Wrangler 15″ Underseat Spinner Carry-On Review

Coming in under a hundred dollars, the Wrangler 15″ Underseat Spinner Carry-On is an affordable proposition for those looking for functional luggage. Its solid-feeling fabric shell, relatively beefy handle and wheels, solid structure, and wide front-loader opening make a solid first impression.

But the budget price comes with compromises, such as loose threads, a loose USB charging pass-through, and even an upside-down buckle. Are they worthwhile tradeoffs for the price? Read on to decide.

External Components

First impressions are solid thanks to how sturdy the bag’s shell feels. It’s a 1680-denier polyester fabric, and if that sounds familiar, that’s because it’s a similar denier to another fabric we’re more familiar with. Indeed, it has that same abrasion-resistant vibe 1680D ballistic nylon has, just a bit shinier and more slick. Of course, underneath all the fabric is a lot of reinforcement propping up the bag’s entire structure, so we won’t credit everything to the fabric alone.

Unfortunately, the good impression didn’t last, as a closer inspection revealed a LOT of loose threads. They all seem to be concentrated around the black nylon accents and pieces, such as the grab handle and zipper tracks. Though being fair compels us to say none of this shoddy stitching has deteriorated into serious damage, it doesn’t bode well for this bag’s longevity. This isn’t the level of build quality we expect from a retail product, as we’ve seen pre-production samples with better quality control than this.

In case you were wondering, the zippers are not branded—they’re not YKK, OOK, or Zoom. We’re not going to harp on them too much since, to be fair, none of the bag’s zippers have jammed or failed. However, we have seen one or two crooked teeth along the main compartment’s zipper track, which, again, doesn’t bode well for this bag’s long-term durability.

Moving onto the better features of this bag, it has four wheels, all of which seem solidly attached and freely spin and rotate. If nothing else, luggage should have sturdy wheels since they’re the components that will see the most wear and tear. Our only complaint with this particular set of wheels is that they’re relatively loud when they rotate. We’re not worried about lack of lubrication or anything functionality-wise. That’s important, but we’re more conscious of how audible it can be in a quiet airport during those wee hours of the night at arrivals.

The telescoping handle likewise feels chunky and reassuringly solid. That said, the four-segment design introduces a fair amount of wiggle, which is evident when the handle’s length is extended. Still, we’re quite pleased with how sturdy it is, and the four levels of adjustment are fairly generous, allowing us to find a suitable height in most situations.

As for extras, there is a top handle and a USB pass-through. The former is wrapped in fabric to give it a semblance of thickness and make it more comfortable to hold. It’s enough for quick grabs and pulling the bag out of tight spaces, such as a car trunk or an overhead bin. However, there are no other handles around the bag, so you might struggle to pull it out, depending on which side is facing you.

Meanwhile, the built-in USB pass-through is an appreciated attempt at adding more amenities, but it simply didn’t work as intended. Mind you, the concept is pretty straightforward. You place a power bank inside the side pocket and connect the pass-through cord to it. You can then connect a USB cable on the outside so you can charge your device. However, the female end of the pass-through tends to dislodge from the housing. At this point, you might as well just treat it as a hole in the bag where you can route a charging cable all the way through.

Fit Notes

We generally have no issues with how the wheels spin and roll. Apart from the noise, which we could do without, the wheels easily handle the terrain you’re most likely to encounter, such as concrete pavement and carpeted and tiled floors.

While the telescoping handle’s four adjustment levels sound good on paper, we always find ourselves going for the fully extended option. Dropping the handle to a more appropriate level is tricky since there are, essentially, seven pieces you’re trying to manipulate into place. And if just one or two pieces don’t lock properly, the entire handle doesn’t feel very secure. Overall, we’d rather just fully extend the handle all the time to save us the hassle.

Inside The Carry On Luggage

The left side pocket is primarily designed to store a power bank since the aforementioned USB charging pass-through is built into it. Like we said, the pass-through isn’t sturdily attached to its housing, so we’d rather just charge our phone directly from a power bank instead of trying to fix it every time it dislodges. Consequently, we found an alternative use for this pocket as a storage spot for extra snacks or toiletries; literally anything other than having to deal with dangling cables and pass-throughs.

Keep in mind that the side pocket might not be easy to reach once the bag’s stuffed underneath the seat in front of you, especially if it’s in an overhead bin. In this case, the front pocket might be the more convenient storage area for items you’ll need in a pinch. This front pocket is roomy enough for a wallet, keys, and wireless earphones. At the same time, though, it’s deep enough that we wouldn’t throw really small accessories inside without first putting them in an organizer like a tech pouch or toiletry bag.

Unlike the book-style clamshell opening of a lot of luggage, this bag opens like a front-loader-style clamshell. It’s not a style we often see, though it’s not that functionally different from other openings. In essence, it still grants you a mostly unobstructed view of the interior packing space.

Upon opening the main compartment, you’ll immediately see a large zippered mesh pocket on the lid. It’s a convenient location for small pieces of clothing, such as rolls of underwear, socks, gloves, or a handful of toiletries if you’re not utilizing a Dopp kit.

Additional organization comes from a compression panel doubling as a laptop sleeve. It’s sized to fit a 13-inch laptop, and there’s also a pocket on its front where you can slot a tablet if you’re also bringing one. Holding it in place are two snap fasteners on its upper corners. All in all, this is a welcome feature for those traveling with a laptop. However, having your computer in a bag that’ll be out of reach during your flight isn’t ideal for our use case. We’d rather use a laptop bag alongside our luggage to ensure we can access our device.

The packing capacity is 25.5 liters, which is relatively modest compared to some of the larger travel backpacks we’re used to testing, which are in the range of 30 liters and above. Those can usually hold up to a week’s worth of gear for us, so it made sense when we were able to fit about five days’ worth within this bag. That’s with the help of three packing cubes: two for tops and underwear, respectively, and one to handle the thick bottoms. We also stuffed a tech pouch and a packable bag inside, so you can realistically pack for a full week if you’re going all-in on clothing only.

We have a few other interesting observations with the main compartment. First, a zipper along the back liner lets you access the housing of the USB charging pass-through. We can only speculate that access exists because they knew the pass-through could become dislodged and need to be reseated. Secondly, of the two hold-down straps, the bottom one’s female half seems to be mounted upside down, so you have to twist it right-side up when you buckle it.

Little details like these really highlight this bag’s budget underpinning. Packing capacity and basic features, such as smooth-rolling wheels and extra pockets for quick-grab items are still there to make it worthwhile, though—just don’t expect the finest of refined details.