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The Level 8 Voyageur suitcase looks stylish and high end...but is it more than a pretty face? Find out in Dustin's Review | Purchase the Level 8 Voyageur Lineup here: https://www.dpbolvw.net/click-101809293-17011074
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Table of Contents:
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0:00 - Intro and Concept
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0:00
Hi, I'm Dustin Abbott. I'm about 10 days at this point from taking a major trip to visit
0:15
my son in New Zealand. And so as I have been doing over the past couple of months, I have
0:20
been reviewing various pieces of luggage, travel related gear, trying to prepare for
0:27
this trip. So when I began to look for a big suitcase because our old luggage is starting to
0:34
fall apart, pretty soon I started to see the marketing pop up for level eight. And in particular
0:39
this kind of iconic look, which is their two-tone Voyager luggage set. There was something about the
0:46
look that really stood out to me because, you know, as always, when you're arriving at airports
0:50
you kind of want something that's going to stand out on that carousel and not look just like
0:54
everyone else's and there's something about this particular design that looked really premium kind
0:59
of reminds me of like a Maybach with their two-tone color finishes on it and so in looking at that I
1:06
decided I would take a look at the Voyager lineup and I wanted something of pretty good size here
1:12
and so I have got a 28 inch in terms of height suitcase here and so that is 99 liters of volume
1:20
Overall dimensions here are 13.4 inches wide by 16.7 inches in the depth and then 29.3 inches in terms of the overall height
1:32
The bag weighs in at 12.4 pounds and its profile is more that it is deep rather than wide in comparison to some of the other luggage that we had on hand
1:44
some of the other specifications is we have 360 degree ultra smooth spinner wheels and
1:50
the ability to wheel and keep moving is great and as you can see here i got one push and i got all
1:58
the way up a long hallway so that was great not that i'm regularly going to be doing that but i
2:02
at this point have pulled it across a variety of surfaces from asphalt to some cobbles on carpet
2:08
in a hotel and then of course obviously on lower resistance floors and on all of those it moves
2:15
really really well furthermore we have got a german-made macrolon polycarbonate multi-layer
2:22
construction and i haven used it long enough to know how well it going to hold up over the long haul but by all accounts it is tough and durable and ready to hold up with the inevitable abuse it going to experience when I travel
2:36
particularly travel internationally with it. We have also got YKK, puncture resistant zippers
2:41
all throughout. And so those are nice and robust. We have a wide aluminum alloy handle and a little
2:49
bit different of a handle design than what is typical. I'll have more comments on that in just
2:53
a moment. We also have integrated TSA locks inside. We've got a wet dry separation pocket
3:01
Somewhat interestingly, we do have a front grab handle on this bag, not something that I've
3:05
previously seen before, which could be useful, however, for pulling it off of the carousel
3:10
And also it's useful if you're wanting to grab on two different fronts for sliding it into a
3:15
vehicle, for example. So I'm going to give you some breakdowns of things as I have tested and
3:19
then used the bag over the last three or four weeks at this point. Things that I have found to
3:25
both be negatives and positives as a part of my review process. And then I'll deliver you a
3:31
conclusion. So as far as positives, and it's going to be both in the pro and the con category, but
3:36
they've made kind of a bold move here with this extra wide trolley. Now, the upside is that on
3:42
the interior, it allows for a better organization inside. Instead of having something that's going
3:48
right up the middle and so it kind of creates a bump in your main storage area. It's right off
3:53
there on the sides and so you have much more of a flat loading surface inside. So that's good
3:59
Their own internal testing, this is not my testing, but according to their internal testing
4:03
it is designed to allow for 276,000 wheel rotations. So a lot of rolling on those wheels
4:12
and 12,000 handle pulls in and out. And so it's designed to take some wear and tear
4:18
on those fronts. One thing that I do like practically is that on both sides
4:24
when you're laying the suitcase flat, on both sides, there's actually a zippered cover
4:28
which you can do storage in. But what I like about that is that I find that sometimes
4:33
many suitcases have a cover over one area and then more of just straps on the other side
4:39
So it allows things to kind of move around and shift inside. This allows for, to me, a much neater design and so that you're able
4:46
to fill those areas up, zip them up, and then fold everything together and it allows, as
4:52
you laying it flat that things aren spilling out all around you I love the fact that the wheels move so fantastically well That such a big deal when you moving around with luggage because I had luggage where the wheels were not great in the past
5:06
And so it kind of means that there's kind of a certain position where wheels okay in
5:11
And so you have to only pull in that position. But whether you're using it, you know, kind of alongside or pulling behind
5:17
all of it, it moves along really, really nicely. Another unique thing that I like here is that there's actually some rear rubberized rest for it
5:27
And so whether it's sliding into the back of my truck, which has a bed liner and so it's kind of a rough surface
5:34
it means that there's not wear and tear on the actual housing. But also when you're laying it flat, it actually has something to rest on
5:41
We've got similar rest here on the side that the suitcase will lay flat on
5:45
And so I appreciate all of that. Those are the good things. How about some things that I didn't like so much? Well, going back to this wide trolley handle
5:54
while it is useful and it is nice and stable, all of that's good. But if your kind of plan was to
6:00
have any kind of bag that typically would wrap around the trolley handle through a strap on its
6:06
back, it's not going to work here. It's really not designed for that. And so for many things
6:11
that could be a negative. Also on the flip side of positives and negatives, I noted that the wide
6:17
trolley handle allows for a flatter loading surface in the back, but they've added this
6:22
handle assembly on the front. And if I zip out the lining and I look down underneath there
6:26
you can see that there's a protrusion that comes from that handle being attached there
6:30
And so we don't have a flat surface on this side, which I mean, this is kind of cool. I don't know
6:36
that it's entirely necessary, but they could have maximized just a little bit more storage area
6:40
if they didn't have that front handle. And so that's a potential negative as well
6:44
It is a little bit heavier than the equivalent suitcases that I have at home
6:49
Now, I didn't find it to feel particularly heavy. However, it is heavier, about a pound or so, heavier than others
6:56
And so I'm hoping that this is a good compromise between being reasonably lightweight
7:01
but also being sturdily made and so that it will hold up for the long haul
7:06
So what's my conclusion? Well, the Voyager lineup in particular won the Red Dot Design Award in 2024
7:13
and was also voted Newsweek's Reader's Choice Award design for its luggage
7:18
This is a fantastic looking design that just a lot of people really like and both critics and consumers
7:24
are agreed on the fact that this is great looking iconic luggage It looks modern and it stylish and that modern square style and great depth of the suitcase allows for a lot of room about 99 liters of
7:38
storage room inside. What's more, this is built for the long haul. It comes with a lifetime warranty
7:45
that covers basically all of the functional aspects. That's the shell, the wheels, the handle
7:51
and the zippers themselves. I mean, basically everything that can break on the suitcase has a
7:55
lifetime warranty. And so this is the kind of purchase that you're going to make just one time
8:00
And if you follow up with them, if you have issues in the future, you can continue to have
8:04
this supported throughout. I've purchased for lightweight before. The problem is, is that I
8:08
have gotten several 28 and 38 inches suitcases where I have gone solely for lightweight. You
8:14
know, maybe I'm traveling and I'm wanting to replace a suitcase. And what I've unfortunately
8:18
found is that when I have bought for, with my primary criteria being lightweight, those are
8:24
the bags that have lasted the least amount of time. And I have traveled a lot over my life. I'm
8:29
both an American and a Canadian citizen. My family's still in the U.S. And so I've traveled back and
8:34
forth between the U.S. and Canada a lot over the years. And so we've gone through a lot of luggage
8:38
alongside every other trip that I've taken to other points in the world. And what I have found
8:43
is that I've burned through that lightweight luggage because it just doesn't hold up. And so
8:47
I'm hoping that this is a good compromise between being reasonably lightweight, but also being
8:52
sturdily made and so that it will hold up for the long haul. The price tag is $300 for a suitcase
8:58
this size, but I noted that on the website, out of nearly 1,600 user reviews, the average rating
9:04
is a 4.8 out of 5 stars. So a lot of people have invested in this and they really like it. And
9:10
while that price point is a little higher than what I've paid in department stores for a bag this
9:15
size, none of those have come with anywhere near the kind of warranty that the Level 8 Voyager
9:20
does. And so as a byproduct, I'm spending a little bit more, but in the long run
9:25
I'm going to spend less. And I think that that ends up being pretty good math for most of us
9:30
And so if you're looking for a new suitcase, something that rolls well, that looks stylish
9:35
and is built to last, check out the Level 8 Voyager lineup along with their other lineups
9:41
if there's something else that you prefer there. And here's hoping that this is a fantastic companion
9:46
on my trip to New Zealand in about a week and a half. If you want more information
9:50
there are links in the description down below. As always, thanks for watching, have a great day, and let the light in
#Travel & Transportation