We Put the LEVEL8 Voyageur Suitcase to the Test on a French Flea Market Haul

Disclosure:This is a sponsored post and was created in partnership with LEVEL8. As always, everything we say about it is our own honest take.

On one of our first buying trips to stock up our shop (SHOP Most Lovely Things), we found and bought more vintage pieces than we had room for in our luggage. We stopped at a Monoprix near our hotel and bought an inexpensive suitcase to make up the difference. We were still fairly new to bringing vintage finds home with us, so it seemed like a reasonable fix at the time.

Then our new suitcase came down the chute at JFK and spilled open right in front of us, and everyone else waiting for their bags.

Turns out the zipper had broken. The suitcase simply couldn’t hold the weight of what was inside, even though the bag itself fell well within the airline’s limits. We were lucky and only a few pieces broke, and the rest made it home intact.

Since then, we’ve been looking for the right suitcases that fit our needs. Our criteria were:

• Wheels that don’t wobble
• Zippers that don’t stick
• Seams that don’t start to give after a few trips
• Durable, hard shells
• Ample, efficient room for a combination of clothes and vintage products

We landed on LEVEL8 Voyageur suitcases in the 26″ and 28″ sizes. 

About LEVEL8

LEVEL8 has been making luggage since 2008, out of New York. Their stated philosophy is pretty simple: travel should be about the place, not the suitcase, so the goal is luggage you stop thinking about once you’ve packed it. They describe being involved “from concept to production,” which tracks with how specific some of their engineering choices are, like the wide trolley system and the shell material, rather than just slapping a logo on a generic case like some brands do. The shells across their hardside lines use that same German-made Makrolon® polycarbonate we mention below, and every case carries the same lifetime warranty on the parts that actually fail on cheap luggage: the shell, wheels, handles, and zippers.

Why we picked this set

We went with two checked bags instead of one oversized one on purpose. One for each of us, and insurance against putting everything fragile in a single suitcase.

The shells are a German-made polycarbonate (Makrolon®) with a three-layer build and a micro-diamond finish, so they’re built to flex under impact rather than crack. That’s actually something that matters a lot more to us than it might to someone just packing clothes. LEVEL8 also builds these with what they call a wide trolley system, which basically means the internal frame doesn’t eat into the packing space the way a lot of hardshells do. It is noticeable when you’re trying to fit something like copper pots or large crocks into a suitcase. They also have TSA-approved locks, YKK zippers that are supposed to resist getting sliced open, and a lifetime warranty on the shell, wheels, handles, and zippers.

How LEVEL8 compares to what we used before

Between the Monoprix and Voyageur suitcases we’re now using, we also tried several other brands. And while nothing failed at quite the same level as the Monoprix, there are noticeable differences. Other suitcases are not quite as sturdy. Some of the zippers are starting to fray around the edges, the hard plastic shells are thinner and not as protective, and the handles, when extended with a full load, feel like they are going to bend or break. The biggest difference, though, is the handles with the wide trolley system that does create more interior packing room since the handle system runs along the outer edges and doesn’t eat into the packing space. If you’re just packing clothes, it might not be all that noticeable. But when packing products as we do, we can get a few additional pieces into each bag.

Putting it to the test

The real test for us isn’t the flight over; it’s the trip home. Every trip, we bring along a fresh roll of bubble wrap and a bag of rubber bands just for this. Each vintage piece gets wrapped and cinched in place with a rubber band, then we tuck rolled-up jeans and pajamas in between pieces as extra cushioning. These are the clothes we were packing anyway, just put to a second job.

Fully packed, the 26″ suitcase came in at just under 46 pounds, and the 28″ landed right around 50, which is the typical airline weight limit for a checked bag. It’s the same condition that broke our old suitcase’s zipper years ago. This time, nothing gave. The zippers showed no signs of wear and functioned perfectly when we got home. 

In addition to being quiet and smooth, the 360º spinner wheels are easy to handle and roll through airports, train stations, and even cobblestoned streets with relative ease.

If we come home with more vintage finds than the two bags can hold, there is an easy solve: an inexpensive zippered duffel from Amazon or Ikea. We pack our dirty clothes into that and check it as a third bag, which frees up every inch of the hardshell cases for what actually needs the protection.

Suitcase specs and features

Sizes and capacity

We tested the 26″ (93L, 11.8 lbs empty) and the 28″ (99L, 12.4 lbs empty). LEVEL8 also makes a 20″ carry-on (43L, 8.1 lbs) and a 30″ checked size (105L, 13.9 lbs) if you need something smaller or larger than what we went with.

Build and materials

The shells are a German-made polycarbonate called Makrolon®, built in three layers with a micro-diamond finish on the outside. The texture isn’t just cosmetic; it’s meant to hide the scuffs that hardshell luggage usually shows after a couple of trips. 

Wheels and handle

Each suitcase is equipped with 360º spinner wheels that LEVEL8 markets as “ultra-quiet”. Personally, we like how smooth they are and easy to handle. The telescopic handle is aluminum alloy, and it’s built wider than a standard handle, which LEVEL8 says is for stability but which also seems to free up a bit of interior packing space along the spine of the case.

Lock and zippers

They also come with a TSA-approved combination lock and YKK zippers that resist puncturing and ripping. It’s worth noting, given that a zipper failure is exactly what sent our vintage plates tumbling down the chute at JFK on a previous trip.

Interior organization

Both suitcases have two compartments with a built-in compression system to cinch everything down. They also have a dedicated dry-wet separation pocket. The dry pocket is perfect for a pair of shoes that won’t touch your clean clothes. And the wet pocket we found useful for bringing back one of our favorite items – good French butter.

Price

The line runs $259.99 to $369.99 depending on size; LEVEL8 also sells multi-piece sets at a discount if you’re outfitting more than one traveler at once.

Warranty

A lifetime warranty on the functional parts: shell, wheels, handles, zippers. Plus a 30-day return window if it’s not the right fit.

Colors

LEVEL8 offers the Voyageur in black, navy, and dark olive, plus limited-edition colorways like yellow/black and celadon when they’re available. We went with dark olive. It’s uncommon enough to spot easily at baggage claim, without getting lost in the sea of black and look-alike suitcases everyone else seems to have.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• The shell genuinely flexes rather than cracks under impact 
• The wide trolley system means noticeably less wasted interior space than a lot of hardshells
• TSA lock, puncture-resistant zippers, and a lifetime warranty on exactly the parts that tend to fail first on cheaper luggage
• The dry-wet separation pocket is more useful in practice than it sounds on paper
• Dark olive (and the other non-black options) actually stand out at baggage claim

Cons

• It’s not the most lightweight suitcase out there – the 28″ alone weighs 12.4 pounds empty, so you’re spending some of your airline’s weight limit on the suitcase itself before you’ve packed anything, but it is much more protective
• Checking two bags means two checked-bag fees if your airline doesn’t already include them, which is worth planning for if you’re not used to checking more than one
• There’s enough extra room in these bags that it’s fairly easy to go over the airline’s weight limit, so you have to be selective when packing

FAQs

Is the LEVEL8 Voyageur a carry-on or checked bag? Both, depending on size. The 20″ is built as a carry-on; the 26″, 28″, and 30″ are checked sizes. We used the 26″ and 28″ for this trip.

Will it meet international checked-baggage weight limits? Most international carriers cap checked bags around 50 lbs (23 kg), and our 28″ came in right around that line fully packed. It’s worth checking your specific airline’s limit before you fly, especially if you’re bringing home anything heavy.

What happens if something breaks? LEVEL8 backs the shell, wheels, handles, and zippers with a lifetime warranty, and offers a 30-day return window if the suitcase isn’t the right fit. 

Does it come in other sizes or colors? Yes. Beyond the 26″ and 28″ we tested, LEVEL8 makes a 20″ carry-on and a 30″ checked size, in black, navy, dark olive, and occasional limited-edition colorways.

Where can you buy it? Direct from LEVEL8, or on Amazon. Use code: mostlovelythings10 for 10% off!

The verdict

After our JFK spill a few years back, we’ve been searching for a suitcase that better fits our needs.  Using the two LEVEL8 Voyageur suitcases, we made it home this last trip with everything we’d bought fully intact and no breaks. This was a first for us after years of flea market runs. We almost always have one or two items that don’t make the trip home. If your suitcase always seems to be the weak link on the way home, whether that’s from a market haul like ours or just a family trip with more than you planned for, this is the set worth checking out.