Carl Friedrik Carry-On Review: Well-Made Modest Luxury

With luggage, as with most things, luxury is relative. To some, it means you have a Travelpro Platinum Elite (it’s got “pro” and “elite” right there in the name!), while for others if you’re not rolling a Louis trunk, you’re either doing the quiet luxury thing or you’re a broke boy.

I am a relative newcomer to the world of very nice luggage, having used a Tom Bihn Aeronaut 45 for the past decade, until my boss informed me of the existence of Rimowa. It turns out I love Rimowa—I like the brand’s luxe boho vibe, and I love the way the aluminum shell picks up a little seasoning with every trip. But as someone who flies nearly every month of the year, I’m always looking to try a new contender.

Carl Friedrik is a newish London-based luggage brand that makes bags with distinctive leather accents. Its full-size suitcases suitable for checking run about $800, while a rolling carry-on is around $550. Depending on your priors, these prices are likely to strike you as either very reasonable or borderline outrageous. I can say only that it’s a very nice bag for transporting your belongings.

As Seen On

Carl Friedrik was founded in 2012 by two Swedish brothers, and its initial focus was on leather goods, specifically laptop bags and wallets. The rolling carry-on was introduced in the summer of 2019, just before a period of instability in the travel industry which some readers may recall. Carl Friedrik does most of its business direct-to-consumer, though you will see products on heavily curated retail sites like Huckberry. The brand’s roots in leather goods are visible on the carry-on and the brand’s other rolling luggage, thanks to its distinctive and handsome leather handles and a leather accent strip around the top of the case.

Carl Friedrik is the kind of brand that not only gets itself featured on Succession but uses the occasion to post an Instagram caption think piece about quiet luxury. (“By its very nature, quiet luxury aesthetic rejects the vagaries of seasonal fashion, trusting instead in time-honoured design.”)

Niklas Mattis, who cofounded the brand with his brother, is focused on protecting the majestic but critically endangered Amur leopard. That is all to say that, yes, this brand is working diligently to curate a vibe. Successfully, I’d say.

I’ve now used the Carl Friedrik on three trips since December, having taken it to New York, New Mexico, and San Diego. It has yet to let me down, and despite being gate-checked on one occasion and being wheeled across a little desert scrubland in Santa Fe, the gray polycarbonate shell looks new. That stands in sharp contrast to aluminum suitcases from brands like Rimowa and Tumi, which are designed to develop a patina.