We jumped at the chance to review LEVEL 8's Voyageur Luggage 2 Piece Set. And we're jumping again, this time to the chase, to let you know that we love this luggage. And not because the suitcases are yellow, which, in its own way, scores major style points. It doesn't hurt that yellow happens to be Mindi's favorite color.
As experienced digital nomads, we understand that the features (or lack thereof) of a suitcase can either enhance or ruin a trip. Not only does luggage need to be functional and durable, but it needs to look good too. We certainly don't want to be those people with clunky bags.
LEVEL8's yellow bags are the opposite of clunky. Their yellow color strikingly mixes with black in the luggage's design that achieves a sleek bumblebee-esque style. Don't just take our word on this. While boarding our return flight from Newark to Lisbon, we received major style props from the most frequent fliers of them all - the flight attendants.
Plus, the timing of the new suitcases was ideal...
Timing is everything.
The LEVEL8 luggage arrived just before a three-week trip to America that involved multiple modes of transportation - planes, trains, subways, cars and a bus. Sweetening the situation, one of our go-to suitcases had just been punctured during a flight from Valencia to Lisbon. Shiny new bags from LEVEL8 came to the rescue!
We weren't just impressed with the snappy appearance of the luggage - the bags performed great too. The ergonomic luggage has surprising features like the wide telescoping handles (more on that spectacular feature later) that make travel easier.
What is LEVEL8?
Headquartered in New York City, LEVEL8 is a luggage company that sells premium suitcases and backpacks notable for their practical features and stylish design. Since all LEVEL8 suitcases have ergonomic handles, smooth-rolling wheels and smart organizational compartments, these suitcases are ideal for serial travelers like us.
If you're unfamailiar with LEVEL8, it's probably because this luggage company exclusively sells to online customers around the world. We get that some people might be hesitant to buy luggage sight unseen. However, LEVEL8 has a 7-day return policy and provides a limited lifetime warranty which should allay any concerns. Plus, shipping is free for customers in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and the European Union.
LEVEL8 Voyageur Luggage 2 Piece Set
The Voyageur Luggage 2 Piece Set that we're reviewing arrived with two suitcases - a 20'' Carry-On Suitcase and a 28'' Checked Suitcase. Other Voyageur suitcase options include a 26'' Checked Suitcase and a 30'' Checked Suitcase.
We put both suitcases to the test during a three-week transcontinental trip that took us from Lisbon to Philadelphia to New York and then back to Lisbon. Both bags were filled to the max by the end of the trip.
Here are our real-life observations and opinions about the two suitcases:
Appearance
LEVEL8 luggage comes in variety of colors and styles. The company makes soft luggage, hard luggage with ridges, rugged luggage and two-toned hard luggage like our black and yellow Voyageur suitcases.
The vivid yellow color was the first thing we noticed when we pulled each suitcase out of its respective box. At first, we thought the shade might be too vivid. But we quickly realized that the color makes us happy. As a bonus, our bright yellow checked suitcase was easy to spot in a sea of black, brown and navy luggage on the crowded baggage carousel.
Wide Telescopic Handle
The Voyageur's wide telescopic handle is constucted with aluminum alloy and adjusts to different heights. Its unique ergonomic design spans the width of the bag end-to-end. It's a feature that we appreciate more than we expected. In fact, it our favorite feature.
The handle's design leaves a generous amount space in the bag which allows us to pack more efficiently. Additionally and surprisingly, the bag's large, sturdy handle provides an excellent place to rest our arms when we roll it through expansive, neverending airport corridors.
Packing Capacity
We're able to pack a lot into our Voyageur luggage. Both suitcases are simply designed with two large pockets - one designed for toiletries and a separate pocket ideal for flip flops, shoes and other items.
Airlines are getting more particular about luggage sizes and weights these days. Both bags meet the dimension requirement of the US and European airlines that we typically fly. Here are the Voyageur dimensions for easy reference:
20'' Carry-On Overall: 21.3''H x 15.1''W x 9.8''D | 8.1 lbs | 43 L
26'' Checked Overall: 27.3''H x 16.6''W x 13.3''D | 11.8 lbs | 93 L
28'' Checked Overall: 29.1''H x 16.6''W x 13.3''D | 12.4 lbs | 99 L
30'' Checked Overall: 32.1''H x 16.7''W x 13.3''D | 13.9 lbs | 105 L
360° Spinner Wheels
A wheel is a wheel is a wheel. Right? Wrong.
The 360° spinner wheels on both Voyageur bags practically glide on flat surfaces without making any noise. While theyr'e not silent on cobblestone surfaces, they're smoother and quieter that any other suitcases wheels we've encountered. So, yeah, these wheels are special.
TSA-Approved Lock
Most premium suitcases come with TSA-approved locks these days and the Voyageur suitcases are no exception. The lock is located on the top of our carry-on bag and on the side of our large suitcase.
Durability
Both Voyageur suitcases have German-made Makrolon® polycarbonate hard shells that are simultaneously light and durable. This multi-layer construction gives us peace of mind after we experienced a suitcase (not LEVEL8) being punctured during a flight.
Despite their durability, our suitscase got some scuffs during our three-week trip. LEVEL8 sells a leather protective cover for the larger Voyageur bags if avoiding scuffs is important to you.
Portability
There's no denying that the 28" Voyageur suitcase is big. Perhaps that's why we appreciate the bag's multiple handles on the top, side and front of the bag so much. These handles make the suitcase easy to pull off the airport baggage carousel. They're also helpful when loading the suitcase into a car trunk.
Fun Fact: British people say boot instead of trunk.
Value Proposition
We're now fans of the LEVEL8 Voyageur luggage line and consider the suitcases to be a great value based on their sleek appearance and innovative construction.
Buying a two-piece set provides extra value in terms of pricing. If you need new luggage or simply want to upgrade your luggage game, buying a Voyageur combo is the way to go whether you opt for yellow or a different color.
LEVEL8 Packing Cube Travel Set
We agree to disagree about packing cubes. (One of us swears by them and the other not so much.) However, we concur that LEVEL8's four piece Packing Cube Travel Set provides a great complement to the company's Voyageur luggage line.
We tested a set of four packing cubes - one large cube ideal for clothes, one medium cube ideal for shoes and two multi-purpose small cubes that we used for packing cosmetics and electrionic accessories. They fit into our luggage like a glove. However, to be clear, we didn't pack any gloves though gloves would easily fit into any or all of the packing cubes.
While we appreciate the construction of the packing cubes and their resillent water resistent fabric, we were especially enamored with the detachable patches that enabled us to quickly identify what was inside each cube. The decorative patches added a bit of whimsy to our packing experience. And who doesn't like whimsy?
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