Review – I have an almost diagnosable mania Baggage with backpack. I think this is because I think the right travel equipment can really determine your travel day. When Kabuto provided a quality carry-on item to review before my family vacation, I was done!
what is it?
Kabuto suitcase is an advanced portable smart suitcase that expands in a unique way and has biometric security and USB charging ports.
What’s in the box?
Kabuto hand luggage in a dust bag. Inside the suitcase, you will find a zipper panel that can be removed or used to place flatter things you don’t want to lose, and a quick start guide for programming biometrics. The Kabuto people also threw a bunch of accessories available on their website, such as luggage scales, rain covers, two packing cubes and an additional bag elastic strap, so I will talk about these too.
Design and features
Let’s talk about the quality of Kabuto’s carry-on suitcases. They look alike! It is stylish, elegant, and glides across the floor quietly like an S-Class Mercedes. Probably because, like the S-Class Mercedes, it has real wheels and tires instead of the big round plastics on my other suitcases.
Kabuto hand luggage has an unusual design, including the upper main compartment, which can accommodate the packaging cubes they send. They gave me one that almost occupies the main part, and they also gave me an interesting compressed cube in case I wanted to expand the bag and use both at the same time.
The bottom compartment is small, you can use it for dirty clothes, shoes, or anything you worry about may be damaged, because its bottom is protected by the wheel platform and the top is protected by the upper part. I used it as my toiletries during this trip. There is a mesh panel to separate it from the main compartment, so even if you use it exclusively for shoes, you need a shoe bag because dirt on the shoes may migrate to the main compartment. There is a way to unzip the two compartments so that they also become one large area.
I can effectively pack and give an entire speech on TED, because traveling with my husband (who hates checked luggage) for many years has honed my packing and stuffing skills. Our trip was 10 days and we did not check any luggage. I was able to wear 14 tops and 7 bottoms (trousers and skirts), a dress, a pair of spare shoes, and all the ointments and shovels that were part of my beauty program. Yes, it is a complete bag, but when I tried to show calmness and collection at the airport, it certainly didn’t seem to be too full (with moderate success). I like. Even if I bring a kitchen sink, I still like to look like I am installing a light at the airport.
What I really like about this bag is its exterior design. The Kabuto suitcase looks very elegant and stylish. The top “grip” handle is flat, as is the expandable handle for rolling. The retractable handle folds to the top of the bag to create a flat surface, making this area perfect for anything you usually use a short table (such as supporting your laptop or putting coffee on it). I used it as an Ottoman during the long delay in Baltimore (we had to get off the plane and re-plane).
The bag is also very light. It weighs less than 5 pounds when empty, which is a real factor for me when I buy carry-on luggage. Before I put things in, there is nothing more annoying to me than having a heavy bag, which I remember every time I put it in the overhead compartment.
I must admit that initially I did not like non-standard handle widths (approximately one foot wide, while standard handles are about 6 inches), because many under-seat pockets have handles designed to slide onto standard carry-on. However, the Kabuto people sent a Y-shaped elastic additional bag strap, which can be slid onto the handle and has a hook on the top of the bag, so you can achieve the same effect, but no matter if you use any bag, strap or none tape. After seeing how good it works, I decided that maybe this is a better solution. However, one issue I want to be aware of is that if you leave it on the bag when not in use, you may lose the strap. It dropped once for me behind Uber. My suggestion is that if you do buy Kabuto, please also buy the strap. Glad to have.
Perhaps the most gadget part of Kabuto is the biometric security feature. Two flaps are built into the top of the bag near the handle, which looks like part of the handle. Open a flip and you will find a fingerprint reader. This reader will unlock your bag like James Bond and perform secret missions. Is it so powerful? Well, it works well and is cool, but personally, this is not a feature I really need. If I use it as a carry-on, the bag is by my side, and I don’t think anyone can unzip my bag and swipe things when it’s by my side. (Perhaps I am deceiving myself by saying that?) If I inspect the bag, I must remove the battery pack that powers the reader so that the biometric technology cannot work. Either way, you need to carry a key with you (just in case). If you check your luggage at the hotel counter and are worried, I think this is a convenience factor. I have never traveled with anything exciting, so it doesn’t matter to me. However, if more than one person in your household is using a package with this feature enabled, the reader can store up to 10 fingerprints, so you will feel like a secret agent when you open the package.
The other flap on the side of the handle is more useful to me: it has two USB ports and is powered by the same 10,000 mAh battery pack to power the biometric reader. You can plug it in and charge it while hanging out at the door. This is something I have used many times during my journey. One of my criticisms of this design is that the power cords that plug into the package are bulky and it looks like they can be streamlined. If it were an ordinary piece of luggage, I might not have noticed it, but in a bag with such a detailed design and a clear plan, it feels like an afterthought.
The Kabuto hand luggage also has a cool detachable back pocket that can be installed between the handles on the back. It can be used to store travel documents, tablets or small laptops, cables, etc. It cleverly integrates a USB-C cable, allowing your tablet to be charged in the battery pack in the suitcase, while the pocket is connected to the bag. For safety, it can flatten the zipper and fits well in the seat back pocket.
So let’s talk about the most unusual feature of this bag: it swells, but in a very unique way: it becomes taller, not wider. There is a zipper between the lower compartment and the main compartment. Unzip the zipper, pull up the handle and press the button next to it, and the bag will become taller. This gives you more than 50% of space, which is very convenient during our vacation after our trip to the Nike store (part of my Ted talk on packaging will include the entire part of shoes and how they can ruin your packaging plan).
With the expansion, I can no longer use the bag as a carry-on, which means I have to check it (Pierre had to suck it up). I am very happy to do this because I want to see how it survives the experience. The fabric used for expansion is different from the rest of the outer fabric, (I think because it has to be less bulky), and I want to know if it is more prone to damage. This bag has a few wears and I easily wipe it off right away, so either I ended up with very gentle bag handling procedures (like the existing ones) or the bag is well made.
One of the other accessories that Kabuto sent was a luggage scale. This is a nice portable size that allows your bag to be weighed in pounds and kilograms. Because I rarely check the bag, I don’t need to worry about weight most of the time, but I like this because it is light and easy to use. They also gave a nylon bag as a rain cover for luggage, but it can be used to hold dirty clothes or anything on the road. I like its design because you can easily hang it on a hanger and use it like a basket. If, like me, you are bedbug phobia, I always try to put everything on the floor just in case, so this is also a good accessory.
This package was originally a crowdfunding project, and it is great to see them stick to their plan and deliver such a high-quality project. This is an expensive bag over $400, but it is a premium luggage with a lifetime warranty. A brand-name bag of similar size may be twice as expensive, so I think it’s fair considering the functionality and flexibility of this bag.
If you say (like me) “This is a cool carry-on, but I need a full-size bag for long trips,” Kabuto just launched another Crowdfunding For their latest package: Kabuto trunk and backpackThis bag is also equipped with a TSA-approved biometric lock and two very cool accessories: a detachable front pocket and an optional backpack that can be connected to the trunk. I am very excited about it because it has a modular internal structure and a strong polycarbonate exterior, made of the same materials used by Tumi. The expandable backpack also looks beautiful-it is made by the same factory that produces Montblanc and Dior bags-and can be converted into a backpack or briefcase. These bags can complete your luggage set, very suitable for business travel, and are available in a variety of colors.
what do I like
- quality
- style
- flexibility
- Silent pulley
What will i change
- The battery pack with wires is a bit bulky.
Final thoughts
Kabuto hand luggage is a very suitable bag for travel. It has many innovative and practical functions, and I look forward to using it in more travels!
price: $416.03
Where to buy: Kabuto
source: The sample of this article is made by Kabuto
