American Tourister Herolite Lifestyle Spinner Suitcase

Travelling with a carry on can be a minefield, seeing as though each airline has different dimension and weight allowances. What’s good for one may be refused on another and no one wants to get to their departure gate to be told their bag is too big or too heavy. Having been through that embarrassment and hassle myself (on more than one occasion – oops!) I have now learnt my lesson. I was sent an American Tourister Herolite Lifestyle Spinner carry on to try out on a trip to Lindos, Greece but before I started throwing my essentials in it, I wanted to double checked with Thomas Cook Airlines (outward flight) and Ryanair (return flight) that it was suitable. I went on the American Tourister website to check the dimensions of the carry on and was pleasantly surprised to find that their bags are categorised to show which is suitable for each airline – making my job a lot easier. I found the Herolite Lifestyle Spinner to be suitable for both airlines, as well as many others – excellent!

Look and design

I certainly would class this as a younger persons carry on or someone who loves a ‘pop’ of colour. We received the navy (although it looks more like denim up close) however, you can also purchase it in pomegranate (pink) and khaki. All of which are very bright and vivid, perfect if you worry about not being able to pick out your bag in a sea of usual black carry ons. Made from soft fabric touch inspired by contemporary denim, it is a rich mix of high resistant nylon-polyester material and has bright blue colour accent details, including a 3D printed logo and printed accents on top and bottom, this really is a funky case.The main compartment which is the main packing area has functional elastic cross ribbons to secure packed items and reduce wrinkling. It also has a top compartment with open mesh pocket and that all important front pocket for storing my passport and travel documentation and for extra security, it also comes with a recessed TSA padlock.

What it can hold

The carry on held everything I needed it to for my short 3 night break to Lindos, including swimwear, beach towel, (lots of) clothes, shoes (too many pairs), toiletries, make up and other essentials. I must admit I did pack it to capacity, or at least what I thought was capacity. It wasn’t until I was actually at my destination that I realised that this case is actually expandable, making packing for the return journey a lot easier. I think that in reality I could use this case for up to a 4 night getaway, once expanded. The only thing I would need to be mindful of would be the weight, even though this is a lightweight case, an extra pair of shoes or so could easily push the case over the airline’s weight restriction.

Ease of use

I’ll be honest I didn’t pack like a pro, meaning the front of the case had a lot of heavy things in it, resulting in the case constantly leaning forward and making it difficult to manoeuver. However, once I had realised my error and re-packed in a more sensible fashion, as it’s a spinner, the case ‘walked’ better next to me using the retractable double tube handle, however, it still didn’t feel 100% sturdy, so I found it easier to pull the case on two wheels instead of the four. The case also has a top and side handle, meaning I could carry it when needed i.e. up and down the aircraft stairs.

Technical information

Dimension: 55.0 x 35.0 x 20.0 cm

Expanded Dimension: 55.0 x 35.0 x 25.0 cm

Volume: 38/42 L

Weight: 1.63 kg | 3.59 lbs

Warranty: Limited 3 year global warranty

RRP:£89

Summary

Apart from the spinner issue I had with this case, I really enjoyed using it. It is light and expandable which are two big bonuses in my book as it means I can pack more. Although I do not feel that I am the demographic that this case is aimed at, as I said previously, I think this case (and range of cases) is more suited to the younger traveller (probably the 18 – 25 age group). That’s not to say it’s not a great case which is perfect for a 3 or 4 night trip away, it just not one that I would personally choose purely based on the colours available.

• The American Tourister Herolite Lifestyle Spinner was provided for honest review purposes.