8 Best Underseat Luggage Pieces, According to Travel Experts

Great for family and business travel, this underseater from Samsonite has helpful features such as a laptop sleeve, mesh zipper pockets for toiletries and a USB port to charge your phone (power bank not included). The bag has two wheels to make rolling it through the airport a breeze. If you choose to bring a checked suitcase or carry-on too, it has a luggage sleeve, so you can slide it over the handle of your larger bag.

When we tested suitcases from this collection in the Textiles Lab, Samsonite's abrasion-resistant polyester showed no signs of wear. The telescopic handle on this suitcase easily adjusts to your height, and our testers have repeatedly given the brand's handles high ratings for feeling sturdy and comfortable to grip. Some users did note that the bag looks a bit dated if you prefer a more modern style.

For under $60, this two-wheeler underseat carry-on has all the same clever features as much pricier models. With a USB charging port, plenty of organizational pockets for toiletries and smaller items and an extending telescopic handle, it's an incredible value.

We love that this affordable pick is made with a high-denier-count polyester and that it has accessible front pockets for airport essentials like your phone, boarding pass and ID. Thousands of online reviewers say the bag is perfect for shorter trips, and users appreciate that the softside material is flexible, so you can really stuff it with everything you need. It's too small to fit a laptop over 12.5 inches, but some reviewers say it's a great size for their iPads and tablets.

Travelpro was founded by a pilot who wanted to design luggage for airline personnel who are constantly on the go. Super lightweight and designed with tons of easy-access outer compartments, the Maxlite 5 underseat bag is a great pick for a jet setter. When you unzip the main compartment, you'll find a removable toiletries organizer that can be hung on a closet rod or in the bathroom, and there's a padded sleeve for a small laptop or tablet.

In our evaluations, luggage from this line proved to be super durable and aced our abrasion and drop tests. We also appreciated the ergonomic handles and smooth zippers. This bag comes in nine neutral and bold colors including basic black, trendy pink and the featured sage green, and you can even buy the entire collection for your own complete set. A few online reviewers noted that the luggage sleeve on the back of the bag doesn't work with larger checked suitcases that have shorter telescopic handles but shared that it fits nicely on carry-on-sized bags.

Cute and compact, this pick from Calpak's Ambeur collection is a great option for someone who doesn't want to sacrifice fashion for function. The hardside bag is made with a durable blend of polycarbonate and ABS that comes in trendy metallic shades like rose gold and silver. It performed well in our drop tests, experiencing no major dents or damages, but it did show some scuffing.

Bags from the Ambeur collection were dubbed the "tester favorite" in our Textiles Lab evaluations. Testers highlighted the comfortable grip on the telescopic handle and smooth rolling spinner wheels. The bag opens into two packing compartments: one open space for bulkier items and a zippered compartment for secure storage. There are also plenty of additional pockets to organize your smaller accessories and toiletries.

If you love to shop on vacation or load up on gifts to bring home to friends and family, you know the struggle of trying to cram everything into your carry-on bag on the way home. With this compressible duffel bag, you won't have to worry about where to put all of your new things. It zips completely into itself, morphing into a small square that takes up barely any space in your suitcase. You can easily pack it on the way, unzip the bag to fill it up and slide it under your airport seat for the trip home.

More than 4,800 Amazon reviewers have given this bag five-star ratings, highlighting how surprisingly spacious it is and sharing that they can't travel without it. Because the bag is so lightweight, it isn't as sturdy as some of our other picks and some online reviewers wish it had more structure. We still think that at just $17, the bag is a great value and a must-have for over-packers.

Convenient to carry around and small enough to stow away under your airplane seat, a travel backpack makes for a great personal item. This particular backpack has a whopping 89,000 reviews on Amazon with an average 4.7-star rating. We appreciate that it's equipped with a padded laptop compartment, tons of smaller zippered pockets, a built-in USB port (battery not included), mesh water bottle holders and a luggage strap to keep it secured to the telescopic handle of a carry-on bag.

Online reviewers have taken this sleek bag everywhere from an international adventure to a work conference, and many say they wish they would have bought it sooner. One caveat: Some reviewers note that the zippers can be a bit difficult to use, especially when the bag is packed full.

This chic mini weekender from Beis has gone viral and for good reason. The compact bag is full of features to keep your things organized like a padded laptop sleeve, a key-ring strap, a luggage sleeve and a separate shoe compartment. There are metal feet on the bottom to protect the base and keep the bag upright, and the bag is structured, which gives it a nice shape. According to our testers, the sturdy design "makes it easier to rifle around in."

During our packing tests, we were able to fit an impressive amount of clothing, accessories and toiletries inside — enough for a weekend trip. However, when the bag was completely full, we did find the zippers to be difficult to open and close. When our testers tried the full-size version of the bag, they felt as though it was too bulky and preferred this mini style, which is super lightweight, the perfect size to fit under your seat on a plane.

The Patagonia Black Hole is our pick for the best overall duffel bag and has been acing Textiles Lab tests for years. This 40-liter version is large enough to pack your essential items but small enough to use as an underseat bag, as long as you don't stuff it to the brim. (It's a little wider than some airline personal item requirements.) Unlike most duffels that come with a shoulder strap, this one features carrying handles that can be converted to backpack straps, making it easy to tote around. We love that it compresses into its own pocket so you can easily store it away when you're not using it, but we found it a little difficult to compress.

The bag is made with recycled polyester ripstop material and is coated in a TPU-film laminate, so it's water-resistant and super durable. Plus, the outside of the bag is covered in daisy chains to attach extra gear, making it a great option for someone who is adventuring to a national park or hiking trail.