I'm an airline pilot and have been using 22" Travelpro Rollaboards for the past 15 years. Recently the handle on my Crew 5 broke. Coincidentally my bag arrived broken after checking it on a recent trip. I have found that my Travelpro bags last indefinitely and look like new if I keep them in my control as carry-on bags but it only takes a few times as checked baggage to ruin them.
So I decided to order the Crew 8 since my handle was broken on the Crew 5 and I was awaiting a replacement handle. Every Travelpro bag I've upgraded to has been a continual process of improvement with the new bag being nicer than the previous in layout and features. Unfortunately this was not the case with the Crew 8. I am a professional traveler and pack very efficiently into a 22' bag. I can go on a 10 day trip with the contents, no problem. The Crew 8 has only 2 external zippered compartments while the Crew 5 had 4. If you like to have access to some items without having to open the bag and rifle through the contents then the Crew 8 is a downgrade from the Crew 5. The Crew 8 looks good from the outside but the inside is very basic. It's almost as if Travelpro took an off-the-shelf bag available from China and put their badge on it. I basically pack a similar version of the same contents into my bag for each trip. I tried to get the same contents I routinely pack into my Crew 5 into the Crew 8 and it was very difficult. There is no carrier for toiletries and other misc. items like in the Crew 5. There is no compartment on the inside of the lid (just a simple zippered net) where I would put t-shirts, socks, pants, etc. Funny thing is, after I had the Crew 8 packed it looked bloated and stuffed compared to having the same items in the Crew 5. The Crew 5 was a well thought out, functional bag for the professional traveler. The Crew 8 in my opinion is a bag to take when you can pack lightly for a long weekend at best.
A few years back, Travelpro split its luggage lines into two series: The "CrewX" series is designed to be pretty and marketed to consumers, while the "FlightCrewX" is designed to be rugged and is marketed directly to pilots and crew. The "Crew8" series is the current version marketed to consumers and the "FlightCrew4" is the current version that is marketed to pilots and crew.
I bought this bag before I came to this realization, and have been disappointed ever since. I hate the design of this bag. While it is light, it is much too flimsy to any kind of heavy duty use. Travelpro included a relatively cheap, but pretty design on the attachment strap and the short handle, both of which are sure to break with significant use. They've also rotated the axis of the long handle so as to make it harder to slide an extra bag over them. The front pockets are designed for appearance instead of utility, and so the zippers have a funny looking "U" shape and the pockets actually overlap, while being too thin to really hold anything. The nylon is a thin weave designed to have a nice "shine" instead of being resistant to damage.
I later purchased a Travelpro FlightCrew4 22" bag from an online store that caters to pilots and flight crew. What a bag! Nice sturdy ABS frame, real inline skating wheels, heavy duty handles with the axis in the correct direction, well-laid out pockets, and heavy duty nylon -and $40 cheaper! The only problem is that it is a bit larger than Travelpro claims. So, now I use the 20" instead.
I also own a Kirkland 22" suiter (available only at Costco), which is better than this one and only $99.00.
So, do yourself a favor: Skip anything in the Crew8 series (or any of Travelpro's consumer lines) and buy the FlightCrew4 from an online retailer or get the 22" Kirkland at Costco.
Buy Travelpro Crew 8 22 Inch Expandable Rollaboard Suiter Now
I am a frequent traveler and carry-on whenever possible. My go-to bag was a 24" Victorinox. Like all of my Victorinox bags, this failed on my last trip leaving with the need to replace it on short notice. I went online and read reviews on many bags and Travelpro kept coming up as a good affordable option. I currently have a large Travelpro bag and I'm happy with it so I figured I would give the smaller version a try so i purchased on my Prime account with overnight delivery. The bag arrived as advertised and the quality was better than I could imagine.
My first observation was that this 22" bag was expandable so I could "sneak" a couple extra days worth of clothes into an overhead approved bag. I did so on my first trip out. I was amazed that the bag still fit into the overhead wheels first. As any traveler knows, this makes finding a space for your bag much easier than.
Another observations was the substantial feel of the handle. This was the part on my Victorinox that failed so it was important to me that the handle be able to support the weight of my backpack resting up against it. The bag also rolled freely over carpet, tile and asphalt. It was very easy to move around. And it stood straight even when expanded.
I have to say that one of my favorite surprises is the water bottle holder. This simple zip-out compartment easily folds a standard 16 to 24 ounce water bottle making it accessible when you need it. A great feature for sure!
All in all I'd have to say that I[m thrilled with the bag. I think I paid under $140 delivered. I stopped into Dillards the other day and teh same bag there was $400. Amazon came through yet again!
Read Best Reviews of Travelpro Crew 8 22 Inch Expandable Rollaboard Suiter Here
The first time I attempted to use this luggage was on 1-27-2011 on Continental Airlines.
While the advertised size is the correct dimensions of the main frame of the bag including a advertised width of 9 inches, the true width of the bag even with nothing in the front pockets and the main bag NOT expanded is slightly over 10 1/2 inches. It was the width of the bag that kept it from fitting into the metal frame provided by Continental airlines that only allows a 9 inch width. At the boarding area I was required to check the bag at the time of boarding. I had to remove my laptop and other fragile items to put in a tiny tote which was the only other thing I had with me for this trip.
The large zipper pocket on the front of the bag is designed to hold a laptop computer. My laptop did fit in the pocket while the bag was laying on a flat surface for the purpose of packing. Upon removing the laptop at airport security screening, the zipper on the front pocket separated when opening, and I could not zip the pocket closed.
This is the first time I have used this bag for travel, and it was a nightmare. First it is not the advertised size, so I had to check it, rather than being able to carry it on the plane. The items packed in the bag were considered safe for carry on, but not for normal handling of luggage.
The fact the zipper did not function properly on the very first use, was a serious issue as well.
For the cost and the reputation of this luggage, I am a very unsatisfied customer.
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I bought it through Altman Luggage via Amazon. Total price was $159 including shipping. The case took exactly one week from the point I ordered through Amazon to when it arrived on my doorstep.
The case is much lighter than my generic brand 22inch roller I got from my dad many years ago. While the small booklet states that the case will not meet airline carry-on regulations when expanded, I have a feeling that it will fit in most non-regional overhead bins even when expanded.
The biggest issue I have is that the 22inch does not have inner mesh pockets inside the larger outer pocket, as the marketing photos on some websites show. (The pockets I'm talking about are not the two mesh pockets that are in the main compartment of the case). Many luggage sellers, including Amazon, show the same marketing photo for the 20inch and the 22inch models, where the outer pocket is opened and there are mesh pockets in there that hold an iPhone, pens, wallet, etc as well as a laptop sleeve. My 22inch does not have any of these pockets and sleeves. My cell phone, keys, wallets, and tickets will all be at the bottom of a fairly deep pocket, and not organized as in the photos. The lack of these small compartments to hold such items led me to take two stars off from my review. (Even $50 bags sold at Walmart have them)
Both the wheels and the handles seem fine, though I'm not sure how durable the plastic handle will be if I ever need to pick up the case at the handle when the case is packed full.
Overall, I'm happy with the case, but am disappointed by the misleading marketing photos.
Let me be clear--I love this briefcase. Aesthetically, I think it's elegant and utilitarian, and practically, it fits my needs. My complaints come from 6 months of use, and the wear and tear its gone through despite my efforts at meticulous care.
