A decent carry-on is arguably the most essential piece of luggage one can own. They’re roomy enough for a long weekend—sometimes up to a week with clever packing—and offer the best way to avoid long lines at the baggage carousel, additional check-in fees, and potential lost luggage issues all at once. Recently, British luggage brand Antler relaunched its Clifton Cabin with Pocket with a chicer, more minimal finish—and we’ve found that it’s an especially good buy for business travelers.
Why? It’s down to the soft-shell external pocket, which ensures easy access to your laptop or tablet without need to lay bare the contents of your case to the entire airport. For overpackers especially, this is a game changer: the task of unzipping and subsequently re-closing your case ranges from tedious through to arduous, depending on how much you’ve squeezed in. The pocket also makes it easier to grab your laptop quickly before transferring your case to the overhead locker, so you can swap your regular backpack for a sling bag when selecting the best in-flight bag for your trip. It’s clear to see why this case is a bestseller for the brand.
Inside the pocket, there are two padded sleeves for a tablet and 15.6″ laptop, a pen holder, two smaller pouches, and a mesh pocket. It opens at a 45-degree angle, allowing you to access contents swiftly, while also folding out flat when needed as well. During our test, I fit a magazine, phone, portable charger, passport, laptop and charger comfortably inside, leaving the main compartment free for clothes and a toiletry bag.
Retailing at $315 full price, the case itself is made from the same strong polycarbonate as all the brand’s hard shell suitcases, finished with a TSA combination lock that secures both the main compartment and the pocket simultaneously. A twist-grip handle and quality spinner wheels make it easier to pull when traversing bumpy ground and proved useful to me while navigating London’s busy streets. Internal compression straps maximize space efficiency, and three small additional pockets, one waterproof, provide a spot for travel-sized toiletries and other essentials.
With 38L of space, it’s a relatively small carry-on, but there’s comfortable packing capacity for a three-day trip. Weighing just over six pounds, it’s easy to handle, although it’s so lightweight it did blow over a couple of times when empty. One note: While there are four new colors in the revamped Clifton line, this particular case is only available in black, navy, and woodland green (sage, pictured below, is available for UK shoppers). There’s a generous lifetime warranty, too.
Where to buy the Antler Clifton Cabin with Pocket
Antler luggage has long been a favorite of the Condé Nast Traveler team, and this carry-on has now joined the Chelsea weekender and the brand’s packing cubes in our regular work travel rotation. You can shop the Antler Clifton Cabin with Pocket on both the brand’s website and Amazon, or see the full Clifton luggage range here.
This article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller UK.
