Rolling suitcases have changed since the 1990s. The most important change recently has been the weight of the suitcase. My c.1990’s 29 inch roll-aboard weighed twenty (20) pounds when empty! It was too big and too heavy to lift into the trunk of the car taking me to the airport. I got a lot of strange side glances from struggling airport taxi drivers thinking they didn’t get paid enough to lift bags like that. Both the Travelpro Marquis Expandable 25 inch and the Travelpro Maxlite 3 Expandable 25 inch weigh only eight (8) pounds when empty. Much better on the back.
The other major change is how it rolls and stands when packed. These are both spinners, which means there are 4 wheels vs roll-aboard (tilt and roll on 2 back wheels). Roll-aboards often tip over when fully packed and rested on the front feet. The newer spinners are designed to distribute the weight better, even when expanded, so there shouldn’t be as much tipping. Spinners can be pushed, glide at your side, or pulled. This is easier on your shoulder, arm and wrist. The 360-degree spinners are more maneuverable in entering elevators or trains and rotate on their wheel base in tight areas. The Travelpro has two locking extensions to accommodate different user’s heights. Because you no longer tilt the suitcase the telescopic handle needn’t extend as far. Please note that this can effect how you stack another bag on top of your case; if you are short and use the first locking position the telescoping handle’s extension is considerably shorter than on a roll-aboard.
Also, the spinner wheels in the Marquis have not only the unique bottom tray to stablilize the wheels like the Maxlite 3, but the Marquis also has Magnatrac, which uses magnets to keep the wheels aligned. Although this listing says the Marquis’s wheels can be removed and replaced with a simple screwdriver, I believe that may only apply to the roll-aboard Marquis models, not the spinners. The Travelpro Maxlite 3 being very similar to the Marquis, does has the bottom wheel tray, but does not have Magnatrac. The lining in the black Maxlite 3 is black with blue trim, while the lining of the black Marquis is all blue. There is a little stylish black trim on the Marquis.
However, the important features such as 2" tapered extension and corner guards and wheel crashguards are the same. Also they both have wonderful top, side and bottom cushioned handles for lifting, and carrying up stairs. The bottom handle is important in lifting the suitcase into the trunk of your car, or onto a packing / unpacking surface. They are made of the same, or similar, water- and puncture -resistant fabric, both inside and outside.
The zippers on my Maxlite 3 worked very smoothly. The pulls on the zipper to the inner suitcase do cross-meet and have holes that line up for a safety lock to be threaded through. I prefer the outer pocket on the Marquis. The Maxlite 3 outer pocket is very big, almost as long as the lid, but shallow. Travelpro describes the outer pocket of the Maxlite 3 for stashing a coat when traveling from warm to cold locales, or newspaper/magazines, or a few files. It unzips on both sides and there is only an inner safety gusset along the very lowest part–again for weight distribution so it doesn’t tip forward. One could open the Maxlite 3’s outer pocket carefully by only unzipping one side at a time so smaller items do not fall out. The Marquis’s outer zip pocket has a smaller top zip pocket. Both cases came out in late 2013, or 2014 and I am so grateful for the user-friendly improvements. Recommended.

Great suitcase! 25" was the perfect size for my international trip. I stuffed it full with 2 weeks worth of summer clothes and gifts and was still 5 pounds under the 50 pound limit for United. It held up well for my 16,000 mile round trip flight. If you are looking for airline check luggage, I would stick with a suitcase 26" or smaller or you will easily go over the weight limit.

Also if you are debating between 2 wheel versus 4 wheel, I recommend the 4 wheel. I have heard complaints of 4 wheel luggage rolling away from you and wheels getting caught on uneven roads but I experienced none of these problems. The majority of my time was spent rolling the suitcase inside airports, inside hotels or through parking lots. The wheels were able to handle all these situations with no problem.

I especially enjoyed being able to have both hands full in the airport and being able to guide my suitcase alongside me as I’m walking by kicking it with my feet. You can’t do that with a rollaboard suitcase!

I fell in love with this suitcase the minute I took it out of the box and raised it aloft with one weak finger. Sure, I thought, it’s lightweight; but will it hold up during travel? Now, having returned from a long sea voyage and a trans-Atlantic flight I can report: Yes, it will. Even though it looked like it spent the duration of the flight back underneath a locomotive when I took it off the baggage carousel, after half an hour it snapped back and is now as good as new.

Best of all, my Travelpro Maxlite3 rolls so easily it practically moves itself. And it seems immune to tipping over (my last 4-wheeler was not). What a joy!