Replacing Our 10-Year-Old Suitcases: Level8 Voyageur Luggage Review for World Travelers
Sigh. Nothing more bittersweet than getting new luggage. It's a time to say goodbye to an old travel companion. One that’s been right there along with you, carrying all that’s important to you, in countless cities and countries. It’s often a part of travel memories while also being a constant support system you can rely on.
On the sweet side, retiring an old bag also means getting a new bag that is full of its own potential. It means new adventures on the horizon with improved materials, functionality, and features.
So after 10 years and 20+ countries, it’s time to get some new wheels. Our old bags lasted us so long, so we’ve been hesitant to pick new ones. We’ve been in search of a brand we can trust that will see us through another 10 years and many new destinations.
That’s why we were thrilled about the opportunity to partner with Level8. Perfect bags, at the perfect time. Often ranked one of the best carry-on suitcases, we’re excited to see the adventures we get up to together, us and our new bags. In this post, we’ll cover how to pick the right suitcase and include a full Level8 review of their Voyageur bag. Interested in getting a Level8 bag for yourself? Use my promo code ROAM15 for 15% off.
This post includes affiliate links. They will come with a tracking code. If you purchase a product after clicking on my affiliate link, I will earn a small commission at no further cost to you.
This blog post is created in partnership with Level8, who provided products/compensation in exchange for this feature. We only recommend products we genuinely use and love. The views and opinions expressed here are entirely our own. Learn more about this on my privacy policy.
10 Years with our Old Suitcases: What we Learned
Our old bags are covered in stickers and full of stories. They’ve taken us everywhere, and I mean everywhere. From 100 days traveling around Asia to frequent visits to Europe and countless corporate work trips (when I was a corporate girly), they’ve been our trusted partners. Since we’ve had a lot of experiences with them, here’s what worked well, but also the signs it was time to replace.
What Worked Well Over the Years
A Bag That Fits Your Stuff
It sounds obvious, but it’s not always a given. When you travel a lot, you start to develop your greatest hits and your must-haves: the best shoes for a trip, a trusty sweater, or the perfectly sized toiletry bag. While all carry-ons are generally the same size, they can have different layouts or structures.
Over the 10 years with our old bags, I knew they would fit three packing cubes on one side and a pair of shoes, toiletry bag, and odds and ends on the other side. While that system (and trust) developed over the years, it’s something that you need to know is a potential in whatever bag you pick. Can you see it happily fitting all of your favorite travel items?
Hardshell + Stickers
Looking back, they were actually our first hardshell bags. I guess 10+ years ago, that’s when hardshell was really solidifying itself as the dominant material. For us, the hardshell provided a nice protective layer, and it also just looked good. It wasn’t until maybe half way through that we realized the hardshell was the perfect canvas for stickers.
It felt nostalgic. Like the destination stamps and stickers on old time leather suitcases. We had hit a point where we didn’t want to always add another souvenir from another place that would need to have a space in our house. So we turned to stickers as our main form of souvenir and stuck them to our suitcases bringing the memories along with us.
Our old bags with their multitude of stickers
Durable Wheels
To this day I don’t know how the wheels of our old bags have survived for so long. We had a few close calls, but they still continued on. The worst one was a long walk over gravel on our way to a boat in Vietnam. I remember thinking “this is the time we lose a wheel”, but no, they survived, and we kept rolling.
The wheels on our older bags are on the bigger side which probably helped with their lifetime, but the wheels have also been one of the limitations for fitting the bags into the overhead compartments. So bigger wheels are good but also a challenge.
Signs To Replace an Old Bag
So why, you ask, are we retiring them? It’s time. They’re still rocking and rolling, but they’re showing their age. Here are big reasons why:
Telescopic handles not going down anymore - This means the handle doesn’t go down when you want it to, and this is the biggest reason for us. While we’ve done a few small fixes like going through the fabric to tape up areas the buttons would stick, it’s happening more frequently and also we’re losing broader functionality of the bag.
The plastic layer peeling back - While mostly aesthetic, it does also speak to what the bags have gone through. Lots of bumps, scratches, and probably time out in the rain.
Not fitting as a carry-on - We bought these living in the US. They fit most if not all of the American overhead compartments. Since moving to the UK, we’re flying more European airlines which mean we often have to check them because they’re slightly too big.
Choosing the Right Carry-On Suitcase for World Travel
With countless carry-on suitcases on the market, picking a new one can feel overwhelming. To ease us into it, here are the three most debated features when it comes to luggage, and my stances on each. And if you disagree, leave me a comment and I’m happy to debate.
Roller Bag vs Travel Backpack
Roller bag: A tale as old as time. For anyone preparing for a big world journey or even just a weekend warrior, you’ll find endless debates on forums and lots of opinions. My biggest reason, I’ll spend more time in areas conducive to wheels than in areas that aren’t.
Hear me out, the majority of the time you’ll be moving around with your bag will be getting to and from places. Once you’re there, the bag most likely remains in the room. So unless you’re doing a hut-to-hut hike in the Dolomites (or something equally as rural and moving around as frequently), a roller bag is the best choice.
Even in places that aren't ideal for roller bags – gravel roads in Vietnam, cobblestones in Florence, sandy beaches in Thailand – the amount of time in these conditions is so much shorter than the time spent where you’ll be carrying your bags the most – airports and transportation. I always think about the long walks from terminal to terminal changing planes at an airport, trapsing through busy cities like London, or navigating public transportation in Paris. I would take a roller bag for those moments any day even if it means having to pick up and carry my suitcase over a dirt road for a short distance.
Hardshell vs soft shell
Hardshell: I mentioned it just above, but I’m a total hardshell convert. One of my biggest reasons, they are much easier to keep organized. Because the space of a hardshell is most often split in two (I don’t know if I’ve seen many soft sided bags designed like that), it’s much easier to organize. There are all types of approaches.
One side for clothes, the other side for toiletries
One side for clean, one side for dirty
One side for work activities, the other side for fun activities
Whichever division you need, you have two different sides to work with and layout your items. Maybe you need something quickly from your bag on the go. You can open the suitcase and dive into the side that has what you need versus rummaging through the full bag.
The other big reason I love a hardshell bag include:
The Durability - They can take the elements way better, rain, bumps, scratches, you name it, they’ll make it through.
The foundation for a souvenir sticker - For a frequent traveler, you won’t have space for a souvenir from everywhere you go. So a sticker is a small reminder, it goes with you, a badge of honor, and super easy to stick onto the hardshell.
2-Wheels vs 4-Wheels
4-Wheels: After having 4-wheels for 10+ years, I don’t know if I could ever go back. Nothing like the smooth rolling over an airport floor with a 4 wheel bag. In the most perfect conditions, I feel like I barely need to move my bag myself. In the worst conditions, I just roll it like a normal, every day 2-wheeled bag.
There’s just something about being able to keep your bag flat and level. I can easily rest my heavy backpack on it and roll through the airport versus having to lug the full weight of both bags at a 45 degree angle.
Why The Level8 Voyageur is the Best Carry-On for the Next 10 Years
Level8 Voyageur Review: First Impressions and Key Features
Interested in getting one for yourself? Use my promo code ROAM15 for 15% off at Level8.
The Perfect Size
For the first time, we can really breathe and know our bags will truly fit as a carry-on. With our old bags, it always kept me on edge and was a constant guessing game. With our Level8 bags, we know it will fit European carry-on requirements while still retaining almost the exact same interior cubic space.
Wide Handle Design
Speaking of size, part of the magic of Level8 bags is their revolutionary wide handle. Instead of the handle casing going straight through the middle of the bag, the handle casing fits into the edges of the bag, leaving the center packing compartment open for enhanced storage capacity. Not only better storage, the wide handle also means better stability and maneuverability. For us specifically, the aluminum alloy telescoping is so much smoother than what we’ve been used to over the past few years.
Polycarbonate Hardshell
Using such an innovative material, they offer improved durability without sacrificing on the weight of the bag. This new and improved hardshell from our existing bags gives me hope we will have them for 10+ years. It will be able to fully embrace all of the bumps and drops inherent in traveling without showing its age.
Zippered Interior Compression on BOTH SIDES
This means I’ll be able to secure all of my items better. I used to live with compression only on one side, so this is a big upgrade. I’m also extra partial to the zippered pouches built into the fabric. They'll be so convenient for adding extras, keeping specific items separate when needed, or just more organization in general. I think about using it while traveling for things like keeping dirty clothes separate or if anything is wet and needs to be packed it can go in the dry-wet pocket. If I have extra toiletries that I need to bring, I can also use the dry-wet compartment for that.
Interior detail with both of the compression compartments zipped
The compression compartment on the right has a dry-wet pocket
The Colorways
Okay slightly superficial, but it’s so fun to venture into a bag type that has some really beautiful colors to choose from. The existing bags are a plasticy silver, so I’m excited to start with something a little fresher. We opted for the limited edition celadon and the darkolive. Not only are they pretty bags, they’ll be very easy to spot as ours with all of the black and silver bags in the world.
Pros and Cons to the Level8 Voyageur Carry-On Suitcase
Pros to the Level8 Voyageur Carry-On Suitcase
Size & airline compatibility - The 20” carry-on will fit in the overhead compartment for all American based airlines and the majority of European carriers.
Wide handle design - We’re thrilled about the better interior packing space which creates more of a flat surface for packing cubes.
Packing cube compatibility - I swear by packing cubes. Level8 also makes their own luggage organizers and you can buy in a bundle with your bag. Over time, I've used packing cubes by Eagle Creek and Muji and can't fault either of them. I’ve already tested it out, and they all fit perfectly in the Level8 bags
Durable construction - My old bag had a hard shell with a plastic layer on top. Over the years, the plastic has started to peel back and not look so great. Because of all of the stickers, it's not as noticeable. But the polycarbonate of these bags will hold up better in the long run.
Modern aesthetic - They’re like a breath of fresh air. Between the colors and the design, it definitely looks like a bag for the future.
On the left side I fit my toiletries and two smaller packing cubes
On the right side I fit a shoe bag and a large packing cube
Cons to the Level8 Voyageur Carry-On Suitcase
They don’t expand - With our old bags, I became overly comfortable with the idea that I could always just expand the bag if I ran out of space (from overpacking or overbuying). But expanding also meant it no longer fit carry on size, so it wasn’t full proof. That said, Level8 offers other models (the Adventure) that do expand if that's a priority to you.
They don’t have a separate laptop compartment - While this isn't something we already have with our old bags, it does seem like a nice option with newer bags. But then again, I often keep my laptop in my backpack so it's easier to access when I'm on a plane. Good news either way is that Level8 also has other models that have a laptop pocket (the Creator).
Our Next 10 Years of Adventure with Level8 Voyageur Suitcases
We’re now set and ready to go. I no longer have to worry about my old bag and whether the handle will come up or go down.
Our Level8 luggage are the perfect bags to carry us through the next decade. I’m looking forward to testing them over cobblestone roads, sandy paths to the beach, and city sidewalks (I’m not hoping for any gravel roads).
With a new baby, our upcoming voyages will be local. We'll be taking them along for short road trips and train travel down to London.
In the coming months, I imagine them accompanying us as our carry-ons for European getaways. Further out, they’ll join us on baby’s first trip to America and hopefully even more adventurous travels introducing the little one to the magic that is this beautiful world.
Saying bye to the old and hello to the new!