Level8 Carry On Suitcase Review

Here is my Level8 carry on suitcase review, based on personal experience!

Level8 asked me to try their suitcases at quite literally the perfect time.

I had just spent 2 weeks visiting friends and family in New England, then spent another 2 weeks exploring Mexico. There were still 3 weeks of travels left on my agenda before I returned home to Australia.

I had been traveling, as I normally do, with a backpack and a small, carry-on duffel bag.

The backpack held my laptop, chargers, toiletries, water bottle, camera, and random knick-knacks. The duffel bag held all my clothes and shoes.

This bag system has served me well for years. I’m a pretty minimalist traveler, so I’m able to last for weeks abroad with just these two carry-on bags.

I moved to Rome for 6 months with the exact same amount of luggage. My roommates, who all had at least two massive suitcases each, were baffled.

But I’ve gotten used to traveling like this, and I LOVE the ease of traveling with just carry on bags. Especially when the trip involves lots of hopping around, which most of my trips do.

However, I am starting to get tired of lugging around a duffel bag.

Running through airports and trekking through foreign city streets gets old quickly when you have 20lbs of clothes in your arms and a 10lb backpack on your back.

I just turned 30, and I notice myself starting to crave comfort over convenience more often than I ever have.

So, after a month of carrying the jam-packed duffel bag around the USA and Mexico, I was thrilled when Level8 asked if I wanted to try one of their suitcases! With wheels! I could not turn down such a luxurious offer.

Who is Level8?

Level8 is a US-based luggage company that makes sophisticated, advanced, and durable suitcases and bags.

Their products are stylish, modern, and minimalist. You can find beautiful colors and unique designs in their collections.

But their products aren’t just about fashion and appearance. They are about sustainability and functionality.

The bags are made with insanely high-quality materials, and are equipped with smooth and efficient wheels, handles, and locks.

They use recycled fabrics for bag linings and plastic-free shipping materials. Basically, the bags are meant to last a lifetime and prevent more unnecessary waste from the travel industry.

About the Level8 Carry-On Bags

When Level8 asked me to try one of their bags, I went straight to the carry-on bag section of their website.

I rarely travel with anything bigger than a carry-on, so I knew instantly that a smaller suitcase is what I would use the most.

They have an amazing range of carry-on suitcases that are within most airlines’ carry-on size limits.

You can even check the airline carry-on guide on their website if you want to ensure a bag will be allowed on your frequently flown airlines.

All of their carry on bags are beautiful. I was drawn to the ones that have a convenient laptop pocket on the front, as I’m always taking my laptop out to work while waiting in airports.

So I asked if I could try the Road Runner Pro Carry-On.

In less than a week, the bag was shipped to my Dad’s house in Florida so I could bring it on the next leg of my journey!

airplane wing over a sunset while traveling

My Level8 Road Runner Pro Carry-On Suitcase Review

I give the Level8 Road Runner Pro Carry-On a 8/10 overall.

It’s an amazing suitcase, with super smooth wheels, lots of space, and handy pockets.

It was an amazing addition to my recent travels around the USA, Dominican Republic, and Mexico!

But my score went from a 10/10 to an 8/10 because of the following points:

Removed 1 point because the matte black material gets smudged too easily
Removed 1 point because the laptop compartment could be bigger and it’s a bit difficult to close.

So aside from those two things, I love the bag and will use it again.

For those interested, I’ll break down the different features of the suitcase in more detail!

Level8 Road Runner Pro Carry-On Quick facts:

Retail price: $219 USD
Colors: Black, stone, or charcoal
Dimensions 14.4”L x 9.2”W x 21.5”H (37 x 23.5 x 55 cm)
Weight: 9.3 lbs (4.2kgs)
Capacity: 35L

suitcase review with luggage at an airport travel — They also provided letter stickers so I could put my initials on the bag!

Suitcase Pros

Here are all the things I loved about this suitcase from Level8.

Smooth wheels and handle

The wheels and handle are both super smooth on the Road Runner Pro Carry On.

The main reason why I was excited to switch from a duffel bag to a carry-on suitcase is the ease of using wheels!

Walking countless steps through an airport is so much easier with a suitcase on wheels.

The Level8 suitcase has wheels that turn in all directions. You can easily push it vertically or tilt and drag it across the floor.

After heaving around a duffel bag for a few weeks, pushing the Level8 suitcase around felt like luxury!

The handle also pops in and out very smoothly.

Easy and efficient storage

The inside of the suitcase is very well set up and organized. It’s nothing revolutionary, but I really don’t think you need many bells and whistles inside a suitcase.

There is one main open pocket with the ridges from the suitcase handle.

On the other side there is a large zip pocket with two smaller zip pockets on the outside.

I mainly just had clothes, hats, shoes, and bathing suits in the suitcase. But it was very easy to store and organize everything for my trip.

Great size

The Road Runner Pro Carry On is right at the maximum size for most carry-on suitcases.

It’s actually a tiny bit larger than is allowed on some airlines.

For example, I flew American Airlines whose carry-on dimensions are 14”L x 9”W x 21”H. The Road Runner Pro Carry On is 14.4”L x 9.2”W x 21.5”H.

So I was a little nervous that I would have to check it. But I didn’t have any issues.

I flew with this suitcase on JetBlue, American Airlines, and Qantas, and was able to bring it on the plane with no problems.

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Handy lock mechanism

There is also a fancy locking mechanism on the top of the suitcase!

I’ve always traveled with a tiny handheld padlock for luggage. So it’s cool to have the lock built into the suitcase.

The lock secures the front laptop pocket, and has a place to secure the zippers of the bag so it can’t be opened.

Setting up my personal lock code was also very easy with the instructions provided on the suitcase tag.

When it’s time to open the suitcase, you just turn the 3 number dials to your code and press the buttons. Everything opens seamlessly.

Charging port

Next to the lock on the Road Runner Pro Carry On, there is also a little charging port.

I actually haven’t tested this yet. I’m just so used to carrying a regular charger in my bag and charging my devices at an airport wall outlet that I never even thought to test this out.

But I’m sure it works great and is a handy addition to your travel experience.

Convenient laptop pocket

Level8 has a few carry-on suitcases with a laptop pocket at the front.

The Road Runner Pro Carry On has the laptop pocket built into the rectangular design so it’s more discreet.

Other models have the laptop pocket sitting on top of the rectangular design, making the suitcases wider.

Because I’m always paranoid about carry-on suitcases being too big and having to be checked, I chose to try the Road Runner Pro Carry On since it’s thinner than the others.

I love the convenience of having the laptop sitting right on the outside of the suitcase.

It’s so easy to just pop open the compartment and pull out my laptop for working on the go or for going through TSA security.

Normally I store my laptop in my backpack. To use my laptop I have to take the bag on and off, unzip it, and move all my things around to reach the laptop.

I’ve never realized what I was missing! The laptop pocket on the Road Runner Pro Carry On Suitcase is a dream. It could be designed a little better, which I’ll describe in more detail shortly.

working at the airport with carry on suitcase and laptop

Suitcase Cons

Here are the things that I wish were different about the Level8 Road Runner Pro Carry On. These are definitely not deal-breakers, but I want to give a 100% honest review. So here are my thoughts!

Matte material

I don’t love the matte black finish of the material. Yes, the suitcase is smooth and durable and it looks beautiful when you first unwrap it.

But the second you touch the suitcase, your fingerprints smudge onto the matte surface.

A suitcase is something you are constantly touching, so it’s impossible to avoid getting the surface dirty.

The fingerprint smudges are also difficult to wipe off. Hence why you can probably see my fingerprints all over the suitcase in the photos.

I promise I did try to wipe it clean for photos, but it was basically impossible to do as new fingerprints smudged on the second I moved the suitcase.

Lack of space in the laptop compartment

The laptop compartment is the main reason why I requested to try this type of suitcase from Level8.

I work online full-time, so I am constantly taking out my laptop during long travel days. The convenience of having the laptop right there at the front of the suitcase is amazing!

However, the laptop pocket isn’t designed very well.

The laptop slides in easily, but the pocket is already bulging from the materials in the other side of the suitcase. That means there is no space for anything else in that pocket besides the laptop.

I tried to put my laptop charger and kindle in there as well and the pocket wouldn’t close.

It would be ideal to also fit a kindle in there, as that also needs to be removed with the laptop at the airport security checkpoint.

And it would be convenient as well to store the charger in the same pocket as the laptop.

working on a laptop inside an airport with suitcase review

Overall fit of the laptop compartment

Even with just my laptop in the front pocket, I really have to push hard to get the pocket to snap shut.

I have a MacBook Air which is already pretty thin, so I think it might be difficult to store a wider laptop in the compartment.

Also, when the laptop pocket is closed (with just my laptop in there), the pocket bulges out at the sides.

This isn’t a huge deal, but it just doesn’t look very secure.

I was a little nervous trying out the bag with my laptop right there at the front while the pocket barely closed and the sides were sticking out.

I do understand that adding more space to the laptop pocket would probably remove space from the rest of the suitcase. But I would be fine with that, considering the laptop pocket is the main draw for a minimalist traveler like myself!