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Three people, two weeks, one suitcase. This was our recent packing challenge on a trip to Fredericton, New Brunswick. If this is your first time here, my name is Audrey. I run a YouTube travel channel with my husband Samuel, and now we travel with our 2-year-old daughter Aurelia. She is still a little girl, so we have to take a lot of things with us. So on this last trip we had a stroller, a car seat, a diaper bag, our camera bags, and we didn't want to deal with a bunch of luggage. So, the task is one suitcase. In this video, I will review the 28- inch Voyager suitcase from Level 8, as well as their compression organizers. But here's my little secret. I only packed a week's worth of clothes for each of us. We planned to do laundry
during the trip. With that in mind, I'll show you how we packed everything in, what features we evaluated along the way, and a few things to look out for before you buy. Okay, let's start with context. What trip were we preparing for? As I said, we were flying to the Maritime Provinces, to Fredericton, New Brunswick, and it was early fall. Our trip lasted from late September to early October. The temperature was quite pleasant. The minimum is about 8 ° C, the maximum is 20 ° C. So it's knee socks, flannel, long sleeves - that's the style.
We didn't have to bring heavy winter jackets, boots, or other bulky gear, which was a big help. And since we were visiting relatives and staying in their apartment, we had a place to do our laundry, so it was very convenient That's why we only took one week's worth of clothes for each of us. To be honest, Level 8 sent me this suitcase for review for free, but in this video I'll share my honest opinion on all the pros, cons, and whether it's worth buying. So, about the characteristics. I have a 28- inch Voyager checked luggage, but they also have a 26-inch if you want something smaller, and a 30-inch if you want something larger I chose a dark olive suitcase, simply because I love green and forest natural shades. And the dimensions
are 29.1 by 16.6 by 13.3 inches. The exterior is made of German Makrolon polycarbonate, and it has 360-degree rotating wheels, which I really liked. And it also has a built-in TSA lock, which was extremely convenient. So, how did we do it? Three people, one suitcase. First of all, this time we used compression organizers for packing. I have been using organizers for things for over 15 years. I'm familiar with them, but this was my first experience using compression socks. The point is that they have a second zipper: after you've packed your things, you zip the first one up, and then use the second one to pull everything together like a sandwich so there's no empty space left.
Besides compression, I find organizers are perfect for staying organized. When I travel alone, I usually have a separate organizer for tops, bottoms, sweaters, underwear, and socks, so it's really easy to keep track of everything. This time, Level 8 sent me six organizers, and we ended up using five of them. I know that sounds crazy for three people, but we took two for me, two for Sam, and one for our daughter, and we didn't need the sixth one for clothes, so I'll show you what it looked like. Now some tips on using organizers. I would advise not to stuff them too much. Just because things fit doesn't mean you need them.
You should also think about the weight of your suitcase, if you start packing too many things, it's easy to gain weight With so much space in my suitcase, it was very tempting to take more things, as space allowed. But I really tried to stick to the goal of taking only one week's worth of clothes for each person. These organizers are the same color, they are green. So if you're packing for three, it can get a little confusing as to where everything is. I would recommend taking a piece of ribbon or string so you can distinguish between them. But that's only necessary if you're going to live with organizers right in your suitcase, because honestly, when you unpack -and we unpacked in Fredericton-
it was easy to find everyone's stuff because, you know, we each had our own space. So now I want to show you what our suitcase looked like when it was fully packed. So, this suitcase has two sides. It has a deeper side and a shallower side Five organizers with all our clothes fit on the deeper side. And I used the smaller side for things like a makeup bag and a toiletry bag. We had diapers for the baby and wet wipes. And I was also able to fit an extra pair of leather boots and an extra pair of shoes for the little ones. And, honestly, as I said before, we still have room left. There was a very strong temptation to cram something else in there. So I had to hold back. However, I still took a few toys for the child. She has these
little figures of people. So we took 15 of her favorites, threw them in a bag, and off they went. This is what we traveled with. The suitcase also has a compartment for wet items, which, to be honest, I would have been very happy to have when I was younger. Because I sometimes remember when we went to beach resorts, and I swam in the pool on the last day, and then I had this wet swimsuit that I would throw in a plastic bag, tie in a knot, and stuff in my luggage; and it was just awful when I arrived at my destination. So having such a compartment for wet things is really very convenient. I didn't need it this time, so I just kept sunscreen and detangling spray for our child's hair in there. It
was good to have a compartment like that just in case something leaked. And I used the dry compartment for dirty socks and small items that we used during the trip. Now let's talk about some features. What really mattered on the day of the trip? I have to say, I really like this front handle. I haven't seen many suitcases with a handle like this, but it turned out to be very convenient for maneuvering luggage, you know, when you're loading it into the car or unloading it. And then you arrive at the airport, it needs to be put on the scales, sent to the conveyor belt, etc. I really liked that there are three different handles here.
We have the top, the side, and this front one. So it was convenient for me. Another feature I liked was the wheels. They rotate 360°, so they move very easily in all directions. The suitcase turned out to be very maneuverable. I didn't have to exert much effort or push or pull the suitcase hard. It rolled very smoothly, which is another great advantage. I also liked the color. The Level 8 brand has some really cool colors. I think they are best known for their yellow hue. I like that it's easy to identify your luggage upon arrival while waiting at the conveyor belt, as most suitcases are black or silver aluminum. So when this dark olive one showed up, I
immediately recognized my luggage. And the last thing I liked is the built-in TSA lock that you see on top. You can set any combination, which is very convenient because I have a separate TSA lock that I sometimes forget to hang up Sometimes I arrive at the airport and realize: " Oh, I didn't put the lock on." We hope for the best. And, you know, I have to travel with an unlocked suitcase. So it's a good thing that the lock is already built in , because now you definitely won't forget to lock your luggage and keep your belongings safe while traveling. Now let's discuss a few points to consider before buying this suitcase. First of all, think about weight. I don't know how much your current
suitcase weighs, but this one has a mass of 12.4 pounds or about 5.6 kg. So you should pay attention to your airline's baggage allowance. In my case, the norm was 23 kg for domestic flights, and I only packed 20 or 21 kg. So I still had a lot of space left. It didn't bother me. And one more thing: if you like to shop while traveling, keep in mind that this suitcase does not have an expandable zipper. So what you see is what you get. If you go shopping, buy a bunch of clothes, or something else, you won't be able to expand your suitcase to get extra inches for new items. So it's worth considering how much space you leave in your suitcase for future purchases at your destination. In addition
, I note that this suitcase is an expensive pleasure. I won't pretend it doesn't matter. I really like its stylish look and how practical it is for our young family. We were able to fit everything we needed for three people, it's just amazing. But of course, you have to consider whether it suits you, your budget, and the type of travel you want. So, what does the suitcase look like after our trip? Here she is. She visited Fredericton and returned. She flew all over Canada back and forth. This is a very long journey. And, to be honest, it's in very good condition. The wheels work great. Nothing broke. There are no serious scratches.
There were only a few scuffs. I was able to wipe most of them off with a damp cloth. Only small traces remain, I will show you them up close. But, honestly, I'm very pleased with how the suitcase held up on this long trip If you want your luggage to always look impeccable, there are special covers that you can purchase to protect your suitcase during transport. This is definitely worth taking into account. When I travel to South America, I see that you can wrap your luggage with plastic wrap there. This is a very common phenomenon. So this is another way to protect your luggage. So, there are options to keep it in excellent condition and significantly extend its service life. These were my thoughts and impressions after one trip. Of course,
it's still new. I need to "drive" it a little more, it will be interesting to test it in different conditions. Like on this trip: we flew from city to city, so it was a purely urban experience. It would be interesting to take it to South America, to Argentina, on our annual trips to Patagonia, and really test it out in practice. So, the verdict: was this packaging suitable for our family? At this stage, I would say yes. These are two adults and one child. Baby clothes are so small and cute, so we can fit everything we need in there for now. In fact, we've already gone through this packing challenge once. This was last year when we went on a cruise to Alaska and our little one was still
a baby, so the clothes were even smaller. And again, one suitcase was perfect for three people. I don't think we can do this forever, but it suits us for now. Would I use this suitcase and compression organizers again? Yes, definitely, 100% . The organizers really helped me stay organized and also encouraged me to fit everything I needed right in them, rather than just packing more stuff just because it would fit, you know? So having these organizers really helps me stick to this challenge. And lastly: do I recommend this option? I would say yes. If you are traveling alone, this is great. You have a lot of free space. You can choose a larger 30-inch or a smaller 26-inch suitcase.
You have many options. I also think it would be a good fit for a couple of travelers if you don't mind sharing one suitcase. It depends on each couple, but I think it's really comfortable for Sam and me. And, as I said, I think it's also suitable for young families with a baby or toddler. In our case, I only wanted one suitcase because of everything else we were already dealing with. I already told you that we had a stroller, a car seat, a diaper bag, and our laptop bags. So, there were a lot of things. That's why we didn't want to check in two large suitcases, or even three, if you count the baby's things.
It was a great challenge and I recommend this option for young families. So, that's all for today. I hope you enjoyed this review of the Level 8 Voyager suitcase. So if you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I'd be interested to know how you put things together. How do you travel? How many things do you take with you? Have you ever managed to pack your entire family into one suitcase? Let me know. Thanks for watching and see you next time. See you later.
