 has 2" wheels (their online chat quoted "50mm").

My research

Most listings do not list the wheel size, instead they just assure you, "high-performance wheels, they're sooo good." Also I could not find any way to search for "luggage 2-wheel large wheels." Instead I kept reading reviews of recommended luggage, then checked-out the recommended 2-wheelers. In doing so, I found the following 2-wheel bags with large wheels:

 

 

Osprey Daylite Wheeled Duffel

• $130 on-sale (as of July 2024)
  regularly priced $200
  
• https://www.osprey.com/daylite-carry-on-wheeled-duffel-40-daywhdf40-789
• 22 inch height, 40 liter capacity
• 4.9 lb
  
• 3.0 inch wheels
• not really a suitcase? Instead this is a rolling duffel bag. Patagonia makes a similar one, "Black Hole Wheeled Duffel" for $360
   

 

 

 

Osprey Ozone 40L

• $280
  
• https://www.osprey.com/ozone-2-wheel-carry-on-40l-21-5-ozoneco2wf22-550
• I also found it for-sale on REI but not with any discount,
  https://www.rei.com/product/210339/osprey-ozone-2-wheel-carry-on-wheeled-luggage
• I also see these for-sale on Ebay for just $230 
  
• 21.5 inch height, 40 liter capacity 
• 4.5 lb, extra lightweight!
  
• 3.5 inch wheels (they list "90mm")
  

 

 

 

 

 

Yeti Crossroads 35L

• $350
• https://www.yeti.com/bags/luggage/26010000236.html
• This is also for-sale on Amazon but not at any discount
  
• 22 inch height, 35 liter capacity
• this is a hybrid, i.e., the back-side is hard-shell 
• 7.5 lb, heavy!
  
• I couldn't find the wheel size but you can see that they're large, at least 3 inch
  
• for some reason, they only provide a 3-year warranty. Maybe they assume people buying such a 'rugged' bag will subject it to hard travel?
• in the Amazon comments, one reviewer complained that the zippers are waterproof -- but this also makes them difficult to use.
   

 

 

 

 TopoDesigns Global Traveler ROLLER

• $300
• https://topodesigns.com/products/global-travel-bag-roller
• (FYI - I found this bag mentioned in the Amazon comments for the Yeti)
• 21 inch height, 44 liter capacity
• hybrid design with hard-shell back
  
• 6.6 lb
  
• again, I couldn't find the wheel size but they appear to be 3 inch or larger
  

 

 

 

 

 

 Samsonite Armage II

• $215 on-sale (normally $300)
• https://shop.samsonite.com/luggage/carry-on-luggage/armage-ii-upright-wheeled-carry-on/140636XXXX.html
• 
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traveler's Choice Conventional II

• $125
• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GCBW8LU/
• 21 inch height (I couldn't find the capacity)
  
• 3.25 inch wheels
• 8.6 lb, heavy
  
• is this model discontinued? I couldn't find it on the manufacturer's web-site. They only make 4-wheel spinners now.
• Even though this seems like a good choice, I am reluctant to pay so much for an off-brand's old model. Maybe if it was closer to $50!
• also, the Amazon comments say the zipper breaks, as do the wheels, doh
   

 

 

 

Final Comments

 I have previously purchased these other 'large-wheel' 2-wheel bags:

• Travel Pro 22 and 28-in rollers
• I'm not sure which models these are, though they look like the MaxLite?
  
• 3.0 inch wheels
• Travel Select 22-in carry-on
• $45 !!
  
• 2.5 inch wheels
• this was ultra-cheap and generally works fine. But after just 3 trips the top handle ripped.