The 7 Best Arlo Skye Luggage Pieces of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

November 4, 2025 - by saddam.asad27@gmail.com - Leave a Comment

Arlo Skye was founded in 2016 by two legacy luggage executives of Louis Vuitton and Tumi. The brand, which has won multiple design awards for its aluminum carry-on, prioritizes durability and design. Its sturdy carry-ons and checked suitcases are minimalist in style and maximalist in terms of organizational extras.

We’ve tested over 750 pieces of luggage here at Travel + Leisure. For this article, we tested 10 different Arlo Skye products, carefully examining their capacity, organization, design, maneuverability, durability, and overall value. We examine the interiors of the suitcases, pack them full, test their maneuverability by rolling them on all sorts of flooring and through obstacle courses, and make sure they’re durable by whacking them with baseball bats and throwing them off tables. Our editors also took the pieces that performed the highest along on their travels over six months, and we have updated this article with those long-term testing insights. Whether you’re looking for a spacious carry-on with tech features or a weekender that’s loaded with pockets, these are the Arlo Skye products we’d recommend.

Credit: Arlo Skye

This ribbed carry-on is equal parts stylish and sturdy. Crafted from impact-resistant polycarbonate, this suitcase weighs 7 pounds, which is the most lightweight that Arlo Skye offers. We were impressed by the spacious interior, which was large enough to easily fit our entire four-day packing list and left ample room for an extra few outfits or souvenirs thanks to the brand’s forgiving free-flex zipper technology.

Keeping our wardrobe organized was an easy feat, thanks to ample pockets and dividers. We love that it also comes with a laundry bag and a removable power bank, so you can charge your phone on the go with the handy USB-A and USB-C charging ports. While it maneuvers well overall, the wheels don’t glide as smoothly as some other brands, and the handle sometimes sticks when you’re adjusting between multiple height options. Still, after six months of continued use, we’ve found ourselves reaching for this bag repeatedly thanks to its elegant silhouette, generous capacity, and durable exterior.

Arlo Skye The Frame Carry-On Max: Aluminum Edition

Credit: Arlo Skye

If you’re looking for maximum durability and security without having to sacrifice style, the Frame Carry-on Max will be your new favorite travel companion. While the aerospace-grade aluminum is slightly heavier and more expensive than its polycarbonate counterpart, it’s also sleeker and better equipped to protect your belongings from rough handling. After traveling with it for six months, it has yet to show signs of wear and tear—even the light-colored handles and antimicrobial interior lining look as good as new. However, as with all aluminum suitcases, it’s easily dented or dinged up, so we wouldn’t recommend checking it if aesthetics is your priority.

This suitcase has a shallow compartment with multiple compressive features and a zippered pocket for convenient organization. The deeper side also includes compression straps; however, the telescoping handle takes up a fair amount of packing space. This, along with the latch closures, makes it impossible to overpack the suitcase, as the aluminum doesn’t offer any flexibility—something to keep in mind if you tend to stock up on souvenirs. To maximize packing space, consider investing in a good set of packing cubes.

Credit: Arlo Skye

If you like to travel with a checked suitcase but don’t want anything too large or bulky, this is our favorite midsize option from Arlo Skye, weighing only 9 pounds and boasting a 71-liter capacity. We were able to fit 1-2 week’s worth of clothing, including 10 T-shirts, five pairs of pants, three jackets, two toiletry bags, and more, though it may be best for a one-week trip if you need to pack multiple pairs of shoes or hair tools. Organizational features like a divider with two pockets, compression straps, and a zippered pocket all helped keep everything in place. However, we found that the zippers stuck occasionally, even when the suitcase was empty, and that the issue continued throughout our six months of real-world testing. While this was a drawback, it wasn’t a deal breaker—we were still able to open and close the zippers every time.

Everything else works exceptionally well, from the smooth telescoping handle to the easy-gliding wheels, which maneuvered silently across carpet, flooring, and concrete. Overall, we found it to be highly durable: After six months of traveling with this suitcase from Los Angeles to New York, to Europe, and on a cruise, minor scuff marks are the only damage we’ve noticed.

The Details: 27 x 18 x 11 inches | 9 pounds | 78-liter capacity | Polycarbonate

Credit: Arlo Skye

The Arlo Skye Large Trunk’s unique top-loading design makes it a rarity among hardside luggage of any size. It zips open up from the front (or from the top, if you lay it down flat), revealing a humongous interior compartment. It can easily accommodate a few week’s worth of clothing or bulky items like puffer jackets, thick sweaters, and tall boots. As if the main compartment wasn’t large enough, it expands 2 inches for even more packing space. It can be hard to reach items at the bottom, but two interior pockets and the laundry bag keeps things organized and easy to find. The removable compression pad tamps everything down tight.

While the large trunk requires more effort to drive around tight corners, it maneuvers smoothly across hard floors, carpeted surfaces, and pavement. The handle also adjusts to three heights and offers excellent control, making it easy to move the trunk’s weight. The polycarbonate was tough against repeated drops and bat hits, only sustaining surface-level scuffs—a strong indication of how it’ll stand up to rough handling.

The Details: 30 x 18 x 14 inches (unexpanded); 23 x 18 x 16 (expanded) | 10.5 pounds | 110-liter capacity (unexpanded); 125-liter capacity (expanded) | Expands 2 inches | Polycarbonate

Arlo Skye The Expandable Carry-On Max Front Pocket

Credit: Arlo Skye

With 48 liters of capacity and an expansion option of 2 inches, the Arlo Expandable Carry-on Max Front Pocket is the most spacious among the carry-ons on this list. However, the real draw of this carry-on is the exterior laptop compartment. The compartment has two sections for a laptop and a tablet (or two laptops), plus a large zip pocket for small or slim objects, like chargers or pens.

The interior is split into two halves—one with a zipper flap, and the other with a compression pad to secure the bag’s contents. While this carry-on’s large capacity allows you to pack more than the average carry-on, it may no longer be carry-on compliant when expanded on some airlines. Still, we could lift it into the overhead bin, even if it was a bit of a squeeze. The telescoping handle locks at four different heights, and though it jammed at the two lowest height options, it didn’t affect the bag’s mobility. We could easily maneuver it across different surfaces—including both hard and carpeted floors—and compared to other carry-ons of a similar size, we found the suitcase to handle curbs with more finesse.

Credit: Arlo Skye

Weekenders are a workhorse for frequent travelers, and we love this lightweight, lightly water-resistant option. T+L senior editor Jackie Cucco has owned this bag for over a year and travels with it as a personal item that can fit underneath most airplane seats. “I’m a big fan of pockets, and this bag excels in the pocket department, giving every little item a home so it’s not just floating around,” she says.

A spacious main compartment, separate shoe section, generous side pocket, and smaller pouches made it easy to keep her laptop, chargers, passport, and other travel essentials in easy reach throughout the flight without having to dig for them. We found this bag comfortable to carry with both the duffel-style strap and the top handles, although the padded section on the strap is attached to one spot, so if you adjust the strap too much, the padding moves to an awkward position.

The Details: 20.5 x 11.4 x 9.1 inches | 31-liter capacity | Nylon/polyester blend

Credit: Arlo Skye

Why We Love It

There are plenty of convenient pockets and pouches for storing everything from passports to water bottles, laptops, and more.

Arlo Skye’s backpack stands out for its thoughtful organizational features, durable and water-resistant exterior, RFID-blocking slip pockets, deep capacity, and sleek silhouette. We were amazed at how much we could fit in this slim and versatile bag, which we use in everyday life for commuting to work and as a personal item on our travels. After six months of regular wear, it still looks almost as good as new, with only minor color fading and a few loose threads. Overall, the quality is solid.

Some of the smaller pockets are difficult to open when the bag is fully packed, particularly the leather-trimmed front pocket. The straps are also difficult to adjust while the backpack is on, but overall, we found the lightweight backpack incredibly comfortable to wear.

The Details: 18 x 12 x 7.5 inches | 25-liter capacity | Nylon/polyester blend

Our Testing Process

Our team of frequent-flying editors have tested over 750 travel bags, gathering insights on every style of suitcase.

During luggage testing, we thoroughly inspect the interior and exterior elements of each bag, checking for special features like smooth zippers, telescoping handles, organizational features, and tech-friendly additions like built-in chargers.
We evaluate the storage capacity of each bag by packing it with clothing, shoes, and toiletries; carry-on bags were assessed for a four-day trip, while larger trunks were packed for journeys of a week or more. Organizational features are also taken into careful consideration, such as dividers, pockets, and padded laptop pouches.
To make sure the wheels are smooth, we roll the fully packed suitcases over different types of flooring and sharp turns, also making sure to test the handle at different heights.
To test durability, we throw the fully packed luggage off of tables and hit it with metal baseball bats to see how easily it scuffs or dents.

For this article, we selected our favorite Arlo Skye luggage out of the 10 pieces we’ve tested, each of which was tested by our editors while traveling over a six-month period to ensure the bags continue to function properly over time.

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Tips for Buying Arlo Skye Luggage

Think about what size you need

Arlo Skye offers a variety of luggage, from its award-winning carry-ons to versatile weekenders and chic backpacks. Before you spring for a new suitcase, consider what types of trips you’ll be using it on most often: A carry-on is great for light packers or shorter trips, while you may prefer to check your luggage for longer journeys (or just in order to bypass the TSA limitations on toiletries). Arlo Skye offers checked luggage in different sizes, too, so think about just how large you want your suitcase to be. We’ve listed the dimensions, weights, and capacities of each suitcase.

To complement your suitcase or for weekend getaways, consider a more malleable option like a weekender or backpack, which is designed to fit in the overhead compartment or underneath the seat as a personal item. These are a great place to stash in-flight essentials, and Arlo Skye’s options boast plenty of pockets to keep your passport, tech, water bottle, and other travel essentials in easy reach.

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Look at smart bag features

We love that several Arlo Skye carry-ons have built-in USB chargers and removable power banks, which can rapidly charge your smartphone battery to 50 percent in under 30 minutes. The ejectable battery is convenient when charging it; plus, you easily pop it out if you ever decide to check the suitcase. While many other luggage brands have smart features, it’s rare to include the power bank itself, which Arlo Skye does on some suitcase models. Checked suitcases generally don’t have these components, as smart features are most useful for juicing up your electronics ahead of or during your flight.

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Consider organization

A major highlight across our favorite Arlo Skye pieces is their handy organizational features. For suitcases, this may include dual main compartments with zippered mesh closures and compression straps, a pocketed divider, removable laundry or shoe bags, and interior zippered pockets of various sizes to keep your smallest essentials in order. The brand’s weekender has a separate shoe compartment and an electronics section with a padded laptop sleeve, as well as slots, pouches, and pockets for cords, a power bank, and other travel essentials. The new trunk has a unique top-loading design, which can help keep your hotel room more organized when you have limited floor space since you don’t need to splay the entire suitcase open.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where do you buy Arlo Skye luggage?

Arlo Skye is a direct-to-consumer (DTC) luggage company without any brick-and-mortar retail stores. Currently, you can buy Arlo Skye suitcases, bags, and travel accessories directly from the brand’s website. A small collection of pieces is also available through Urban Outfitters.

Does Arlo Skye offer a warranty?

Arlo Skye offers a five-year warranty on its rolling suitcases against manufacturing defects, such as if a bag arrives with a broken handle or compression strap. Soft bags (including the Weekender and Backpack) are backed by a two-year warranty. In order to claim the warranty, you’ll need proof of purchase, so we recommend keeping your receipts and always buying directly from the brand. It’s also a good idea to lightly test your luggage at home before taking it out on the road in order to make sure everything works properly. If your luggage has a defect covered by the warranty, you’ll have to pay to ship it to the brand’s repair warehouse. Visit arloskye.com to view the full warranty rules.

The brand also has a free 90-day return policy for items shipped within the U.S. (excluding personalized and final sale items), but products must be completely unused. All returns must be mailed in the original packaging, so it’s recommended that you keep this during your trial period. Returns are not accepted for products shipped outside of the U.S. and its territories.

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

T+L writer Sophie Dodd owns four carry-on suitcases, which she rotates between seasonally; they tend to remain packed and in her closet in case of a last-minute trip. Sophie travels by plane dozens of times per year, and takes frequent weekend trips to upstate New York—she has become an expert packer, and has a keen eye for what to look for in a suitcase or weekender (hint: lots of pockets, and zippered closures). For this story, Sophie poured over testing insights from our team of T+L editors, and also added in her own additional research for each piece of luggage.

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