Level8 Voyageur Carry On Review
A new-feature toting, colorful lineup for the quality conscious traveler. Does the new feature succeed or is it a gimmick?
Level8 Voyageur Carry On Review Introduction
Level8 - the luggage brand focusing on a goldilocks point of price and quality, has another carry-on that we need to take a look at. Recently we looked at our first Level8 product in the Hegent (Hegent Carry On review) - a zipperless workhorse meant for the business crowd. Spoiler, we loved it.
Now we’ve got another model on our hands - the Voyageur Carry On. This one has a little more flash to it, a different vibe altogether. It’s also got a pretty big trick up its sleeve. But more on that in a bit.
This is my review of the Level8 Voyageur Carry On luggage. It’s their 20in model and is meant to be standard carry on size for most airlines (there are always exceptions, check your specific airline each time your travel, folks). It’s also the first time I’ve seen this kind of implementation. Let’s see what we get.
While I designed to take this on two separate business trips, The Great Flu of 2025 came for me before the second, and I was not able to go on that trip. That said, we took this on a business trip for my wife from NYC to Houston and it was a great test - since she’s a designer we had this thing packed out with both her clothes AND a bunch of samples, so we really pushed it in that way. It was both heavy and full. I did however include some pictures of how I had it packed out for my canceled trip, since I packed the night before but couldn’t go come morning. *Tears*. Sometimes, life just has different plans for us and we gotta roll with it! (Get it? Roll with it? Luggage? I’ll see myself out…). But, a new update! I took a trip with my wife to Japan before I had this published, so we took it with us! That means, 5 flight legs, 3 countries, 3 Shinkansen rides, multiple taxis, and one airport train ride. Short story: We tested this thing properly.
As always for full transparency, I did proactively reach out to Level8 to ask if they’d be willing to provide a piece for review and they agreed. However, this is not sponsored and I received no money to publish this (and I paid for the green cubes). I do use affiliate links which help to support the site if you decide to use them to make a purchase, but you’re under no obligation to do so and there’s no additional cost to you. Thanks for stopping by!
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Level8 Voyageur Carry On Overview
Checking in at the Post Oak Hotel in Houston, TX
While the Hegent lineup is targeting the business traveler, the Voyageur is more of a lifestyle focus. It’s got a lot of the same baseline features as the other lines, but the look of this one is a bit more standout-ish.
We’ve still got an outside that is made of Makrolon polycarbonate. This is German manufactured (which of course doesn’t mean anything with no context, but generally their process is well done) polycarbonate and widely considered one of the best in the world as far as this material goes. It’s used all over the place and nice luggage is one such example.
One difference however is that texture on the outside - the Voyageur line has a textured front which adds a little personality.
There’s also a couple of Limited Edition colorways that offer a two-tone look for a little more of a statement vibe. The good news is that the limited edition colors don’t cost any more than the regular colors. I like that.
It comes with a lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects. Remember though, it’s your responsibility to ensure you understand warranties as they can differ by manufacturer. Here is the link: Level8 warranty.
The suitcase itself is about 43L in total - which actually provides a little extra space vs. some other models. Do note that there are also two larger check-in sizes that additionally come in an interesting form factor.
Stats from the site:
Dimensions(including handle & wheels): 15.1''L*9.8''W*21.3H (38.5*25*54.5cm)
Weight: 8.1lbs (3.7kg)
Capacity: 43L
It retails for $239.99 USD as of Feb 2024. It comes in Black, Navy, Dark Olive. Two Limited Edition colorways of Yellow/Black (our version) and Celadon (absolutely FIRE) are also available.
Voyageur Carry On Features
The reverse side.
While rectangular, rolling luggage is not always the most exciting thing in terms of features (let’s be honest, these products have been around forever) - the newer companies are in fact trying to refresh them a little. Level8 is no exception and they do try to put a few noteworthy “features” into their items. Let’s cover off on the Voyageur ones.
As standard, all of their luggage items come with very smooth, 360 degree wheels. These are not Hinomoto, but in my experience feel similar and this helps on the price point.
While the Hegent was a “clip” style opening, the Voyageur Carry On is a zipper style clamshell suitcase. There are two grab handles - one on the top and one on the side - which should have you covered no matter if you store the luggage vertically or horizontally. These handles are “self resetting” meaning: they stretch upwards a bit in use, and then pull themselves flush again when you let go and there is no resistance. It’s a nice touch.
Inside you have two zippered flaps to compartmentalize. One flap does have a water resistant pocket for toiletries or maybe a wet swimsuit if you’re squeezing one more beach dip in before you leave Bali. This same flap has a second mesh zippered pocket as well. Typically, these are only good for flat items like documents but serve that purpose well. I put an AirTag in this one.
Because of these zippered flaps, there is no compression system here - which is OK by me. These flaps serve that same purpose.
Can’t forget locking zippers with TSA approved functionality.
Last small touch are the rubber nubs on one side and the “back” so you can lay it down and not have the main luggage body on the ground scraping or getting damaged. These are always nice to have.
I’m admittedly burying the lede here - but hey gotta keep you on the edge of your seat to keep reading! The Voyageur’s BIGGEST feature is also literally its biggest (physically): The series uses an extra wide telescoping handle for the main way of pushing the luggage around. We’re talking, almost the full width of the suitcase. No kidding.
This does two things in theory. For one, it allows for easier pushing due to the wider center of gravity and helps to prevent tipping when you’re fully packed. Additionally, it opens up the inside of the luggage more so you do not have those annoying “channels” that all rolling luggage has due to the storage of the telescoping handles. It’s not really those pieces’ fault, those handles have to be stored somewhere, it’s physics. This is Level8’s attempt to get around that.
Is that a good thing? A bad thing? Here we go.
The Good
Like with all the other Level8 pieces I’ve had my hands on, the overall balance between price and quality is really nice with the brand. To me, that’s the UVP of Level8 in general, and the Voyageur is no exception. The design is solid, Makrolon is basically the best you get in this field for a main material that’s light and durable, and they also ensure they put in some useful features while not frivolously adding to the cost with things you don’t need (Ahem…Away…old battery compartment..ahem). But it has all that you’d need and I don’t think it’s missing anything on the feature front to save cost. Interior is a nice quality, too.
I really like the color options here. The colors are slightly muted, I call this kind of palette “West World” futuristic. But a more tangible Brand comparison might be Arc’Teryx or Veilance. The muted olive, celadon, navy, etc. Really cool choices. Now the yellow/black we have here is certainly not that, and I think I would choose Celadon if I was making a buy right now - but I don’t mind the yellow at all and I still think it looks pretty great. We used this in a business scenario, and did not feel out of place or anything. Since their logo is usually yellow and they place it on the wheels, it actually matched nicely with the front of the luggage (it’s two-tone). Maybe my Boston Bruins bias is leaking through in my writing…
OK let’s address that telescoping handle! So in practice, was it listed in the “good” column? Aside from one note I’ll get to later, absolutely. I think this is a common theme from some of us reviewers - but it’s surprising how nice it is in practice. For one, it’s just really easy to control the spinner and push it around, etc. There’s no flimsiness to it and even when heavy (which ours was) I never felt like it was going to tip over. On top of that, I was pushing it with a Black Hole duffel that was ALSO stuffed with heavy samples placed on top. Which definitely affected the weight balance and I firmly believe if I had a standard width handle, this wouldn’t have been as easy to use. It would have driven me bananas. High marks there.
Additionally, this made packing inside the carry on so much nicer. Obviously a bit of first world issues, but those center channels in rolling luggage can really affect your packing, especially if you’re a packing cube user. It just makes the space less efficient. The wide handle allowed us to, I believe, use the space more efficiently and that was really nice. No more stuffing underwear and socks or rolled t-shirts in that center channel to “fill it up” so the surface becomes flat. Nice job, Level8. Frankly I think you might be able to fit a whole additional cube or outfit in here which for people that struggle, that could be a big help.
Lastly, I like the separate zippered compartments. For me, I just like the additional organization and the fact that each side is held in place. But second, these are my preferred style of suitcases when I have to travel with a suit jacket. I put my nicer shirts and the jacket on the left side while en route and usually, that means less stress on it while it’s stored there and it’s not terrible when I remove it at my destination. I prefer this to wearing it while traveling if I can help it. (added wear time means a bigger chance of sweating in it, etc. and I’d rather not have to wash a suit coat while traveling…unless it’s a Bluffworks Telex or similar)
The Bad
This is more of a suggestion than anything, but I’d love to have them do research on the cost to add Hinomoto wheels. I do think it’s considerable, though. For the average person, I don’t think anyone notices or even knows what that is (and in practice the Level8 wheels are very, very nice). For the nerds in the space however - you can think of these wheels as the YKK of the feature (which by the way, the zippers here are YKK). Reviewers and enthusiasts go on and on about YKK zippers. They are the best, yes. But I’m not sure if they are as necessary as some think. That said - worth thinking about as the brand grows and scales. Perhaps on their premium pieces they could add this.
The one downside I found with the extra wide handle - is that it will render your luggage pass-throughs completely moot. (Not mute, not moo like Joey from Friends, moot). It’s too wide for the vast majority. To me, especially as I usually am a onebagger, I accept this. I’ll take all the good this style of handle provides instead. It’s easy enough to use grab handles to steady a duffle. For anything with backpack straps, just use those around the wide handle. This is what I did with the Patagonia Duffel and it was…fine. Wasn’t a big deal. Also the Black Ember Forge.
Like my previous review, I’d like to see Level8 improve the next-to-hand material on the telescoping grab handle. Nothing bonkers - we don’t need leather or anything on a bag at this price point. But just some soft touch plastic/rubber would really go a long way towards making it feel JUST a bit more premium. This is something you interact with constantly as a user, and just like in car interior designs, all those spots you touch frequently you want to have a better feeling material. (To note: it did not affect the usage nor make it uncomfortable; it’s more about perception and that satisfying feeling to touch)
Not so much a complaint as an ask (I always say, I’ve got a website, I might as well make asks!): I’d love to see them just use the “clips” style closure on here. I loved it so much on the Hegent that frankly I’m not sure I can go back to zipper style suitcases, haha. It’s just so much easier in use to have the clips. Clips are frankly oddly satisfying to use, too.
Packing The Voyageur Carry On
Like previously, I did use the packing cubes from Level8 to showcase those, and I really like the material and hand feel of them. They made a good set and you get a LOT of pieces in the set. The below pictures are from my canceled trip, since for my wife’s trip this thing was just stuffed full of samples mostly, lol. I do have a shot from the hotel however with the duffel on top of the Voyageur.
Packing Cubes:
I used a mix of Level8 and Western Rise packing cubes.
Right side:
Level8 packing cube 1 with t-shirts and undershirts. I had to bring more than usual as this was a 5 day work trip.
Level8 packing cube 2 with socks and underwear.
Bellroy Toiletry Kit Standard size.
My brogues in the yellow shoe bag.
Left Side:
Western Rise packing cube with button-up shirts.
One pair of jeans underneath.
Tech stuff was in my work bag which for this trip was going to be a Black Ember Forge 30, since I’m testing it for an upcoming review. (Compressed style at 20L, not the expanded 30L size).
Final Thoughts On My Level8 Voyageur Carry On Review
Shown with a Black Ember Forge 30 to see how a backpack sits.
So the biggest draw from the Voyageur lineup besides the usual Level8 balance of price to quality? It’s gotta be that extra wide handle. No point in ignoring that elephant in this room. Well aside from those cool color tones, too.
And in that sense, they really succeeded here. It’s not often that brands take chances, especially in established spaces. Now the reason being, to be fair to brands, is that almost everything has been done before and the risk of failure or creating a gimmick is high.
That’s not to claim Level8 is the first to do this or attempt it (I have no idea if that’s true or not so I’d never go so far as to say that) - but I can say it’s the first time I’ve seen it, and the first time I’ve used it. And based on that - it’s a big success. I really enjoyed both the packing experience (based on the center channels being free) as well as the experience in actual usage with a heavy, packed out suitcase. It’s actually my wife’s chosen luggage now because of the light weight, too.
The bigger base for your “push” really did work well and make the experience pretty great.
While I would look for them to improve the handle with some soft touch plastic, that’s more of an “icing on the cake” and “how can we push this to get even better” kind of comment. The current version works - it could just be stepped up a notch, I think.
Definitely give these folks a look - while they aren’t a household name at this point, they are well known in the traveler and reviewer space and for good reason: Nice luggage for nice prices. I feel confident in saying they are at least worth the consideration in the quest for your next piece.
As always with the indie brands, I’d suggest buying directly through their website for best service.
Wander more - and wander smarter everyone.
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