Two weeks in Cape Town, one small suitcase and absolutely no checked luggage. Have I packed too much, or have I finally found a cabin case that makes travelling light possible?
As we prepare for our year-long adventure around the world, I’ve had to squeeze in one final trip to South Africa.
Despite being granted South African permanent residency, I need to fly to Cape Town to activate it. And with our big adventure fast approaching, the last thing I want is to make this trip more complicated than necessary.
So I’ve set myself a challenge.
Two weeks in Cape Town. Hand luggage only.
No waiting around at baggage reclaim. No checked suitcase. Just me and everything I need for a fortnight.
Simple enough in theory. But when I laid out all my clothes on the bed, I began to wonder whether I’d been a little optimistic!
Fortunately, LEVEL8 had offered to send us one of their Luminous Textured 18-inch cabin suitcases to try, which seemed like the perfect opportunity to see how much I could actually pack.
Disclosure: LEVEL8 kindly gifted us the suitcase and sponsored the suitcase segment of our YouTube video. This article includes affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. As always, the views we share are our own.
Meet the LEVEL8 Luminous Textured 18-inch Suitcase
The first thing I noticed about the LEVEL8 was its compact size.
At just 18 inches, it’s smaller than many traditional cabin suitcases, but it still offers a surprisingly useful 39 litres of packing space.
The case has a hard polycarbonate shell with a textured finish designed to resist scratches. That appealed to me because our luggage gets plenty of use, and I’d rather not have it looking battered after a few trips.
It also comes with a few useful features:
- A lightweight, hard-shell construction.
- Four 360-degree spinner wheels for easy movement.
- A three-height telescopic handle.
- A built-in TSA-approved combination lock.
- Two separate packing compartments.
- Two zipped internal pockets for smaller items.
- A textured exterior designed to resist scratches.
The suitcase itself weighs 3.5kg, which was an important consideration for my flight with Norse Atlantic.
My hand luggage allowance was 15kg, so I needed to make every kilogram count.
The Real Test: Can I Fit Everything Inside?
This is where things got interesting.
I had everything laid out ready for my two-week trip, and looking at the pile of clothes, I wasn’t convinced it would all fit.
Opening the suitcase, I was pleased to see two separate packing compartments. The layout makes it straightforward to organise your belongings, while the zipped pockets are useful for toiletries, smaller essentials or keeping things separate.
There are no awkward handle mechanisms taking up large amounts of usable packing space.
I also used a vacuum packing bag from Airlus to compress some of my clothes, which made a difference to how much I could fit inside.
And, to my surprise, everything went in without too much trouble.
Of course, fitting everything inside is only half the challenge. There’s still the all-important luggage weight limit to consider.
So I put the packed suitcase on the scales.
The result? Just under 8.5kg.
That was considerably less than my 15kg allowance, leaving me with plenty of weight to spare.
For a two-week trip, I was rather pleased with that!
What Impressed Me Most?
There are three things that stood out during my initial packing test.
1. The amount of usable space
For a relatively compact suitcase, 39 litres goes further than I expected.
The two-compartment layout is practical and makes it easier to keep everything organised. Combined with my vacuum packing bag, it allowed me to fit everything I needed for the trip.
2. The wheels and handle
The four spinner wheels allow the case to move in any direction, which is useful when navigating airports.
The telescopic handle also has three height settings, making it easier to adjust to a comfortable position.
3. The practical design
I like the textured hard shell, the built-in combination lock and the simplicity of the interior.
Nothing feels unnecessarily complicated, which is exactly what I want when travelling.
LEVEL8 also advertises a lifetime warranty covering specified functional components, including the shell, wheels, handles and zips, subject to its warranty terms.
Is the LEVEL8 18-inch Suitcase Suitable for Hand Luggage?
One important point to remember is that cabin baggage allowances vary between airlines.
The LEVEL8 Luminous Textured 18-inch measures approximately 51.5 × 35 × 23.5cm, including its external dimensions, and weighs 3.5kg empty.
It’s a compact case, but you should always check your airline’s cabin baggage dimensions and weight allowance before travelling.
For my Norse Atlantic flight, I checked the requirements for my booking before deciding to take hand luggage only.
Remember, some airlines also charge separately for larger cabin bags, so don’t assume they’re included in every ticket.
Would We Recommend It?
Based on my initial packing experience, I’m impressed.
The LEVEL8 Luminous Textured 18-inch suitcase has a practical layout, plenty of usable space for its size and some thoughtful features.
Most importantly, I managed to fit everything I needed for two weeks in Cape Town into one cabin suitcase.
That’s a pretty good result!
Of course, this is an initial packing review rather than a long-term durability test. I’ll have a better idea of how the suitcase performs after travelling with it.
If you’re planning a short break, travelling with hand luggage only or simply want a smaller suitcase for your next adventure, it’s certainly worth considering.
Get 10% Off LEVEL8 Luggage With Our Discount Code
LEVEL8 have kindly provided a special discount for our James & Rob community.
Use discount code JAR10 for 10% off eligible purchases.
Shop the LEVEL8 Luminous Textured Suitcase here
Enter JAR10 at checkout to claim your discount, subject to the offer terms.
Using our affiliate link also helps support the James & Rob channel, and we really appreciate it.
Watch Our Cape Town Adventure
You can see me packing the LEVEL8 suitcase in our latest YouTube video, where I travel almost 6,000 miles to Cape Town for one very important reason: activating my South African permanent residency.
Will everything go according to plan?
And will that all-important passport stamp be enough?
Watch I Flew 6,000 Miles for One Passport Stamp on our James & Rob YouTube channel.
With our year-long round-the-world adventure about to begin, this was one final trip I really couldn’t avoid.
