Smart Luggage: My Review of the Raden A22 Suitcase

When I first learned of Raden suitcases, I knew I had to have one. Being smart luggage, they weigh themselves, track themselves, charge your devices, are virtually indestructible and look good too! However, with a hefty price tag of $295, this suitcase had a lot to live up to. I received the Raden A22 (the smaller carry-on) recently as a gift and just had my first flight with it. Keep reading to see if this luggage brand lives up to the hype.

Pros:

1. This is one beautiful suitcase! I received the pink carry-on (of course!) and it has a beautiful high gloss finish. With nearly a dozen colors to choose from and in both gloss and matte finishes, this suitcase is certainly a head turner. If the look of your carry-on luggage is important, this certainly takes the cake!

2. I’m totally the girl on the plane who struggles to put her bag in the overhead bin, however, with this bag, I did it with ease! This case is the most lightweight, hard shell suitcase I have ever had!

3. The promo videos feature an adult repeatedly jumping on this suitcase with no change in shape or structure. While I had no plans to test this out on my new bag, from what I’ve experienced, this bag is virtually indestructible and can withstand a lot.

4. My favorite thing about this suitcase is that it charges your devices! With 2 built-in USB ports, you can bare the airport a little longer by being able to charge your cellphone or whatever device you have easily. Gone are the days of fighting for the 4 outlets in your terminal. Sit back and charge from your seat.

Cons:

1. This case is beautiful but whatever material it’s made from (Polycarbonate) attracts dust like a magnet. It is so incredibly staticky. It picked up every strand of hair on my bedroom floor, every piece of dust on the airport floor and every particle on the conveyor belt going through security. Soon my beautiful pink, shiny suitcase was ugly, dull and covered in filth. Dark colors may be okay, but with so many light options, you are bound to end up with an ugly suitcase by the end of your journey.

2. This suitcase is small! Now I have had other carry-on suitcases and am able to pack just under a week’s worth of clothes. In the A22 you are able to pack for three days… MAYBE. This suitcase doesn’t expand so you must work with the limited space you have and that already limited space is added to by the fact that the battery pack takes up a significant majority of the space on one side of the bag. I could only fit a makeup bag, toiletry bag and a pair of ankle boots on that side and I was struggling to zip it shut!

3. While the USB ports in this bag are amazing, I received a recent email from Raden indicating that most major airlines require you to now detach and/or remove the battery as of January 15, 2018. Since the battery is in a compartment under where your clothes go it is very difficult to detach it, so it’s a task that must be done before you head to the airport. This means you’re not able to charge your phone while at the airport unless you desire to open your suitcase, move all of your packed clothes around, and expose all contents of your bag to onlookers in your crowded terminal just to reattach the battery- whew, I’m stressed just thinking about it!

4. This suitcase weighs itself! In theory, that’s great, but the Raden A22 is a carry-on and for most airlines, there is a weight limit for checked bags and not carry ons. The self-weight feature is completely useless. I don’t care that my carry-on is 20 pounds and neither does the airline.

5. This suitcase tracks itself and is supposed to alleviate lost airport bags. From what I’ve seen, there is no GPS with this bag. It simply tells you the last location your bag was in if Bluetooth is activated. For example: As of 8:00 a.m. on 1/17, my bag was in Chicago. Not helpful in the least!

6. This suitcase comes with no directions. Upon receipt you have to download the app and there are limited steps via the app on how to get it started. The company indicates you can email them anytime with questions, but it’s been a month and I’m still waiting for a response. Needless to say, I still have no clue how to set the code for the locking mechanism on my bag.

Overall thoughts:

Almost every pro is outweighed by a con. What good is a durable suitcase that isn’t going through the perils of a checked bag? What good is a USB port that can’t be used with ease? Forget racing through security to make that flight, your bag will almost always be flagged by TSA for the “suspicious” battery inside. For $295 I want a suitcase that is worth every penny and the Raden A22 just misses the mark.

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