Level 8 Voyageur Luggage Set
The search for the perfect set of luggage seems to be never ending. Over the past 20 years of travel, we have gone through no less than a dozen different carry-on and checke luggage products.
When it comes to checked luggage, we have had hard-sided luggage and soft duffel bags. We have had luggage with wheels and some without. We definitely prefer those with wheels.
Our most recent checked bags are wheeled soft duffels that came from COSTCO. They have performed well, but are beginning to show some wear and tear.
Finding the perfect carry-on bag is no less challenging. Rickee and I agree that a carry-on must have four wheels that easily swivel and fit "wheels first" into the most common aircraft overhead bins.
We recently became aware of Level 8 luggage from YouTube and reached out to them to see if they would like for us to review their products during a cruise with Swan Hellenic.
The first to arrive was the Voyageur 2-piece luggage set which included a 26" checked bag and a matching 20" carry-on. Some may find the yellow-and-black color scheme to be a bit garish, but we like luggage that we can easily spot in a sea of black bags on an airport carousel.
28" Voyageur Check-In
The Voyageur Check-In is available in three sizes: 26", 28" and 30". We opted for the 28" and it looks quite substantial compared to our current duffel checked bags. The 28" actually measures 27.3"H x 16.6"W x 13.3"D, weighs 11.8 Ibs and has a claimed capacity of 93 liters.
The Check-In is shaped more like a trunk than a traditional piece of luggage. The shell is a German-made Makrolon® polycarbonate construction, which Level 8 claims to be light and durable. Ours came in yellow and black making it hard to miss.
The base of the Check-In is 8" deep while the lid (the yellow part) is 5.5" deep.
The zipper has Level 8 branded pulls which appear sturdy. The zipper is not waterproof, so care should be taken not to leave the luggage in the rain. The zipper is the most likely point of failure on any piece of zippered luggage, and only time will tell if the Level 8 zippers will hold up to the rigors of abusive baggage handlers. The zipper does glide easily and the pulls can be secured into a TSA lock mechanism on the side of the bag.
The four casters each swivel 360 degrees to turn this into a spinner bag. Each caster has two wheels and each wheel has a rubber tread. The bag glides easily on hard or carpeted surfaces.
The aluminum telescopic handle has three detents and is one of the distinguishing features of the Voyageur line up. Unlike on the more traditional spinners, the handle spans the entire with of the bag, making it quite sturdy and stable while placing the support rails inside the bag at the very edges.
This design places the support rails on the interior of the base at the far edges of the bag rather than in the center of the base. This design makes it easier to pack the base without the need to work around the handle support structure inside the base of the bag.
Opening the shell of the Voyageur Check-In may lead to some confusion as the interior designs are not consistent from bag to bag. For some reason, the Voyageur luggage interior comes in two different layouts. On the Check-In sent to us, the black base is covered with a zippered mesh fabric, underneath which are compression straps. On the lid (the yellow piece), is another zippered panel with two zippered pockets. One pocket is a breathable mesh and the other a vinyl “moisture proof” design. The interior configuration of the other version is just the opposite with the two zippered pockets being placed on the black base side.
Blacklane Limousine Services
When it comes to luxury travel, Blacklane offers the ultimate in worldwide limousine services.
When we began planning our Ultimate Luxury Japan trip, we were not going to settle for anything less than the best, including ground transportation. We usually get an Uber or Lyft to take us from our home to DFW airport but, for this journey, we decided to work with Blacklane, an international ground transportation services company that, among other services, provides airport limousine service.
Unlike Uber or Lyft, where you never really know what kind of vehicle or driver you are going to get, with Blacklane you always get top-of-the-line Mercedes sedans, minivans or SUVs.
We scheduled our ride to the airport about 10 days in advance of our trip. Using the Blacklane.com website, it is easy to schedule and to check the status of your ride.
In addition to our ride from home to DFW airport, we also pre-scheduled an airport pickup in Tokyo to take us to our hotel. More on that later. Our driver showed up at our home right on time for the 8:30am ride to DFW in a brand new, and spotlessly clean, GMC Yukon SUV with plush leather seating. Complimentary bottles of water are also provided.
Blacklane drivers are always professionally dressed
When we arrived at DFW Terminal D, our driver unloaded our luggage for us and wished us a safe journey.
Our luggage is unloaded curbside at the airport
Anytime we fly into a foreign country, it typically involves an all-night flight with an early morning arrival. After these long flights, the last thing I want to deal with is trying to negotiate with a local taxi driver. And, depending on the country, Uber rides may not be available. Luxury is not having to worry about any of that. So, before we left we scheduled for Blacklane to have a car and driver meet us at Tokyo’s Haneda airport. After getting through immigration and customs, we exited baggage claim to find our driver waiting for us holding an iPad with my name on it.
Our driver waiting for us in Tokyo
When you are tired and jet-lagged after a long international flight, it is such a relief to have someone waiting for you on the other end to take you to your hotel or cruise ship.
Our driver loaded our luggage into the back of his mini-van and soon we were on our way to our Tokyo hotel. Our driver told us that it would take about 45 minutes to get to our hotel from the airport.
When we arrived at the Four Seasons Tokyo at Otemachi, our driver unloaded our luggage for us and wished us safe travels.
After spending four amazing nights in Tokyo, it was time to check out of the hotel and join our cruise ship. Once again, we had pre-arranged for Blacklane to transfer us from our hotel to the cruise port. Our driver was waiting for us outside the hotel lobby right on time. The drive to the port only took about 15 minutes and everything was easy and efficient.
We can highly recommend Blacklane for all of your ground transportation needs, both locally and around the world. For luxury travel, there is no better service that we have found.
