LEVEL8 Voyageur Carry-On 20” Review

Finding the perfect rolling carry on is not an easy task. Do you want exterior accessibility with pockets? You probably can’t go with something hardsided. However, you might want that sturdy exterior for durability. And will you even have enough space to pack for your trip to justify skipping the luggage carousel?

Those are things to consider when choosing a new bag. The LEVEL8 Voyageur Carry-On 20” aims to solve some of those issues with a very durable exterior and a unique telescoping handle designed to maximize interior space. How well does it work out in real life? We took it to Disneyland to find out. Or, rather, on planes to and from Anaheim, California. We left it in the hotel once we arrived; it’s definitely not carry-on compliant for Space Mountain.

External Components

The exterior of the LEVEL8 Voyageur Carry-On 20” is polycarbonate. Specifically, it’s German Makrolon polycarbonate, one of the sturdier materials we’ve tested for hardside luggage. This one holds up. Pressing on the exterior doesn’t push it down much at all. While it has a few scuffs and a lot of dirt to show for its travels, it remains scratch-free, even after two 5-hour trips in the overhead compartment on Delta, Uber rides, and a week of early morning and late night shuffling around in the hotel. We’ve tested luggage that got scratched in the car trunk on the way home from the office, so we’re considering this a win.

The lone exterior zipper is made by YKK (there’s no expansion zipper). The pulls click into a TSA-approved combination lock on the top of the suitcase. That keeps others out of your bag and also prevents it from accidentally opening if the pulls get pulled in the overhead compartment. The zipper works well, as long as it’s properly aligned. When the luggage is empty or overstuffed, it can be tricky to line up each side correctly to close it, as there’s a bit of play in the track.

The LEVEL8 logo is very small on the front of the bag, and the bag comes in Navy, Black, or Dark Olive, along with some limited-edition colorways that rotate. We like the look of the Dark Olive. It’s subtle, but still looks different than yet another black suitcase. No matter which colorway you choose, the accents are all black.

That includes the handles, of which there are a few. On the top and right side of the bag are extendable carry handles that have a soft, rubbery feel. They’re comfortable to hold as you pull it out of the bin or carry it up stairs, and there are feet on both the left and rear sides of the bag to protect the polycarbonate from scratches when you set it down and keep it standing stably.

The telescoping handle is much wider than that of most other luggage. It extends the entire width of the bag, instead of being centered. However, its location against the rear and edges of the bag helps with a few things. First of all, it gives you more space to pack inside—more on that later. Secondly, it keeps the bag quite stable as you roll it beside you and navigate through the airport and city streets. Nothing wobbles as you roll along, and it’s so stable that you can actually rest against it while waiting in line without tipping the bag over if your height allows. Score one for the shorties. Finally, while its width means that it doesn’t fit the luggage pass-throughs on most backpacks, you have plenty of space to balance a small daypack on top of it. It was still easy to hold the thin carry handle of our small Topo Designs Light Pack and the telescoping handle at the same time while navigating through the airport. It might not be as easy if your bag’s carry handle is thicker, but many daypacks have thinner handles that would make this work.

The handle is just one part of the equation, though. The wheels are the star of the show. There are four sets of two rubber wheels, and they spin, rotate, and roll so smoothly that the bag can nearly start to run away if you bump it. We had no issues rolling along throughout our trip and turning on a dime. Naturally, a little more effort is necessary to maneuver over thick carpeting and rougher surfaces, but we switch to pulling the bag when that happens and find it works much easier. Each wheel is inset into a reinforced corner of the bag, and they don’t protrude so much that we worry about them breaking. That could happen in the right circumstance, of course, but that’s true of pretty much any rolling luggage: the wheels and the telescoping handle are the weak points, though they’re both sturdy and durable on the LEVEL8 Voyageur Carry-On 20″.

Fit Notes

The handle design fits most users, with a height that allows you to roll it along beside you, even if you’re on the taller end of the spectrum. To extend it, you push the button on top and pull it out. It will stop at the lower levels along the way once you release the button, which is convenient.

The bag is quite stable standing on its own, even with something balanced on top, so you don’t have to worry about it tipping while you wait at the gate. Once you’re on the plane, it fits easily into the overhead compartment of a Delta Airlines transcontinental plane despite being slightly over the allowable dimensions. Your mileage will vary based on the airline and specific plane, but you shouldn’t have an issue on most major airlines.

Inside The Carry On Luggage

As with most hardside luggage, there aren’t any exterior compartments or pockets to speak of, so you’ll want to carry a separate sling or daypack with you for easy access to what you need while traveling.

The main compartment is divided into two sections. The front half of the bag is held in place with a zippered panel. This panel is divided into two pockets. The one on top is made with a water-resistant TPU, so you can use it for liquid toiletries or damp clothing. We can confidently say that you should use it for wet items, as we were unfortunately able to put its water resistance to the test. Our tester’s body wash exploded out of its container and the Ziploc bag it was inside on the plane trip to California. However, the TPU pocket kept it contained to that section, so it only affected other toiletries. Nothing got on the clothing and other gear inside the bag, so we appreciated the inclusion of the water-resistant material.

The bottom pocket is mesh, and we use it for smaller accessories or flat items, like hats and gloves. Underneath the panel is a large open space for your shoes, clothing, toiletry kits, and other pouches. There are no compression straps, but everything stays in place behind the panel once you zip it.

The opposite side has a similar setup, though items on this side are held beneath a zippered mesh panel. Normally, we recommend packing smaller clothing at the bottom of this side to create a flat base layer and then putting clothing or packing cubes on top. However, with the handle channels so close to the sides of the carry on, it’s easy just to fill this one as you did the front half. We find it easier to fit shoes in the front since there’s nothing in the way at all, but there’s much more open space than usual with the handle positioned that far back in the bag and that close to the sides.

The only issue we have with the setup is that, with two panels instead of one side held in place by straps, a bit of capacity is left unused in the center. You’ll use some of it if you fill the pockets on the front half, but you could have more capacity if both sides weren’t held back completely by panels. Also, it takes some effort to zip the bag shut when it’s packed to the brim, as there’s a bit of play in the zipper track that makes closing the bag challenging. These aren’t deal breakers, just things to be aware of before getting it for yourself.

Overall, we enjoyed traveling with the LEVEL8 Voyageur Carry-On 20”. It rolls like a dream and, once we got used to it, we really enjoyed the wide handle. It’s sturdy and great for leaning on as you wait in line, and stable enough to stay upright if you do. Depending on your clothing, there’s enough space inside for a 5-7 day trip, even accounting for bulky sweatshirts and extra shoes.