What can you say about a good suitcase? Sturdy, roomy, just the right size? All of those describe the Lucas Under Seat Cabin Bag. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say this is the PERFECT suitcase, especially if you are a ‘packing light’ disciple.

Labeled as a carry-on bag that will fit under the seat, the Lucas works as my primary suitcase. Let me explain why. Packing is a sport for me. A game of sartorial Tetris, if you will, and being able to piece together the puzzle of clothes and shoes delights my little packing minimalist heart to no end.

The statistics from eBags state the exterior dimensions as 15.7″ x 15.7″ x 9.8″ but I’d shave off just a bit. With a telescoping handle and durable, smooth skate wheels, and lots of pockets this bag is easy to load whether you pack with cubes, the roll method, the nest, or just by folding.

What I Like:

• Size. Even if I stuff this bag, it is still easy for me to hoist over my head or carry by the hand loops for a long way.
• Fabric exterior. The heavy woven polyester is easy to brush clean and (so far) has resisted pulls or tears despite a LOT of heavy use.
• Telescoping handle. The T-handle extends to the perfect height for my 5’3″. It may not work for tall folks, but for me it allows me to wheel this bad boy through an airport without any effort.
• Pockets! 2 pockets on both exterior sides (perfect for flip flops, an umbrella, a ticket case, or almost anything), a zippered pocket on the back (good for Ziploc bags or other near-flat things), a front pocket (perfect for my 3-1-1 toiletry bag), and a smaller front pocket for keys or phone, this bag has a ton of storage places.
• Price. When I bought mine it cost $60. Today, on eBags it’s under $40.

What I Don’t Like:

• The zippers on the 2 side pockets don’t always stay closed. I’ve remedied this with extra large safety pins, but it is something to watch. Don’t keep irreplaceable things in these.
• The interior partition. This bag comes with an interior clear zipper pocket that breaks up the main compartment into two. This is a HUGE design flaw as it renders either space as almost unusable. Thankfully, a little ingenuity and a sharp X-acto knife and the problem was solved. I carefully sliced along the edges and removed this piece to create a single large space. Perfect!
• Color choices. I got black, which is what I would have chosen anyway, but it would be nice to see this in a few other colors. Red and blue are fine, but it would be great in a grey and an olive or khaki color.

Final Verdict: BUY
The Lucas bag is a great utilitarian bag.  I’ve used this bag for short business trips and long pleasure travel. In fact, this bag was my only luggage for an international trip of more than 25 days and held all the clothes and shoes I needed, fit in the smaller international overhead bin, and let me escape any luggage weight fees smaller in-country airlines charge. The one caveat I’d give you is that I wear a size 6 (US) shoe and if you wear a larger size I am not sure you could get more than one pair in the bag. Regardless, give this bag a try. It could take the place of a laptop bag quite nicely, work as a rolling school bag, or be your primary suitcase.

Everything (except the two other bags) I got in the Lucas bag for almost a month of travel

What do you think? Is the Lucas Under Seat Cabin Bag something you would try? Let me know if the comments.

This review was not sponsored in anyway, nor was anything received in exchange for it. The opinions and recommendations are mine.

Exterior showing the various front pockets

Interior showing the clear zippered partition which I removed. It also comes with some extra pouches (not mentioned in review)

Side view, showing pocket and handle.