Travelpro Maxlite Air Hardside Expandable Spinner, Metallic Silver, Carry-On 21-Inch, Maxlite Air Hardside Expandable Luggage, 8 Spinner Wheels, Lightweight Hard Shell Polycarbonate

Purchased my 21” Maxlite Air specifically to make the switch to Carry-On Only air travel. Had just returned from nearly 3 weeks in France and due to airline chaos in summer 2022 we went carry on only. My wife had a small roller but I had 40L Patagonia Black Hole Duffel which was great but a pain to lug through airports.The Maxlite gives me the same capacity, in a very lightweight hard sided 4-wheel roller. Super high quality and bang for your buck, consistent with all the reviews I had read. Also gives the option to expand it 2” in depth if you wanted to do some shopping and then check the bag on way home. I’ll update my review after our next trip this fall but it is ALL a question of capacity for me so I did a packing test-run.I’m a slim shorter guy (small shirts, 29/30 pants, size 7 shoes) so judge accordingly about quantities. But as per photo attached, I determined the max I can bring as: 8-10 tees/polos, 6-7 button-up shirts, 1 light sweater, 4-5 shorts/swim trunks, 4-5 pants, 1 blazer, 2 jackets, 3 belts, 10 underwear, 12 socks, 2 pairs of shoes and 1 pair of sandals. That includes what I wear on the plane (jeans, tee, sweater, jacket, 1 of the pairs of shoes). But everything else went in the suitcase, along with sunglasses, lint roller and electric razor…and that is NOT expanded. That’s up to 18 tops…and therefore 18 outfits, making Carry-On only a totally realistic option for ANY length of trip, especially if you had a Vrbo or Airbnb with laundry. I will add a third pair of shoes in my small daypack “personal item” along with my toiletries and electronics.So it had surprising capacity and was still very lightweight when full. The right hand side that has the handle beneath has less space kind of in 3 little channels, so pack accordingly with shoes etc slotted in between.The Maxlite Air 21” was below all the carry on dimensions for all airlines I checked and I looked at pretty much all the Canadian, American, and European carriers, including discount ones like Easyjet and Ryanair.I’m officially converted to traveling light…and the TravelPro seems to be the perfect fit to make it a more comfortable walk through airports or along city streets. Again will update after my first trip…but hope the above info is useful for anyone who (like me) was very hesitant to ditch the checked luggage.

I almost send it back but I was too late for it, I needed to keep it for my travel. The side handle is so tight, that there is NO PLACE for our fingers. If you slip them in, you will scrap your skin. I mean, I am a woman with hands that are also child size. I don't get it. I mean, how does the company thinks that would be ok for anybody? Disappointing for the price, it feels like I just bought a cheap plastic suitcase at Walmart.Everything else seems ok, but I did not try it yet on the plane.

I haven’t used the case but it looks good quality. I had studied a few travellers with this case while waiting in the departure lounge at YVR

I’ve been a TravelPro fan for a long time. I’ve had one of my bags for over 20 years and the only thing I’ve ever had to do is replace the wheels.This Maxlite series uses the trendy lightweight hard side design that you’ve probably seen from other companies. The sides seem very durable, although they are likely to get scratched up more than a fabric-sided bag… but that’s to be expected. TravelPro seems to have tried to mitigate this a bit by molding the sides with a wavy pattern and adding a ribbed texture rather than going with the plain flat surfaces of some other brands.This is a medium size bag that you’ll definitely need to check rather than carry on. This is useful if you’re going on a long trip or need to take extra things with you in addition to your carry-on bag.The spinner wheel design puts a pair of wheels each corner so you can tilt the bag back while walking or simply push it forward while it’s standing totally upright (think when you’re inching forward in line at the airport). The bag moves very smoothly and the retractable handle feels solid, easily sliding up and down.One of the long sides has feet attached to it so you can sit the case down horizontally if needed and it won’t roll away.There’s a handle on the top and side so you can pick it up from either orientation if needed. There’s also a grip molded into the exterior on the bottom which helps when lifting the bag up to an overhead compartment. The handles are very tight fitting, and thus your hand will end up squeezed between the handle and the hard surface of the bag when in use. Not very comfortable and definitely not a way you’d want to carry the bag for very long.There are no external pockets, as is pretty standard on hard side bags. A pair of zippers secure the two sides together and lock into a programmable 3-digit TSA combo lock on the long side of the bag. There’s one other zipper that allows you to expand one side of the bag to get just a little extra room inside. Useful if you pick up a few souvenirs and need more space on the way back than you did on the way there.The bag opens right down the middle into two fairly similar sized sections. Each side has a zippered mesh cover to keep your stuff confined to that side. The cover on one side also features two zippered pockets, one solid and one with a mesh front, that you can use for small items. Interior space on one side is slightly restricted because the tubes for the retractable handle are mounted below the interior liner, so you won’t be able to lay larger items perfectly flat against the bottom. This generally isn’t a big deal for clothing though.One thing to keep in mind with most hard side luggage, like this one, is that they open into two halves rather than having a “lid”. If you’re used to sitting your bag up against a wall or on a stand and just flipping the lid open and closed you’ll need to change your behavior some. With this type of bag each side is basically the same size and weight, so you’ll want to open the entire bag flat on a surface rather than just flipping the lid up. Of course you can still use the lid method, but it’s going to be a bit cumbersome and you’ll have to keep rezipping and switching sides if you need to access things from both sides.Personally I prefer the cloth sided TravelPro bags because I feel they are more durable, flexible, easier to open, and easier to carry, but if you are in the market for hard sided luggage then TravelPro is definitely a brand to consider… you might want to find something with better side handles though if you plan to carry it more than you’ll roll it.

I bought 2 of these bags for a recent overseas trip and found them to be amazing. We hauled these through airports, in/out overhead bins, trains, station platforms, escalators, elevators & bumpy city streets. We even used them in tandem to transport a bike inside a box with relative ease through busy London Paddington Station & London Heathrow Airport. The expandable 2” zipper was a life-saver as we accumulated more stuff along the way than we departed with (which also meant that they had to be checked baggage for the flight home). I’ve had lots of bags over the past 30+ years, including soft-sided travel pro cases, as I traveled extensively for work & leisure to 80+ countries. This is hands down the best performing, versatile, durable, well-designed and affordable bag yet. Outstanding value-for-money. Travel-Pro had knocked it out of the park with this bag!