Who is Carl Friedrik? This was the question that popped into my head when I first learned about this London-based luggage brand sporting some great looking cabin bags. As it turns out, the brand is the brainchild of Niklas and Mattis Opperman. The Swedish-born German brothers started out in 2012 selling affordable leather goods with their London-based brand. The name is that of their grandfather!
Tip: The Carl Friedrik collection of luggage is now on sale with huge discounts for Black Friday & Cyber Monday. You can check out the deals here.
The quality and style of the Carl Friedrik luggage can probably be best described as “Scandinavian minimalist”, and thanks to the lack of large logos, it’s definitely suitable for those looking for a piece of quiet luxury to roll around the airport terminal.
In this post:
Carl Friedrik Carry On Pro Overview
The Carry-On Pro is on the larger side when it comes to carry-on luggage. The build quality is solid with the hard shell design made out of some sort of nylon weave with Italian leather details that make it pop.
The enclosure, hinges, and locks all scream quality, and the same can be said for the YKK zippers from Japan. The case is called “Pro” because it’s got a laptop sleeve at the front, very handy for quickly taking out your devices at security, but it does add some extra bulk. The pocket itself is also made out of the same hard shell material and offers substantial protection for your laptop inside.
Interior Features
Talking about the inside, the Carl Friedrik Pro carry-on is a classic 4-wheel roller which opens up in a folding motion to reveal 2 compartments. While it does come with 1 divider, 2 would have been handy to prevent your clothes from falling out when you open the case at an angle. Of course, there are custom-designed packing cubes you can obtain to also eliminate this problem.
Wheels
One of the most important aspects of a carry-on, in my humble opinion, are the wheels. Having owned Rimowa for many years, I see their wheels as the gold standard. While the Carry On Pro performs very well thanks to its Japanese-made spinner wheels compared to cheaper brands, I would like to see slightly larger wheels to help navigate the carpets of Changi Airport (the ultimate testing ground for any suitcase).
Build Quality
The build quality of this suitcase is top-notch; not only does it look great, but it’s also sure to hold up for a long time. Another perk of the case is the weight; it’s very light considering its size, coming in at 4.3kg.
Size
The Carl Friedrik is not the smallest carry-on on the market. During our road test, we tried to fit it in the carry-on checking bins of a few airlines. The first one we tried was Turkish Airlines (who we were flying with that day). Even though we were travelling in business class, they did make a remark about the size but didn’t require it to be checked in.
We then tested Vueling Airlines, which was a no-go, and Ryan Air, which surprisingly did fit, albeit in a questionable way.
Flying premium carriers later on in the trip such as Qatar Airways was, of course, no issue, as our bag didn’t even get a second look. The same was the case with other budget carriers we flew with, such as Batik and Citilink, neither of which had any complaints about our luggage size.
Carl Friedrik Carry-On Pro Dimensions
- Width: 38cm (15 inches)
- Height: 55cm (21.7 inches)
- Depth: 25cm (9.8 inches)
- Expanded: 27cm (10.6 inches)
- Weight: 4.3kg (9.5lbs)
- Volume: 43L
Carl Friedrik Carry On Pro In Conclusion
While not cheap, the Carl Friedrik Carry On Pro is a great choice for those looking for a high-end cabin bag that’s not quite in Rimowa price territory but has a ton more features, such as the laptop pocket and more internal zipper storage. Currently, you can take advantage of the Black Friday sales special, which brings the cost down to AU$765 (from $1,100), and on top of that, you can try the bag risk-free for 100 days. Don’t like it? You can send it back for a full refund.
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Full disclosure: Carl Friedrik did send us one of their bags to try out but this review is not sponsored or edited by Carl Friedrik.
