Why We Love Luggage from Travelpro’s Platinum Elite Line for 2025
The Platinum Elite line’s endurance is a matter of pedigree. In 1987, US pilot Robert Plath designed the two-wheeled Rollaboard suitcase, which — with the aid of a telescoping handle — rolled alongside you while remaining upright. Plath originally sold his design to pilots and crew, before making his designs commercially available in 1989 with Travelpro International.
Eventually, all luggage began to look the same, consisting of a small case on wheels that allows you to gather your belongings and carry them from one place to the next. The beauty of Travelpro Platinum Elite luggage is how predictably it performs this otherwise mundane task.
And unlike the warranties covering other bags, Travelpro’s warranty on this luggage remains in effect even if the airline wrecks it. (Just make sure to register your luggage with Travelpro.) You can also order user-replaceable parts to fix your own bag.
The passion that so many of our readers regularly express for Travelpro’s luggage is mirrored by Travelpro’s own obsession with meeting its customers’ expectations.
In 2021, our team noticed a few complaints about the Platinum Elite design’s outer pocket zipper breaking. There weren’t enough complaints for this issue to rise to the level of concern for most companies. But when I called Travelpro, representatives told me that the company had already raised the complaints to its design team, tracked the issue, and designed a fix.
It turned out that an unintended production change had resulted in stress on the zipper when the bag was overpacked. Zippers are generally the weakest component of any luggage. The easiest way to maintain the Platinum Elite, or any suitcase you own, is to occasionally lubricate the zipper with a waxy or lubricating household substance such as lip balm, crayon wax, or graphite shavings from a pencil.
