2011-2012 Accessories Accessories Reviews

Review: Dakine Carry-on Roller

Intended Purpose: The carry-on roller matches its name. It’s built for traveling by plane, easy to carry on and quick to roll through the airport with. It’s compact and lightweight with enough room for your travel needs. It comes in women’s designs and men’s designs so you don’t have to sport the basic black carry-on this year (and blend in).

Size: The Dakine carry-on roller is 36L with 2200 cu. in. of space. It’s small enough to easily fit on the airplane and even the smaller airplanes (into ski resort towns). I’ve found that it’s enough space for a weekend trip with a couple changes of clothes and shoes. It also works for trips by car.

Appearance: I’ve been really loving plaid this year so when it came time to pick a design, I went with the Tartan plaid option. It’s a mix of blue, green and pink plaid. The inside liner of the Blue Tartan is a bit flowery but I like that it’s in the inside liner and well done.

Ease of Travel: When you fly you want a carry on that’s easy to deal with, that rolls and that fits so you aren’t stuck in the aisle, holding up traffic and trying to shove it into the overhead bin. The carry-on roller gives women an option (and men, there’s a men’s version in different colorways) for easy travel with a good looking case. The luggage easily fits into the overhead bins (even on the smaller planes) and is lightweight, even with clothes it doesn’t feel like you are carrying a huge pack. I’ve used the luggage for an extended weekend to Seattle by plane and on numerous car trips where I just need something to hold all my gear and make traveling easier.

Ease of Packing: When you unzip the carry-on, there are unlimited possibilities depending on how you pack your luggage. It’s wide open with 21x12x8″ space, so you can just throw in your clothes or you can easily fold things up to make it more organized. The outer pockets vary in size, one is larger that is ideal for socks in my opinion or all the cables/chargers/books you can throw in and the smaller pocket is great for bathroom essentials for a flight.

Features: The Dakine Carry-on Roller is designed to be the legal size for airlines so you can carry it on and fit it in the overhead compartment. I’ve found that it’s actually smaller and lighter so it’s perfect for flying with and it rolls down the aisle when you leave the airplane.  It has two exterior pockets to help organize your stuff. It has a retractable handle that extends out so you can roll the case behind you at the airport or on the plane. The handle has been sticky on me sometimes, where I need more effort to pull or push out the handle. The luggage features replaceable urethane wheels to keep you rolling through the airport. On the back is a clear window ID for your information in case it goes missing. The size is suitable for airlines, it’s 36L with 21x12x8″ specs. My favorite features are the size and lightness. It really doesn’t weight much with my clothes in it and I can pack enough clothes for a weekend getaway.

Durability: I received the carry-on roller in August before my Seattle trip and have used it on multiple road trips since then. Because it’s my carry-on luggage, it’s in great shape and barely looks used. So far I haven’t noticed anything major with it except for the handle can sometimes stick when I need to push it back in.

Thoughts: Honestly I was tired of carrying a boot pack around the airport or hauling my super huge Burton wheelie locker around, I needed something that was easy to fly with and the carry-on roller is definitely that. It’s easy to travel with an enough room for a weekend trip with my clothes and extras. It’s lightweight, compact and easy to deal with around the airports. Plus it’s not bad looking either, I’m a fan of the plaid design and simplicity organization.

Ready to buy? head over to evo for the Dakine Carry-on Roller or shop their full line of Dakine Backpacks and Luggage

Traveling photos

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Dakine Carry-on Roller Description

carryonroller

Review Disclosure: This product was given to me by Dakine to test and review.

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  • Jon
    November 15, 2011 at 1:49 pm

    Did you get a chance to use this against the “over-under” dakine bag? I’m in a toss-up between the two. I like the versatility of being able to use the over-under as a carry-on, and being able to expand it to hold a bit more for local trips

  • Shay
    November 17, 2011 at 10:36 am

    Jon, Haven’t had a chance to use the “over-under” bag from Dakine. It looks like a great option to be able to pack more.