A trunk, also known as a travel trunk, is a large cuboid container designed to hold clothes and other personal belongings. They are most commonly used for extended periods away from home, such as for boarding school, or long trips abroad. Trunks are differentiated from chests by their more rugged construction due to their intended use as luggage, instead of the latter's pure storage.

Among the many styles of trunks there are Jenny Lind, Saratoga, monitor, steamer or cabin, barrel-staves, octagon or bevel-top, wardrobe, dome-top, barrel-top, wall trunks, and even full dresser trunks. These differing styles often only lasted for a decade or two as well, and—along with the hardware—can be extremely helpful in dating an unmarked trunk.

Although trunks have been around for thousands of years, the most common styles seen and referred to today date from the late 18th century to the early 20th century, when they were supplanted in the market by the cost-effective and lighter suitcase.

Trunks were generally constructed with a base trunk box made of pine which was then covered with protective and decorative materials. Some of the earliest trunks are covered with studded hide or leather and look much like the furniture of the same period (which makes sense as trunk manufacturing was sometimes an offshoot of a furniture business.) Later coverings include paper, canvas, plain or embossed tin, with an uncounted assortment of hardware and hardwood slats to keep it all down. They sometimes were made with a small brass handle on top and were made in many sizes.

The use of classic trunks for luggage was widespread through the first two decades of the twentieth century but began to fade in popularity thereafter in favor of the modern suitcase. By the end of the 1940s their use had become rare and in modern times is almost unknown.

There were hundreds of trunk manufacturers in the United States and a few of the larger and well known companies were Rhino Trunk & Case, C. A. Taylor, Haskell Brothers, Martin Maier, Romadka Bros., Goldsmith & Son, Crouch & Fitzgerald, M. M. Secor, Winship, Hartmann, Belber, Oshkosh, Seward, and Leatheroid. One of the largest American manufacturers of trunks at one point—Seward Trunk Co. of Petersburg, Virginia—still makes them for school and camp, and another company—Shwayder Trunk Company of Denver, Colorado—would eventually become Samsonite. Another is the English luxury goods manufacturer H. J. Cave trading since 1839. Their Osilite trunk was used by such famous customers as T. E. Lawrence and Ruth Vincent. Some of the better known French trunk makers were Louis Vuitton, Goyard, Moynat, and Au Départ. Only a few remain with the most prominent US companies, being Mercury Seward, Rhino Trunk & Case, and C & N Footlockers.

The easiest way for the casual observer to date any trunk is still by examining its style, so a short description of each aforementioned major variety follows.

Jenny Lind trunks have a distinctive hour glass or keyhole shape when viewed from the side. They were named after the Swedish singer Jenny Lind.