Travelpro Platinum Magna 2 26" Review

As soon as we pulled this suitcase out of the box, we could smell quality. As a well-built companion, the TravelPro Platinum Magna 2 will have you traveling flawlessly. While its functionality is geared toward the world of business, and it's a favorite of ours for just that reason, you can use this bag for any type of trip where you need a solid suitcase that can roll over a plethora of surfaces. To top it off, it looks good.

Performance Comparison

Reliability

The Magna offers admirable reliability. This is due to high-quality craftsmanship and materials. However, while we love most of its features, we do worry a little about the zippers and the handles.

The exterior of this bag is composed of durable ballistic nylon with a water-resistant coating. During our water tests, we were surprised by the excellent results. It took a lot of water before liquid permeated through the zippers and seeped inside.

Corners and high wear zones are reinforced with more durable materials, with the exception being a lack of wear bars at the back of the case. When we dragged this bag against stairs, we put stress directly on the fabric. Luckily, the material by itself is excellent at standing up to this kind of abuse.

The zippers and handles are decently durable. The zippers move effortlessly over corners and pinch points. The teeth are large, and the two zipper heads on the main compartment articulate to provide additional weather resistance from light rain. The zipper on the front pocket, however, catches a lot more than the main zipper, which concerned us a bit. When reading reviews online, we learned that there have been many issues with it breaking after heavy use. If you purchase this bag, know that this has been the experience of a few users, though it didn't happen to us.

The handles are composed of durable leather and look pretty burly at first glance. However, when picking up the bag, we noticed that the main handle is attached to an anchor point with just two pieces of flexible metal. While we didn't have any issues with this during our lift and use tests, we do wonder about longterm durability. Again, when looking online, there have been several reports of the handles breaking with heavy use.

The wheels, on the other hand, are quite reliable. They are large and oversized, moving up and down stairs and obstacles with ease. After three months of use, the axels were not gummed up, and the construction showed no annoying cracks or creases where dirt or sand can get trapped. That said, note that if the wheels do fail, it doesn't appear to be an easy replacement.

Overall, we think that this suitcase is built to last. It does have reviews and reports of zippers and handles breaking under heavy use, but we didn't experience any of these issues while rolling it around town, at the airport, and traveling with it in a car — fully loaded.

Storage & Organization

Designed as a classical suitcase, this checked baggage offers amazing versatility in regards to organization and storage — a big reason we awarded it a Top Pick Award. If you're a fan of pockets and features and need to have a wrinkle-free suit or dress for your next business meeting, this is our favorite.

The outside of this bag is pretty simple. It features two pockets. One large pocket can be used to stash away folders, files, and a laptop in a protective sleeve. The other is smaller and ideal for items that you'd want quick access to like a cell phone, wallet, or passport.

The interior of the Magna gets a little more complicated. Inside, you will be blessed with the sight of many organizational pockets. If you love pockets and organization, you will adore this suitcase. In the main compartment, there is a compression system that features two zippered mesh pockets where you can stash items you'll need quick access to. On the sides of this main compartment are two long pockets. The one on the right is completely waterproof, making it ideal for storing gel or liquid products that might leak. On the other side is another mesh zippered pocket to put whatever you'd like.

On the front side of the suitcase is another storage compartment. When you unzip and fold it out, you'll see an extended pocket with a roller bar system, ideal for placing and storing a suit or dress that you need to keep wrinkle-free. If you don't need this feature, you can simply use this area as another organizational location with a compression strap or remove it completely.

In total, this case is advertised to hold about 85 liters. That said, when we packed it up, it easily held our 90-some liters of gear. The space inside is wide and deep enough to fit a few bulkier items like a camera or tripod, along with more than a week's worth of clothing and anything else you'd need for travel. Of all the cases we've tested, this offers the best features for the business traveler. That said, it's not reserved solely for that purpose. It's a great all-around use suitcase with a plethora of features.

Ease of Transport

Roll this two-wheeled luggage from the airport to your next destination with ease. The wheels offer a super smooth and stable ride when completely weighed down. They are extra-large to navigate cobbles and cracked sidewalks with little to no vibration. We also love the three-stop handle that allows you to find the perfect setting for your height.

When testing on a variety of surfaces, this bag was able to go upstairs, over grass and gravel, around rocks, and more. The distance between the bottom of the bag to the floor isn't much, so it still had trouble going over larger rocks, but it made it nonetheless!

The handles of the Magna also impressed us. They are super comfortable, easy to grab, and composed of leather. We also appreciate that there is a handle at the bottom so you can grab the suitcase, even when it's completely loaded, with ease.

Overall, this case is easy to handle and can get through most surfaces. In general, we'd recommend to use it over hard surfaces, like all roller luggage, but it can take the brunt when your next work destination doesn't have paved roads.

Weight

According to our scales, the Magna weighs in at about 10 lbs. This means you can pack 40 lbs of gear into it before hitting weight maximums at the airport. In general, we feel the weight of this case is admirable, considering all the features it offers. While it's not the lightest option out there, its profile and weight make it easy to maneuver all day long.

Style

We love the style of the Magna and give it top points for its clean lines and thoughtful embellishments. It stands out as a great looking suitcase, perfected for the formal traveler. This great look further qualifies it as our Top Pick for Business Travel.

Value

If you need a high-quality suitcase that will offer you features like a suit or dress holder, you might find the high cost of the Magna worth it. While there are some documented issues with reliability, we have assessed these features to be quite durable and feel that this piece of luggage will last a long time. However, if you do not need your suitcase to have extra bells and whistles, the steep price tag on this one may not make sense.

Conclusion

The Travelpro Platinum Magna 2 is a top candidate for business travel and pleasure. The BMW of our tested suitcases, it comes fully loaded with features that will have you performing best at your next board meeting away from home.