Two wheels for the win. Laugh every time I see someone dragging a 4 wheel spinner across cobblestones. But it takes a lot of work to find quality 2 wheels these days.
I used to travel a lot internationally for work. My suitcase non-negotiables:
- soft shell, not hard. Way more resilient. Anything fragile can be buried in clothes
- 2 recessed wheels, not 4 exposed. Way less likely to break
- no electronics
- two outside pockets (1 small to quickly stash phone / wallet for security line, 1 bigger for random other things)
- 1 large inner section on the opening side for dirty clothes if I don’t wash on the trip
- beefy handles on both top and side
- expandable zipper for when I want to check; carry-on sized when not expanded
- always travel with a simple backpack that fits under the seat in front of you if necessary
- keep duplicate charging & laptop power cords in backpack, never take out between trips
Fancy / hardshell full rollers just don’t hold up long term.