WANDRD TRANSIT Carry-On Roller Review

The WANDRD TRANSIT Carry-On Roller combines the best of both worlds with hard and soft-sided luggage features. Though we don’t have any quarrels against two-wheeled luggage, we’re curious about how these wheels hold up over time and how they handle rough terrain. Let’s dive in and find out!

External Components

This pack combines the best of both worlds with a hard backside and a soft-sided front. The back is crafted from polycarbonate, a typical material for rolling luggage, and forms the backbone of this bag. The corners are metal, too, which adds durability. The front portion is tarpaulin, which ensures high water resistance and is more malleable, allowing extra pockets (compared to hard-sided luggage) and the ability to overstuff the bag with gear. The front face isn’t as durable as the polycarbonate back; however, this won’t be an issue for most users, as it’s still a tough fabric and can stand up to pretty much any travel.

The bag utilizes YKK zippers. YKK is the best brand in the business, and these zippers are evidence of that. They’re smooth and easy to operate, essential for snagging your gear quickly. The pulls have a locking mechanism, which is handy to keep unfriendly hands out of your pack. Plus, you don’t need a lock to make it work, which is convenient. The pulls interlock at a 45-degree angle, twist to lock, and won’t come apart unless you twist them back again. This isn’t a surefire way to ensure nobody sneaks into your bag, but it works as a deterrent. It’s not the easiest to use, but it isn’t bad after you get used to it.

The pack utilizes Woojin hardware, which is durable and easy to use. Similar to YKK, these are some of the best in the business.

This bag has handles on all four sides so you can grab it from any angle. The top and side handles have some padding and are comfortable to hang onto, even for an extended period if you’re on crowded public transit. The bottom handle doubles as a foot to keep the pack level, though it is crafted from metal and plastic, which isn’t as comfortable to grab. Still, it’s handy when your pack is facing away from you on a rack, and you need to pull it toward you.

There are a ton of loops on the bag, so you can attach gear to the outside if you want to. They’re between the top and side handles, so most items you’d hook there won’t drag onto the floor. They can be handy in a pinch and don’t get in the way when you aren’t using them; however, we didn’t find a use for them to report here in testing. It’s a nice thought; we just don’t often need to attach gear to our rolling luggage. After all, it’s big enough already.

As for branding, the WANDRD logo is on the bottom left of the pack’s front face. It blends in nicely, so it isn’t visible from afar, but it is still pretty large.

Fit Notes

The wheels on this pack are too legit to quit. They’re durable, big, and smooth. We’ve tested them on bricks, cobblestones, and pavement, and all were smooth rolling. They take corners well and are large enough to handle bumpy roads.

That said, there are only two of them, so you can’t spin this bag around as quickly, which comes in handy at the airport. Still, we find we can move quicker with two wheels when push comes to shove, even if they aren’t as flexible. This is better for handling bumpy terrain but not as versatile on flat surfaces, like at the airport.

The handle is solid with a grippy bottom and hard plastic on the top. It’s comfortable, even when used for an extended period. Some travelers may want more cushion, but it’s down to personal preference.

The telescopic handle only extends to one height, which is a bit of a letdown. If you’re shorter or taller than average, it may not be as comfortable for you. Those of us on the team who are 6′ or above find it comfortable, though those below that feel it rides a little high. Additionally, it’s a bit jiggly. It isn’t any more jiggly than others we’ve tested, but even average jiggliness can sometimes be annoying if you catch our jiggle. That said, the experience is smooth and relatively painless in most situations, so long as your height works for the handle.

Inside The Carry On Luggage

Because the front face is made of fabric, not plastic, we have a few external pockets to go over.

The front pocket has a vertical opening. Inside, it’s split into two compartments. Each has a large storage area and a smaller mesh pocket. This organization is a nice inclusion, as you can place smaller items you don’t want to get lost in the bigger section in the pocket. That said, it can be challenging to use the larger space, given how long and skinny the compartments are.

On the opposite side, there’s another pocket that lacks organization. You can stow larger items here, though it can be more challenging to keep track of little gear because of this.

The top front pocket is marketed as a laptop pocket. However, nothing inside makes us think it was designed to hold a laptop. Still, you can slide one in here. It’s massive, so you won’t have an issue putting plus-sized computers here, though we recommend using a case, as all that extra space can lead to your laptop bouncing around. The sides have some padding, but not enough to put your laptop into for a long flight bumping in an overhead bin.

On the top of the compartment is a smaller zippered pocket with three mesh pockets:one large and two small. This is a solid place to stow tech alongside your computer and can replace a smaller tech pouch in a pinch. The compartment is large enough to handle bulky laptop chargers, which we dig.

The main compartment has some organization, but much of the segmentation will be up to you.

On the left side, there’s a large zippered pocket with a clamshell-style opening. There isn’t a ton of room or depth, so smaller items do well here, like socks, underwear, and other delicates. On the exterior of the lid, there are two pockets. One is crafted from see-through mesh so the contents can breathe, though the other is liner material, so you can’t see what’s inside. The mesh pocket is a solid place to stow dirties, though it likely won’t hold larger clothing items. There isn’t much room on this side of the luggage, and it shares space with the laptop and front pockets, which is worth noting. When fully packed, it holds the laptop in place better. When left less full, it allows the computer to swim around more.

On the right side, there’s a large open space with compression straps. The straps are mounted in the center of the compartment’s depth, which feels odd. If you stow gear inside this area and compress it, there’s wasted space above the compression zone. We wish the compression straps were mounted on the bottom for maximum compression or on the top to make the best use of space. That said, we found the compression system to be adequate. There’s mesh on the sides where the straps attach to the side walls, which helps to hold smaller gear in place. This is a solid space to stow travel shoes, more oversized items, and packing cubes full of clothing.

On the top of the right side compartment, there’s a tracking device holder, which works well to stow an Apple AirTag or similar-sized device. It isn’t obvious, either, so a would-be thief may not notice it’s there.

Overall, the WANDRD TRANSIT Carry-On Roller performs well. It’s easy to use, made of durable materials, and can handle any terrain. That said, we wish there was more detail in certain areas, like the one-stop telescopic handle and laptop compartment without a dedicated laptop storage spot. Still, this bag will get you from point A to point B while looking stylish and keeping your gear safe and dry. What else can you ask for?