American Tourister and Samsonite supply distinctive advantages and cater to various kinds of vacationers. However which one fits your journey finest?
As a seasoned traveler who’s lived out of a suitcase for months at a time, I’ve put my baggage via each conceivable take a look at. Over time, I’ve zipped and unzipped, packed and repacked, and rolled dozens of suitcases throughout a number of continents. My hands-on expertise with each American Tourister and Samsonite means I can supply insights not simply from product specs, however from real-world sturdiness and performance.
Plus, in 15 years of testing, the TravelFreak group has rated over 150 suitcases utilizing our complete data-based methodology. We’ve spent years honing our experience within the discipline and studying what makes the distinction between a very good suitcase and an important one.
What it’s possible you’ll not know is that American Tourister is definitely owned by the Samsonite Company. Nevertheless, simply because the 2 manufacturers are made by the identical firm doesn’t imply they’re equal. American Tourister is bought because the extra budget-friendly different to Samsonite, which suggests cheaper supplies, less complicated designs, and fewer high-end choices.
And that’s the important thing distinction. For those who’re on the lookout for a good suitcase on a budget, American Tourister has you lined. If you’re keen to spend a bit extra for higher-quality baggage, Samsonite is best.
It’s not essentially so simple as simply choosing a value level, although. I’ll share my experiences with each manufacturers and enable you to perceive the precise commerce offs you’ll be able to count on between them.
Why You Can Belief Us
The TravelFreak editorial group has examined dozens of suitcases through the years, and we’ve realized rather a lot about what separates a high quality piece of baggage from an overpriced, overhyped piece of plastic. We’ve examined and reviewed price range baggage, luxurious suitcases, and all the pieces in between.
We all know how onerous it’s to seek out the right suitcase, and we wish to make the method simpler for you. So our group of drugs junkies and product engineers developed essentially the most complete baggage take a look at methodology potential.
We examined and rated 5 American Tourister suitcases and 15 Samsonite suitcases, together with carry-ons and checked baggage from each manufacturers.
We evaluated each one in all these suitcases on 31 metrics throughout eight classes. We gave all of them the identical remedy and rated them on the identical standardized scales. This makes it straightforward for us (and also you) to check the benefits and drawbacks of every.
At a Look
Scores |
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Common General Rating |
7.7 |
8.8 |
Common Construct High quality Rating | 6.6 | 7.9 |
Common Ease of Use Rating | 6.8 | 8.2 |
Common Performance Rating | 7.3 | 8.9 |
Common Water Resistance Rating | 8.2 | 8.0 |
Common Model Influence Rating | 4.5 | 6.2 |
Common Shopping for Expertise Rating | 7.1 | 6.8 |
Common Guarantee Rating | 5.0 | 5.0 |
Common Value-to-Efficiency Rating | 10 | 8.6 |
Specs |
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Sort | Hardside, Softside | Hardside, Softside |
Guarantee | 10-year | 10-year |
Returns | Pay for return transport, 60-day | Pay for return transport, 90-day |
Manufacturing Location(s) | India, China, Vietnam | India, China, Hungary |
American Tourister vs Samsonite: Fast Solutions
- Sturdiness: Monos baggage is usually extra sturdy and well-built general.
- Value: American Tourister is a price range model with very low costs. Samsonite is costlier general and has extra premium fashions.
- Guarantee: American Tourister and Samsonite have a nearly an identical 10-year restricted guarantee.
- Sustainability: Samsonite is a lot better when you prioritize sustainability. They use recycled supplies and have packages to cut back their power consumption and carbon footprint.
- Supplies: American Tourister makes use of low-cost supplies like ABS on most of their suitcases. Samsonite makes use of a variety of supplies, together with extra sturdy choices like polycarbonate.
- Design and Fashion: American Tourister baggage is colourful and flashy with enjoyable print designs. Samsonite baggage is extra understated {and professional}.
- Inside Group: American Tourister suitcases are quite simple and bare-bones inside, whereas Samsonite has designs with extra inside pockets and group options.
- Expandability: Each American Tourister and Samsonite have suitcases that may broaden.
- Wheels: American Tourister usually makes use of flimsier single spinner wheels, whereas many Samsonite fashions have stronger double spinner wheels.
- Telescopic Deal with: Samsonite baggage usually has stronger and extra adjustable handles than American Tourister.
- Colour Choices: American Tourister baggage is available in an enormous vary of vivid colours and designs, whereas Samsonite’s shade decisions are extra restricted.
American Tourister vs Samsonite: Which Ought to You Purchase?
Purchase American Tourister when you…
- are on a good price range.
- don’t journey often.
- primarily take home flights inside the US.
- want baggage for summer time holidays or cruises.
- are shopping for baggage for a kid or for touring with a household.
Purchase Samsonite when you…
- journey extra often.
- typically journey internationally.
- journey for work.
- need a suitcase that can final for years of journey.
- care about shopping for extra sustainable journey gear.
- want checked baggage for long-haul journeys.
Supplies & High quality
American Tourister is solidly a price range model, and which means you shouldn’t count on the identical high quality and sturdiness you’d get from a high-end model like Briggs & Riley (which is among the finest baggage manufacturers on the market).
Now, don’t get me improper. An American Tourister bag will survive lengthy aircraft rides and bumpy baggage carousels simply superb, and when you use it proper, it may final for years of journey. However selecting American Tourister over Samsonite does include some tradeoffs.
Right here’s what I imply.
Most American Tourister hardside suitcases are made with ABS plastic. This is among the commonest plastics on the planet; it’s utilized in all the pieces from LEGOs to hoover cleaners to your laptop computer’s keyboard. It’s a good materials all-around, however it’s lower than ideally suited for baggage.
The multi-directional spinner wheels, zippers, and handles are additionally cheaper and flimsier than those Samsonite baggage makes use of.
As a result of Samsonite has such a variety of merchandise, they use quite a lot of totally different supplies. Their cheaper hardside suitcases are manufactured from polypropylene, which is light-weight and versatile. It’s usually higher than ABS, however it’s nonetheless a price range materials, and isn’t significantly sturdy.
For somewhat extra money, you may get a very good high quality carry-on or checked suitcase made with polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is the gold-standard materials for hardside baggage proper now, and is utilized by many luxurious manufacturers.
With Samsonite, you may get a lot higher-quality baggage than American Tourister. Nevertheless, as a result of Samsonite merchandise are all so totally different, you must do your analysis into a person suitcase earlier than shopping for it. A number of fashions I extremely advocate are the Define Professional, a mid-range hardside carry-on, and the Armage II, which is manufactured from sturdy nylon cloth. Each of those baggage are sturdy and dependable.
If you’d like a light-weight suitcase that may take some severe abuse, take a look at the Samsonite C-Lite. It’s made in Europe from an revolutionary woven composite hardshell materials that absorbs impacts higher than another baggage materials I’ve encountered.
If sturdiness is your predominant concern, Samsonite is the most effective baggage model of the 2, scoring a mean of seven.9 for Construct High quality in comparison with American Tourister’s 6.6.
Design & Options
Truthfully, my favourite factor about American Tourister is the enjoyable designs. They’ve bought youngsters carry-ons with Disney character prints, evening sky patterns, and an enormous checked bag printed with Mickey Mouse pants. Plus, their non-printed baggage comes with attention-grabbing textures and an enormous vary of colours.
This isn’t nearly making a mode assertion; it’s sensible, too.
Ever tried recognizing your black bag amongst a sea of comparable ones? It’s not enjoyable. Think about when you’ve bought a large print of Darth Vader in your suitcase, although. No method you’re going to overlook that.
In fact, not all people likes to be the focal point. For those who dislike vivid, eye-catching colours in your baggage, Samsonite’s extra conservative, minimalist designs can be extra up your alley. Their baggage items are extra dialed-in and complex than something from American Tourister, and their higher-end baggage positively don’t seem like low-cost merchandise you picked up at Goal.
Functionally, American Tourister suitcases are fairly easy and primary, and I truthfully assume that’s a very good factor. When price range manufacturers attempt to pack in too many options, you simply find yourself with extra issues to interrupt.
You’ll discover zippered dividers, a number of inside pockets to maintain issues organized, and adjustable telescoping handles. None of that’s groundbreaking, however it will get the job executed.
For those who like having a number of pockets and compartments to maintain issues organized, you’ll like Samsonite way more than American Tourister. A few of their suitcases are nonetheless fairly easy, however others (just like the Define Professional) have revolutionary designs with a number of dividers and loads of pockets for smaller objects.
Samsonite baggage additionally has extra bells and whistles. Constructed-in TSA locks, detachable toiletry pouches, garment folders, and USB ports are frequent throughout Samsonite’s product line. I like that these little particulars are included, and so they actually made my touring simpler.
American Tourister solely scored 7.3 for performance, and Samsonite scored a lot larger at 8.9 on common.
Worth for Your Cash
If you’re strapped for money and saving each penny for air journey, American Tourister sells a few of the least costly baggage available on the market. They scored 10/10 for our Value-to-Efficiency class. Samsonite scored decrease at 8.6.
American Tourister is among the finest baggage manufacturers for ultra-cheap baggage, which makes it simpler so that you can purchase your carry-on suitcase, pay for airfare, and nonetheless have some money left over for journey equipment.
In fact, you shouldn’t count on the standard to be the identical as higher-end manufacturers. For those who journey rather a lot, an American Tourister bag won’t final very lengthy, and having to exchange it type of defeats the aim of saving cash within the first place.
Samsonite suitcases do value extra, however they may even last more.
For those who simply want a bag for infrequent journeys, American Tourister can be superb, however when you journey extra often, you’ll lower your expenses in the long term by going with Samsonite.
Guarantee and Shopping for Expertise
Since each manufacturers are owned by the identical firm, their warranties are just about an identical. They even have the identical wording on their guarantee pages.
Most American Tourister and Samsonite suitcases include a restricted 10-year guarantee. This positively doesn’t compete with manufacturers with full lifetime warranties like Travelpro or Briggs & Riley, however each American Tourister and Samsonite have a good repute for repairing or changing suitcases on guarantee.
That stated, they particularly state that their guarantee doesn’t cowl injury brought on by regular put on and tear or airline baggage handlers, solely manufacturing or materials defects.
In fact, with American Tourister’s low prices, any type of guarantee is good to have.
Model Influence & Sustainability
If shopping for extra sustainable merchandise is necessary to you, the selection is easy. Samsonite is much forward of American Tourister in relation to model impression and sustainability. Samsonite scored 6.2 for sustainability, whereas American Tourister solely scored 4.5.
Samsonite makes use of recycled supplies in its cloth baggage, studies its carbon footprint, plans to make use of 100% renewable power by 2025, and donates to environmental and social charities.
Remaining Ideas
Regardless that Samsonite and American Tourister are owned by the identical firm, these two baggage manufacturers are very totally different and so they cater to various kinds of vacationers.
Samsonite scored higher than American Tourister in nearly all of our testing metrics, and I feel it’s fairly clear that they make higher baggage general. Samsonite model suitcases are extra sturdy and have extra sensible options and designs. For many vacationers, Samsonite would be the more sensible choice.
However that doesn’t imply there’s no purpose to decide on American Tourister.
A type of causes is value. American Tourister baggage is affordable, and when you be careful for offers, it may be actually low-cost. For those who don’t journey often, American Tourister provides you higher bang to your buck.
One more reason to purchase American Tourister is when you simply really need one in all their enjoyable print designs. I imply, it’s onerous to say no to a Monster’s Inc. carry-on. If you’re shopping for baggage for a kid (or simply to your personal internal little one), it’s onerous to beat American Tourister.
So it comes all the way down to this, are you a extra severe frequent traveler who wants a dependable suitcase, or somebody who travels much less often and simply desires a enjoyable bag for these occasional getaway journeys?
American Tourister vs. Samsonite FAQs
Can American Tourister baggage be used for frequent journey?
Sure, American Tourister baggage is designed to resist the trials of journey.
How does the guarantee evaluate between American Tourister and Samsonite?
Samsonite sometimes presents longer and extra complete warranties, protecting varied defects and damages.
Are there any eco-friendly baggage choices from these manufacturers?
Samsonite has launched collections emphasizing environmental accountability with out compromising high quality or sturdiness.
Is American Tourister the identical high quality as Samsonite?
No, Samsonite presents higher-end supplies and options, whereas American Tourister focuses on affordability.
Which suitcase model is finest?
It is determined by your wants. Samsonite baggage presents high quality and extra options whereas American Tourister offers extra budget-friendly choices.
Does the burden of the suitcase matter?
Sure, a lighter suitcase means you’ll be able to pack extra with out going over airline weight limits.