Adrien Brody is wheeling Monos luggage.Anthony Blasko/Supplied
Searching for the right rolling bag involves a lot of decisions: hardside or soft? Clamshell closure or zippered expansion? Aluminum or polycarbonate? Status brand or stalwart label? And how much do you need to spend for a dependable piece that can stand up to baggage handlers? It’s an alchemy of decisions that many ponder for weeks before hitting “add to cart.” Here’s a look at three road tested brands – priced high, medium and low – to help with the hunt.
HIGH
Monos, Aluminum Collection
The ad campaign for Monos’s new Aluminum Collection is as sleek and shiny as the finish on these eye-catching rolling bags. Actor Adrien Brody is seen in Morocco pushing around the metal bags in luxurious sounding colours: caviar black, Champagne gold and Aspen silver. This is the Canadian brand’s first foray into the higher priced aluminum luggage market. But I wonder – did Brody check his Monos on a commercial airliner? I did. And was really surprised to see just how large the dents and how deep the scratches were when I picked up my bag (Check-In Medium size) off the luggage carousel. One dent near the clamshell closure left the main seal less snug. The interior of my Monos bag is certainly luxurious – heavy fabric liners, deep pockets with sturdy zippers and there is room for more than I expected. Its four wheels spin and turn like a dancer and the bag’s telescopic handle is sturdy (a huge plus). Normally, I don’t mind the dings and scratches a hardshell bag picks up – a little travel street cred, if you will. But the damage done by checking my Monos Aluminum on a long-haul to Europe and back was surprising. (Perhaps not surprising: My social media feed is now full of influencers touting the same Aluminum Collection but I notice they are not doing a baggage carousel “reveal.”) My advice: Buy Canadian, but stick to the traditional Monos poloycarbonate luggage.
Monos Aluminum Collection, Check-In Medium, $925
MEDIUM
Lojel, Cubo Collection
Lojel is a Japanese brand that’s opened a shop in Vancouver and has another launching in Montreal in May. Long popular in Asia, Lojel (the name is an acronym for let our journeys enrich life) launched the Cubo Lite collection earlier this year as a super tight carry on – great for European discount airlines but also for commuters tired of schlepping a messenger bag or backpack. I packed a Cubo Lite for a weekend in Montreal where I’d be on a working-from-train journey. The textured, polycarbonate shell looked good – and the wheels spun as expected. It took a lot of fiddling to figure out all the zippers and flaps and the several ways to enter the main compartment through the hinged front opening. Should luggage be this complicated? But once I did – I was impressed. I could access small items quickly without spilling out the bag’s main compartment contents (ie, my clothes and underthings). I could also remove a divider separating the hinged area from the main compartment if I wanted to. As the name suggests, it was a featherweight three kilos when empty. Even packed, it was not hard to lift into overhead storage. The bag’s expandable zipper is nearly invisible, but happily discovered in time to cram in a dozen Montreal bagels on my return trip.
Lojel carries an impressive line of travel accessories – perhaps my favourite is the Eblo All Day backpack. It’s got a sleeve to slip over your rolling luggage handle, but also has backpack straps when you’d rather carry it. Inside is a detachable sling pouch for an impromptu small carry bag (straps included). It’s super functional and well made with water repellent Cordura fabric and a leather base.
Lojel, Cubo Small Lite, $450; Eblo All Day, $370
LOW
Heys, ReNew
While not as chic as the other two bags I travelled with recently, the ReNew carry-on from the always dependable, Canadian-made Heys did make me feel a little better about all the plastic that goes into making luggage. Previous Heys bags have always lasted long enough to make me feel like I got my money’s worth. This new lightweight hardside line comes in five muted colours – from ocean blue to evergreen – and is made from rPET, plastic pellets from recycled water bottles that have been shredded, cleaned and melted into luggage. My carry-on used to be 70 water bottles, the tag points out. The 30-inch trunk size was once 140 water bottles. But the ReNew bag also feels like it was made out of old water bottles – the sides are unpleasantly pliant and plasticky, yet they are durable. The inside fabric is too shiny and stiff, but the zippers slide well and mesh pockets are well placed. The wheels spin swiftly on demand but the telescopic handle is a little thin and shaky – I didn’t feel secure navigating the bag along carpets or those endless moving sidewalks in the airport. ReNew’s exterior design apes pricier hardside brands but no one will be fooled. It’s a decent bag that does what it needs to do and doesn’t cost too much. ReNew would be even more attractive if Heys would allow customers to return the bags for recycling when their life is done. I’m told that’s in the works.
Heys ReNew, 21 inch carry on, $219
