Let’s check out the Travelpro Maxlite 5 International carry-on, which I’ve
been using as my main carry-on for over one year now. Hi there, I'm Oscar, and I'm
the founder of Clever Journey. On this channel, we post travel gear reviews,
travel tips, and packing hacks. All, so you can become a smarter traveler. So if
you're new here, consider subscribing.
I purchased the Travelpro Maxlite 5 in the summer of 2018. So right now, I've been
using it for a little over 1 year. I've taken it on several trips to Israel,
Spain, and many other places. And I must say that I'm really pleased with the overall
quality, because it still looks brand-new. In this video, I'll give an overall
review of the Travelpro Maxlite 5, but I go into much more detail on my website
cleverjourney.com. I've linked out to the full article on cleverjourney.com
in the description below, so be sure to check it out if you do decide to get
this carry-on. Now let's talk a little bit about the Travelpro brand itself.
They started out in 1987, when an airline pilot decided to make a new wheeled
carry-on with a retractable handle. Back then, most suitcases actually didn't have
wheels, so this was a completely new innovation. Today they supply over 90
different airlines with luggage for their flight crews. They make extremely
durable suitcases for affordable prices, which is why they're so popular among
flight crews and frequent fliers. The Maxlite 5, which I have, is one of their most
affordable and simple models. They also offer the Crew 11 and Platinum Elite
collections, which are more expensive but also more durable, and packed with more
features. The Maxlite 5 comes in five different colors - black, light green, light
blue, midnight blue, and pink. Now I agree that they don't look like the most
modern or fun suitcases on the market. Instead, they're going for a more
professional and classic look, which is better for frequent travelers and
business travelers. The exterior fabric is built out of polyester which isn't
the most durable fabric, but then again you have
to remember that this carry-on is quite affordable. On the plus side, it's coated
with DuraGuard coating, which resists water and stains, so the contents inside
don't get immediately wet after light rain. For additional protection, they've
also added these plastic corner guards on the seams. The bottom part of
the suitcase is built from a plastic frame and covered by fabric. This is good,
because most of the mass is centered on the bottom, which makes the carry-on hard
to tip-over. The bottom tray also makes it much more durable, and stabilizes the
wheels for a smoother movement. From the exterior, the suitcase looks quite
professional. It isn't branded too heavily and has the
Travelpro logo only in a few places - on the front, on the back, and on the handles.
With wheels and handles included, the Maxlite 5 international carry-on
measures at 23 inches in height, 14.5 inches in width, and 9 inches in depth.
This is slightly larger than the most common carry-on restriction of 22x4x9 inches.
However, because the carry-on is made out of fabric, you can
actually squeeze it inside the measuring bins, if it's not over-packed. So far, I've
never had any issues with the size, and keep in mind that I live in Europe, where
the restrictions are much stricter. One of the best parts about the MaxLite 5 is
that it is so lightweight. When it is empty, it weighs just 5.4 pounds, which is
one of the most lightweight carry-ons out there. For comparison, on average an
empty carry-on weighs 7.9 pounds. This is one of the main reasons why I chose this
bag, because Ryanair, which I most commonly fly with, has a weight limit of
22 pounds for carry-ons, so for me every pound counts. Now let's talk about the
zippers. The MaxLite 5 comes with custom Travelpro zippers, which unzip fairly
easily, and feel pretty durable. The zipper heads are fully metal, which means
that they shouldn't fall off too easily. The main compartment zipper can be
locked with a separate lock. Also, it's worth noting that the main compartment
has an expandable zipper, which expands by an additional 2 inches. Though, it doesn't
unzip all the way around, which means that only the bottom part is expandable.
On the top, the MaxLite 5 is fitted with a retractable handle that locks in 38
and 42.5 inches from top to bottom. The handle feels really solid and well made,
which is great. It's also narrow enough to fit backpacks with rear straps on top.
This carry-on also has regular handles on top, bottom, and on one side. The top
and side handles are really comfortable, and it looks like they're properly
stitched to the main frame. The bottom handle is less of a handle, and more of a
fabric extension, which is okay because you won't be using it that often anyway.
On the bottom, this carry-on is fitted with four spinner wheels. I've used them
on gravel, cobblestone streets, and smooth surfaces, and so far they've held up
great. The rubber coating on the wheels is a little bit worn off but it's quite
thick, so they should still work for a few years at least. On the back, the
MaxLite 5 has a built-in luggage tag, which means that it won't fall off.
It blends in really nicely, and it looks like the pocket is made out of leather.
Inside it has a regular paper luggage tag, that's protected by a transparent
plastic cover. You'll also find two pockets on the
exterior, for storing all the smaller quick-grab items. The larger one is large
enough to fit a 15-inch laptop inside, which is great if you're traveling with
your laptop, and your personal item doesn't fit one inside. The smaller one
is pretty thin, and could hold only a man's wallet or a passport.
Now because this carry-on is so cheap, the interior is pretty basic. It opens up
from the front, and is pretty large and spacious. When you expand it, it
supposedly holds up to 46 liters inside. For organization, it's fitted with a
large pocket on one side for storing shoes, books, laptops, and any larger items,
and another smaller one that is great for storing chargers, adapters, cables, and
other smaller items. Also, the main compartment is fitted with two
compression straps, which work well if you aren't using packing cubes. But
personally, I like to use three or four packing cubes for organizing
my clothes. You can also open up the lining zipper, and get a closer look from
the inside. It looks like the exterior fabric is protected with a thin layer of
padding all the way around. The Maxlite 5 International carry-on is protected
by their limited lifetime warranty. It's not the best warranty out there, but it's
still a pretty good one. It covers manufacturing defects for a
lifetime. For example, they'd fix a broken zipper if you could argue that it was
caused by improper workmanship. This is a pretty broad term though, and they could
easily deny your claims. However, not all hope is lost, because for the first year,
they cover any airline damage and the shipping costs to and from the repair
center are covered. Essentially, the warranty is good for the first year, and
then it becomes pretty mediocre. Overall, I strongly believe that the MaxLite 5
carry-on is one of the best affordable fabric carry-ons. There are other options
from Delsey, Samsonite, or others, but they aren't as good as the Maxlite 5.
It's incredibly lightweight, very durable, and backed up by a nice warranty, for the
price that it's retailing at. If you do decide to get one, check out our full review on
cleverjourney.com, where we go into more detail, and link out to vendors that
have the best prices. I've linked out to the full post in the description of this
video. If you'd like to receive weekly updates, then also join our newsletter,
which I've also linked in the description of this video. Thanks for
watching, and I'll see you in the next video!