Peak Design Roller Pro Carry-On Review

The Peak Design Roller Pro Carry-On is a great example of how a brand can apply its design language to a product category it hasn’t ventured into before. It’s a rolling carry on that oozes all the peculiarities we’ve come to expect from Peak Design. From the decidedly flat carbon fiber handle shafts to the felt-lined truck bed-like interior, they really went all in to make this stand out from other carry-ons on the market.

Can we dig it? That’s what we’re here to tell you. Admittedly, many features are tuned for photographers, but they’re all useful for general travel as well. Plus, a photographer’s work can take them anywhere—and where there’s travel, there’s Pack Hacker.

External Components

The Roller Pro Carry-On’s structure is an interesting mix of both softside and hardside luggage designs. Its exterior is made with Peak Design’s Versa Shell fabric, which has a sleek and somewhat matte finish that simply looks right with the black colorway we’re testing. Underneath is a thin layer of EVA foam. However, what truly holds everything together is the polycarbonate skeleton. All of this gives the Roller Pro Carry-On a classy aesthetic with a solid structure that can reasonably protect sensitive gear inside. Plus, with a fabric shell like this, you won’t have to worry about micro scratches forming over time. Small tears might still be an issue, but only time will tell if any crop up on our sample. For now, though, our unit remains pristine after two weeks of testing.

Size-wise, it’s about on par with other carry-on compliant rollers. You should have no issues with major carriers like Delta, American Airlines, Frontier, and Spirit. That said, not all airlines follow the same restrictions, and it can differ with the ticket you have. That’s also before using this bag’s built-in expansion system, which can further affect compliance. Weight is a bit on the heavier side of things, nudging almost nine pounds, but that’s understandable given the amount of substance and protection they had in mind when they designed this bag. While we don’t love heavy gear, we understand the sacrifice is sometimes necessary.

Most of the hardware is designed in-house, including the zippers and the wheels. We’ve really no complaints on the bags we’ve tested with UltraZips (Peak Design’s proprietary zipper in collaboration with Zoom), and that’s what’s important: keeping the reliability consistent. Reliability should be the minimum when talking about bags of this caliber, though. As an aside, there is some unevenness with how the main compartment’s zipper track is stitched to the body, inducing unexpected resistance when trying opening or closing the bag. However, it’s worth noting that we are testing a preproduction sample, and Peak Design has warned us about potential imperfections and issues with these early units. Rest assured, our experience with the brand points to a more consistent quality.

As for specialties, there’s only one. Thread the front compartment’s zipper into the built-in loop at the end of its track and bundle the main compartment’s zippers along with it, and you can secure them all together with a TSA-approved lock. However, there is no built-in lock; you have to supply your own.

Peak Design claims that the wheels they’ve designed roll very smoothly, which we wholly expected. However, we weren’t quite expecting them to be one of the smoothest we’ve tested. We can confidently say they rival Hinomoto wheels in that regard, and those are considered one of the top brands of wheels for rolling luggage. As for the wheels themselves, each of the four sets freely rotate, so you can roll the bag in pretty much any direction you want. Plus, they’re all removable with a screwdriver, so you can replace them if they break.

At the back are kickplate protectors, which act as standoffs to ensure the bag doesn’t slip around while it’s laid out. They’re made of what feels like a sturdy plastic, so they grip surfaces better than the Versa Shell fabric. They also serve as touch points you can nudge whenever you want to angle the bag before you pull it, which is handy to keep it free of shoe-induced scuffs. Plus, they prevent damage to the shell if you’re the type to drag your luggage behind you while going up a flight of stairs.

Grab handles are generously plentiful, with one at the top, one on both sides, and a fourth at the bottom. This gives you a lot of points to grab whichever way the bag gets oriented. The handles themselves don’t look substantially padded, but there’s just enough for them to be comfortable to hold while remaining sleek and flush against the bag.

On that note, Peak Design made it a point to include a luggage tag the same width as the handles to maintain that sleekness. It’s Hypalon, but there’s nothing fancy about the tag itself. Unfasten the snaps, and there’s only a modestly-sized slip inside for you to write your contact information, not a QR code or webpage link to visit. Simple? Yes, but it gets the job done, and Peak Design seems keenly aware anyone serious about their gear is rocking a smart tracker (hint: there’s an Apple AirTag pocket somewhere in this bag).

The top and side handles are each flanked by four loops where you can attach accessories like keychains and small tools. These loops are arranged in pairs, so you can use Peak Design’s Outdoor Gear Loops to attach something long and large like a travel tripod. Even better, Peak Design includes a pair of these with every Roller Pro Carry-On, so you’re pretty much set up out of the box.

Arguably the most striking feature of this bag is its telescoping handle. Instead of having thick bar or tube-like aluminum shafts, Peak Design went for flat carbon fiber ones. Carbon fiber is notorious for having a great strength to weight ratio, and these shafts feel just as solid as more 3D aluminum ones. It’s tempting to say that a good chunk of weight has been saved, but we’re skeptical about how perceptible the difference would have been. What we can confirm is that it saves a fair amount of packing space in the main compartment thanks to its flat design (more on that in the last section).

The handle’s build is also pretty solid. There’s minimal play between the different parts. We also dig the lock release button’s tactility. We won’t take that for granted since there are luggage out there with functional but very mushy buttons.

Fit Notes

Fully extending the carbon fiber handle can be challenging because the last stretch feels notably resistive. It’s not the end of the world, but it does mean two things. First, you can’t retract the handle by simply releasing the lock button. Second, finding the middle height setting can take one or two tries.

Once you find the right setting for you (there are only two to choose from), rolling is a smooth experience. The wheels glide over surfaces competently, and you’ll only feel imperfections once they’re unavoidably prominent (like cobblestone and gravel). Even then, the wheels do a great job at keeping straight on rocky terrain. Peak Design is pretty keen about the bag’s wheelbase being spread apart as much as possible to increase the bag’s balance and prevent it from toppling over. That said, you’re probably more appreciative of the relatively high ground clearance, especially if you frequently traverse snow-covered sidewalks, just as we did while testing this bag.

Inside The Carry On Luggage

The Roller Pro Carry-On has a front compartment, so you can easily get to your often-used gear. If you’re a tech enthusiast, that usually means a laptop and corresponding accessories. Open the front zipper, and you’ll find two stretchy liner pockets. We dig how stretchy the material is because it leaves room to grow while also firmly holding gear in place. There’s also a built-in key leash with a very robust clip. We’ve seen many brands skimp out by using very plasticky clips, so it’s always refreshing to see one made of metal.

Meanwhile, a magnetized flap hides the laptop compartment. A 16-inch MacBook Pro fits just fine, with a comfortable amount of wiggle room left to spare. Since this laptop sleeve is at the front, there’s an innate risk of your device sliding out once you open the main compartment. Fortunately, Peak Design has thought of that, and they’ve placed a shallow fabric sleeve at the top to catch your device in case that happens—and yes, it worked when we tested it.

Unzip the main compartment; it opens like a drawbridge, with the front folding away. Cords at the sides prevent the front from fully folding out, but they are adjustable if you want it at a certain angle. The out-of-the-box adjustment angles it at about 100 degrees, perfect if you want easy access to gear in the zippered pockets.

There are three zippered pockets arranged horizontally. Their shallow design is well-suited for storing cables, memory cards, and lens cap covers. We used the pockets to store socks, underwear, and leftover toiletries. Whatever gear you choose, rest assured that the pockets’ stretchy rear liner expands towards the back. Couple this with the puncture-resistant mesh-like front material, and there’s very minimal risk to any camera gear sitting adjacent to these pockets once everything’s closed up.

The trio of pockets can also act as a divider between the main bucket space and an underlying compartment. Here, you can store dress shirts and other clothing you wouldn’t want wrinkled. There’s also a hidden “No two trips the same” message and, more importantly, a stash pocket for important items like your passport and spare cash. Within the liner at the bottom left is a small pocket for a smart tracker. It fits round and square trackers alike, whether you have an Apple AirTag or Tile Mate.

Now we’ve arrived at the Roller Pro Carry-On’s main bucket space. Peak Design likens it to automotive design, and we kind of get what they’re alluding to. The compression molding leaves no wasted space, and the built-in paracord and hooks are rather utilitarian both in style and functionality—and we dig it.

It’s called their Cord Hook internal retention system, and it’s a surprisingly adaptable alternative to the typical buckle and strap setup we see in other luggage. How so? The cord’s stretchiness allows you to hook the clips to almost any opposite section, whether directly across or in a diagonal fashion. The only downside is that the Cord Hook system is non-removable since it’s attached to closed loops on each corner.

The bucket space is very roomy, thanks to Peak Design’s design choices. From the carbon fiber handle’s flat design to the well-sequestered front compartments, it really makes the most of the 34-liter base volume. And with this default configuration, we can fit a week’s worth of clothing stuffed in three to four packing cubes.

Your needs and mileage will vary, but the good news is that you can further expand the bag to give you an extra five liters of space. The expansion system is a simple gusset design that runs across the bag’s sides. It provides about two inches of extra depth to let you stack more gear inside. Even better, it doesn’t seem to affect the bag’s structure enough to make rolling feel cumbersome or wobbly.

If you are considering the Roller Pro Carry-On for photography use, it’s worth noting that Peak Design also has an XL Camera Cube designed for this purpose. It clips onto the Cord Hook internal retention system via C-clips, included with the Roller Pro Carry-On. However, it is a separate purchase, so the pricing gets quite steep once you start accessorizing.