Travel Gear Review: CALPAK Luka Soft-Sided Mini Carry-On Luggage

[terriko]

This is crossposted from Curiousity.ca, my personal maker blog. If you want to link to this post, please use the original link since the formatting there is usually better.

How I travel has changed a lot in the past few years especially since I started using a cane and my growing kid means it’s different every time now. So I’m trying to note a few things that worked (or could be better) from my last couple of trips.

I have resisted the urge to call this “lame luggage reviews” on account of my literal lameness, but if you’re also a cane user you might find my experience useful!

What is it?

This is a spinner-style “underseat” carry-on suitcase. I’m not sure if it’ll actually fit underseat in too many planes, as the 9 inch depth is a bit large and the frame doesn’t have any give to it, but I really just wanted something smaller and intended to leave it in the overhead so that wasn’t a concern for me.

Product link: https://www.calpaktravel.com/products/luka-mini-carry-on-luggage/sage,16

What problem did I need it to solve?

I prefer to have a suitcase over just doing a backpack because I have a pinched nerve in my left hip and extra weight tends to leave me in a lot of pain for weeks or months. This helps some by letting me put heavier stuff in the suitcase, but mostly it helps by letting me slip my favourite backpack over the handle so it’s not putting weight on my nerve at all. I also use a cane to help manage the same problem (this also makes my “invisible” disability visible when needed).

My previous small suitcase was a two-wheeled affair and it was hard to maneuver while using my cane, especially if I had a backpack slipped overtop of the luggage handle. The weight of the backpack then went on my arm, which was less painful but still tiring. It got even worse in our trip to visit the American grandparents because I was often moving not only my own backpack but also my kid’s backpack while my husband handled the more awkward luggage.

How did it work out for me?

This was *considerably* easier for me to move with the cane, and the 4 wheels supported the full weight of whatever backpack was on it. Absolute win in terms of improved accessibility for me! This was the most important goal and it solved the problem perfectly.

It fit a *lot* of spare toys, games and chargers and stuff that we used in long layovers and on the train, as well as spare clothes for me and kiddo (which we didn’t use this trip but we’ve needed in several past occasions), and spare crafts for me (embroidery, spinning, knitting) where I was too nervous to leave them in checked bags. It was probably a bit bigger than we needed for this trip, but it was awfully convenient to stuff things like my kid’s neck pillow in there so he could get other stuff in and out of his bag more easily, so maybe it was just the right size? I imagine it’ll be big enough for weekend jaunts in future.

I liked the layout and the large straps for holding stuff in when it’s opened, as well as the design where you can velcro/snap the front panel so it opens only partway when unzipped. This was great in the airport so you can pull out a laptop in security without making a mess. I briefly wished the side pocket was big enough to hold my noise cancelling headphones, but in practice I had those in their case in my backpack anyhow, so I mostly used it to hold a heavier spare battery. It would have been big enough to tuck my phone in there with the battery to charge.

I didn’t try it under the seat but it fit ok in the overhead bins on all 4 planes (including the shortest flight) and the VIA rail train. No questions from airport staff so I didn’t go around shoving it into the luggage sizer things. That said, we were flying first class and boarding first so it wasn’t like I was competing much for overhead space when I got on, and the airlines were no doubt inclined to give me a lot more leeway than they might with other passengers.

My kid also had a good time moving it when he wasn’t using his scooter, though he was most excited about pulling it on 2 wheels for some reason.

Things that could be better

I didn’t love the available colours, and my kid still insists that it “could be more green.” It’s definitely light coloured enough to pick up some dirt from being in the overhead bins, but I don’t like black so this is the colour I chose.

It was honestly a bit deeper than I’d like: it would be nice if the depth was maybe half an inch less so I didn’t have to worry about overhead bins. I realized it had paper stuffed in the padded outer pocket to make it stick out, so it fit better on our return flights than the ones on the way there. Still, the rigid frame is pushing the limits of airplane spaces and won’t compress, so I expect occasional problems with it in the future (particularly if we wind up flying on smaller jets).

My travel laptop (a lenovo A275) only *barely* fit in the laptop sleeve built in to the side panel. It’s a 12.5″ but fairly thick: maybe this could handle a 13″ ultrabook but I wouldn’t want to carry a 14″ this way. This is ok for me since I love tiny laptops and can’t carry heavier ones any more with my leg injury, but it might be an issue for other people.

Overall

This absolutely made it easier for me to get around the airport with my cane, and even made it easier to manage with multiple suitcases when struggling in and out of the airport. It carried a bit more than I needed, and it fit in all the places I needed it to fit. I’m thrilled with how it worked out and excited to use it on my next trip.

Is it the best possible luggage for me? Who knows. I’m not a review company so I’m not spending $$$ to try more suitcases. But if you want me to start up “lame luggage reviews” for real and want to send me a free suitcase to try on a future trip, let me know!