Travelling with a toddler has made me very selective about how much luggage I want to bring. Between the stroller, the car seat and the diaper bag, we already have plenty to carry around. So if I can fit the rest of our belongings into one suitcase, that makes me very happy!
That was the idea when we took the LEVEL8 Voyageur Checked 28″ on a two-week autumn trip to the Maritimes. My husband, our toddler, and I shared one suitcase, packing a week’s worth of clothes with plans to do laundry along the way since we were visiting family.
All three of us were able to fit our belongings into one bag, and it weighed 20 kg at the airport, comfortably below the 23 kg allowance on our domestic flight. We even had a bit of room to spare, though I really tried my best not to take that as an invitation to pack more!
After its first trip across Canada from Calgary to Fredericton, I have quite a few things I like about this suitcase, a few things to consider before buying it, and some travel situations I still want to test it in. Here’s my experience using the LEVEL8 Voyageur as a young travelling family.
Disclosure: LEVEL8 gifted me the Voyageur Checked 28″ suitcase and Compression Packing Cube Travel Set to try. They asked me to share my opinion, with no requirement to write a positive review. This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.
Packing for three people in one suitcase
The biggest appeal for me was being able to pack for the whole family in one checked bag.
For this trip, the deeper half of the suitcase held all of our clothes. The shallower half held diapers, baby wipes, toiletries, an extra pair of leather shoes for me, running shoes for our toddler, and a small makeup bag.
My thinking was that we could do laundry at our destination since we were staying with my in-laws. I didn’t feel the need to bring two full weeks of clothing for everyone, especially now that we have so much other baby and toddler gear to bring along.
Of course, how much you can fit will depend on what you’re packing. This was an early autumn trip spanning late September to early October, so picture turtlenecks, flannel and fleeces, but no heavy winter jackets, toques or boots. With that in mind, for our family, the 28″ size worked wonderfully.
There was still space to add a little more, which is both a good thing and a temptation. I had to remind myself that the goal was to bring what we needed, even if another outfit would fit!
Trying LEVEL8’s compression packing cubes
Along with the suitcase, I tested the Compression Packing Cube Travel Set, which comes with six pieces. I chose the Woodland colour.
Now, I am not new to the packing cube game. I have been using packing cubes and raving about them for well over 15 years. However, this was my first time trying compression packing cubes.
These have two zippers. First, you pack your clothes and close the main zipper. Then you close the second zipper, which wraps around the cube and compresses it further.
Believe it or not, we only needed five of the six cubes for this trip: one for our toddler, two for Sam and two for me.
For me, the most practical part was keeping three people’s clothing organized within the same suitcase. When you’re sharing a bag, it’s helpful to have everyone’s clothes contained in their own cubes.
If I could change one thing, though, I would give each cube a different pattern or a small identifying design. The ones in my set are all the same colour, with no differentiating markers. Some visual way to tell whose is whose would make this setup even more convenient for family packing.
The front handle was surprisingly useful
One of my favourite features is the lifting handle in the middle of the front of the suitcase.
It made it really easy to load the bag into the car, lift it onto the scale at the airport bag drop, and pick it off the conveyor belt when we arrived. Those are fairly ordinary parts of a travel day, but they’re exactly where I appreciated having another handle to grab.
With 20 kg of belongings and a suitcase to move around, this was a feature I actually used throughout the journey.
The wide handle was another thing I liked. The grip was comfortable, and the handle extended and retracted easily. Steering it one-handed through the airport also felt comfortable.
And fun fact: while the wide handle design looks nice, it has a packing benefit too. Having the handle supports out towards the sides leaves more of the base on the back side available for packing, so you aren’t working around the usual central handle rails.
Easy to wheel through the airport
The wheels spin 360 degrees, and the suitcase felt very zippy and easy to manoeuvre. Even packed for the three of us, it felt stable and didn’t tip during our use.
This matters to me because travelling as a family already gives us enough things to manage. I appreciated being able to steer the suitcase comfortably with one hand.
So far, I’m happy with it for airport and city travel. What I haven’t tested yet is how the wheels will hold up on a more rural trip with rugged terrain. That encompasses a large part of our travels (like our annual trip to Patagonia!), so it’s something I’m curious to see over time and I want more experience before making that recommendation.
Why I chose Dark Olive
I got the Voyageur Checked 28″ in Dark Olive, and I think the colour is beautiful.
Green is my favourite colour because it reminds me of being out in nature, surrounded by mountains and forests. So when it came to picking a suitcase, that was an easy choice!
It also turned out to be practical at baggage claim. There weren’t many bags that colour, which made ours easy to identify on the conveyor belt.
It’s a small thing, but I like having luggage that I enjoy looking at and can pick out easily when it’s time to collect our bags.
A built-in lock I actually remembered to use
I have a habit of forgetting to grab my luggage lock, only realizing once I’m already at the airport. At that point, I send off my suitcase and hope for the very best.
The Voyageur has a built-in TSA-compatible combination lock, so this time I actually locked the bag!
For me, the convenience is having it right there on the suitcase. It’s one less small item to remember while getting everyone and everything ready to leave.
The wet/dry pocket came in handy
The suitcase also has a wet/dry separation pocket. As soon as I saw it, I thought of all those times as a teenager when I chucked a wet bathing suit into a plastic bag and then threw it into my luggage.
I would have appreciated a designated pocket back then!
We weren’t heading to the beach on this trip, so I used it for dirty clothing instead. That gave it a purpose straight away.
The size and specifications
I chose the 28″ Voyageur, but there are also 26″ and 30″ checked sizes if you want to go smaller or larger.
For anyone who likes to check the measurements before making a luggage purchase, these are LEVEL8’s published specifications for the 28″ model:
| Feature | Voyageur Checked 28″ |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 99 litres |
| Empty weight | 12.4 lb, approximately 5.6 kg |
| Overall dimensions, including handles and wheels | 29.1 × 16.6 × 13.3 inches |
| Shell | Makrolon polycarbonate |
| Wheels | 360-degree spinner wheels |
| Lock | Built-in TSA-compatible combination lock |
| Expandable | No |
The dimensions, weight, capacity and materials above come from LEVEL8’s Voyageur product listing.
The empty weight is worth factoring into your packing plans. With a 23 kg allowance like we had, the suitcase itself leaves roughly 17.4 kg for your belongings. It worked for us, but having room left inside doesn’t necessarily mean you have weight allowance left as well. Check the allowance for your own ticket before packing.
A few things to consider before buying
The first is that the suitcase isn’t expandable. If you fill it before leaving home, there’s no expansion zipper to give you extra room for shopping on your trip. You’ll need to leave space when you pack or choose a larger size from the beginning.
I also found that having so much room made it tempting to pack more. I stuck to one week’s clothing for everyone, but I could have added a bit more, and this isn’t even the largest Voyageur!
Then there’s the price. This is a splurge, and I wouldn’t pretend that cost isn’t a consideration. I really like how stylish and practical it is for our young family, but whether it makes sense for you will depend on your budget and the type of travel you do.
Finally, my experience is still limited to this first trip. I’m happy with how it handled our airport and city travel, but I haven’t yet put it through the range of settings we visit throughout the year.
How has it held up so far?
After its first trip across Canada, my suitcase has no dents or major scratches. Just a few scuffs, some of which I was able to wipe away.
That’s a good start, but I’ll need a few more trips before I can give you a useful long-term durability update. We have some bigger travels ahead, and I’m interested to see how it holds up with more use.
There’s also a distinction worth knowing about the warranty. LEVEL8 advertises a lifetime luggage warranty, but its detailed warranty terms cover manufacturing defects and exclude normal wear and airline transport damage, among other exclusions. I haven’t needed to make a claim, so I can’t speak from experience about customer service.
Would I recommend the LEVEL8 Voyageur Checked 28″?
Based on my personal use so far, I would recommend the LEVEL8 Voyageur Checked 28″ if you’re a couple or a family with a baby or toddler who wants to share a suitcase and make good use of the packing space.
For us, fitting everyone’s clothing and other packed essentials into one bag was the biggest benefit. The front lifting handle, easy steering and organized interior made it practical to use, and I’m still very happy with my choice of Dark Olive.
Would I buy it at retail price? If budget weren’t a concern, yes. It’s a stylish, practical splurge that worked well for our family on this trip. If you’re watching your spending closely, the price deserves some thought.
I would happily bring it on another city trip, and I would take it on a cruise. Whether it would come along on our annual trip to Patagonia is something I’m less sure about, especially for an itinerary involving rugged terrain. It all depends on the kind of travel you do.
For this two-week trip to the Maritimes, though, one suitcase held what the three of us needed, with room to spare and no frantic repacking at the airport scale. With a stroller, car seat and diaper bag already coming along, I was very happy to keep our checked luggage to one bag.