Cubo Small Lite

There are five things I fundementally need in a good carry-on: it must comply with european requirements, it must be lightweight, it must be a hard-shell, it must have four wheels, and it must not be a clamshell. Almost all modern suitcases fail to meet these requirements: the Peak Design suitcase is almost perfect but weighs almost 4 kg (8.8 lbs). Bellroy's "Lite" carry-on is awesome but only features two wheels. July's Carry-On Light is an outstanding 1.7 kg (3.7 lbs) but a clamshell. (I looked into a bunch of options: check out this spreadsheet.)

LOJEL's Cubo Small Lite, however, is an exception to this rule. It's a 2.9 kg (6.3 lbs) hard shell carry-on with four wheels, and a top-first design. While small in capacity (29L, expanding to 35L) I find that usually I'm limited by weight rather than packing space. Plus, the expanded width is only 9 inches—even when expanded, the suitcase is still internationally compliant. This has the added benefit of allowing me to slim it down even more for shorter trips.

Best of all, in a world of $400, $500, or $600 suitcases, the Cubo Small Lite feels premium for its $300 price tag. I couldn't be happier with this purchase and I'm looking forward to living with this bag on future international (and domestic!) travel.