Best Pull-behind Carry-on Luggage Ever – ZUCA Pro

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In addition to the Checkpoint Friendly CompuBrief laptop bag that I blogged about yesterday, my second carry-on bag on my trip to Aruba last month was the ultra-innovative, ultra-cool, ultra-light ZÜCA Pro.

This bag rocks.

I’m not using hyperbole when I say this piece of wheeled luggage is revolutionary. It uses space-age materials to make it ultra-light and easy to wheel. It’s got a one-of-a-kind, built-in seat (!) that you can use to perch on and lace up your shoes after going through airport security. It comes with super-convenient packing pouches that help you pack efficiently.

So many awesome features with the the ZÜCA Pro! In fact, I think it’s most efficient for me to just list the Top 10 Reasons Why the ZUCA Pro is the best Pull-behind Carry-on Luggage Ever:

1. Airport and airplane staff stare. So, maybe the flight attendant is just raising her eyebrows at how atypical the ZÜCA Pro looks from other pull-behind bags. But I’m thinking she’s thinking I’m really hip and cool and in-the-know with the latest in fashionable and functional luggage.

2. The “exoskeleton” design. Most bags have their supportive frames on the inside, but the ZÜCA Pro’s aluminum frame is on the outside, which means more room for your clothes and travel gear.

3. Its light-as-a-feather weight. Okay, perhaps not as a feather, but that high-tech frame – with nifty clever circular holes punched in it – means it’s not near as heavy as a traditional carry-on bag. In fact, I think my ZÜCA Pro and all its contents weighed less than my filled-to-the-brim laptop bag.

4. The smooth-as-silk wheels. Recessed, four-inch wheels remind me of those on inline skates. But these are even quieter. This is the smoothest pull I’ve ever seen in wheeled luggage. Because the wheels are set into the bag, putting it in a plane’s overhead bin is painless. (By the way, its 10×19.5×13.5-inch size makes it overhead-bin compliant. Also see #3: Very light for lifting overhead.)

5. The packing cubes. For all the travel I do, I’m a lousy packer. The ZÜCA comes with five color coded, mesh-topped packing cubes that help you organize your stuff. And they fit a shocking amount of stuff (three pairs of shoes and all the clothes and toiletries I needed for a five-night stay in the Caribbean. Instead of laying the cubes horizontally in a typically shaped bag, you stack them one on top of the other vertically like drawers. You can slip each cube out easily to access whatever you need en route.

6. The included clear, TSA-compliant quart-size bag. This zippered pouch can be used over and over again.

7. The soft insert bag (black part) is washable. Unzip and un-Velcro it from the exoskeleton and throw it in the washing machine (on gentle).

8. The interior “wet” pocket. This clear-plastic pouch on the interior of the front cover flap is ideal for those times your bathing suit isn’t quite dry before you have to jump on the plane home from the Caribbean. Stuff it in here, and it won’t get your other belongings wet.

9. The extra-long, 42-inch handle. For tall me, the long handle means it’s painless to pull through the airport. Plus, there’s plenty of room on top to stack my Checkpoint Friendly Compu Brief and still pull comfortably.

10. The seat! The flat top part of the suitcase, which also houses its integrated carry-from-the-top handle, serves as a perch on which you can sit to lace up shoes after going through airport security. No seats at your gate’s waiting area? No problem! Just sit comfortably on your luggage without looking goofy on a too-low platform.

There’s gotta be a catch, right? Not really. I can’t think of any negatives to using the the ZÜCA Pro as my lifelong carry-on bag. It’s not meant to carry laptops, unless you underpacked the cubes and left room on one side of the case to slip in a computer, but that’s what my CompuBrief is for! (Note: ZÜCA also manufacturers the Business Backpack for laptop.s)

For folks who travel regularly for work or pleasure, the ZÜCA Pro is ideal. It does require an up-front investment, as the retail price is $295, but since it’s built to last, over the course of its lifetime, at 5+ trips a year, the ZÜCA Pro would pay for itself in no time.

Learn more and purchase online (check out the ZÜCA Sport carry-all for kids’ school/activity use) – or enter your zip code on the website to find a retailer near you.

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December 4, 2008 | Filed Under The Cookie Jar, Travel Gear 

Comments

6 Responses to “Best Pull-behind Carry-on Luggage Ever – ZUCA Pro”

  1. CajunMama says:
    December 5, 2008 at

    When I first started reading this review, I was wondering about the looks of this thing. Does it come in other colors, or just black? This might, just might make me rethink my love of back packs, but I’m sure klutzy me would still trip people with this bag. I like all the little extras, like the packing cubes (which purchased alone at a retailer can run up a high bill). The wet pockets sounds like a good idea, because I usually end up taking the plastic laundry bag out of the hotel closet to place a wet swimsuit.

    How easy is it to lift into the overhead bin?

  2. MountainMama says:
    December 5, 2008 at

    SO SO easy to lift in overhead bin. Light, light. (Granted I am almost 5/ 9″ and you are… not. :-) )

    Also comes in Dusty Rose, which I think would get dirty quickly, ’specially if you decide last minute to check it. That said, you can buy a quilted, fitted cover for it to protect when/if checked.

  3. Nancy D. Brown says:
    December 5, 2008 at

    I think the Zuca Pro is cool. Almost looks like something the flight attendants used to serve meals in.

    I would love to find this under the tree this holiday season.

    Thanks for sharing your travel gear finds.

  4. Lanora Mueller says:
    December 6, 2008 at

    I want one! This thing might end my quest for the perfect carry-on *and* help organize my frantic last-minute packing. I fly often on AA routes served by the old M80 planes. Would the Zuca Pro fit in those bins, I wonder?

  5. Diane says:
    May 31, 2009 at

    Since this has a seat, would I be able to have my four years old son sit on it while I drag him around in the airport?

  6. MountainMama says:
    May 31, 2009 at

    I suppose you could, but he’d end up leaning against the pull-behind handle (I think) which may not be good — too much stress on it. Definitely not what it’s built for, but I’ve certainly pulled my kids on pull-behind suitcases before!

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