A Review of our Level 8 Luggage

A Review of our Level 8 Luggage.

We’ve really changed the way we’ve travelled over the last 10 years. When we first started travelling full-time, we had huge backpacks (the ones outdoorsmen use) and oversized hand luggage. With time, and with the Airlines clamping up on baggage size, we went through a few alterations, getting progressively lighter and lighter. It was only a few years ago that we got into full minimalist mode: one carry-on sized suitcase and one (small) backpack for each of us. When you’re carrying all your worldly possessions with you, that’s about as minimalist as you can get.

The latest alteration wasn’t about travelling lighter. It was about travelling with higher quality, more efficient luggage that improves the travel experience.

That’s how we ended up with luggage from Level 8.

We spent the last few months travelling around Canada and Mexico. How did our Level 8 luggage hold up? And what did we think of it? You’ll find out pretty fast watching this video.

I’ve gone through our gear in the video, but I’ll cover it again below and go into a bit more detail on what we really appreciate about each piece and how we use them.

Hegent carry-on Level 8 — The Hegent Carry-on

The Hegent Carry-on

This is my suitcase. On the Level 8 website, they mention that it was designed for business travel. I can see that. This would be a good suitcase for the businessman doing frequent travel where durability, security and comfort are key. But these qualities are also great for full-time travellers.

An overview of the Hegent along with a few of my notes:

Super durable frame
Hard exterior, German made polycarbonate
Great quality 4 stage handle
2 locks. Note: Our latest trip wasn’t for pleasure, it was to take care of some family business. It meant bringing with me a lot of documentation. I said it in the video and I’ll say it again: the Hegent Carry-on is like a safe on wheels. With that frame and the two locks, nobody is going to get into that suitcase. So I felt very secure having a big pouch full of documents in the suitcase.
2 super heavy-duty handles.
I love the super quiet wheels that spin 360. Effortless, easy for navigation, going on escalators etc. Super durable, we’ve wheeled it on cobblestones in Mexico and Quebec City and the wheels are still as good as new.
Inside, it has a protected compartment with water resistant separator
Good sized main compartment that you can secure with a zipper panel and straps (Y-strap compression system).

Once you’ve packed and secured both compartments, the inside looks immaculately clean and organized. I love that. If security at the airport asks you to open the suitcase, your stuff won’t come tumbling out. The Y-strap system keeps it organized, clean, and it maximizes space by compressing the contents of the compartment down.

As I say, it’s a great suitcase and I love it. What usually breaks down on suitcases are the wheels, handles and zips/locks. I’ve had this suitcase now for 6 months and everything is functioning at 100% (it has a few scratches which happens with hard shell exterior bags. But that just gives it more character). But note that if the Hegent Carry-on does break down, Level 8 has a lifetime warranty that covers functional aspects including the shell, wheels, handles, and zippers.

Any negatives? I really have to nitpick to find anything and I don’t even know if there is a solution to this: the wheels are so good, so smooth, that if you have it on an uneven surface your suitcase can roll away from you. I had that happen on buses. It almost needs an option to lock the wheels. But this issue is only because the wheels are so darn smooth.

Capture Carry-on

This is Lissette’s suitcase. Instead of a hard shell, this suitcase has a super-strength nylon exterior. It also has lots of exterior pockets which are great for last minute things. In the front, you even have a protected pocket where you can fit in your laptop, keep documents etc.

The main compartment of this suitcase is large and has a couple of water-resistant side pockets. You also have a zipped-in pouch (again water-resistant) which is perfect for small toiletries. You can unzip and take the pouch with you which is a nice feature (we actually take it with us when we take walks, keeping Kleenexes, wipes, hand sanitizer, band aids and gum in there). You have a 2^nd compartment on the top where you can separate your clothes. We like to put our pyjamas in there or a change of clothing if on a long flight.

What we really like about this suitcase is the flexibility. You can really stuff this suitcase, it’s not limited by a hard shell. The flexible nylon exterior allows you to do that. I also mention in the video the “Expandable zipper” which allows for even more room.

The Capture Carry-on has the same great quality 4 stage handle as the Hegent as well as the same super durable, 360 spin wheels.

How we use the two suitcases: The Hegent is a hard shell suitcase and doesn’t have flexibility. When we pack, we put all the stuff in there that we know we won’t need until we get to the final destination. We jam-pack it, put everything we can and lock it up. Because of the flexibility of the Capture Carry-on, we use it for the overflow and for anything we might need to have access to when travelling. Having all those outside pockets also makes items easier to reach (ie without having to open the main hold of the suitcase). So having these two, different suitcases works for us.

Either way, we love both bags.

Atlas laptop backpack Level 8 — The Atlas laptop backpack

Level 8 Atlas Laptop backpack

I’ve previous written about this backpack. It’s the best travel backpack I’ve had.

The outside fabric is super durable and water repellent. It has a super heavy-duty handle that will never rip.
Lots of compartments including a laptop department that fits all laptops. I actually usually carry 2 laptops in my bag. When I’m travelling I keep my valuable documents in the outside front pocket and then, when I want to put them away, I put them in a secure compartment hidden within the main hold of the bag.
The backpack has a tether that you can slip over the handle of your carry on suitcase, so you can take it off your back and transport it as part of the suitcase. That’s a great option when you’re tired of having it on your back.

I’ve used this backpack for a long time now. Love, love love this backpack. And as I say in the video, it’s a great add-on to the suitcases because you can tether them together.

Atlas laptop backpack from a few years ago travelling around Spain

Summing it up: We love our Level 8 gear and from the bottom of my heart fully recommend it to any traveller, no matter how you travel. Great stuff. If there was a negative I would tell you but so far everything – the suitcases and backpacks from Level 8 – have been fantastic and beyond any travel gear we’ve had in the past.

Get a 10% discount on your Level 8 purchase

Interested in buying a Level 8 suitcase or backpack? Go to the Level 8 website and use “bbqboynet10” as a discount code on the payment page. You’ll get a 10% discount off your purchase.