American Tourister

They share an owner but sit at different price tiers. American Tourister is owned by Samsonite, and its products are deliberately priced lower than Samsonite's. In practice that makes American Tourister the budget-friendly, casual line within the same family — the right pick if you want a decent suitcase without the premium spend, while Samsonite is positioned as the step-up brand.

It is best understood as value-first travel gear. As Samsonite's lower-priced brand, American Tourister aims at travellers who want a serviceable bag rather than a top-tier one — fine for occasional trips and lighter use. If you fly constantly and check bags hard every week, you may want to spend up; for vacations and intermittent travel it covers the basics.

More than just check-in bags. American Tourister's range includes backpacks, suitcases and wallets, so it spans everyday carry as well as travel luggage. That breadth makes it a one-stop budget option for someone kitting out a trip rather than a single-category specialist.

Start with what matches how you travel. The brand's core is its suitcases, with backpacks and wallets rounding out the lineup, so a carry-on-friendly case is the natural first buy for most people. Think about whether you mostly do short trips or longer hauls, then pick the size that fits your typical journey rather than the biggest case on the shelf.

Brothers Sol and Irving Koffler founded American Luggage Works in 1933, in Providence, Rhode Island. So the brand's roots run back to the Depression-era United States, well before it joined the company it now sits under. That long American luggage heritage is part of its appeal.

Through a corporate reshuffle in the 1990s. American Tourister was acquired by Astrum International in 1993 — the same group that owned Samsonite — and Astrum was renamed the Samsonite Corporation two years later. That is how two of the best-known American luggage names came to live under one roof.

In Providence, Rhode Island, where the Koffler brothers launched American Luggage Works in 1933. A New England luggage maker by birth, it grew into the widely sold travel brand recognised today, eventually folding into the Samsonite family.

That is precisely the niche it occupies. Because it is priced below Samsonite while being backed by the same company, American Tourister is the go-to when you want recognisable luggage without a premium outlay. For value-conscious travellers and occasional trips, it is one of the more sensible names to look at first.

Luggage tends to follow predictable sale rhythms, so timing helps. The strongest windows are usually the big seasonal retail events and the run-up to peak travel periods, when suitcase ranges get refreshed and older styles are cleared. If your trip is not imminent, it is worth watching for one of these dips rather than buying a case at full price on impulse.