The July Carry-On Review: Big, Robust and perfect for your next trip

I’ve been pretty frustrated by luggage over the years – the big name brands promise the world but rarely deliver in return – so when newly established Aussie brand JULY reached out and said “check out our Carry-On” I was sceptical.

Then it arrived. Wow. Next level stuff, the packaging, the handbook, the fit and finish of the actual case were beyond impressive.

Speaking to co-founder Athan Didaskalou it’s apparent to me this was always the intent. The July case has been engineered to within an inch of itself, it’s not just some standard carry-on luggage from a factory in China with a July logo slapped on it.

The July Carry-On is a unique shape. The polycarbonate construction makes it rugged, but in all such cases the weakness is the corners, the edges. So July is more rounded – and the corners reinforced with Aluminium.

This all required a complete re-tooling of the factory, something that doesn’t come cheap. The thing is, that’s not reflected in the price. $295 price tag includes shipping to your door.

It’s made to be a carry-on, meeting all the size requirements there at 55cm High, 38cm wide and 22cm deep. It’s got a 36 litre capacity, but does tip the scales empty at 3.2kg so you wouldn’t want to be cutting things too fine or travelling with one of those narky airlines.

Feature wise – what a strange thing to say (A suitcase has features?), this thing has been overthought.

Power:

There’s an ejectable 10,000mAh battery built in so you can charge your devices on the go.

That meets all the necessary regulation around the world so you won’t have any issues – I took it into the USA and back with no issues at all.

Comfort:

I’d never thought about this before, but on most suitcases you’ve got about 4 or 5 options for height of the handle – maybe 2 in some cases.

The July Carry-On has 20 different height adjustments so it will suit you no matter what your height.

Handling:

What the hell is this? A car review? Nope, but I have to point this out. Walking through Sydney and San Fransisco airports I noticed the same thing. On those occasions where I would let go of the bag to reach into my pockets or something, the bag just kept going – straight.

That does NOT happen with any other bag I’ve owned, they have a mind of their own.

I’d put this down to what July call “whisper-quiet SilentMove 360 degree spinner wheels” – they are exceptional.

Inside:

You’ve got a clamshell approach with one side covered by a mesh lining – they say this is for the things that cannot be squished down, like your shoes.

On the other side is where you’d pack your clothes, this side also has a compression pad built-in to squeeze everything down. Works a treat.

Design:

Seriously, the stitching, the materials, the design overall – this is the kinda stuff you’ll see insta-models snapping away at because it’s just so uniquely good.

Overall:

At $295 delivered, it’s a great price, for a great bag that is clearly just the start of things to come from a couple of Aussie mates with a bright idea.

Web: July