This article is a part of CNN Underscored’s Summer Travel 101, a weeklong focus on what you need to travel better, smarter and more stress-free on your summer trip.
If you’re keeping up with the travel fads of today, you’ll notice that hard-shell luggage is the new trend. Newer, more advanced materials allow these types of suitcases to be lightweight and durable, all while protecting the contents inside. And although I’ve been traveling exclusively with my heavily discounted Samsonite soft-shell checked bag for the past few years, I decided it was time to jump on the bandwagon and try out this popular, hard-shell travel style.
Founded in 2018, Monos is a new-ish travel and lifestyle brand. Following a “less is more” philosophy, using sustainable and cruelty-free materials, the luggage promises to be a timeless classic that you can use for years to come. So, we were eager to test the brand’s popular Carry-On Luggage.
After many trips — including planes, trains and automobiles — over a three-month timeframe, did this suitcase win us over? Read on to learn more about the many pros and few cons of the Monos Carry-On Luggage.
Want a stylish hard-shell suitcase for your next vacation? This lightweight and trendy suitcase will turn heads with its high-quality polycarbonate shell. As the perfect carry-on size, you'll be able to maneuver this suitcase easily thanks to its 360-degree spinner wheels. While the suitcase does scuff easily, if you don't mind the cosmetic impacts, this is a great piece of luggage for your next trip.
What we liked about it
Stylish, trendy and durable design
The Monos Carry-On Luggage is as stylish as they come. With eight standard colors and many limited-time color options — think purple icing and banana pudding colors with a glossy finish — you’ll probably find yourself taking Insta-worthy pictures with this sleek-looking luggage in no time. While making my way through the airport, I felt like I fit in with — and even stood out to — other travelers. In fact, I was even stopped by another passenger inquiring about the brand of my luggage.
The luggage is made of German Makrolon polycarbonate, which is a lightweight aerospace-grade material. If that big name doesn’t mean much to you, what you need to know is that this is a very tough material that can withhold high heat and impact. This is also aligned with the quality testing completed by Monos wherein the brand puts its suitcases through a battery of 40 tests from shrinkage to wheel abrasion, chemical resistance and more, to ensure it’s ready for your travels.
Included with the bag, you’ll also find a TSA-approved combination lock to protect your belongings. I found the lock very easy to use, and it worked well during my testing. However, unlike the comparable Away Carry-On suitcase, there’s no option to add on a USB charger — something to keep in mind if that is important to you.
Since I began testing the Monos Carry-On Luggage a few months ago, I’ve found the durability to be sufficient. During my travels, which even included checking it during a flight, I haven’t experienced any dents, breakage or major issues, though there has been some scuffing (more on that later). Additionally, the bag is fitted with the crème de la crème of zippers from the YKK brand.
Well-designed interior
The Monos Carry-On Luggage zipper begins on the side of the suitcase (instead of the top). When you open the bag, you’ll find that one side features a zippered panel, while the other is completely open with a compression pad option.
Packing two sides separately took some getting used to, but I ultimately enjoyed that I could put my shoes, toiletry case and some other odds and ends on one side while packing all of my clothes on the other. The built-in compression pad was then able to shrink the height of my clothes by about three inches thanks to the ballistic nylon straps, allowing me to pack more into the suitcase. And for trips where the compression pad isn’t needed, it can easily be removed to not get in the way.
I’m a big fan of pockets while packing, and even though the classic Monos Carry-On doesn’t contain any exterior pockets (more on that later), the suitcase does boast three sizable zippered interior pockets. Within the suitcase, you’ll find a pocket on top of the compression pad, on top of the zippered panel and a smaller nylon pocket at the base of the packing compartment. All three came in quite handy and allowed me to have a place for loose items. Specifically, the nylon pocket was perfect for my electronic wires, the compression pad pocket worked well for flat items, such as books, and my dirty laundry was stored in the panel pocket.
Perfect carry-on size and weight
The Monos Carry-On Luggage is an ideal size — 22 inches x 14 inches x 9 inches, which is the maximum carry-on luggage dimension for most U.S. airlines. This allows you to maximize your carry-on packing without having to worry about your luggage being denied boarding. For comparison sake, the similar Away Carry-On suitcase is just 0.3 inches smaller in height and length, but the same width. However, the interior measurements of 20 inches x 13.5 inches are the exact same between both bags. That said, you’ll find slightly more packing capacity with the Monos Carry-On Luggage — the Monos offers 39.9 liters of capacity while the Away Carry-On offers 39.8 liters.
The Monos Carry-On Luggage is also incredibly lightweight at just 7.01 pounds. Having lightweight luggage made it very easy to wheel around the airport, lift into overhead storage space on the airplane, bring up and down the stairs in my house and take in and out of my car’s trunk. Since I don’t consider myself the strongest adult, shedding a few extra pounds in empty baggage weight makes a big difference in being able to maneuver a piece of luggage while traveling.
Additionally, there are many international airlines that weigh your carry-on bags, so having a lightweight bag is imperative if you’re traveling overseas. Ultimately, this can potentially mean the difference between having to check your bag or being allowed to bring it as a carry-on.
Now, if you’re looking for a slightly larger carry-on suitcase, there are a few other Monos options. There’s the Monos Carry-On Plus, which can still fit in the overhead compartment on most U.S. airplanes, however, you might have to gate-check the bag on a smaller aircraft. Or, if you’re looking for a suitcase with a large pocket in front (and then three interior pockets and three zippered pockets within), there are the Monos Carry-On Pro and Monos Carry-On Pro Plus. If you want easy accessibility to items, such as your laptop, magazines, electronic cords and more, purchasing the Pro version will give you just that thanks to the dedicated exterior pocket. The rest of the features are the exact same, with the main difference being the price.
Easy to maneuver
The four 360-degree spinner wheels made wheeling the suitcase throughout the airport and even on New York City sidewalks a breeze. Not once did I feel the wheels getting stuck or going in a different direction. With this wheel design, the suitcase can be dragged behind (on two wheels) or pushed in front or to the side of you while walking (utilizing all four wheels).
Our kids (including our 6-year-old and 9-year-old) much preferred being responsible for the Monos Carry-On Luggage as it was significantly easier to wheel than any of our other suitcases. When vacationing with kids, traveling with luggage that they can handle is a huge benefit.
Additionally, if you’re looking for a suitcase that doesn’t sound like a freight train is coming down the jetbridge, you’ll be incredibly pleased with the quiet wheels on the Monos.
Water resistant
On our return flight home from one trip, our checked bag came off the conveyer belt drenched (including the clothes inside) due to a rainstorm. Fortunately, our clothes were going straight into the washing machine regardless, but if this was on our way to our vacation destination, it could have been problematic. This then got me thinking about how the Monos Carry-On Luggage would hold up in the rain, as this suitcase was a carry-on and not checked for this trip.
To test this scenario with the Monos Carry-On Luggage, I filled it with clothes and ran my shower. Right afterward, I did the same test with my Samsonite soft-shell suitcase. After running each piece of luggage in the shower for a minute, the results were vastly different and the Monos was the clear winner.
The sweatshirts and sweatpants in the Monos were about 98% dry. The clothes on the open side (where the compression pad typically goes) had a few water drops mostly along the top zipper, whereas the clothes underneath the zippered panel were completely dry as they were fully protected by the material above. There was also no pool of water on the bottom or any major water issues elsewhere. I was also able to dry the outside of the suitcase in no time with a towel and the interior dried within 20 minutes of being placed outside in the sun.
My soft-sided suitcase, on the other hand, was a watery mess. The top and bottom of my clothes were soaked and there were pools of water at the bottom of the suitcase. The exterior and interior took well over an hour to dry while baking in the sun.
Ultimately, I was incredibly impressed with how the Monos suitcase held up in my mock rainstorm. If your travels take you to a rainy destination, ensuring your items inside stay (mostly) dry is imperative.
What we didn’t like about it
Scuffs easily
My major gripe with the Monos Carry-On is that it can scuff quite easily. After our one-way flight from Boston to San Diego, we noticed a decent amount of scruff marks. With that being said, my 6-year-old took it upon himself to wheel the suitcase throughout the airport for the most part, so he might not have been as gentle as an adult, but luggage is meant to get banged around. After a few more trips — even while I was the one handling the bag — I continued to notice more marks pop up. After less than a handful of trips, our bag no longer looked close to new.
However, I was able to get about half of the scuff marks off with the included eraser sponge and most of the remaining marks with a baking soda and dish soap concoction. While it’s nice to be able to give the bag some TLC when needed, even after some heavy elbow greasing, there were still a few scuff marks remaining, primarily at the bottom of the suitcase where it gets dragged across the ground.
Based on reviews I’ve read and having seen the scuffs myself, I do believe that if you get a darker color, your bag will not show the marks nearly as much. If you don’t want to worry about a dirty-looking suitcase, you might want to avoid a light and “fun” color option.
Deceiving guarantee
Monos advertises a “100 days to try” guarantee on most of its luggage products, including the Monos Carry-On. The guarantee states that you can try it out for 100 days and if you don’t love the item, you can send it back. However, if you go into the details of this guarantee, you’ll find that the trial period is voided if you actually use the suitcase to travel. The trial period is meant for you to pack the suitcase and wheel it around at home — not actually put it to the test in a real-life travel situation. Unfortunately, this is a deceiving way to state its general return policy.
To add insult to injury, if you decide that the suitcase doesn’t work for you within those 100 days, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund. And based on many reports, this can be quite costly at around $40 to $50. However, if you want to avoid an expensive return shipping fee, Nordstrom now sells select Monos brand products and offers free return shipping.
Monos also offers a lifetime warranty on this suitcase — as long as you are the original owner of the item and it was purchased directly from Monos or an authorized third-party retailer. The warranty covers cracks or breaks in the shell, broken zippers and wheels, handles or telescoping handles that break off or are no longer usable. The warranty does not cover cosmetic damages (such as scuffs), replacement of any non-defective parts of the luggage or damage due to intentional abuse.
While we haven’t faced any issues with our own suitcase, we, unfortunately, have read negative reviews when it comes to customer service and warranty claims.
How it compares
| Exterior measurements |
22 inches x 14 inches x 9 inches |
21.7 inches x 13.7 inches x 9 inches |
22 inches x 14.9 inches x 10 inches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior measurements |
20 inches x 13.5 inches |
20 inches x 13.5 inches |
18.5 inches x 13.3 inches x 9.6 inches |
| Weight (empty) |
7.01 pounds |
7.1 pounds |
7.34 pounds |
| Capacity |
39.9 liters |
39.8 liters |
Not listed |
| 360-degree spinner wheels |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Interior compression system |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Telescopic handle |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| TSA-approved lock |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| USB charger & ejectable battery |
No |
Optional for an additional $20 |
No |
| Colors |
Desert Taupe, Rose Quartz, Olive Green, Blue Haze, Ocean Blue, Storm Grey, Stellar White, Midnight Black |
Black, Navy, Coast, Green, Asphalt, Petal |
Black, Blue, Navy Blue, Orange |
| Warranty |
Limited lifetime warranty |
Limited lifetime warranty |
1 year |
| Number of customer reviews |
1,536 |
1,910 |
40,890 |
| Customer star rating |
5.0 |
5.0 |
4.6 |
| Price | $255 | $275 | $88 |
Bottom line
After multiple trips across a few months time period, the Monos Carry-On Luggage has swayed my opinion on a hard-shell suitcase. Even though I’m not one that considers myself trendy, I’m a big fan of the interior design, the weight and the easy-to-wheel feel. And if I find myself in a rainstorm again, I know that the Monos bag will keep my clothes much drier than a soft-shell suitcase.
However, if the aesthetics of your suitcase is important to you, the scuff marks can be problematic. And after just a few trips, the bag can look quite worn. And at such an expensive price point, it’s understandable why you want your bag to look close to brand new during your travels. But with a little bit of work, you can get most of the marks off, giving your bag that almost new look.
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Travel in style and with ease thanks to the Monos Carry-On suitcase — here’s our full review - CNN Underscored
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