Why you should trust this review
I fly 30 to 40 segments a year for work and another 10 to 20 personal, and I have used the Briggs & Riley Baseline 22 as my primary carry-on for the past 18 months. I bought it at retail for $649 in October 2024. Briggs & Riley did not provide a sample. The bag has been gate-checked 4 times, jammed into 4 different airline-specific overhead bins, dragged through cobblestone streets in 3 European cities, and returned to me twice through the lifetime warranty.
I have also used a Monos Carry-On Pro Plus for the past 9 months as a B-bag and a Travelpro Maxlite 5 for budget runs. The cross-comparison is real, not theoretical.
How we tested the Briggs & Riley Baseline 22
- 80+ flight segments across 18 months on 6 airlines
- Sizer-bin fit verified at United, Delta, Southwest, JetBlue, BA, and Lufthansa gates
- Wheel durability tracked across roughly 200 km of cobble, terminal carpet, and curbs
- Two warranty claims processed end-to-end (broken zipper, cracked handle)
- Capacity tested with a 7-day pack list of 5 shirts, 3 pants, 1 jacket, 7 underwear/socks
- Cross-compared against Monos Carry-On Pro Plus and Travelpro Maxlite 5
- See our methodology page for the full standardized protocol
Who should buy the Briggs & Riley Baseline 22?
Buy it if:
- You fly 30+ times a year and the bag is a working tool
- You have been burned before by warranty claims that get denied for “airline damage”
- You want a soft-side carry-on with more interior space than a hard-shell
Skip it if:
- You fly twice a year (the Travelpro Maxlite 5 is the right call)
- You want a hard-shell aesthetic (the Monos is a better fit there)
- Your airline strictly enforces a 7 kg empty-bag-plus-contents weight limit (this bag eats 8.5 lb of that)
Durability: the strongest in the category
The 1680D ballistic nylon shell shrugged off 18 months of abuse. No tears, no abrasion through the fabric, no zipper corrosion. The only failures were the two parts Briggs replaced under warranty: a main-compartment zipper that started skipping at month 11, and a telescoping handle that cracked after a gate-check in month 14. Both are wear parts on any carry-on. The difference is what happens when they break.
Warranty: the feature that earns the price
Briggs is the only carry-on brand offering a lifetime warranty that explicitly covers airline damage. No proof of purchase required. No fault assignment. Both my claims went the same way: photo the damage, fill the form, ship the bag, get it back fixed in under 2 weeks. The repair quality was indistinguishable from new.
This warranty is the reason to spend $649 instead of $295 on a Monos. Across a 10-year ownership, the warranty pays for itself if you have one warranty event.
Capacity: more than the dimensions suggest
The CX expansion-compression system is the design that makes Briggs different. The bag ships compressed at standard 22 x 14 x 9 carry-on dimensions. Unzip the CX zipper and the bag expands 2 inches deeper, adding 12 L of capacity. Pack it expanded, then sit on the bag and re-zip the CX to compress it back to size for the overhead bin.
In real packing tests, expanded capacity holds 7 days of clothing for me (5 shirts, 3 pants, 1 sport coat, 7 sets of underwear/socks, 1 pair of dress shoes) where the same external compressed dimensions on a Travelpro hold 5 days.
The external handle frame is the other capacity trick. Most carry-ons have an internal U-shaped handle that takes up roughly 1 inch on each side of the bag interior. Briggs runs the handle on the outside of the bag, freeing all that interior space for clothing.
Wheels and handle: good, not best
The 8 spinner wheels glide well on terminal carpet and tile, less well on cobble. The Travelpro Maxlite 5 wheels are slightly smoother on rough surfaces. The handle has 4 stops and locks at each, which I prefer to the 2-stop handles on cheaper bags. After 18 months no wheel wobble has developed.
Weight: the cost of durability
At 8.5 lb empty, the Baseline 22 is on the heavier side. The Monos is 7.6 lb, the Travelpro Maxlite 5 is 5.4 lb. If your airline enforces a strict total carry-on weight limit (BA at 7 kg, Lufthansa at 8 kg in some classes), you will lose 1 to 1.5 lb of packable content vs. a Maxlite. For US domestic flying, weight is rarely the limiting factor.
Value: a 10-year purchase
At $649 the Baseline 22 is priced as a 10-year purchase with warranty backing. Spread across 10 years and 300 flights, that is $2 a flight. The warranty math works.
Briggs & Riley Baseline 22 vs. the competition
| Product | Our rating | Capacity | Weight | Warranty | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briggs & Riley Baseline 22 | ★★★★★ 4.7 | 44 to 56 L | 8.5 lb | Lifetime, no fault | $649 | Editor's Choice |
| Monos Carry-On Pro Plus | ★★★★☆ 4.4 | 42 L | 7.6 lb | Lifetime, defects only | $295 | Top Pick |
| Travelpro Maxlite 5 Carry-On | ★★★★☆ 4.3 | 44 L | 5.4 lb | Limited lifetime | $159 | Best Value |
| Generic Polycarbonate Carry-On | ★★★☆☆ 3.2 | 40 L | 7.0 lb | 1 year | $89 | Skip |
Full specifications
| Dimensions | 22 x 14 x 9 inches (compressed), 22 x 14 x 11 inches (expanded) |
| Weight empty | 8.5 lb (3.85 kg) |
| Capacity | 44 L (compressed), 56 L (expanded) |
| Shell material | 1680D ballistic nylon |
| Wheel type | 8 spinner wheels, sealed bearings |
| Handle | External outsider frame, 4-stop telescoping |
| Zippers | YKK ZipGuard self-repairing |
| TSA lock | Combination lock, integrated |
| Warranty | Lifetime, including airline damage |
| Country of manufacture | USA finishing, components from Asia |
Should you buy the Briggs & Riley Baseline 22?
The Briggs & Riley Baseline 22 is the carry-on I reach for when I want a bag that will outlast the airline. After 18 months and 80+ flights, mine has survived 4 gate-checks, 1 broken-zipper warranty repair (free, returned in 11 days), and 1 cracked-handle warranty repair (also free). The CX expansion-compression system fits 28% more clothing than the same external dimensions in a non-CX bag. At $649 it is the most expensive carry-on we recommend, and the lifetime even-if-the-airline-broke-it warranty is what makes the price defensible.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Briggs & Riley Baseline 22 worth $649 in 2026?+
Yes if you fly 30+ times a year. The lifetime even-if-airline-broke-it warranty is the feature that justifies the price across multiple trips. If you fly twice a year, the [Travelpro Maxlite 5](/reviews/travelpro-maxlite-5-carryon) at a quarter of the price covers the use case.
How does the warranty actually work?+
I have used it twice. Both times: photograph the damage, fill the form on briggs-riley.com, ship the bag in (Briggs covers domestic return shipping), get the bag back within 2 weeks. No proof of purchase required. No fault assignment. They fixed an airline-crushed handle and a broken main-compartment zipper, both free.
Will it fit in a 22 x 14 x 9 sizer?+
Yes when compressed. The CX zipper compresses the bag to exactly the standard US carry-on dimensions. Expanded it is 11 inches deep, which will not fit. You compress before you board.
Briggs & Riley vs. Tumi, which should I buy?+
Briggs is the better warranty, full stop. Tumi has a 5-year limited warranty. Briggs is lifetime including airline damage. If you fly often, Briggs. If you want the Tumi badge, Tumi.
📅 Update log
- May 10, 2026Updated 18-month log with second warranty claim experience.
- Sep 18, 2025Added Monos Carry-On Pro Plus comparison row.
- Nov 12, 2024Initial review published.
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