Amazon Basics 20-Inch Hardside Spinner Review

Hop into the time machine for a moment and remember the first time you traveled. For some, that might be when you were a kid. For others, it might have been later. Regardless, the cost is a significant barrier to entry for many people regarding travel.

Here at Pack Hacker, we think that everyone should be able to travel. We’d rather see more people hitting the road, plane, or train, even using an Amazon Basics bag, than sitting at home wishing they could afford to.

All that said, this is a review. We’ve rigorously tested this spinner and will share our results with you, good and bad. Just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean it’s quality, and sometimes, you’re better off saving up a little more money to buy a bag that’ll last you longer than a month. Will that be the case here? Let’s dive in!

External Components

This is a hard-sided bag, and the external material is ABS plastic. It isn’t the thickest material we’ve dealt with when testing carry on rolling luggage; however, it feels durable enough for the task at hand. When you pack it out, the materials feel more sturdy. When storing it, we don’t recommend loading a bunch of items on top of the bag when it’s empty, as this will lead to a higher probability of it cracking. Fully packed, no issue!

At the time of writing, the bag is available in Black, Light Blue, Navy Blue, and Orange colorways. With Amazon Basics, we’ve noticed design choices appearing and disappearing, so it’s worth checking to see what’s available. We dig these options, but the Black and Navy Blue models are team favorites. That said, the sleeker models look like many other hard-sided luggage brands, so it’s worth adding some pizazz to your case. Think stickers, tape, or a pipe cleaner on the handle. This will make finding your bag at the luggage claim much easier!

The zippers aren’t a brand we recognize; however, we haven’t had any issues with them. Even when fully packed, you can still close them with ease. The metal pulls can be a little loud, but you can combat this by placing them on the top of the roller, as they won’t jangle as much there.

There are handles on the top and side of the bag, which is handy for grabbing the case from the overhead bin, under the bus, or at the luggage claim. The material is flexible and slides a little on either side so that there’s enough room for your hand to slide inside. It isn’t the most comfortable design; however, it retracts so that it doesn’t protrude very far when not in use, which we dig because it creates a sleek look and prevents it from getting caught on things in the overhead bin.

One side of the roller has feet—four, to be exact. This is handy for setting the pack down; however, we didn’t use these very often. Most of the time, we had it on four wheels. Apart from these, the exterior doesn’t have much defense from the outside world. There are no reinforced corners or other areas with extra protection.

The telescopic handle has three stopping points, which we’re here for. It makes the case more accessible to taller and shorter travelers. The mechanism is a little wobbly; however, not in a way that deters us from wanting to use it. Overall, the system works well enough.

The 360-degree wheels work as you’d expect them to. The transition between two and four wheels isn’t always the most seamless. However, even the best wheels have hiccups when making that transition. Long term, we worry about the wheels’ durability, but we haven’t had any issues to date. If we do, we’ll update the usage timeline below!

Regarding sizing, you’ll want to check the specific airline you’ll be flying to see if this pack will work for you. In testing, we took this bag on a Delta flight. Despite slightly exceeding their requirements, it was allowed onto the plane and fit into the overhead compartment. Delta’s requirements are 22 × 14 × 9 in (55.9 × 35.6 × 22.9 cm), and this bag measures 21.46 in x 14.76 in x 9.45 (54.5 cm x 37.5 x 24), so it is just barely over. If the workers had inspected it, we may have had to pay to check the bag.

It’s worth noting that this pack is the 20-inch model. Additionally, it comes in 24 and 28-inch versions at the time of this review. Those are too large to be considered a carry on, but they are a solid budget-friendly solution for a checked bag.

Fit Notes

Overall, using the Amazon Basics 20-Inch Hardside Spinner is a comfortable experience. As we mentioned, it rolls well, spins nicely on four wheels, and the transition between the two modes is okay. On rough surfaces, it survives, but the wheels give us long-term durability concerns. So far, there have been no issues to report.

The bag stands well independently, and you can sit on it when packed. When empty or even half-full, it’ll bow slightly when you sit on it, which gives us a little pause when considering long-term durability. That said, again, there are no issues to report.

The telescopic handle isn’t the most comfortable. There’s no padding or grippy material; however, it gets the job done. Generally speaking, that’s how this luggage feels overall. It isn’t the most comfortable or streamlined, but it’ll get you there without much fuss, which is commendable for the price.

For most travelers, the handle heights will work. Those of us on the team that are over six foot felt that it was just barely long enough. If you’re over that height, the handle might feel slightly short, but you’re probably used to that, as the height on the Amazon Basics bag is pretty standard in our experience.

Inside The Carry On Luggage

Before we dive inside, it’s worth mentioning that this carry on luggage is expandable. That’s one of the perks of rolling luggage; you can make many models larger. Some travel backpacks and daypacks will have this feature, but it isn’t as common and often doesn’t bolster the capacity as significantly. This model has a zipper that runs parallel to the main compartment zipper. Occasionally, you might open that one accidentally, as there isn’t a great way to differentiate the two.

The liner inside the pack is 150D-polyester. It feels durable enough but has a cheap feeling. We’ve felt this way before, which isn’t the biggest deal. However, it is noticeable.

On the right side, there’s a large open area for stowing gear. A compression system here usually operates as more of a corralling system. It’s shaped like an X and uses stretchy material, but you’ve got to fill the space up for the elastic to do anything because the straps are attached at the top of the compartment. If you place smaller gear here, it may not even touch the straps. Significant gaps exist in which the X-shape doesn’t hold anything, so more oversized items do better here. Smaller items may bounce out through one of the gaps. If you’re packing for two people, you won’t have to worry about filling this space up.

There’s a long, skinny, zippered pocket on the side closest to the middle of this area. While checking out the product when we received it, some of the glue securing this pocket came undone. It still works fine, but it is a telling sign of the quality control with these bags. This issue doesn’t affect usage, but we worry that more might come undone.

On the left side, there’s more organization. There’s a liner barrier that you can get inside with a C-shaped zipper track. On the exterior of the lid are two mesh zippered pockets. They don’t have much depth, so smaller items do well here, like a charging cable, map, passport, or other flat gear. If you’ve got the compartment below it packed full, it’s more challenging to stow things here.

Underneath the lid is another large area for storage. As there’s a closure on this side, it’s better to stow items you don’t want bouncing around here than the side with the X compression system, as nothing can escape.

On a trip to Boston, we packed clothing in packing cubes, a Dopp kit, snacks, and tech on the left, zippered side. On the right side, we stowed shoes, dirty clothing, and a few books purchased as gifts. The system wasn’t flawless, and there are multiple ways to pack this bag, but it’s what worked in this use case.

Overall, this bag is okay. We don’t love it, but we didn’t hate using it. For the price, it’s a solid entry-level bag for new travelers. That said, you won’t want to use it forever, and based on the build quality, you probably won’t be able to, anyway.