Review: Travelpro® Luggage

Whether you fly super light and with carry-on only, or a combination of carry-on and checked luggage, picking the right bag that suits your needs is key to having a successful and stress-free vacation. Each type of luggage has its own pros and cons, in addition to not all luggage brands offering different levels of design and quality.

Travelpro®, one of the most trusted names in luggage and the choice of 90+ airline crews, has kindly provided us with two pieces of luggage to review: the Crew™ VersaPack™ Max Carry-On Expandable Spinner and the Travelpro® x Travel + Leisure® Medium Check-In Expandable Spinner.

Let’s take a look at Travelpro® luggage and if it is worth picking up a new piece of luggage for your next vacation.

What is Travelpro®?

Travelpro was founded in 1987 by a commercial airline pilot who knew firsthand the toll it took on the traveler dragging their luggage, He created a two-wheeled suitcase pulled upright by an extendable handle – The Original Rollaboard^®. Travelpro® continues to be the choice of luggage for more than 90 airlines and their crews worldwide.

Offering a comprehensive selection of carry-on luggage, checked luggage, and other travel accessories, Travelpro® is the only luggage brand rooted in the airline industry and aims to improve your next travel experience and make you a better frequent traveler.

You can view Travelpro’s full luggage lineup, including travel accessories, on their website here.

Travelpro® Carry-On Luggage Review

Reed: Review of the Crew™ VersaPack™ Max Carry-On Expandable Spinner

I adamantly refuse to travel with anything other than carry-on luggage. In fact, I’ve never even owned a checked bag. Call me stubborn, but checked baggage taints the travel experience for me in many ways, whether it be waiting at the airport to collect it, risking the clumsy airline losing your valuables, or simply enabling you to pack more than absolutely necessary for a trip.

Consequently, having high-quality, durable, and smoothly functioning carry-on luggage is very important to me, and the Travelpro® Crew™ VersaPack™ line fits that bill. I have been enjoying using the Travelpro® Crew™ VersaPack™ Max Carry-On Expandable Spinner on my recent trips and have nothing but good things to say about it. 

The Crew™ VersaPack™ Max Carry-On Expandable Spinner is a soft-shelled piece of carry-on luggage. The dimensions of the ‘Max’ version of this bag are 23” by 15.5” by 10” (including the wheels and handles). The bag has been designed to fit within the overhead bin space on major Canadian and international airlines (however it may not meet airline size restrictions). The bag is expandable by 2” if you need extra packing space. Additionally, the luggage is light and weighs only 8 lbs.

There is a non-max or ‘global’ version of the bag, the Crew™ VersaPack™ Global Carry-On Expandable Spinner, which measures 21.5” by 14” by 9” and will meet all Canadian airlines’ size restrictions. However, we will focus on the Max version for the remainder of this review.

The luggage shown above is the Patriot Blue color, but three other options are available: Jet Black, Titanium Grey, and Perfect Plum.

The Travelpro® Crew™ VersaPack™ Max Carry-On Expandable Spinner is made of stain- and abrasion-resistant, high-density ballistic nylon fabric and has a sophisticated look, with sturdy corner armor which ensures they are protected but also makes the bag more visually striking.

This piece of luggage has a handle on both the top and side for easy carrying, in addition to an extendable PowerScope Lite handle, making it easy to transport in whatever circumstance you might find yourself in. 

The PowerScope Lite handle has 4 different height positions which allow for precise adjustment. The handle itself feels sturdy and durable. I have no qualms about lifting the bag by the handle, although it likely isn’t recommended to do so.

The Crew™ VersaPack™ Max Carry-On Expandable Spinner has four all-direction spinner self-aligning magnetic wheels that operate extremely smoothly when moving the bag over any surface.

This luggage doesn’t have any built-in lock, but the zippers for the main compartment have a loop for a small lock.

Upon opening the bag’s main zipper, there is one large compartment that includes an adjustable strap to keep your belongings in place.

There is also a narrow zippered side pocket along the top of the main compartment.

There is an additional storage component on the lid of the bag, one large zippered pocket called a garment organizer. Interestingly, the garment organizer is a removable zip-in component and can be exchanged for personalization with 4 other organizers (sold separately), including: a suiter organizer, all-in-one organizer, packing cubes organizer, and laundry organizer.

Overall, the storage space provided by this bag is ample. I had no issue packing 5-6 days’ worth of clothes in here for my recent trip to Europe. 

Aside from the inside of the bag, the bag exterior has four pockets of varying size and function, including a padded exterior padded laptop pocket, and a removable TSA-compliant toiletries bag that stores perfectly in the same-sized exterior pocket.

Finally, another nifty feature of this bag is a built-in USB port and dedicated exterior power bank pocket, allowing you to conveniently charge from your bag while on the go (power bank not included).

Overall, this bag has served my travel requirements in every way and exceeded my expectations in terms of design and build quality. I don’t see myself needing any other carry-on bag in the future.

The Crew™ VersaPack™ Max Carry-On Expandable Spinner has an MSRP of $469.99 CAD (currently on sale for $399.49 CAD). 

You can browse Travelpro’s carry-on luggage collection, including this bag, here.

Travelpro® Checked Luggage Review

Josh: Review of the Travelpro® x Travel + Leisure® Medium Check-In Expandable Spinner

I prefer to travel with carry-on luggage only, but sometimes, especially when traveling with my significant other, we require a bigger bag for a longer stay or for purchases made when traveling. For example, we will be heading to Disneyland later this month and I know she will want to bring back a ton of Disney merch. So a checked bag just makes sense as opposed to cramming everything into carry-on luggage.

The Travelpro® x Travel + Leisure® Medium Check-In Expandable Spinner is a hard-shelled piece of checked luggage. The dimensions of the bag are 27.25” by 18” by 13” (including the wheels and handles), making it well within the checked baggage limits of most airlines. The bag is expandable by 2” if you need the extra packing space. Additionally, the luggage is light and weighs only 12.3 lbs.

The luggage displayed below is the Monaco Blue color, but two other options are available: Whistler Grey and White Sand.

The Travelpro® x Travel + Leisure® Medium Check-In Expandable Spinner is made of 100% polycarbonate hard shell material and has a unique look, with zinc corner armor to not only make the bag more distinct but to ensure the corners are protected when traveling through the airport.

This piece of luggage has a handle on each side for easy carrying, in addition to an extendable PowerScope Lite handle, making it easy to transport in both airports and hotels alike.

This piece of luggage features four self-aligning magnetic wheels that can move in all directions allowing the luggage to move effortlessly no matter how full you have packed it. I prefer bags with four wheels when it comes to checked luggage, whereas others may opt for a bag that has only two wheels.

The luggage glides smoothly on hard surfaces and moves surprisingly easily on carpeted surfaces, which is something I can’t say for many pieces of luggage I’ve had in the past.

The Travelpro® x Travel + Leisure® Medium Check-In Expandable Spinner comes with a built-in TSA-approved lock which is easy to set to your personalized three-digit combination. Both zippers clip into the lock, ensuring everything stays secure during travel.

Once opened, each half of the bag zips up to secure your personal belongings.

One side of the bag had two zippered pockets for extra storage. Of note, both sides have the same depth and you could fit a TON of clothes in here when packed properly.

The other half of the bag is identical, except it has one less storage pocket on the divider. Both sides of the luggage have adjustable compression straps so you can secure your items and reduce movement during your travels.

This Travelpro® bag would easily be big enough, when paired with a carry-on or two, to pack enough clothes for a multi-week trip for two people if you wanted to avoid the need to do an excessive amount of laundry while traveling.

This bag has been a great addition to our luggage collection and is now our go-to bag when we require a checked bag for additional capacity during a vacation.

The Travelpro® x Travel + Leisure® Medium Check-In Expandable Spinner has an MSRP of $650 CAD and is purchasable as a set if you would like a matching carry-on bag to go with it.

You can browse Travelpro’s checked luggage collection, including this bag, here.

What We Love About Travelpro® Luggage

When it comes to what we love about Travelpro® luggage, it can be distilled into a few key things: the quality and functionality of the luggage, the comprehensive warranty, free shipping, and their return policy.

Well-Made & Functional Luggage

While the prices for certain pieces may not be cheap, at Frugal Flyer we are driven by uncovering the best value for our money. Travelpro® luggage fits the bill in that regard as a result of its build quality, functionality, and comprehensive warranty.

Comprehensive Warranty

Travelpro® stands behind their luggage, and as a result, offers limited lifetime warranty coverage on many of their luggage product lines.

The warranty coverage can vary depending on the specific model of luggage and region purchased. The limited lifetime warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship, including wheels, zippers, extension, and carrying handles, for the lifetime of the original purchaser. 

It’s advisable to check the specific warranty terms for the particular Travelpro® luggage you are interested in purchasing so you understand what is covered in advance of your purchase.

You can learn more about the different Travelpro® warranties, including which luggage product lines are covered by which warranties, here.

Free Shipping Over $49

Travelpro® offers free shipping on orders over $49 across Canada via Purolator for all provinces excluding the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. For any orders less than $49, a flat rate shipping fee of $5 applies.

30-Day Return Policy

If you’ve ever ordered anything online, you know that sometimes the item you receive may not meet your expectations. If you change your mind or decide a different piece of Travelpro® luggage would be a better fit for your travel style, you can return the luggage to receive the full cost back on your original payment method and only need to pay the shipping.

Downsides of Travelpro® Luggage

While we are very satisfied with Travelpro® luggage and consider it among the best options available in the market, it’s worth noting some potential downsides, depending on your preferences, including a variety of styles and colors, price, and weight.

Style Variety

Travelpro® luggage is known for its relatively limited style variety.  If you’re looking for a wide range of trendy or fashion-forward designs, you may find the choices somewhat limited within the Travelpro® lineup.

Price

While Travelpro® offers options at various price points, their higher-end models can be relatively expensive compared to other luggage brands. If you’re on a tight budget, the cost of certain Travelpro® models may be a drawback.

Nonetheless, you get what you pay for and the cost of Travelpro® luggage is definitely justified in our opinion as good luggage is an investment in your becoming a better traveler.

Conclusion

Picking the right piece of luggage from the right luggage brand to accompany you on your travels can feel like quite a task. We are impressed with our Travelpro® bags, and frankly, Travelpro® is one of the best luggage options for Canadians who are looking to take their packing and travel game to the next level (in fact, we consider them to be one of the best brands when it comes to making a frugal luggage purchase).

Regardless of what piece of luggage you buy, ensure you are covered by a strong warranty and are getting a quality product that will last, even if it means paying a bit more than you typically would. A good piece of luggage should last you for years to come.

Frequently Asked Questions