There are so many good reasons for travelling with just carry-on luggage. No worries about your luggage not turning up with you at your destination. Avoid ridiculous charges for checking-in hold luggage. No waiting at the carousel when you’d rather be out of the airport like a rocket itching to explore. But which carry-on luggage is the best one for you? If you’re looking for the perfect carry-on luggage I might just have the answer. Let me tell you why I think CabinZero could be the best carry-on backpack for travel.
I’ve been testing out an innovative back-pack from British company CabinZero. The idea for a cabin-sized bag that is durable, lightweight and stylish came from CabinZero’s owner and traveller Neil Varden. He didn’t want the hassle of checking-in his bags. In fact, he wanted zero hassle with his bag. Extra features were added, a built-in lost and found system and lockable zips for extra security. Cabin-sized, heaps of features and zero hassles = CabinZero.
Why is CabinZero the best carry-on backpack for travel?
CabinZero is Airline Approved
I‘ve taken the classic CabinZero 44L ultra-light on a few trips and to France on my Camping Ilbarritz trip. CabinZero bags have been designed to be accepted with all major airlines. We flew with Ryan Air (shudder) so I needed a bag that would fit within the sizing restrictions and not go over the 10k weight allowance. The bag weighs around 760 grams and at 55 x 40 x 20 cm easily fitted the Ryan Air carry on restrictions, one of the strictest there is. I’ve tested it with around five discount airline luggage cages including Easy Jet, Air France, Hop! and Norwegian. It fits them all – some with room to spare. This is probably the most important reason to make this bag the best travel backpack. It also fitted easily into the overhead luggage compartment on the flight.
CabinZero is Lightweight and Spacious
The weather was forecast for sun and rain meaning I had to consider both eventualities. We’d also be exploring glitzy Biarritz and spending time of the beach so there were lots of different outfit scenarios to cover. Here’s what I packed in my CabinZero 44 litre pack which came in at a total weight of 9.3kg. I wore jeans, shirt and trainers on the flight.
- Flip Flops
- Sandals
- Jeans – in case my first pair got drenched in the rain (it didn’t rain…!)
- Hoodie for chilly evenings
- Yoga leggings
- Yoga tops x 2
- Shorts
- Swim wear
- Beach cover
- 2 x t-shirts
- Cotton top
- PJs
- Toiletries
- Underwear
- Cagoule
Blogger Gear:
- Mac Pro with padded case
- DSLR Camera
- Various cables, phone charger
- Battery pack
- External Hard drive
- Selfie stick (which I never use because I hate selfies but always take for some reason….)
- Adaptor plugs
- Torch
I love that the bag completely unzips and opens like a suitcase for easy packing. Inside there’s a zipped compartment, a mesh compartment and a padded laptop compartment. I use packing cubes to help organise my packing. I used to be a bit sceptical but am now a total convert and use them on most trips.
Stylish Design
The outside of the pack is made from durable waterproof Polyester so I didn’t have to worry about it getting wet. The bags come in a full range of colours. I chose Galactic Green because I wanted something bright, easily identifiable and unmistakably mine. If you want something subtler you’ll find that too because there are 21 other colours to choose from. There are also other sizes and designs in the CabinZero range.
You might like this portable espresso maker to pop in your rucksack – check out my review of the Wacaco Minipresso Portable Coffee Maker – perfect for camping and hiking trips.
Multiple Carry Options
There are side compression straps to keep things neat and padded straps which meant the bag was comfortable to wear. There are also top and side grab-handles. The outside compartment zips are sturdy and tuck out of sight for a clean look. The zips are lockable – although you’ll need to provide your own lock. There’s another large outside zipped compartment.
Built-in Luggage Tracker
CabinZero bags have built-in lost and found tags. If I ever lose my bag it’ll be tracked by Okoban to help locate it. Okoban is also linked directly into the Airline’s own baggage tracing system. Before I travelled I registered my bag on-line with Okoban so if I get separated from my bag the chances of getting it back again are much higher.
Social Responsibility
CabinZero takes social responsibility seriously. Bags are not made in sweat shops and they care that their staff are happy in their work.
Quality materials are used and they take measures to reduce environmental impact. The bags are made to last and come with a 10-year warranty. If you want more give CabinZero a like on Facebook to increase the warranty to 25 years. That means mine’s guaranteed until I’m 78! Now that’s sustainable.
CabinZero also encourage sustainable tourism and support charities in developing countries. You can read more about their efforts to be socially responsible here.
The Verdict
This is the best carry-on backpack I’ve used – it’s a winner! I love the stylish design, the durability and practical features. It’s light but tough, comfortable to wear and has loads of space. The bag is airline approved and will also work for train travel and weekend breaks at home and overseas. I may even treat myself to the smaller (and cheaper) 36L version for overnight trips. At just £60 or US $79 the 44L bag is excellent value for money.
Want a discount?
If you think this might be the best carry-on bag for your travels you can use this promotional code CZTHETRAVELBUNNY to save 10% off your purchase for the next 30 days (ends 30th Aug). CabinZero ship world wide.
More CabinZero styles and designs here
Disclosure: CabinZero provided the Classic 44L Ultra-Light in exchange for an honest review. As always all views and opinions are 100% my own, otherwise there’d be no point. There are affiliate links in this post. If you should click through and buy through any of my links I will receive a few pence commission at no extra cost to you. This helps with the costs involved in running this site and is much appreciated. Thank you.
I love the design of backpack. I’m a great believer in carry-on only. This unique colour don’t mix up with any others bag, It saves the time.
I try to travel with a carry on as often as possible and CabinZero looks like a great option. I like its lightweight construction and social responsibility mission. For me a weekender would be a good choice. Otherwise I need wheels, my camera and computer have gotten to heavy for my shoulders.
I had both my camera and Mac in my CabinZero and still managed to keep it under 10 kilos. I love that this is a company that really cares about its workers and sustainability.
I’ve been hearing a lot about Cabin Zero lately and I’m definitely coveting one of their bags. I like to travel with hand luggage only where possible and since getting ultra lightweight check-in luggage I am a convert. The trackable thing is a huge bonus too.
I know I’ll be using this bag a lot!
I love the colourful design – no danger of mixing it up with anyone else’s – I’m a great believer in carry-on only
Me too, it saves time, money and worrying that your luggage might not turn up on the carousel…
I have one of these too and it’s fabulous how much you can fit in. I particularly love the luggage tracker. If only my suitcase has this too!
You’d think most cases would have trackers nowadays…
This has really made me think – I love so many of the CabinZero’s features, in particular the padded laptop section and the socially responsible manufacturing process. I’m currently using a regular wheeled case with pull-up handle, and find it suits most of my needs – my favourite part is a small external zipped compartment where I put all my liquid toiletries within easy reach for the security checks – I think I’d miss that, but the CabinZero will definitely be a contender for my next luggage purchase!
A small pocket like that would be a handy addition
I usually travel carry on and most often with a small suitcase but there’s definitely times when it’s much handier to have a backpack and this looks really well designed – and great that the brand is sustainable too.
It’s a fab product with so many positive aspects going for it
Fantastic!!!!! I never owned a backpack … have bought a couple through my life, but always had problems to get them on .. and even more problems getting them off. Bought a similar to this i Hong Kong, but it had wheels – same colour and everything, great bag!!!!! But it was stolen when my basement storage was burgled. Mine wasn’t track-able … Great post and l really like that you have taken an image of all the stuff that you had in the backpack.
I usually take a case with swivel wheels but it can be awkward wheeling it on cobbles and uneven pavements. This was easy to carry and I still had my hands free. It’s so lightweight and spacious and I know I’ll never lose it!
Genius! Of course someone who travels a lot designed this bag, it’s easy to tell! All the different features are what I would ask for if I had someone design one for me–just brilliant! Thanks for this post, Suzanne. I’d never heard of the CabinZero brand before! 🙂
This has become my new favourite carry on and I love that this is a brand that cares about its customers and its staff.
Awesome!