I travel a lot, racking up anywhere between 40 and 60 flights a year. That’s not enough to make me one of the elite in the air, but it means I know what I need from my carry-on luggage. Or at least I thought I did until I tried the Thule Subterra carry-on suitcase.
The Thule Subterra Bag
At first glance, it looks like almost every other piece of hand luggage. It’s sleeker than most, which is impressive when you’re talking about what is fundamentally a box on wheels that measures 55x35x23cm, even if there’s not quite a Scandi-cool vibe about it.
The size means it meets nearly every airline’s carry-on restrictions — you might need to give it a bit of a squeeze to get past Ryanair’s bag check — while the neatly integrated telescopic handle ensures it doesn’t get caught up with anybody else’s bag when stowed. There are two other handles, with sturdy fabric options on the top and one side of the case, making it easy to carry with you or lug in and out of overhead lockers.
The wheels are rubberised, so they roll along almost silently. It’s smooth, too, with minimal vibration making its way through the case and up the handle to your hand. A handy pocket on the side lets you slip a credit card-sized document in there, where I place a business card with my contact details, just in case the bag goes missing.
It’s all wrapped up in a dark blue fabric (other colours are available) that’s waterproof and tough — it’s just come out of the hold of an American Airlines flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, and is still in one piece, and has been to Iceland, Ibiza and Belgium without getting beaten up.
What Makes It Special?
There’s a handy external pocket. It’s unlike most, which tend to be a long sleeve-like compartment that takes paperwork or a laptop. Instead, a deep, squared-off pocket takes up around a fifth of one-half of the shell. It’s big enough to take passports, tickets, wallets, watches, and even toiletry bags, making it perfect for airport security.
It gets even better inside. There’s a mesh divider that initially looks to take up valuable space, but it’s mounted on a ratchet system. That is the genius of this bag. Fold your clothes, place them in the case, put the divider on top, and press down. The ratchet works as a compression board, clamping down clothes, reducing the space they take up, and allowing you to squeeze even more in there. It’s also got the added bonus of keeping pressed clothes in place, so it’s less likely you’ll need to get an iron out at your destination.
The other half of the case has a mesh-covered zipped compartment, ideal for keeping worn clothes separated from clean. It’s also quite handy as a compartment for the endless travel adaptors, cables and devices we tend to travel with.
Despite the case losing space to the compression panel and the outside compartment, you can squeeze an awful lot in there — I can manage four nights, including packing a jacket for dinner, without too much effort and could probably manage a week somewhere warm and sunny.
The Downsides
The lack of a laptop-sized external pocket means there’s nowhere to put an easily accessible laptop, which I find myself needing when I’ve got short segments of downtime when travelling. You can slide a laptop into the centre of the bag, but it’s not as easy, especially if your bag is jam-packed.
I’ve also got used to my Cabin Max Manhattan bag, which has the same array of handles and wheels but also squeezes in a pair of straps to turn it into a backpack, which is especially handy when you’ve also got full-size luggage to drag along. Thule does make a bag with straps (and countless other variants) so if that’s important, pick wisely, and you’ll be fine.
Thule Subterra: The Verdict
Apart from not having somewhere accessible to put a laptop, there’s nothing to complain about with the Thule Subterra carry on. It’s light, spacious, cleverly designed and has some impressive touches to make life on the road (or in the air) a little bit easier.
Yes, it’s £255, which is an awful lot of money for a bag that’ll get thrown around and abused, especially if it ends up in the hold of an aircraft, but Thule builds its products (like the XT Alpine roof box) tough.
It also has understated style on its side, so it will look good whether you’re on a Ryanair flight to catch some sun in Malaga or flying Club World on BA for a business meeting in New York.
What: Thule Subterra carry on
How much: £255
Web: Thule.com
He is the founder of Huff Media, publisher of Professional Pickup, Professional Van, Average Janes, Average Joes, and CALIBRE. His work focuses primarily on light commercial vehicles, pickups, and real-world vehicle use, with much of his time spent on manufacturer launches, industry events, and long-term vehicle testing.