5.11 Load Up 22″ Carry On 45L Travel Made Easy

Over the past five years, I’ve made a concerted effort to avoid overpacking and, with rare exception, have been a one-bag carry-on traveler. My bag of choice has been one backpack or the other. I love the freedom that a backpack allows, keeping my belongings close to me, my hands free, and enabling me to move efficiently through airports and train stations. Recently, 5.11 Tactical offered me the opportunity/challenge to evaluate one of their new Load Up 22″ Carry On 45L roller bags, and I accepted. Currently on sale for $180!

Upon receipt of the Load Up 22″, I was impressed with the design, which is a little different from what I’m accustomed to in roller luggage. The lid is what I’ll call semi-ridged with Hypalon corners and a name tape loop panel. It is firm but not hard. The rear and bottom tray are Polycarbonate. There is a zipper on the outside providing two inches of expansion. Also on the outside is a small business card sleeve, and there are handles on the top, bottom, and side. The retractable handle is strong and locks in place (Extended and stored) with a solid click. The wheels are replaceable and roll smoothly. Two other zippers allow access to the pocket/laptop sleeve and mesh pockets. The other zipper opens to the main compartment. Additionally, all zippers are designed to accept locks for added security.

Inside the lid is a zipper pocket and a padded laptop sleeve with a Velcro retaining strap. The zipper pocket is convenient for storing your wallet or passport while passing through security and other frequently used items. The laptop sleeve allows you to access your laptop with minimal effort.

Once the lid is open, access is allowed to a zippered mesh compartment. This compartment may be used as one large compartment or two smaller ones. There are access zippers from both sides of the compartment. I used this in the mesh two-compartment section for storing my hygiene kit, meds, a ball cap, gloves, and other small personal items and accessories.

The main internal compartment of the Load Up 22″ has room for at least five days of clothing, season and destination dependent. There is also a compression strap for cinching clothing down to reduce shifting during movement. Most of my travel nowadays only requires casual or business casual attire, so space for five days wasn’t an issue for me.

I used the Load Up on a recent five-day business trip as my primary piece of luggage. I didn’t check it and found that I was able to smoothly maneuver my way through the airport, the security checkpoint, the boarding and deplaning process on the aircraft. I was able to stow/retrieve it from the overhead storage bins with no issues. Moving through the aircraft, I carried it as opposed to pulling it, as I’ve found from experience that pulling a suitcase through the tight aisles of an aircraft tends to cause it to get hung up on the seats. In and out of vehicles was a non-issue, as I was living out of it in my hotel room (I generally don’t unpack my suitcase during hotel stays).

As a resolute backpack traveler for several years, I was genuinely pleased and surprised with the usability and ease of use of the Load Up roller bag. It will take me a while to get used to the differences between it and a backpack, but as I write this, the Load Up is packed for another trip. The quality features and ease of use made the use a pleasure. One addition I’d like to see to the design, and this goes for virtually every roller bag I’ve seen, is the addition of an exterior storage pocket where I can quickly stash items while going through security or store items I want quick access to without having to open the main compartment. One other thing is I’d love to see a four-wheel version, as based on my observations, they are just a bit easier to maneuver through crowded airports, aircraft, and trains.

If you are looking for a quality carry-on piece of luggage or just an additional piece of luggage, I can recommend the 5.11 Load Up 22″ Carry-On 45L. The Load Up is available in assorted color options. Current MSRP is $240.00 SALE $180

Thanks to 5.11 for providing the Load Up 22″ Carry- On 45L for test and evaluation.