After waiting about a week to get the new Monos carry-on pro luggage, I was so excited to open the box. At $345, I had high expectations regarding the quality. When I unboxed, the luggage was carefully wrapped in a cloth (dust?) bag, and all the extras (shoe bags, information card, luggage tag) were placed inside the luggage. I loved seeing how many pockets there were in the built-in front compartment, although after putting in my laptop, there were barely any other space for my iPad, cords, and other stuff. If it was only for putting a passport and some files, it would be a decent storage space. The front pocket was slightly hard to open and close (perhaps for a good reason to prevent any theft), but still it got a bit annoying when I was in a rush to get my passport and other stuff out.

The Carry On Pro is 14 inches in width, 22 inches in height, and 9 inches in depth. Although it’s big enough to fit on most standard airplanes, because of how much it can hold, suggested trip length is 2-5 days (weekend trip or short local getaway). I didn’t get the compressible packing cubes, so maybe that’s why I wasn’t able to fit much stuff. I realized if I packed a winter parka or a pair of shoes, I wouldn’t be able to pack anything else. This luggage is ideal for packing small-volume clothing, such as sweaters, shirts and pants.

The Pros	The Cons
– Sleek, modern design – Strong build, smooth wheels for transportation – Variety of colors to choose from – TSA lock on the side – The extras (luggage tag, shoe bags) – Front compartment to store small items	– Front compartment too small to hold multiple items – Storage space on the smaller side (good for shorter trips) – Hard to open front compartment – Price

What I didn’t realize, is that there’s a slightly larger luggage called the Carry On Pro Plus, which is 15 inches in width, 23 inches in height, and 9.5 inches in depth. Not an astronomical difference, but you might be able to pack a few more clothing in. Because this is slightly larger, it may not fit on smaller planes.

In either case, I would strongly recommend pairing the Monos Carry On luggage with the compressible packing cubes to fit more stuff.