Any experience with the Marlon Carry-on Luggage?
 

***EDIT: Decided to Buy it! Review Below***

I am looking to find something besides my small, old, beat up 20" Ricardo hard-side luggage that I can use as a carry on and is as big as possible, but maybe not big enough to scare off the gate agents or flight attendants.

After getting stuck in the AMS power outage mess a few weeks ago, with my bag showing up 3 days later in ATL, I'd like to do everything in my power to not have to check a bag but still have a large capacity for my week long trips overseas or to cold climates where my clothing is a big bigger & heavier than normal. I am even fine with gate checking - if that means it will come back to the the jet way and not end up at the carousel (some tight connections coming up) .

I have been looking for a 20-22" with the largest volume capacity, and came across this - the Marlon Carry On: https://www.marlontravel.co/

It looks pretty slick for maximizing space, and has nice features - but the online reviews are slim to none, so I was hoping someone on the forum might have experience or knowledge. Price listed as $299, on sale for $159.

I am torn between this and the "Away Bigger Carry-On"

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Update 5/11: So I decided to buy it! Here are my initial impressions, which I'll update as I get more usage out of it.

Purchasing/Shipping:

• The website https://www.marlontravel.co/ is extremely customer friendly and easy to use, it took me about a minute from opening the site to checking out and placing my order. Paid $159 (apparently 50% off)
• I then saw the backpack, which was already 50% off, was another $10 off if you bought it with the carry on, so I had to! I was in need of a good travel backpack after a good 6 months and 100,000 miles of travel on my "Amazon Basics" backpack that I live out of for work.
• I had a few questions after the checkout process, and the live chat responded after hours (10 pm est) within minutes, along with email replies. Very impressed with response time.
• Shipping was lightning quick - I ordered it the evening I started this post (5/9) and arrived to me 2 days later via UPS (looked to be dropped shipped from a distribution ctr in TN)

Initial Impressions:

• Overall it is a very clean looking suitcase. No labels or branding other than a subtle "M" on the wheels. Otherwise it is very plain.
• It is a bit more rigid than I initially expected, which is a welcome surprise. I was expecting something a bit more flimsy, but I attribute it's weight to whatever they use to reinforce the sides of the bag
• Rolls very smoothly with the big wheels, easy to pull over various floor types (wood, thick carpet, etc) with no wobble whatsoever
• LOTS of pockets, which is nice. Coming from my spinner hard shell Ricardo, it's a lot more pockets on the inside (and outside of course) than I am used to.
• Zippers are nice, seem to have some reinforcement on the edges - although one zipper has a little bit of a hang (the zipper to expand the bag) so hopefully no big deal and works itself out with use
• Soft touch handle is a really nice feature - we'll see how it holds up. The handle pops up with ease and has a nice positive click with reverse tension when pressing it all the way down to lock in place, using detents to lock into the different positions.
• Power bank is a very simple idea - looks like any power bank will fit into the slot and connect to the "outlet" at the top to provide a charge, which is convenient if you're like me and have at least 3 power banks on hand at all time.
• Compression feature - I guess this just prevents the need from having to sit or kneel on top of your bag to get it to squish down; a bit more of a convenience factor it seems, but I'll put it to the test shortly to see how much it helps.

Next up, packing time. I'll see just how much I can fit into this bag, compared to my old Ricardo 20" spinner. Whole idea was to gain a bit more space than that old bag, but still have a carry on, so excited to see what I can get out of it! (or in it should I say)

As I get miles on this bag, I'll continue to update this thread.
(photos below - https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29744568-post4.html)

I am not familiar with this suitcase so looked it up and am now intrigued. I don't like it's 7.2 lb weight. I always try to stay under 5 lbs. However, the volume and the big wheels look appealing. I hope someone here has experience and can comment on it. It certainly has had a big price drop - but does that mean it isn't selling and they need to move inventory?

Yeah all good questions and points. I figured it's worth a shot, so I ended up getting it ($159) plus the backpack ($79) as the price point for both of these was pretty fair with this discount. Will test it on a short domestic trip next week (if it arrives in time) then an INTL trip with multiple connections (DL ATL-STR, AF STR-CDG then back AF CDF-FRA, DL FRA-ATL).

I'll update the original post with a review and feedback after some miles on it!

Purchased the bag! Wonderful initial impressions (see OP above for feedback )

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9433252cca.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...21e2e18ee8.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...dd10a40460.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...44e6e2c636.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d46badb656.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e86a36170a.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c20e0f137e.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c234cdba3e.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...14324fa836.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...06441d54c9.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0833dac111.jpg

And on sale right now for $139. Flash sale according to the website so not sure how long it will last. $69 for the backpack.

https://www.marlontravel.co/products/marlon-carry-on

Well DANG. If I waited 2 days I would have saved $30! Oh well... I would say that is a pretty good deal after seeing the initial quality of both bags.

OP, what exactly is the assisted compression? How does it work? Does it have to be used? Is it in place of inner straps?

Good question - so the bag is fully expanded out, then when zipped up, you can compress it by pushing down and it "locks" down on each side with an audible click, which keeps the bag compressed without putting the stress and strain on the zipper system or having to sit or kneel down on the bag to get it compressed and zipped up (unfortunately can't tell exactly how that works from a technical perspective, but there is a positive click when it locks down, with buttons on the top and bottom to release the lock and expand the bag back out.)

There's a video on their site that will show exactly what I'm describing, if it is not clear :-)

So this only something to use when using the expansion?

Just got some clarifications from them via chat. FYI, this flash sale ends at midnight ET tonight. Looks like a very promising set for the price, I think I'll order both as well!

guessing the flash sale means a 2.0 is coming out.
I think the ugly white wheels are holding me back

I bought a suitcase for my husband. He had been using an eBag Motherlode and the handle would no longer retract. He used his new Marlon this past weekend for a 2 night trip. He was content. He said it pulled well and that it fit easily in the overhead compartment. He liked having one large packing area rather than the two that the Motherlode has.

He will remove the power pack and leave it at home on future trips. On smaller planes, he needed to gatecheck the bag. He said he wasn't supposed to have the power pack in the luggage hold. It wasn't a feature that was important to him when he bought the bag so it doesn't matter to him if he removes it. It weighs 9 oz so will reduce weight by that much.

that flash sale still going

My thoughts exactly. Crowdfunded Product. "Flash" Sale still going a month later. New Poster. Website with list of respected publications without a link to an actual review from those publications. Glowing review update. I'm not sayin'.... I'm just sayin'.