Why does the retractable handle matter for efficient packing?
The other difference about this bag is the retractable handle. Most roller bags (of any size) have either one bar down the center or two. Either way, the bars affect the way the interior of the bag is shaped. My Samsonite, for example, has two ridges down the right-hand half of the inside. It’s awkward to fit clothing into it. What I’ve always done is use the space between those ridges for things like my extra glasses, just-in-case meds, and socks, then packed my compression packs on top of them. Often, some of that space stays empty, so it’s wasted.
The Level8 bag, on the other hand, has a wide handle. The bars are integrated into the two corners of the bag: the bottom as you look into the open bag. That means they are not in the way, and I can lay my compression packs flat on the bottom. There’s still space left over on both sides: the bars are at the sides of the space. It’s far more efficient because I can pack my compression bags, then slip all the extra little items around them.
In case you’re curious about those packing cubes, they’re from Reismonkey, a Dutch company. I bought them because I thought their “Clean & Dirty” series sounded brilliant, and it is! The orange cylindrical one on the left isn’t a compression pack; it’s meant for things that get smelly like underwear and socks. You pack the clean ones in one end and the dirty ones in the other. An inner divider shifts depending on how much you pack into each side. The pack on the right also has two sections with an inner divider, and it compresses with a zipper like a traditional compression pack.
