If you have seen the Travelpro Platinum Elite 22” Expandable Carry-On Rollaboard before, it is probably because an airline crew person was dragging it in front of you. Travelpro is synonymous with air travel for the durability, practicality, and pricing of its high-quality bags. You can invest in an excellent bag that is ready to traverse journey after journey without spending a fortune. Its quality has been tried and tested for years, and this two-wheel rollaboard suitcase has plenty of fans.
What’s inside
You can store so much stuff in the bag thanks to a main, deep pocket. The shell for the extendable handle that pulls out of the back of the bag does not take up much interior space thankfully.
You’ll also notice a particularly interesting feature is the bag’s own USB port that serves as an external battery (yes, you will need to recharge it, and yes, you will need to show gate agents that you have one if you are checking your bag on a regional jet). While the power bank does not come with the bag, the option to have this handy is great for frequent travelers. Sometimes, power outlets are limited so to travel with your own is fantastic.
Inside there are pockets to keep things organized including mesh pouches for smaller items like keys, coins, charging cables, and other items that you might need to grab in a hurry.
There’s a built-in compartment to store a suit or clothes that you want to keep from getting wrinkled. It has straps to wrap around delicate items to keep them in place. I also liked that I can unzip the front pockets to put paperwork, magazines, or boarding passes without having to unzip the entire bag.
What’s outside
This bag was designed to fit in domestic airline sizing units, which makes it popular with business travelers. There’s also an expandable section that can be unzipped to afford two inches’ more space inside the bag if you bring back more souvenirs than you intended. This may make it harder to stuff into the sizing unit, and some overseas airlines may think the expanded version is a tad too big.
The handle extends from the back of the bag with one quick push of a button, and it has four height options that make this bag easy to drag behind you no matter how tall you are or how heavy the contents of your bag. There’s also a TSA-approved liquid bag that you can use or remove entirely from the bag.
I noticed that the nylon fabric was pretty heavy duty, and it comes coated with a stain or liquid-resistant material that protects it in case of spills or your bag sits outside in inclement weather for a short time. Handles on the top and side of the bag make it easy to pick up and place in an overhead bin or the trunk of a car.
While some people may prefer four-wheel bags to more easily push through an airport or along the street, I found that the two wheels on this bag were especially heavy duty. That’s important if the whole bag’s weight is balanced on just two wheels. My briefcase easily slid over the handle of this rollaboard bag, and since this bag tilts ever so slightly, it does not topple forward (like some other bags may) when you put a briefcase on top.
This bag weighs just over seven pounds when empty, which is a bit less than what a four-wheeled bag might weigh. The Travelpro Platinum Elite 22” Expandable Carry-On Rollaboard retails for under $300 on the Travelpro website; it is a sturdy and impressive bag that is designed for road warriors.
