I bought this because it meets the 14"x9"x22" airline carry-on size requirements. (It was strange how few bags seemed to fit this. I'm buying for a specific use, so I don't want to play around with being 0.5" over the limit.)
Actual external dimensions are to 14"x9"x22". This includes the (non-flush) handles, zippers, and wheels. This does not include the expansion, which adds up to 1.5" to the 9" dimension. The useable interior dimensions appear to be 12.5"x8"x18". For reference, my Surface Laptop Studio (12.72" wide) does not fit sideways in the bag. The advertised interior dimensions are somewhere between incorrect and a flat out lie.
Below are a list of things I like (+) or dislike (-). TL;DR: Be sure you are comfortable with the size of this bag before ordering. It meets the airline requirements, but does not maximize the available space. It is NOT as big as Samsonite/Amazon claim. Personally, it's fine for what I need, but I'm willing to compress my clothes, do laundry, etc to avoid having to check a bag.
- Layout. Bizarrely, the bag seems meant to open with the handle-side as the top/lid. The handle side has a mesh zippered divider to keep all your stuff from falling out when you open the bag. The non-handle size just has some elastic straps. It feels like the bag is upside down when opening. Very strange.
+ Polycarbonate shell should be fairly rugged. As others have noted, it is possible to dent; to avoid that, it would have to be much thicker. I personally just want a light weight bag that protects what's in it. The shell is definitely thin, with a bit of flex to it. For carry-on, I'm not expecting to be really rough with it.
+ Zippers seem fine. Action is smooth. The stitching is fairly high gauge through fairly thick material, but it appears to be single stitch. As long as that stitch survives, it will be rock solid. I wish it were double stitched, though.
+ Looks. It looks fine. It's obviously not a cheap bag. I bought the black one, so it's a bit unassuming, which I like.
+ Wheel action seems smooth, at least out of the box.
- Wheels seem a little cheap/flimsy. Hopefully there are suitable replacements if they break.
- Zippers in bag liner have no pulls on them, and face the outside of the bag. Nice that there's access, but strange choice not to have pulls and face away from the user.
+ Size. Meets airline size limits. Most US continental flights have a 14"x9"x22" limit. I've read reports of getting $30-$105 fees for oversized bags. I'm not interested in the hassle of worrying about it.
- Size. The useable interior dimensions appear to be 12.5"x8"x18". The claim of 14"x9"x19" is a clear fabrication. For instance, there's 1/2" of forming on the sides, so how could the 9" outer dimension possibly have 9" inner dimension, too. Samsonite should just provide a volume measurement, instead of pretending the bag is bigger than it is. (-1 star for dishonesty or incompetence with a ruler.)
- Size. It's a small bag. I realize there are limits, but I also feel there are significant design flaws regarding how they met the carry-on size limit. The roller handle takes up about 1" of the 8" depth in two bars that run the height of the bag. What follows are things they should have done differently to make the packable volume larger. (-1 star inefficiency.)
- Make the handles flush, retractable, recessed, or anything other than eating up 0.8" of two dimensions. The handles are nice -- I'd appreciate them how they are on checked bags, but for carry-on, they're a huge waste.
- Make the zippers more flush, which would yield another 0.25" in two dimensions.
- Personally, I'd rather have a 2-wheel version where the bag extends full height and you tip the bag to roll it. Why is this not a thing any more?
- The roller handle rods are not tight to the side of the bag. There's at least 0.25" wasted. This wastes more space than you would think when the bag is only 8" deep. This has to do with how they built the handle. The handle has a nice feel to it, but I would gladly take a slightly offset handle body for the extra packing space.
- Overall, I'd like the bag to form around the zippers/handles/wheels rather than stand apart from them.
- Value. I'm happy to pay more for quality, and this bag is fine, but I'm not convinced this bag earns its keep at 2-3x the price of the other bags I was looking at. If it was 25% cheaper, I probably would have given it 4 stars. (It was not on sale when I bought it.)