Rolling suitcase or backpack? The age old struggle for any traveler these days- myself included. I’ve only physically backpacked once before - through Central America with a 50L pack. It was convenient in the sense that I really had no desire to drag a roller bag down crowded dirt roads, from water taxi to tuk tuk & onto chicken buses (yes real chickens were seen and sat next to). It was heavy (notorious over packer here), and it was far too hot to have that much strapped to my back but I never ruled out the backpack. Wheels break and handles come loose on everyone at least once am I right? So where am I going with this you ask? Straight to my newest obsession - CabinZero. A UK based company, and one I heard about a few years back thanks to the awesome blog from Justin + Lauren and their review (which you can find here). I was intrigued by their review of the bag, but as I wasn’t traveling when I read it initially I didn’t do too much research into it and the idea fell to the wayside. That is until I moved to Europe and saw one of the bags in a shop window in Paris. After seeing the bag and thinking about how my poor rolling suitcase was faring on the cobbled streets of European cities I decided to get serious and find out more.
Which brings me to the present day, having returned last mont from an awesome trip to Barcelona with my new CabinZero 44L Classic pack. CEO Neil Varden started up this company after years of traveling and struggles with luggage. He believes that every trip should be an adventure and that your luggage shouldn’t hold you back; case in point CabinZero..the cabin sized carry on bag to end all other carry ons. Lets start with the name - CabinZero why? Well Cabin sized (obviously) and Zero for zero hassle! Already got your attention doesn’t it? I know it did for me, moving to the UK I had aa carry on roller bag and after a frustrating experience with RyanAir, I realized I would need something more suitable for all the traveling I wanted to do. Which brings me to Clifford (yes I’ve named the bag, and any 90’s baby will remember Clifford the big red dog should understand).
Specs
Colour: Naga Red (hence Clifford) Size: 44L
Dimensions: 51 X 36 X 19 cm Weight: 0.76 kg Composition: Waterproof Polyester (outer) / Polyester (inner lining)
(Click the image to check out other colours & styles on the website)
Features
Side compression straps, topside grab handle and a side handle. Outer zippered pocket running the length of the bag perfect for those quick grab items (charges, documents, passport etc).
Padded Shoulder straps and back that are seriously cushy. So long sore shoulders & backs!
Interior pockets to keep your life organized and zips the full way around so no more of that hassle of having to unpack everything to find that one t-shirt you want to wear (bonus it fits packing cubes perfectly; for the extra organized human)
Laptop sleeve within fitting my 13’ MacBook Pro (with more than enough room to fit bigger laptops)
Lockable Zippers to keep your gear safe & secure (with your own padlock- I have these)
Fully lined; which makes it easy to wipe down should you, oh I don’t know, forget to clean your runners and put them in your bag muddy…(oops!)
Warranty of your dreams! Every CabinZero bag comes with a 10 year warranty right off the bat and if you want a few more years reassurance all you have to do is give them a 👍 on Facebook to find yourself with 25 years worth of warranty!
And possibly my favourite feature of this bag - the built in Global Luggage Tracker. Powered by Okoban, this revolutionary system means saying goodbye to those aggravating airline baggage claims calls that go something like this “Sorry Miss we don’t know where your bag is” (it’s happened to me more than once). Each bag comes with a coded tag. Once you receive your bag, just register your new travel pack & you’re good as gold to track your bag via GPS should the unfortunate experience of lost luggage plague you.
Another really awesome and proud feature of not just the bags but the company as a whole is the Social Responsibility policy CabinZero has. A UK based company, not using sweatshop workers to create their products, which is a huge achievement, and encouraging sustainable travel with their products. To find out more about their sustainability policy check out their link here .
Major Airlines Accepting CabinZero as carry on
Air Canada
British Airways (except to/from Brazil)
Westjet
Easyjet
RyanAir
Aerlingus
Delta
American Airlines
Emirates
Veuling
Norwegian Air
For more airlines please get in touch, or check the specs of the bag vs the specs of the airline
I was first able to use my bag on my recent trip to Barcelona (with EasyJet), and even though I seriously overpacked (every damn trip it happens) there was still more than enough room in the bag for additional items, and went down a treat as I used public transit to get to/from the airport t & my hostel. I was able to pack all my toiletries, clothes, chargers & even my DSLR camera into the bag with no issue. It was so nice not to struggle with handles & wheels going up & down the stairs in the metro & train stations for once! When I got back to the UK it was raining (of course) and I was so thankful for the waterproof exterior as it kept all my stuff dry on the inside after spending about 20 minutes out in the rain from the train to my place!
All in all this bag is wicked! The one & only little tiff I have is that if you tend to travel with a small day pack & your luggage you could find yourself doubling up (front & bag) with backpacks, which can be annoying, but if you take into account the laptop sleeve in the CabinZero bag then you could get away using a tote bag for your day to day getting around or better yet? Invest in one of these packable daypacks like this one from Eddie Bauer that I swear by (not an ad for E.B, I bought it and it was the best money I’ve spent on a day pack) it compacts into the size of a balled up shirt to give you an idea and fit perfectly in my pack. It’s been a great investment to my travel bag collection, as is my CabinZero pack! I’m stoked to continue adventuring knowing that I have this awesome piece of gear to come along with me! And if you want to add one of these to your travel gear collection hop on over to https://www.cabinzero.com/collections/travel and use promo code SHEWHOWANDERS to get 10% off at checkout!
*Disclaimer - Although I did receive this product at no cost, the opinions and words are my own and not influenced by the company*