CES 2026: I Made Fun of My Daughter, but This Rideable Luggage Made Me a Believer

Like many parents, sometimes I view my kids as lazy. This was one of those times: At Orlando International Airport, on our way to Disney World, my 16-year-old daughter shared how much she wanted a rideable suitcase. I laughed and told her that she can walk just fine. "Besides," I added, "that would never work."

I hadn't seen rideable luggage yet, and I pointed out the immediate detractions that came to mind. First, it wouldn't work for someone like me—6'3 and 215 pounds. Second, I had doubts that it would have much storage space to carry items, which is the whole point of luggage. And third, who would be caught dead riding something so silly? But my daughter was determined to prove to me not only that they exist, but that they're popular. She showed me videos of them in action. I wasn't convinced.

We joked about rideable luggage as we walked through the airport. It came up again as we trekked through Disney World. ("See, if we had rideable luggage, we wouldn't be so tired.") By the time we walked to baggage claim after returning to LaGuardia, it was a running gag. That same week, as I prepared for CES, I looked into rideable suitcases and made plans to test them out at the show. And as it turns out, my daughter was right.

At CES, I tried several rideable suitcases, putting my bulky 6'3, 215-pound frame on motorized, battery-powered, airplane cabin-sized bags. The best I rode came from Jitlife, which is premiering its fourth model, the Jitlife JS07i, this year. Not only did it impress, but it's also one of the finalists for the official Best of CES 2026 awards for the travel category.

Like all the suitcases I drove, the Jitlife rideable suitcase is the size of a standard cabin bag but can carry up to 250 pounds, has a maximum speed of around 8 miles per hour, and can travel about six miles on a charge. The suitcase has a capacity of 28 liters, which is indeed much less than the 60-80 liters of space I expect from a standard check-in bag, but it's better than I thought for something that weighs under 20 pounds and can carry me around. Overall, the kid was right: Rideable luggage can work, and it's actually already a fairly common sight in Asia, particularly in China.

As for looking goofy riding one, well, I believe my point stands. But, for those with accessibility needs, younger children, or people who prioritize its functionality over the judgment of strangers, rideable luggage might be a worthwhile solution for moving through large airports more quickly and easily. Testing it out is certainly the most fun I've had at CES, so whatever the future of rideable luggage, I'll live with the "I told you so" from my kid.

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