If you travel a lot, then you probably know how important having reliable accessories can be. As an avid traveler (I’ve been to 16 major cities in counting), one brand that impresses me time and time again is Calpak (originally known as California Pak), which makes some of our favorite carry-ons, checked suitcases, backpacks, personal items, toiletry cases, purses and more.
I’ve since invested in several items, including many from the viral Luka collection, and our NBC Selected editors collectively own more than 13 items from Calpak (some aren’t sold by the brand anymore or are only available in new versions), some of which are samples from the brand and others are things we purchased ourselves.
So, which products are worth the money, and which ones are you better off skipping? Below, I list our honest thoughts about the brand’s popular travel lineup.
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Our honest review of Calpak
What we like
If you spend any time on #TravelTok, then you’ve probably seen the Luka Duffel, which is widely considered as one of the best duffels available. The Luka Duffel is part of Calpak’s Luka collection, which has simple stitching and monochromatic colorways. I and both of my colleagues, NBC Selected reporter Zoe Malin and editor Mili Godio, all have the Luka Duffel and love everything about it. I personally love that it comes in three sizes (small, medium and large) and that it has padded handles and a removable and adjustable shoulder strap.
My colleagues also agree on the versatility of the Luka Duffel. “It has lots of exterior and interior pockets, an exterior shoe pocket (which I usually put my running sneakers in while traveling or my heels in for segments), and a trolley sleeve so I can slip it over my suitcase’s handle,” says Malin. “The bag is lightweight, so it doesn’t start heavy before you add items to it, and it’s super malleable so you can smush it flat, which makes it easy to store at home or put in a larger suitcase if I need to.” Additionally, Godio loves using the duffel for long-haul travel. “I’ve taken the Luka Duffel on nearly every trip for the last two years; it has gone to multiple countries with me, including France, Italy and Argentina,” she says. “It has the perfect amount of space and compartments to fit most of my essentials for a weekend trip, and it’s a great companion to a larger suitcase on longer vacations.” Godio also says it’s easy to fit the duffel in an overhead compartment or even under some seats on a plane.
After trying out many work totes, I landed on the Luka Expandable Tote, and I loved it so much that I got it in two more colors. Like the duffel, the tote is available in a mini and regular size, and each size has a laptop sleeve with a strap at the top to secure it in place. It also has multiple pockets on the sides, which I use to hold my medication, hand sanitizer and other small personal items. I use this as my work tote four days a week to carry my handheld fan, journals, adapter and more.
One of my favorite aspects of this tote is that you can expand the bottom to make more room, which is great for weekend trips. The straps are also padded, so unlike other totes I’ve tried that have hard, coarse straps and handles, this one is much more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time. The straps are so comfortable and ultimately sold me on it.
Malin uses the Insulate Lunch Bag from Calpak to bring lunch and snacks to work everyday and says that it does a great job of keeping her food fresh. It has multiple pockets on the outside for things like silverware and has a drawstring-style top, so it’s quick and easy to close. Plus, it’s made of nylon, which shoppers say they love because it makes it easy to clean. It’s available in more than 10 colorways and one size.
When I first opened these packing cubes, I immediately noticed how light and flexible the mesh material was. They aren’t made of a stiff material and when they’re not filled, they’re easy to collapse. This set comes with four packing cubes: two small ones that are great for socks, gloves or scarves, one medium, which fits at least a few T-shirts and pairs of pants or shorts, and a large packing cube, which has enough space for a few sweaters, jeans and maybe a light jacket. It also comes with a zippered pouch that can hold toiletries or small articles of clothing like socks or gloves. Each of the packing cubes has a mesh cover on top, allowing you to see what’s in each one, and they each have pockets with labels on them for organization.
Malin is also a fan of the Calpak Luka Laptop Sleeve, which is available in 14-inch and 17-inch sizes. “It’s more padded than a lot of the other options I’ve tried in the past. When I use it, I feel like I’m almost putting my laptop or iPad in bubble wrap, which gives me peace of mind while traveling (I can actually put my laptop and iPad inside this sleeve together, which makes it even useful for me since I tend to travel with both devices),” she says. Malin uses it to hold her laptop charging cable and brick, AirPods, notebooks, pens, Post-its and phone accessories. “The inside of the sleeve is lined in a soft fiber material, so I never worry about any of my devices getting scratched in transit,” she says.
The Hue carry-on suitcase is expandable, comes with a TSA-approved lock built in, wheels that spin 360 degrees, an adjustable handle and multiple pockets and compartments on the inside. It also has a buckled suspender to help press down your clothing and make them easier to fit inside.
Godio takes the Hue on all of her trips, even ones where she’s walking along bumpy cobblestone streets. “I’ve tried plenty of carry-ons throughout my travels, but few come close to this carry-on,” she says. “It’s extremely durable, so it rarely has scratches when I land and hasn’t had a single major flaw in the 10+ trips I’ve taken.”
Available in small, medium and large sizes, the Cosmetic Case has a ton of room for both travel- and full-sized skin care and toiletry bottles. The brand sent me a sample of the medium case, and I was surprised how much I could fit in it before my trip to Spain. I put all of my essentials in it, including sunscreen, face wash and hand sanitizer. I love that it’s clear, so I can see everything inside, and it unzips into two separate compartments, each with its own zipper to keep certain items separate. Also, if you travel lightly, I recommend buying the small, which has a ton of room for everything you’d need on a trip that’s at least a week long or more.
Calpak’s Water Bottle Holder holds bottles up to 40 ounces and has a detachable shoulder strap, small handles and a drawstring at the top. Malin brings this holder everywhere so she can stay hydrated without having to hold a big bottle in her hands. Plus, the inside of the holder is water-resistant and insulated to help keep your water cold for hours. “I wear it across my body so it essentially becomes part of my outfit, and I can take a sip from it whenever I need one,” says Malin. “There are exterior pockets on each side that can hold my phone, AirPods, sunscreen, lip balm, a wallet, keys and more. In fact, I leave my everyday bag at home whenever I use it.”
This is easily the most chic item from Calpak in my opinion (and probably the fanciest accessory I own). The brand sent me a sample of the Haven Laptop Tote to test, and I easily understood why it’s so popular. It’s the ultimate work tote for a commuter or city dweller. It holds a laptop, folders, notepads and more well and it has a button closure at the top to keep everything in place. It also has a key leash which, for me, is the most convenient feature because otherwise I’d spend an hour in front of my door searching for my keys. What I also love about it is that the material, which is made of a mix of polyester and polyurethane (but appears much like faux leather). I also love that the shoulder strap is removable, so I can alternate between using it as a crossbody and holding it from the handles on the top.
The Terra Laptop Duffel Backpack is great for weekend trips or camping, and it works just as well as a carry-on when traveling by plane (especially since it has a trolley sleeve that you can connect to your luggage). It has several pockets on the inside and outside, adjustable shoulder straps (including a sternum strap), buckled side straps and a laptop sleeve.
NBC Selected associate SEO reporter Ashley Morris has the backpack and loves using it as a carry-on when traveling. “Since I’m more of a casual hiker, I don’t use this backpack for the outdoors. Instead, I love using it as a travel bag to hold everything that won’t (or can’t) fit into my suitcase,” she says. “It has plenty of interior pockets for holding smaller items like personal tech, small toiletries and chargers, and includes a zippered space for laptops.” Plus, Morris says it barely has any visible damage, even after three years of using it.
This is a hybrid between a duffel for multi-day travel and a gym bag, while also having a stylish and modern crescent shape. Malin also owns this accessory from Calpak and uses it when she goes for long workouts at the gym, specifically yoga since it has built-in straps for a mat. “Its main compartment is very roomy; I can put a change of clothes, towel, small toiletry bag, water bottle, headphones and equipment like yoga blocks, light dumbbells, sliders and ankle/wrist weights inside,” she says. “It also has lots of interior organization components like pockets, a key clip and a water bottle strap.” There’s also an adjustable strap, so it can transform into a crossbody, says Malin.
What can improve
After testing Calpak’s lineup of travel accessories for years, there are a few small areas that we believe can improve:
- Limited warranty: Calpak’s Product Guarantee includes three types of warranties: one, two and five years, which apply to manufacturer-related damage and defects. The warranty doesn’t apply to accessories and suitcases that have “normal wear and tear” from traveling. Just about everyone knows that their checked suitcase will probably come back with at least a small scratch on it, since airports don’t necessarily prioritize handling checked suitcases gently. With this in mind, Calpak’s warranty policies should include some form of wear and tear protection, similar to strong competitor Away, which has a lifetime warranty. This warranty allows for free shipping and repairs within the first five years of ownership, including “airline mishandling,” as the brand notes on its site. Additionally, you can get one free replacement suitcase within this timeframe. After more than six years, you still get free repairs in stores, too.
- Colorway availability: While most of the brand’s accessories are monochromatic and have different textures and materials (including a polyurethane-based faux leather and canvas from the Collette collection), they also have a few prints. As an avid Calpak shopper, I’ve noticed some colorways and patterns go out of stock quickly, and for an unknown amount of time. It’s a very small inconvenience, but the brand addresses this by allowing shoppers to sign up for a waitlist, so they can be notified when (or if) the product will be back in stock.
How I tried Calpak
The products we recommend from Calpak are a mix of product samples sent to us by the brand and accessories we purchased ourselves over the course of several years. Below are some of the factors we considered when testing these items:
- Functionality: As with any travel accessory brand, you want to be sure the suitcases transport your items without damaging them and won’t be left with tons of scratches or tears. While Calpak’s items aren’t 100% scratch resistant (as is the case with most travel accessory brands), many of them hold up very well, based on our staffers’ experiences. If a backpack or duffel was easily ripped, got damaged during international and domestic travel or became generally nonfunctional, we didn’t include it above.
- Comfort: Another major factor we consider when it comes to travel accessories is how comfortable they are to carry, particularly for at least a few hours and when filled with heavy items. Some duffels, for example, are tough or painful to carry because the handles and/or shoulder straps are made of very hard or unpadded material. For the Luka Duffel, though, this was very much not the case, and part of why I included it as the top and most popular product from the brand.
- Style: Lastly, I also considered Calpak’s individual style and compared it with that of other popular competitors, including Away, Beis and Samsonite. Like Calpak, these brands are very popular with Gen-Zs and Millennials, in part because they each have a recognizable style. It’s easy to instantly identify a suitcase from Away or a duffel from Beis. I’d say the same with Calpak; its most recognizable attribute (and one of my favorite things about the brand) is its padded exterior and handles. Calpak’s style feels extremely modern, but not overly trendy or flashy.
Who is Calpak for?
Calpak is great for people who value stylish and modern travel accessories that hold up well over time. It’s also ideal for people who prefer a monochromatic appearance when it comes to their luggage sets, especially those who like to match their carry-ons, duffels and checked luggage.
Compared to popular travel brands like Away, Beis and Samsonite, Calpak is priced somewhere in the middle. For example, the Hue Carry-On is $215, while Away and Samsonite’s equivalents are $275 and $220, respectively. If you prefer to spend less on travel accessories, some of our favorite (and slightly more affordable) are from brands like Bagsmart and American Tourister.
Why trust NBC Selected?
I’m a commerce editor at NBC Selected, where I write about deals and sale events daily. I also write product roundups on home, kitchen and lifestyle products and appliances. Additionally, I often write product reviews and shopping guides to brands, like this one above. I also oversee gift guide coverage for NBC Selected.
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