Melody Teh
Travel Tips

The $49 Kmart suitcase that beat a $500 luxury brand

It will come as no surprise to Kmart fans, but a $49 Kmart suitcase is among Australia's best, beating many expensive luxury brands in Choice’s ranking of luggage buys.

The Kmart $49 soft, lightweight case had an overall performance score of 86 per cent, just coming behind the top ranked American Tourister Curio suitcase, rated 87 per cent, but retails at $239.

The Kmart Active & Co soft case retails for just $49. Source: Choice

The Big W Jetstream which, costs $70, came in fifth place, also outranking luxury brands like Antler and Samsonite.

The Choice survey rated 16 carry-on suitcases according to toughness, durability, water-resistance and wheels working on different surfaces.

The $70 Big W Jetstream came in fifth in the best carry-on cases. Source: Choice

Here’s the Choice list:

1. American Tourister Curio — 87 per cent score (all overall). RRP $239

2. Flylite Pro-Lite 54cm — 86 per cent score. RRP $200

3. Samsonite 72 Hours DLX — 86 per cent score. RRP $329

4. Kmart Active & Co — 86 per cent score. RRP $49

5. Big W Jetstream — 86 per cent score. RRP $70

6. Kmart Hard Case — 86 per cent score. RRP $38

7. Skylite 56cm Spinner Carry On — 86 per cent score. RRP $40

8. Delsey Chatelet 55cm — 85 per cent score. RRP $499

9. Delsey Montmartre Air — 85 per cent score. RRP $289

10. Antler Oxygen — 85 per cent score. RRP $289

11. Crumpler Vis-a-Vis, Cabin — 84 per cent score. RRP $289

12. Samsonite Cosmolite 3.0 — 84 per cent score. RRP $579

13. Samsonite Octolite — 84 per cent score. RRP $299

14. American Tourister Applite 3.0 S — 84 per cent score. $219

15. Australian Luggage Co So Lite 2.0 AIR3033/18″ — 82 per cent score. RRP $160

16. Flylite Quartz 20″ case — 49 per cent score. RRP $199

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