Review: Carl Friedrik The Carry-On

With luggage, as with most things, luxury is relative. To some, it means you have a Travelpro Platinum Elite (it's got “pro” and “elite” right there in the name!), while for others if you're not rolling a Louis trunk, you're either doing the quiet luxury thing or you're a broke boy.

I am a relative newcomer to the world of very nice luggage, having used a Tom Bihn Aeronaut 45 for the past decade, until my boss informed me of the existence of Rimowa. It turns out I love Rimowa—I like the brand's luxe boho vibe, and I love the way the aluminum shell picks up a little seasoning with every trip. But as someone who flies nearly every month of the year, I'm always looking to try a new contender.

Carl Friedrik is a newish London-based luggage brand that makes bags with distinctive leather accents. Its full-size suitcases suitable for checking run about $800, while a rolling carry-on is around $550. Depending on your priors, these prices are likely to strike you as either very reasonable or borderline outrageous. I can say only that it's a very nice bag for transporting your belongings.

Photograph: Martin Cizmar

As Seen On

Carl Friedrik was founded in 2012 by two Swedish brothers, and its initial focus was on leather goods, specifically laptop bags and wallets. The rolling carry-on was introduced in the summer of 2019, just before a period of instability in the travel industry which some readers may recall. Carl Friedrik does most of its business direct-to-consumer, though you will see products on heavily curated retail sites like Huckberry. The brand's roots in leather goods are visible on the carry-on and the brand's other rolling luggage, thanks to its distinctive and handsome leather handles and a leather accent strip around the top of the case.

Carl Friedrik is the kind of brand that not only gets itself featured on Succession but uses the occasion to post an Instagram caption think piece about quiet luxury. (“By its very nature, quiet luxury aesthetic rejects the vagaries of seasonal fashion, trusting instead in time-honoured design.”)

Niklas Mattis, who cofounded the brand with his brother, is focused on protecting the majestic but critically endangered Amur leopard. That is all to say that, yes, this brand is working diligently to curate a vibe. Successfully, I'd say.

I've now used the Carl Friedrik on three trips since December, having taken it to New York, New Mexico, and San Diego. It has yet to let me down, and despite being gate-checked on one occasion and being wheeled across a little desert scrubland in Santa Fe, the gray polycarbonate shell looks new. That stands in sharp contrast to aluminum suitcases from brands like Rimowa and Tumi, which are designed to develop a patina.

Rimowa (left, silver) and Carl Friedrik The Carry-On (right, black)

Photograph: Martin Cizmar

The Carl Friedrik has every design touch you would expect from a luxury luggage brand. The shell itself is sturdy and light, if not as light as a standard polycarbonate Away (8.6 pounds total for the bag), while also very handsome in gunmetal grey. Every hinge and grab point is tight and smooth—the telescoping handle has very little wiggle. The leather accent straps are snug and recessed a bit from the shell around them to resist scuffing.

The four spinning wheels are Japanese-made Hinomotos, the same you will find on Away and Herschel bags, and are extremely quiet and smooth. There are leather carry handles on the top and side, which are mounted on sliders so they retract flat to the bag while not in use but give you plenty of room to get a good grip when lifting and carrying.

I personally do not like suitcases with overly aggressive internal organization systems, and the Carl Friedrik is perfect for me, with a single divider that has a zippered pocket and can be ratcheted down with compression straps from either side. There is a small flap with two more zippered pockets if you want to trap tiny but important things like car keys.

Case Study

Photograph: Martin Cizmar

As with all hard-sided travel bags, you do have to worry about a loose corner of clothing misaligning the shell and preventing the bag from closing. This bag is no better or worse on that front, though there is a thin rubber seal that provides some peace of mind when the bag is left lying out on a rainy tarmac. As with any hard-sided bag, attempted overstuffing will be met with an inflexible wall—if you want to squeeze your stuff in, stay soft.

The latches work well and come with two combination locks and the standard TSA keyhole that I would assume any sophisticated thief would purchase off Amazon for $6 if he or she wanted to access your luggage. Somewhat surprisingly at this price point, Carl Friedrik's warranty is limited and doesn't cover “misuse” or airline damage, in contrast to other brands at this price point that offer full unlimited guarantees, like Briggs & Riley. Then again, Carl Friedrik hasn't had the time to build up an extensive global repair network, so maybe it's just a matter of time.

One other big benefit of the Carl Friedrik bag is that, thanks to its distinctive leather accents, it will stand out from the other gray hard-sided suitcases rolling along the baggage carousel—no need to buy a pink polka dot luggage tag to lessen the chances of someone else grabbing your bag. If you like the look of this hard-sided luggage and it fits your budget, the Carl Friedrik carry-on is a smart buy. Whether or not you'll feel like an heir or heiress rolling it past the precheck entrance in dark sunglasses very much depends on your version of luxury.