Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case Review: Affordable Luxury At Its Best
As soon as I heard about the stylish Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case with an integrated handbag compartment in the top of it, I wanted one.
Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband who bought it for me for my 30th birthday earlier this year!
Scott and I almost always fly hand luggage only. For over six years, I used the same little wheeled suitcase from Tripp. It’s done me well over the years. But it’s quite basic and small, so I thought it was about time I upgraded it.
Along came the Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case… and I am officially in love with it!
If you’ve been thinking about buying the Travel Hack cabin luggage but aren’t sure if it’s worth it, legit or as good as it sounds, then here’s my super detailed Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case review.
Hopefully, it’ll convince you why you should buy one! Or you could even buy it as a special gift for the travel lover in your life…
The Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case: An Affordable & Super Stylish Luxury Cabin Case
NB: This review is for the Cabin Max Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case, which is the second version of the Travel Hack Cabin Case.
In case you’ve never heard of it, the Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case is a wheeled carry-on suitcase.
It was designed by Cabin Max (British experts in cabin luggage) in collaboration with Monica from The Travel Hack (a hugely successful full-time travel blogger who definitely knows a thing or two about travelling around the world!)
Just like the rest of Cabin Max’s luggage, the Travel Hack suitcase is designed to fit within most airline’s hand luggage restrictions – and it’s the biggest carry-on luggage you’ve probably ever had!
I was able to take it with us to Croatia for a week and I had a lot of room left over, which I was really surprised about.
But its biggest selling point is the integrated handbag compartment, which is useful for budget airlines like easyJet who only let you have one cabin bag.
With this savvy suitcase, you can quickly pop your handbag in the top of it before boarding and get it back out again as soon as you’re on the plane.
Ultimately, this is a super-stylish luxury cabin case without the hefty price tag! Keep reading for all the reasons why I love this suitcase…
Check prices on Amazon | Check prices on Cabin Max
What I Love About The Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case
Here are all the top things I love about my new Cabin Max Travel Hack cabin luggage…
1. Really useful separate handbag compartment
We choose to fly with easyJet the most often. But they have a really frustrating policy where you can only take one cabin bag on board with you unless you’ve paid extra.
The even more annoying thing is that they don’t care what happens to your handbag once you’ve boarded the plane, so you’ll probably be whipping your handbag back out of your suitcase as soon as you’re through the gate!
On our way to Vienna a few years ago, I remember trying to squeeze my handbag into my tiny suitcase while trying very hard not to crush everything or break it in front of a rather bemused easyJet employee. I just managed it but it was a struggle.
So when I heard about the Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case with integrated handbag compartment, I was instantly intrigued! And having now used it on our most recent trip, it’s even more useful than I thought!
First off, it’s a bigger compartment than I originally thought. I managed to fit my crossbody bag, toiletries, headphones, laptop charger, large hardback book and travel wallet inside it… and I still had some room left over for a few extra bits and bobs like a pack of cards and some snacks.
Everything that I thought would need to go through security separately or that I might have wanted during the flight fitted easily into that top compartment.
I can’t tell you enough how much that made going through security a total breeze! I was even patting non-existent pockets in my trousers because I was shocked at how quickly I’d gotten everything onto the conveyor belt!
The handbag compartment also has a couple of clips attached to the inside of it, which you can use to secure your handbag if you’re worried about someone unzipping the top of it and running off with your valuables.
The other cool thing about the handbag compartment is that if you’re travelling with an airline that allows you to have more than one bag, or you’re taking the suitcase away on a road trip with you so it doesn’t matter how many bags you have, then the handbag compartment can be changed and made to be a part of the main compartment if you want instead. You just have to undo the velcro on a couple of straps and remove the dividing shelf!
2. It’s cabin-sized but still really big
At 55x40x20cm, this suitcase is designed to fit within most airline’s cabin bag restrictions. But it’s also probably one of the biggest carry-ons you’ve ever had.
I was shocked at the size of it when I unwrapped it and even triple-checked the size myself as I didn’t believe it would be allowed.
But nope… I used it when we flew to Croatia for a week with easyJet and no one batted an eye!
You’ll need ‘Priority Boarding’ to use it on Ryanair, but you should be able to use it with other airlines without any problems.
One of the genius ways Cabin Max and The Travel Hack have kept the bag within guidelines is that the handle is built into the back of the suitcase and is telescopic, so it folds down twice and into a zipped pocket. Smart, eh?
3. Pockets and compartments galore!
I knew this suitcase had a bunch of pockets and compartments before I asked for it for my birthday, but I didn’t realise just how many it had!
There’s the revolutionary handbag compartment on the top, the 28-litre main luggage compartment, a padded laptop compartment on the back, a water bottle holder on the side, which zips closed when not in use or when you need to prove to an airline that the suitcase fits within the measuring bin and five good-sized zipped pockets:
- One zipped pocket plus two other slip pockets in the handbag compartment
- Three zipped pockets in the main compartment (one on the side of the case and two on the door flap; one of which is padded)
The main compartment also has packing straps for keeping your clothes in place. There’s also a zipped compartment at the bottom, which hides the suitcase’s handle.
But you could also use this section to zip your clothes into to help keep them flat or hide sensitive things inside that you don’t want security staff to have to rifle through if your bag beeps during security.
All of this makes packing and keeping your stuff separate super easy so that you can find everything at your hotel quickly. Yay! More time for sightseeing is always good!
There’s even a couple of clips on the outside of the suitcase, which you could attach your travel pillow and luggage tag to.
Psst! If you’re also on the lookout for a super stylish luggage tag to go with your new suitcase, then have you seen these personalised leather ones on Etsy? Scott and I have a set and they are seriously classy (and just as affordable!)
4. Laptop compartment
As a travel blogger, my laptop follows me everywhere I go. So having a laptop compartment as part of my cabin luggage is important to me. Thankfully, the Travel Hack suitcase has one!
It’s a fantastic size (my 15.6 inch laptop easily fits in with lots of room leftover for magazines or anything else that lies flat) and is padded to help protect your laptop.
However, I think it’s a shame that the laptop compartment is on the back of the suitcase. If you have to lie your suitcase on its back or if it falls over, then your laptop would bear the weight of the full suitcase. It’s also only padded on the outer side.
So if you’re going to use that compartment for your laptop, you might want to also put it inside its own protective case. There’s plenty of room for this extra padding!
5. Beautiful stylish design
I’m a total sucker for rose gold anything so I adore that all the zips are in rose gold, which looks striking against the plain black.
The suitcase also has a couple of faux leather inserts and quilted fabric details, which also add to the luxurious feel of this stunning suitcase.
6. Affordable luxury cabin suitcase
You might think that all these revolutionary features and stunning design mean the suitcase comes with a hefty price tag.
But at under £100/$100, I’m calling this an affordable luxury cabin suitcase for sure!
Buy the Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case on Amazon | Buy the Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case on Cabin Max
What Could Be Improved
As they say, nothing’s perfect. There are a couple of minor things that I think the suitcase could be improved upon (maybe there’ll be a version 3?) 😉
Here’s what I think could be improved and how I’m working around these little niggles…
1. Four wheels instead of two
The suitcase has two wheels so can’t be pulled alongside you like a four-wheeled suitcase can.
This personally doesn’t bother me as I’ve never owned a four-wheeler before, but I can imagine some of you might think this is a deal-breaker.
If that’s the case, have you seen this pretty pink hardshell cabin case? It has four wheels, several zipped compartments inside and comes highly rated on Amazon.
2. Even more padding for the laptop compartment
Although the laptop compartment is padded, it’s only padded on one side (the outer part). The other part of the laptop compartment is against the hard back of the main luggage compartment.
I’ve seen a few photos online of people putting their laptops straight into the suitcase. I wouldn’t recommend doing that.
Instead, pop your laptop in its own protective case – there’s more than enough room inside the laptop compartment for a little extra padding!
3. Design kinks and missed tricks
I love the overall luxury look and feel of the suitcase, but there are a couple of design kinks that I think could be improved:
- The zippers aren’t officially lockable. This isn’t a problem if your suitcase stays with you, but if the flight is busy and you’re asked to put your bag into the hold, then this lack of feature could be a thievery disaster just waiting to happen. What I have been able to do though is thread a padlock through the metal loops that the zip pulls are attached to so this is something that can be easily worked around.
- The tassel was annoying when walking! The Travel Hack branded luggage tag and tassel on the side of the case are a cute design touch. But they kept hitting the back of my legs as I walked (probably because I’ve got short arms so the suitcase has to be a bit closer to me when being pulled it along behind me). This is a tiny niggle though and I’ll probably just cut the tassel off before I use the suitcase again.
Is The Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case Worth It?
In a word, yes. I love this suitcase and I hope that shows from this detailed review of it. If I had to go out and buy another one tomorrow, I honestly would.
There are so many great features; from the really useful handbag compartment to the fantastic amount of pockets and compartments inside.
I think the design is stylish and classy (I noticed a couple of women checking out my suitcase as I wheeled it past them!)
And the price is fantastic for what you get.
Given this suitcase was designed in collaboration with a blogger and influencer, I was worried they’d hoik the price right up like other brands have done in the past.
But by keeping it under £100/$100, they’ve achieved something I’m really proud to own: an affordable and super stylish luxury cabin suitcase!
Buy the Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case on Amazon | Buy the Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case on Cabin Max
Also On My Wishlist…
To finish, I also wanted to point out that Cabin Max and The Travel Hack have also created some other products together, which you might like.
I also have the Travel Hack Tote Bag, which I’ve reviewed in detail here. And the 20L Travel Hack Backpack (full review here). Spoiler: I love them both too!
I also have the Pink Compression Packing Cubes on my wishlist. Apparently, 17 litres of clothing can be compressed into just 12 litres with these packing cubes, which also have a pretty pink and gold design. Check prices on Cabin Max
I’m looking forward to reviewing those as soon as I’ve got my hands on them. So stay tuned!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my review of the Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case. If you’ve got any other questions, just drop me a line in the comments below and I’ll reply asap! Or… if you’re already the proud owner of this suitcase, I’d love to know what you think of it!
Pin this Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case review now, read it again later!
