You’re standing in the middle of a department store or scrolling through a never-ending grid of Amazon listings, and it hits you. Luggage is weirdly expensive. Then you see it—the bundle. A 3 set of suitcases that costs barely more than a single carry-on from a name brand. It feels like a glitch in the matrix. Why would anyone buy one bag when they can have the whole nesting doll family for the price of a nice dinner?
Honestly, most people buy these sets for the wrong reasons. They think they’re getting a "deal" because of the piece count. But if you’ve ever had a wheel snap off in the middle of a cobblestone street in Rome, you know that a "deal" can quickly turn into a nightmare. I’ve spent years obsessing over gear—tearing apart polycarbonate shells, testing YKK zippers versus no-name sliders, and watching how different brands handle the brutal reality of a TSA conveyor belt.
The Math of a 3 Set of Suitcases
Let’s talk numbers. When you buy a trio—usually a 20-inch carry-on, a 24-inch medium checked bag, and a 28-inch behemoth—you’re playing a game of volume. Manufacturers love these sets. Why? Shipping. They nest the small one inside the medium one, and the medium one inside the large one. It’s one box. One shipment. One warehouse slot.
That efficiency is passed down to you, which is why a 3 set of suitcases often retails for $150 to $300, while a high-end Tumi or Rimowa carry-on alone starts at $700. But here is the catch. To hit those low price points, something has to give. Usually, it’s the "recipe" of the plastic.
Cheap sets often use ABS plastic. It’s stiff. It’s light. It also cracks like an eggshell if it gets cold and someone tosses it onto a concrete tarmac. Better sets use Polycarbonate. It flexes. It absorbs impact. Then there’s the "Propylene" crowd—the stuff your Tupperware is made of. It’s nearly indestructible but weighs more. If you're buying a set for a once-a-year trip to visit family, ABS is fine. If you're a road warrior? You're throwing money away on a set that won't last eighteen months.
The Problem With the Medium Bag
Here is a dirty secret of the luggage industry: Nobody actually needs the medium bag.
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Okay, maybe not nobody. But the 24-inch bag is the awkward middle child of travel. It’s too big to carry on, so you have to pay the checked bag fee. Yet, it’s too small to fit a family’s worth of gear or a two-week winter haul. Most savvy travelers find that a high-quality 21-inch carry-on and a massive 28-inch checked bag cover 99% of use cases.
When you buy a 3 set of suitcases, you’re often paying for a piece of luggage that will just sit in your closet gathering dust. Or worse, you’ll use it and realize you could have fit everything in the carry-on if you just learned how to bundle-roll your clothes.
Materials Matter More Than Brands
Don't get distracted by the logo on the front. I’ve seen $500 bags with terrible zippers and $80 bags that refuse to die. Look at the wheels. This is the biggest failure point.
Most budget sets use "spinner" wheels that are essentially plastic pegs. They’re fine on the smooth floor of a Singapore airport. They are trash on a sidewalk in New York. You want "doubled" wheels—eight wheels total instead of four. This distributes the weight. If one wheel hits a pebble, the other seven keep the bag moving.
Zippers are the second point of failure. If the listing doesn't mention "YKK" or "RC" zippers, assume they are generic. Generic zippers have "teeth" that pull apart under pressure. You’ve seen it: the guy at the gate with his underwear exploding out of his suitcase because he overpacked. Don't be that guy.
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Hard Shell vs. Soft Side
This is the eternal debate.
- Hard Shell: Looks sleek. Protects breakables. Usually has a 50/50 "clamshell" opening, which means you need a lot of floor space to open it.
- Soft Side: Usually has outside pockets (huge plus). It’s made of ballistic nylon or polyester. It can be squeezed into overhead bins more easily.
If you’re going for a 3 set of suitcases, hard shells are currently the trend. Brands like Away or Monos have made the "minimalist box" look iconic. But remember, a cheap hard shell will scratch and scuff the moment it leaves your sight. Soft-sided sets in Cordura nylon stay looking "new" for much longer.
The Logistics of Storage
Buying three bags is easy. Storing them is the headache. The nesting feature is your best friend here. Before you buy, check the dimensions to ensure they actually fit inside each other. Some modern "expandable" bags get too thick to nest properly once you've messed with the expansion zippers.
I once bought a set where the wheels of the medium bag were just wide enough that it wouldn't slide into the large bag without a fight. I ended up keeping the large bag in the garage and the small ones in the closet. It defeated the whole purpose.
Real World Testing: Samsonite vs. Amazon Basics vs. Travelpro
Let’s look at the heavy hitters. Samsonite is the "safe" bet. Their Omni PC 3-piece set is a classic. It uses micro-diamond textures to hide scratches. It’s reliable.
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Then you have Amazon Basics. It’s shockingly okay. It’s the "I need a bag for this weekend and I don't care if it's cool" option. But the wheels are loud. You’ll sound like a freight train coming down the hallway.
Travelpro is what pilots and flight attendants use. They don't usually sell "sets" in the traditional flashy way, but their Maxlite series is the gold standard for weight. If you're worried about the 50lb weight limit at the check-in counter, every ounce the bag weighs is an ounce of clothes you can't bring. A Travelpro 29-inch bag can weigh 2-3 pounds less than a cheap hardside equivalent. That’s three pairs of jeans.
When to Skip the Set
Sometimes, buying a 3 set of suitcases is actually a bad financial move. If you only travel solo, you don't need three bags. You need one amazing bag.
I tell people to "invest in the touchpoints." You touch the handle and the zippers every few minutes while traveling. A cheap handle that jiggles and feels like it’s going to snap creates "travel friction." It makes you tired. It makes you annoyed.
If you have $300, you can buy one incredible, lifetime-warranty carry-on from a brand like Briggs & Riley. Or you can buy three mediocre bags. If you travel more than four times a year, buy the one good bag. If you’re a family of four going to Disney once every two years? Buy the set.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Purchase
Before you hit "buy" on that shiny new set, do these three things:
- Check the Warranty: Brands like Osprey or Briggs & Riley have "all-mighty" warranties—they fix it even if the airline destroys it. Most budget sets have a "manufacturer defect" warranty, which is basically useless once you leave the store.
- Weigh Your Current Bags: If your empty large suitcase weighs more than 10 lbs, it’s obsolete. Modern materials have made heavy luggage unnecessary.
- Measure the Carry-on: Airlines are getting aggressive. A "20-inch" bag often becomes 22 inches when you include the wheels. Some international carriers (looking at you, Ryanair and Lufthansa) will force you to check a bag that is even a half-inch over. Ensure the carry-on in your set is "True International" size if you plan on crossing borders.
Stop looking at the color and start looking at the rivets. Luggage isn't a fashion statement; it's a mobile storage unit that has to survive being thrown off a truck. Choose the materials that survive the fall.