Sturdy luggage for someone with low back injury

Are you actually planning to carry your bag on? You will be responsible for lifting into the overhead yourself as the flight crew cannot help.

I'd go with the lightest weight luggage of the ones you narrow down to, then work very hard to get your total packed bag weight down to well under 20#.

I have an Osprey Ozone 21" 2-wheeler. It weighs 4.5#. Wheels are sturdy, monopole handle is very sturdy. There is also a good grab handle on the bottom that helps me with lifting. It packs weird and you can't stack a bag with a trolley strap on top. It works for me but it's an odd bag and doesn't work for everyone. My last couple of trips my bag was between 16.1 and 18# when I walked out of the house to go to the airport.

Size-wise, each airline may have different dimensions. IF you will be flying on any of the intra-European flights you might need to go smaller. I got this one because it fit Air France's dimensions and helped me keep under their weight restrictions.

I can still lift up to 30lb, maybe 35lb. But I don't want to be in a situation where the wheels or handle breaks and I have to carry it around all day or a lot. I can do a couple of lifts here and there, just not a lot if something were to break.

Oh, that's good. I'd still try to keep your suitcase weight under 20#.

If you get a name brand case you should not have problems where you have to carry your suitcase. It it does have a catastrophic failure you can easily buy an inexpensive piece in Europe to last you your trip.

I've also had the Rick Steves brand of 2-wheeler and although the handle is wobbly it's never gone out on me. I got a TravelPro 2-wheeler at TJ Maxx and the handle will not completely extend any more even with me trying to trouble shoot it using a youtube video. I have pretty much given up on airline travel with that. I've not seen anyone else mention issues with the Travel Pro handles so I suspect the reason it was cheap at TJ Maxx is that it was a factory second, lol.

To me the wheels are sturdier on the 2-wheelers with the inline skate type wheels. However, it might be easier on your back to have the 4-wheeler that you can push along beside you instead of having to twist and pull behind you in the airport.

You need to spend good money to get good quality when it comes to luggage. Look to purchase a great brand such a Victorinox Swiss Army Luggage. That brand, not a knock off. The small and mid size is prefect and the 4 wheels, spinner style is so easy move move on hard surfaces. Glides along easily.

Travelpro maxlite 5. It comes in a 22 inch model (fits domestic carry on criterion) The bag is 22 inches with wehels and handle comes in just under 24 inches. It is a 2 wheeler, more maneuverable down streets (esp. Cobblestone ones and up and down inclines ( curbs, etc.)) than a 4 wheeler. 4 wheelers’ wheels are weak and break pretty easily. Both have 2 handle one on top and one on the side to easily lift it in and out of overhead bins. They also have a telescoping handle for long. Total 3 handles.
This is one model…. Maxlite 5 22" Expandable Carry-On Rollaboard.
Model number is 401172247.

.Overall (includes wheels and carry handles):
H: 23 in. W: 14.5 in. D:9 in.
Case Dimensions: H: 21 in. W: 14 in. D: 9 in.
Weight: 5.4 lbs.
Volume: 52 L

For European travel you need this model # 401174301
Overall Dimensions (includes wheels and carry handles):
H: 21.75 in. W: 15.75 in. D: 7.75 in.
Case Dimensions: H: 20 in. W: 15 in. D: 7.75 in.
Weight: 5.4 lbs.
Volume: 45 L.
Both of these come in 7 colors.

I have had a pair of these ( the smaller version) for 5 years and they still look new, probable because I never checked them and I chose black color (hides dirt and stains).
BTW, the small one fits inside the larger one for storage.
They make larger bags in this style as wel, however I do not know how well they would hold up when checking. And light weight bag gives up it’s sturdiness for a lighter weight, keep this in mind. good luck!
BTW again. Look on eBay for these bags they can be found about 1/2 the retail may be seconds ( small cosmetic flaw) but that’s where I get ALL my luggage!

Also used ones…. A little used means it’ worn in..
LOL!

This one will meet international carry on requirements, has wheels that will withstand cobblestone, curbs and other challenges, has the handle guides on the outside allowing a lot more room, and has a lifetime warranty. It will last you forever, but it is expensive. I’ve had mine back and forth to Europe half a dozen times, dragged for mile after mile: https://www.amazon.com/Briggs-Riley-Spinners-21-inch-Baseline/dp/B09Y28PWMY?th=1

The key to a good spinner is the wheels. Opt or eight rather than 4. (2 at each corner.). If one breaks, it should still roll without a problem.

I use a Samsonite Airea. It has eight wheels and weighs just over 4 lbs. I've been using it for over three years all over Europe without a problem. And that's full time travel.

It measures 55 x 35 x 22 cm expandable to 25 cm which fits most European carry on requirements.

Now, the downside. It's technically not available in the US. However, Selfridges will ship it to the US for 30 GBP. It takes less than a week.

https://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/product/samsonite-airea-upright-soft-case-4-wheel-top-pocket-cabin-suitcase-55cm_R00120371/#colour=DARK%20BLUE

This item comes in and out of stock including which colors are available. The downside, of course, is you would have to pay for shipping to return it and that would cost a lot more than 30 GBP.

Be careful with some of the Travelpro's as they are wider than what most US airlines allow and lately I've seen some ground crew checking luggage on domestic fights. Especially full ones.

US airlines have been losing money lately and they will need to find new ways to increase revenue. Cracking down on luggage limits could be a big money maker.

I'm another fan of the TravelPro Maxlite 5 carry-on spinner. It's lightweight (5.4lbs), very easy to move along with no stress to your back, and does find over cobblestones and pavements. Keep in mind that cobblestones are not as prevalent as they used to me. Many cities have large sidewalks and pavements that are very easy to maneuver with a spinner. It's a good sturdy bag, and I've used it for years.

I first started using them based on the recommendation of my brother, a Delta pilot, who swears by this brand. You can find them on Amazon, at the TravelPro website and many other places. I found one on sale at Lexington Luggage.

I have finally invested in some good luggage after going through several pieces. If you can catch them on sale, then you may want to look up the Mono and Away brand.

I have a Mono brand hard side and my daughter has an Away brand hard side carry-on. I would say the Mono has a slight edge over the Away luggage. It's a little easier to pack and moves with such ease that my disabled adult daughter always took charge of it through Heathrow and the train stations and I ended up with the Away luggage (which is still very easy to move).

Both brands did well on cobblestones when we walked a mile from the station to our hotel in Bruges this summer.

Two of our wedding guests lost wheels on luggage coming into Heathrow this summer. They used Amazon UK which delivered right to the hotel.

Unrelated to your question, and unsolicited, so ignore if desired, but if you have back pain, wheeling a bag for miles will do you in. In this day and age you can store luggage in many places, even bike shops or pubs.
Move Google maps to your relevant town and type in 'luggage storage'. Or ask your accommodation if they offer luggage storage. I used the pub across the street from the Salisbury train station for a day visit, for example. Sure it costs a few dollars, and may require a backtrack, but cheaper than physio and better than pain.
Certainly aim for wheels that are sturdy, but please don't plan to wheel any longer than absolutely necessary. There are so many other alternatives.

I have a problematic low back, which has been giving me more serious problems in recent months. Happy to say I just returned from three weeks of happily rolling my Osprey Ozone 2-wheeler (an earlier model of the one previously mentioned) around Germany, Ireland and Scotland. I have had this bag for several years and used it many times, even loaned it to friends once or twice. I lived out of it for 7 months while traveling all over Europe in 2018. No issues. Highly recommended.

That said, I checked it on every leg of this trip. Not because I couldn't lift it into the overhead (I mean, I could have, but I almost certainly would have regretted it), but because it was free on my flights over and back, and it didn't appear to meet the size requirements for my flights within Europe (which were not enforced on the flights I took--go figure!). I was glad I checked the bag.

Another vote for an Osprey wheeled bag. I have severe scoliosis, degenerative disc disease and autoimmune arthritis and my Osprey Sojourn bumps along on cobblestones easily.

Having two wheels is great on trains as I'm not chasing it up and down the corridor like the people with the 4-wheeled spinner bags are.

Disregard this if you are not interested as it is not quite what you asked but it works...I recently had prior back pain reactivated (fell out of bed, LOL, I'm really just a little kid). Anyway, I've started packing in two bags at the same time. I have an Eagle Creek Expanse wheeled tote. It is about 13" X 14" X 8" and weighs 3 1/2 lbs. I also have a Sherpani Soleil 12" X 15" X 5" tote/backpack/crossbody that fits onto the handles of my wheeled bag. I've been packing for a domestic trip with an upcoming international colder weather trip in mind. I can fit everything into these two bags and still have room in each, particularly in my Sherpani as the only additional item in there is a raincoat. So, I can change the weight balance when I want or need to do so, by wearing the Sherpani. The EC tote is easy to carry as it is so light. The EC bag, packed, weighs 13 lbs and the Sherpani weighs very little even with my mirrorless camera in it...so little I didn't weigh it, but I suspect less than 5 lbs. This division allows me to change position, balance, and system easily, and to easily climb up steep steps such as a train. Plus the wheeled bag would seem to fit into the overhead bin of even the smallest commercial plane.

I will echo what Wray said above. I also have back issues plus a shoulder injury that makes it impossible to pull 2 wheeled luggage. The split luggage system works very well for me. There's a huge advantage to splitting your packing weight into 2 items. Neither one becomes too heavy for me to briefly carry or lift overhead, and faced with steps in my accommodation, I carried up one at a time.

I love my sturdy Rick Steves 22 inch spinner, but when fully packed it's too heavy for me now. I've been forced to take less and downsize even further.

I now use a Verage 17 inch spinner bag that holds a surprising amount of clothes. It's advertised as an "underseat" bag, but I think that's unrealistic on most flights, so that one goes in the overhead bin. Then I also have another soft sided bag with a sleeve that fits over the handle of the Verage and counts as my personal item. Mine is old, but it's something like the Foldie that's currently being advertised. Because it's soft sided I can fit it under the seat in front of me.

Good luck to you in finding the right system. The struggle is real!