If you’re looking for a check-in luggage that very functional, stylish, reliable, and Canadian ;), you should consider Monos check-in luggage (medium). These are exactly the reasons why I got this luggage and I’ve been using it for a while, at least 6 months, and here are my feedback.
What I was looking for
Let’s just say my previous check-in luggage was well-loved and I got the ROI on that thing 😀 It got to the point where the wheels are falling off, zippers are crunchy and locking in, the telescopic handle was wobbly, etc.
So at the very base, I just want a functional replacement. I don’t want the cheapest ones where you can twist the case and you can see how flimsy or thin the case is, and at the same time I’m not looking for ultra premium. Sure I want to look and feel good rolling it around cities but at the end of the day it’s a bag that’ll get thrown around in the airport.
Alright, let’s go through the details. As usual, I’ll just go every factor and I’ll tell you the pros/cons for each.
Style
This one’s an easy conversation because I think this category is definitely 10/10 for Monos. In their site, there are lots of colour options!
Badge
They have this circle Monos logo/badge that adds to the brand and exclusivity of it. At first I was concerned that it’s probably a design piece that’ll easily get snagged and it’ll just pop off. Good thing they’re paying attention to their product design and that’s definitely not the case. The logo’s embossed(engraved?) and there was no situation during my many usage that I felt like I was catching it and it was about to pop off.
Colour / texture
In terms of the “paint job”, I was really concerned about the wear-and-tear and how it will look like over time. This is to be expected especially since it’s a check-in luggage. Handlers will just throw these around. It’s bound to be scratched, damaged, etc. Unlike if it’s a carry-on, you can carry it with care.
Not gonna lie, I really wanted the blue haze colour. I was worried though that the colour might be too bright than when you get scratches, it just looks permanently dirty and you lose that clean look. Unfortunately, I was right about the scratches not looking good over time. I saw these online before buying it and I even interviewed the staff when I finally walked in the store before buying it. He confirms it. He actually suggests to get the Terra Cotta instead, which was my second option anyways but it doesn’t fully prevent the problem. It just makes it slightly less of a problem.
I ended up buying the dark/navy blue instead. I like the colour too anyways and I just can’t wrap my head around it. My last luggage was black so I never really had that scratch problem and never had to deal with it.
The scratches you see below are the ‘tough to remove’ ones.
Functionality
Size
This luggage is the “medium” size. I would say it’s the “standard” size you see when you travel. There’s the other bigger size which I’m sure you’ve seen. It’s bigger and taller and it’s usually for people who are migrating or temporarily moving somewhere. This feedback isn’t so much “Monos” specific but rather just talking about check-in luggage sizes in general. And all I wanted to say is that it definitely fits and is more than enough for me.
Also it’s not in some weird custom size that attendants will flag and be sus on the weight/dimensions of your luggage and ask you to weigh it in front of them.
To contextualize, I brought this for a 1-wk ski trip where I was bringing a lot of bulky, wool-y items and it was enough. Take note that I brought my essentials and then some: items that are nice-to-have for après. Not gonna lie, I didn’t even use those extras lol. If I’m being honest I would’ve gotten away with it with just a carry-on and just the essentials.
I also have an upcoming 3-week beach trip in Asia and I definitely foresee that this size is more than enough considering it will just be a lot of shorts and shirts I’ll packing.
Wheels
The wheels are really smooth, that’s the short version. It’s both smooth in terms when you’re rolling the luggage/wheels. It’s also smooth when say for example you’re gliding (rolling with all four wheels) the bag and make 90 degree turns. It makes it easy to pass and roll through corridors in the airport unlike some older luggages where it has a larger turning radius that it feels like you’re turning a truck.
To be fair, it may be because it’s just relatively new (6mos), so I’ll definitely update this later if this feedback changes.
They also have some technical bougie term for their own wheels but after I looked into it, it’s just a wheel. A wheel’s a wheel and they were just adding some marketing speak to it to sound cool. Let’s see if it hold up when rolled on sand, hair, dust, bumpy terrain, etc.
So far I’ve slammed it on staircases and it looks/feels normal. But again, it may be too early.
I’ve also rolled it on snow and so long there’s still clearance (the snow isn’t taller than the wheels), it’s good. It rolls. It works.
Shell
Rigidity
Apart from discussing this above in the Style section, first I’ll say is that it’s not a thin/flimsy build. You know when you see a <$100 luggage and the casing/shell is just a very thin plastic that when you open the luggage, you can evidently see one panel of the luggage twisting/warping since the luggage is too big/thin. So this one is not like that.
I’m not worried about the bending/twisting but for me it just feels thin that if I accidentally drop my luggage or if the handlers throw it in the wrong way that all my clothes would just explode all of the place lol.
Surface / texture
You get a matte texture which is great. I like that. But it’s not matte/grippy enough that it smudges or leave marks right away if you say brush your shoes on it. I don’t think I had a serious enough smudge/streak that I had to clean it right away. That’s considering how it gets thrown around in luggage systems, rubbers of the conveyor belts, metal guards on the foot railings, getting bucked around in public transit, etc.
At worst if it truly is just a smudge, skid mark, or something it’s something that can be wiped away. It’s the scratches I’m worried about. Thankfully and knock on wood, I haven’t had this, but based on its texture, I feel like if/when your Monos luggage gets scratched–especially deep ones–I don’t think you’ll be able to just wash and wipe that away. Then again, it’s the same thing for any luggage in any brands right…
Handle
This one’s easy to review and give feedback on too. Of course the grain of salt for this section again is “it just might be too new”, so keep that in mind. But based on my first few usages, engaging, locking, extending the handle was really smooth. I didn’t feel like there was friction or something was getting stuck when I was extending/collapsing the handle.
Engaging the lock
I also really like the points where the handle locks itself. First, when you’re trying to lock it, it reliably clicks in the points you would expect it. You know for other luggage when the “button” doesn’t properly align with the hole inside the handle and it actually just slips through and doesn’t lock? Or sometimes when you pull/collapse fast enough that it doesn’t lock? Yea this one doesn’t do that. I didn’t experience it at least.
Different points of locking
So for this section, I really like that the handle can lock in varying heights. So the first lock (so when the handle is the shortest) I find that height very comfortable (at least for my height) when I’m gliding my luggage (rolling the luggage upright with all 4 wheels turning). To the other side, when you fully extend it, it definitely leaves lots of space between you and your luggage. Know what I mean?
In some older/shittier luggage, the “fully extended” handle is still too short that when you do tow (pull/drag your luggage on two wheels; luggage is diagonal) your luggage, you hit your luggage with your heel for each walking stride. Yea, this Monos one doesn’t do that.
And lastly what I enjoy for everyone is that in between the “shortest” and the “fully extended” points of locking, there are 2 other height options! I think that’s great for people with different heights and gliding/towing preferences.
Rigidity
In combination with my feedback about the smooth wheels above, it’s definitely easy to turn the luggage even if you’re rolling it this way.
With my older Samsonite, either the wheels were dirty or something that when you try to turn with the luggage (and twist/torque the handle) you start to see the handles twisting. I’d expect that at the very least in a fully extended handle, but not on the shortest setting. With my Monos, that doesn’t happen.
Now to the other side, when you fully extend the handle and try to tow (roll on two wheels; luggage diagonal) the luggage, the handle definitely feels rigid and sturdy. I say that both context:
First, it’s rigid and sturdy enough that when a heavy luggage is standing upright and then you have the handle fully extended and you’re about to tow the luggage, in some luggages the handles feel flimsy enough that it feels like it’s bending the rods of the handle. It feels like you’re slowly curving those rods.
Second, I also mean that it’s rigid enough that when you extend it fully and tow it, it still feels rigid and stable when you put a weekender bag, backpack, tray of soda cans on top of it. It doesn’t feel like it’s about to collapse or the handles/rods are starting to bend/break.
Interior
My first reaction upon seeing the inside for the first time was definitely “omg wow, too many pockets and zippers. At least too many compared to what I’m used to”. With my older Samsonite there was just that one mesh + zipper for the top panel of the luggage so things don’t fall as you open up your luggage. In my head that all anyone would need. Also my other worry is that if there are so many panels, pockets, and zippers (that I won’t end up using), it unnecessarily adds to the weight of my luggage and I’ll always have to worry how to stash/hide those pockets as it hinders me while I rummage through my stuff.
The one “cons” in this category is that these panels and pockets are not removable. This turns out to be a minor concern later on but let me tell you the details.
I really didn’t want the panels that while I was shopping in store, I asked the staff if it’s removable. He said it’s not. It technically “is” but it’s stitched along with the entire interior lining. That means if you handed your luggage back in the store for servicing, there’s a way for them to remove the entire lining as a set so they can have access to the shell from the inside. But is there a separate zipper so I can just remove the panel(s)? No.
The ultimate “pros” about these panels though–and mind you unexpected–is that I actually ended up liking the panels! I had a trip that definitely packed my check-in luggage full. So I just started packing and sucked it up. As I was packing and things were getting full, I got into situations where I found purpose for the pockets/panels. For example I wanted a section to stash my toiletries because I didn’t want to bring my bulky toiletries bag. I found a pocket for it. I also had situations where I was thinking “ok yea, I’d want to separate this to make it easier for find”, and lo and behold there was a pocket perfect for it!
Anyways, what I’m trying to say here is that sure I could’ve lived without it, but since it’s there I realized that they thought about the amount of pockets/panels and for which purposes. Basically I find that they’ve provided just the right amount of pockets. No more, no less. No extra flaps that just hinders you or just adds weight.
Everything else about the interior is clean, sleek, spacious, and no frills.
Wrap up
At the very base of it, is this luggage functional, reliable, and does its job? Yes. Is the quality of the entire build 10/10 but is also stylish? Yes. Would I recommend it to my friends and fam? Yes. Am I happy and satisfied with my purchase? Yes.
