As a chronic overpacker, I might have finally met my worst enabler: The Casetify Bounce Suitcase. New to the market, the small but mighty carry-on manages to fit more than the eye can gauge, which makes it perfect for anyone who, like me, often finds themselves saying, “Wait. One more thing.”
Launched in November 2024, the carry-on roller is the brand’s first foray into travel products after initially rising to fame with trendy phone cases and tech accessories. When a brand is taking a step into any new product type, we can’t help but question if they will live up to the hype of their tried-and-true offerings. I have had my fair share of struggles with suitcases — breaking open and spilling all of my personal belongings on a busy street in a foreign country, going over the weight limit, getting the handle jammed when trying to put it away, and many more travel faux pas — so I was particularly curious about this one.
Of course, there's some connection between Casetify's cases and its luggage. According to the brand, the luggage uses the brand's signature Bounce technology and bumpers, the same used in their tech cases, to help absorb the impact of potential bumps, falls, or more. It also features custom YKK zippers that can be used with the built-in code-based lock, which the brand says is TSA-approved. On the more fun side, like their cases, the brand also offers customization. The carry-on is only available in red, blue, and black for now, but the color of the front surface can be changed, and lettering can be added, so there are plenty of possibilities.
It sounds promising enough, but I decided to give it a try for myself and for our similarly curious shoppers. With a $399 price tag, the Casetify Bounce Suitcase falls somewhere in between luxury and more affordable options, but it is still a pretty considerable purchase. I put mine to the test during the winter holidays, one of the buzziest travel times of the year, on a train to return to my hometown. As such, I put the suitcase up to two very high-stakes tasks. First, like most college students and young adults living away from home, it had to allow me to discreetly transport all of my laundry back home (in a trash bag because we have some decorum). Second, it also had to safely carry all of the gifts, impulse purchases, and baked goods my mom secretly stashed in there back to my apartment.
Thanks to the split interior, the first feat actually wasn’t so bad. I opted to put the laundry in the zipped compartment, which allowed me to stuff as much as I possibly could in there. To my surprise, it was a lot more than I expected, despite how small it seemed to the eye. The zipper really helped compress everything. On the other side, I was able to also fit a medium-sized purse, a small makeup bag, a bag of a few undergarments, a baseball cap, scarf, sweater, top, jeans, and a skirt. To be honest, that could be a whole weekend’s worth of clothes, especially if you swap some of the accessories with pajamas — I just banked on having some in my laundry and at home.
On the way back, I managed to fit all of the clothes and (freshly cleaned and folded) laundry I brought, plus some other stuff. I managed to fit two new sweaters and a belt, as well as some gloves and snacks. Since it’s a hard case, I didn’t have to worry about any bulging making it off balance, which makes getting around easier and would be in handy for airlines with strict carry-on policies.
Traveling with the Casetify Bounce Suitcase was quite nice, too. I’m always worried about being able to lift my suitcase on my own while I’m on the go, but this was surprisingly easy. The strap having some give to it helped a lot. Stairs weren’t too difficult at all, and despite being stuffed, getting it on the overhead compartment wasn’t even that bad, either. It’s a little hard to tell how well the bump guards work, but everything in my bag was intact despite the fact that I hit it on plenty of curbs and corners. That being said, I did bump my knee into one of the bumpers, and it hurt really badly. My dad said the same, so that is something to be cautious about, especially if you bruise easily or are immunocompromised.
Overall, I definitely noticed a difference with this. It was super easy to use and convenient. It’s possible that its cuteness may have influenced that, but even that seemingly small detail was a super helpful feature. The customization helped me make sure it didn’t get mixed up with others instead of having to tie a ribbon on the handle (IYKYK).
