Welcome back to another Quick Tip — and the latest edition of our occasional, unofficial series Things Kyle Wants to Buy. When I returned from my most recent trip, for some reason, I had hardshell luggage on my mind. That’s strange because my current soft-sided luggage has served me well and, moreover, I’ve traditionally not been a fan of hardshell. Yet, a recently released July bag has started to tempt me.
One of my issues with hardshell luggage on the whole is the design, which mostly divides the bag into two equally sized sections. Personally, I prefer the depth that my soft-sided case delivers. That’s what makes the July Capsule Carry On Pro interesting as a tweak to the typical hardshell design that allows for top-down packing. In other words, it essentially combines the best of both worlds. Of course, at a retail price of $395, you’re certainly paying a premium for that innovation.
Looking around, it’s not as though this concept is completely original. There are some other pieces of hardshell luggage that get around the regular clamshell design. For example, Away has its Topside luggage, which also loads from the top thanks to a door that opens along the Y axis. Nevertheless, there’s something about July’s that I just like better.
Another cool feature is the wheel lock switch, located under the handle. That could definitely be useful on airport trams and elsewhere. I also love the front laptop pocket and magnet access panel to the main compartment. The built-in tracking is also nifty, albeit a bit ironic, seeing as it’s a carry-on.
The only downside of this particular piece (aside from the price, of course) is that it’s technically slightly too large for a carry-on. For most domestic airlines, the standard carry-on size is 22″ x 14″ x 9″. This July bag exceeds that in two dimensions, measuring 21.9″ x 14.1″ x 9.5″. That’s kept the Monos Carry On Pro in the mix for me as well, as it happens to be exactly 22″ x 14″ x 9″. Sidenote: ever since I checked out said bag’s site, Monos has been following me around the Internet, including heavy Instagram ad promotion. Somehow, this has only pushed me more toward July.
Back to sizing, referring to the site WillMyBagFit.com, even with that “standard” carry-on size, the Monos is still too large for 60% of airlines worldwide (the July apparently fits just 14%, per the tool). So does it really matter? I also measured my current carry-on to see if it conformed to the standard size. It doesn’t. This leads me to believe that, in most cases, I won’t have an issue domestically. And if I do happen to be on a strict, foreign airline, it sounds as though I’d probably need to check a bag anyway.
Do I really need a new piece of luggage? Not really. And do I want to spend $400 on a new bag? Definitely no. Nevertheless, I am curious about trying a hardshell case after all of these years — and the July Capsule Carry On Pro gives me the perfect excuse to switch since it takes what I like about softside and puts it in a more rigid exterior.
For now, though, I’ll just keep the tab open and continue to gawk at the bag from time to time. Then, maybe someday, the July Capsule can join my travel arsenal.