What Luggage Does Clark Howard Recommend?

Travel expert Clark Howard holds deep convictions when it comes to flights.

Shop the deal first and then figure out what you want to do at the destination. Be flexible on travel dates. Take early flights if you can. Never check a bag.

You also won’t find Clark with designer luggage that costs hundreds of dollars (or more). What luggage does Clark recommend and use?

What Luggage Does Clark Howard Recommend?

Does Clark recommend a certain luggage set for quality and price?

That’s what a Clark Howard listener recently asked.

Asked James in Oklahoma: “Do you have a recommendation for a luggage purchase? Price isn’t as important as quality. I just purchased a very inexpensive set which was unusable after one trip.”

As painful as it is, it’s possible to spend big on luggage and get something of terrible quality.

Clark referenced an old commercial where an animal went through destroying various types of luggage. Except the brand in the advertisement, which the animal couldn’t destroy. It is an apt representation of what happens to your luggage when you fly.

“Checked luggage in particular goes through war every time it goes through an airline system,” Clark says.

“I have decided through much use that the best deal on very reliable luggage is the private-label suitcases sold by Sam’s Club. I find them superior to what I’ve seen generally buying luggage elsewhere. And particularly in comparison to what’s sold at Costco.”

The Product Clark Recommends: Member’s Mark Luggage

Clark classified the Sam’s Club luggage as “very, very good and remarkably affordable.”

The carry-on and checked-bag combination is $139 and offers five color options.

The basic carry-on is $69. There’s also an $89 carry-on that Clark says is designed for people going on business trips of three days or less. It includes a front compartment for a laptop and any files or papers you need. And the inside holds a smaller amount of stuff for your trip.

There’s also a “more complicated” suitcase for $89.

“I’ve had one of these Member’s Mark carry-ons that must be, I don’t know, eight years old now. It’s got scuffs on it. And it’s still as rock-solid as the day I got it,” Clark says.

“So we have several varieties of the Member’s Mark. I give it a very high recommendation.

“And I hope you’re not going to be cursing me at the carousel someday that I got you to get the Member’s Mark and it didn’t hold up like it has for me. But have a great trip wherever this luggage goes with you.”

Final Thoughts

Luggage is tricky. You don’t want to overpay. But you also don’t want something that will fall apart after just a few trips.

Clark loves the Sam’s Club brand Member’s Mark for quality and price.