Monos Hybrid Carry-On Review

Sheer practicality takes somewhat of a backseat with the Monos Hybrid Carry-On and its mix of the usual polycarbonate material and aluminum. Yes, the brand did its best to keep the weight down while maximizing the strength and aesthetics of aluminum accents. However, the weight gain is undeniable compared to the regular Monos Carry-On, all the while having slightly less capacity.

On the other hand, it is a very well-made piece of luggage. Rolling is a smooth and quiet experience, matching the bag’s luxurious and upscale theme. Inside, the bag comes with its own organizers and a neatly—albeit typically—laid out interior where you can pack clothing tightly thanks to the built-in compression panel.

External Components

So, what makes the Hybrid Carry-On a “hybrid”? No, there’s no Toyota Prius-style engine and battery combo under the proverbial hood. Instead, it’s a hybrid of materials, namely polycarbonate and aluminum, with the former being a typical choice for most carry on luggage since it’s economical, easy to mold, and fairly robust. Meanwhile, aluminum is the tougher material but much more dense, making it heavier than polycarbonate. Monos made the shell mostly out of polycarbonate, reserving the aluminum for reinforcement along the edges and corners to make the most out of this hybrid arrangement.

This setup makes sense from a build quality standpoint, as the Hybrid Carry-On rolls and feels like a top-notch piece of luggage. There’s minimal flex whether we’re opening and closing it or rolling with it across a terminal, while its weight is still comparable to other carry-ons of its capacity. All that said, there is probably an aesthetic motivation behind the choice of materials. The aluminum reinforcements are also strategically used as accents, complete with faux riveting to give it that heritage style. That’s not a bad thing per se, but it is something to keep in mind since those areas are also likely to get scuffed and dinged based on our experience.

Durability and aesthetics aside, there is also the weight to consider. Interestingly, the Hybrid Carry-On is 1.8 lbs (0.82 kg) heavier than the brand’s regular Carry-On, all the while having about 4 liters less space. Simply put, it’s not the most efficient carry on luggage if you’re planning to squeeze every ounce out of your ticket’s carry on limits.

If there’s one element of the Hybrid Carry-On’s design you can attribute its relatively heavy weight to, it’s the built-in TSA-approved locks. Two of them work together to keep your clothing and gear safe, and they’re quite beefy ones at that. Not only are they in charge of locking the bag, but they completely supplant zippers ( there are none). Both locks have 3-digit combinations that unlock when you click their respective buttons at the top.

You’ll find aluminum hinges and prominently protruding notches on the opposite side. While the former is self-explanatory, the latter act as stubby little legs so that the length of the bag doesn’t scrape the floor when you rest it on its side.

Situated at the top and between the locks are handles you can grab when you want to pick up the Hybrid Carry-On. They are very low-profile (read: not padded), so using them to carry the bag for long periods isn’t a good option. On the other hand, simplistic handles like these are more than enough to pull a bag out of spaces like a trunk, overhead bins, from underneath your seat, or the luggage carousel.

Heavily complementing the Hybrid Carry-On’s premium vibe are its wheels. Not that they look particularly fancy, apart from their tastefully beige shafts. The wheels come in pairs on each corner and have a rubber lining for extra grip—typical for a lot of carry on luggage. Give them a good wiggle, and you’ll get a quick impression of how solid they are; there’s very little play in the entire assembly.

The telescoping handle is very similar to the one on the regular Monos Carry-On. The shafts are triangularly shaped, while there is a slight curve at the handle to give it some semblance of thickness for a more comfortable grip. The lock release button underneath gives you access to the four height adjustments (excluding fully retracted, of course).

Fit Notes

Rolling the Hybrid Carry-On along most surfaces is a smooth experience. It may be a given that carpeted floors will make most rolling luggage feel like driving a Cadillac. On the other hand, the Hybrid Carry-On manages hard surfaces like concrete sidewalks, asphalt, and even tiled flooring quite competently, muting even minute vibrations that would otherwise resonate through the handle. The wheels’ rubber lining is primarily to thank, along with the bag’s overall build quality, which minimizes rattle between individual parts.

Don’t overlook the convenience of the placement of the lock release on the handle. Its location on the bottom makes it very easy to press. To be more specific, clutching a button with your indices is much easier while you’re gripping versus having to thumb down a top-placed button. Additionally, since the handle fully retracts once you’re past the last adjustment notch, the entire process is very seamless.

Inside The Carry On Luggage

Returning to the dual locks, they work by latching onto hooks and cinching the opposite side close to the anchored half. You’ve most likely seen a similar lock style on some Mason jars, lunch boxes, and briefcases. It works on a piece of rolling luggage like the Hybrid Carry-On as well. However, it does cause a kind of spring-loaded effect when you unlock them since the gear inside may be pushing against the lid. As such, we were careful to make sure that we opened it with the front side facing up so that the clothing side bucket space was at the bottom.

This may sound trivial and obvious, but we don’t have to do this for most luggage with a zippered opening. You can open them more gradually, tempering any springiness from your clothing trying to burst out. All of that said, it’s not like opening this bag the wrong way could result in all your gear spilling out, but some may slip out along the edges, so some prudence is warranted.

The main compartment’s layout is nothing drastically different from other carry on luggage. At the heart of it, there’s a bucket space on one side where the bulk of your clothing will go, while the other side is a somewhat smaller space partitioned with a cover doubling as a pocket/organizer. Still, each brand tackles the extras as a means of differentiation, and a compression panel like the one the Hybrid Carry-On has is one way to do so.

The compression panel is held down by a pair of straps held together by clips. Undo these clips, and you can flip the panel over and out of the compartment. This isn’t ideal for some users since it places the panel away from you, where it’s hard to reach, and it takes up extra space outside of the bag. Some prefer if it flipped over to the opposite side, like the page of a book, though this has the caveat of covering that side and obstructing your view of whatever gear is over there. In other words, compression panels are a matter of preference, and this is how Monos approaches it.

Alternatively, the compression panel can be detached entirely from the straps. Without it, though, you’ll also be sacrificing its built-in pocket. Monos only goes as far as saying that it’s for flat items, and we generally used it for that purpose, stashing packable hats, gloves, or buffs inside it. Dress shirts and other clothing you don’t want wrinkled are also fairly well protected here. For the most part, though, we didn’t end up using this pocket since a lot of our smaller clothing is too bulky for this kind of pocket.

The bucket space underneath the compression panel is an open area. You’re free to use packing cubes or other organizers to store your clothing here (like we usually do), although freestyle packing is also an option since there’s already a compression panel ready to help you keep things cinched down. There is a lengthy pocket hanging off along the spine to store accessories like extra buttons or toiletries. In our case, we kept the included laundry bag and two shoe bags here since we already have a wide range of more functional packing cubes available; the included ones are simple drawstring types.

With 36 liters available (though not all on this side), the main compartment is good for about three to five days’ worth of clothing. We can bump that up to a week since we’re packing mostly thin summer clothing and with some careful strategizing. The way the straps anchor to the compartment’s floor sort of interferes when we’re packing, but there are otherwise no major obstructions when you’re doing so.

The main compartment’s other half takes care of our bulky non-clothing gear, such as a toiletry bag, travel hair dryer, and extra shoes (in a shoe bag, of course). The overlaying mesh pocket is also handy for other flat items. However, like the compression panel, it’s also limited to containing that kind of gear—unless you’re comfortable with oddly shaped items stretching out the mesh.

We’re not quite comfortable doing that because the interior is quite classy and has a premium vibe that follows the bag’s overall theme. Monos claims that the recycled polyester liner is anti-microbial and luxuriously soft. We’ve no reason to doubt the former—as overzealous as the claim may be—but we can attest that the fabric does feel soft, and we’re just happy to see it stretched neatly over the compartment.