As someone who took 106 flights in 2023, most of them with a carry-on bag, I would consider myself both a travel and luggage expert.
I’ve gotten super picky about my luggage, as I’ve realized it’s one of the most important factors of a smooth trip, and I’m not in the mood to compromise.
Low-quality luggage is a nightmare and there’s no way I can grit my teeth and bear it with a cheap bag.
I’ve been a die-hard fan of TravelPro bags for the last decade, because I truly believe they have the best bang for your buck, but they’re not the most stylish kid on the block.
However, Carl Friedrik caught my eye, with their 007-type design, masculine and handsome, but I wanted to see if they were also as functional as my TravelPro Elite carry-on bag.
Straight up, it’s a dang sexy suitcase, but I’m finding it’s lacking in a few small but important areas.
To inform the reader, the team at Carl Friedrik gifted me a carry-on bag, a perk of being a CEO of a travel news site, but my review below is completely unbiased and my own.
While they gift the bag hoping I will ultimately love it, they have zero say in my published opinion, and I always give our readers both sides of the story.
Carl Friedrik Carry On X
- Exterior surface texture option: Dotted
- Color: Grey/Chocolate
- Overall rating = 8/10
Looks & Style
10/10
The Carl Friedrik carry-on X bag is undeniably the best-looking piece of luggage I have ever owned.
It’s as good-looking as they get.
It oozes luxury and wealth and looks like it has a designer-like price tag of 4-figures plus.
I simply cannot fault it for anything style-wise. It’s absolutely flawless.
The shell is German polycarbonate, the framing is aluminum, and it features a beautiful leather trim detail by Vachetta.
Space
10/10
It’s a wide bag and the space is wonderful for someone trying to get the maximum allowance into a carry-on.
I was able to pack for a two-week trip easily, even though it was to 3 different cities with very different weather.
Functionality
8/10
The overall functionality of the bag is good.
I thought I would dislike the old chest-style clasps, but they are efficient for getting the bag open and closed fast.
Where it lost 2 points:
1 point was lost for not having many interior pockets. There are two small pockets on the interior spine of the bag, but only large enough for a super tiny item, like a few business cards worth of space.
There is another interior pocket in the compression pack which flattens and contains clothes on the one side. It’s larger of course, but only for long flat items, like a notebook or perhaps a few undergarments.
The other point was lost for the exterior laptop sleeve.
I’m sorry C.F., but TravelPro does this best. I can unzip and grab my laptop easily with one hand, as the other hand is always busy with TSA people yelling at me.
To be clear, this luggage was not poor for this specific function, but it could be better.
The exterior laptop flap is ‘hard shell’, making it a bit harder to open wide with one hand, plus the lined pocket and little velcro strap is not as smooth and flawless as it could be.
It’s a two-hand design for sure, slowing down my security experience by a few seconds.
Wheels
9/10
The wheels are really smooth, which is nice on a fully packed case, as it tends to glide nicely on hard floors.
The sales site mentions they are 360-degree Hinomoto silent wheels, which I’m not sure what that means, but they worked well on tile, hardwood, and concrete.
I took off one point because they don’t roll as well on carpet as my other luggage.
Handle
3/10
The handle is my biggest issue with the bag.
The luggage set Itself is so luxurious, sturdy, strong, and durable, but the handle feels like it was made by an entirely different brand.
It’s a kind of hollow plastic that feels very cheap, very light, and it wobbles quite a bit. I imagined them using a kind of titanium or super heavy plastic with chrome or carbon-fiber detailing, but alas it’s just underwhelming.
The button you push to make the handle go up and down also rattles, adding to the cheap feeling.
I also don’t love the shape of the handle when it’s in my hand and I’m walking with the luggage. Sounds like crazy attention to detail, but as I mentioned above, I’m on a flight at least 2x’s per week, so these little experiences add up for me.
I have a feeling they may redesign this handle, because I cannot be the only one who has made this complaint. The bag would be PERFECT if they could make an adjustment to this one area.
Does it fit?
When I packed this bag for the first time, I noticed it was a little wider than my TravelPro, and I got worried about it fitting in the overhead bin. Obviously, a luggage company would check that sort of thing, but I had doubts just by eyeballing the bag.
I had a few legs on my flight, one with luxurious Emirates on a 777 and one with super low-cost airline Vueling on an A321.
I knew it would fit on the 777 in business class, but I had doubts on the super low-cost leg. Thankfully it fit like a dream, proving it was just my eye reading the bag wrong, its measurements had been well-researched
Am I sold? Will I continue to use the bag?
I once said I would NEVER stop using my TravelPro Elite for any reason, but this bag has convinced me to rotate in and out. My TravelPro is more functional, but if we’re being honest it’s a bit of a dog.
- When I need more style, I will reach for the Carl Friedrik.
- If I am on 1-direct flight, I will like use the C.F.
- When I am taking multiple legs, let’s say 2-3 flights, I will rotate back to my TravelPro, as it’s just superior for travel smoothness and functionality (mostly because of the amazing handle and one-handed laptop sleeve)
To conclude, the bag is a gorgeous, show-off piece for a refined traveler, almost perfect really, but it just needs a few small tweaks to have ultimate bragging rights.
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