Sam's Club Members Mark Carry On
 

In the Away Luggage Thread someone mentioned Sam's Club Members Mark Carry On as a cheaper alternative to the Bigger Carry On. BLINQ had it for $30 free shipping and free returns, so I decided to check it out. Here is a first impressions review and comparison to my current carry on, a B&R Explore Domestic Upright.

TL;DR it is more of a regular Carry On competitor and if you want something that size, tremendous value.

I have always been low-key jealous of people with spinner carry ons, but I was not willing to give up the extra packing space vs a two wheel bag. The Bigger Carry On intrigues me as an option for domestic trips, but I don't take enough of them to warrant the price tag. But if I could get the same thing for $30? Easy choice.

The materials are quality. The polycarb feels sturdy, the wheels glide well, the zippers are like butter. The handle has very little play. It definitely exudes quality - as much as a plastic suitcase can...

As soon as I set the two bags up next to each other, I was mentally filling out the return paperwork. The MM is much shorter than the B&R. The picture doesn't do it justice since the B&R droops a bit when empty. My tape measure has the MM bag at 21" to the top of the bag. So a full inch shorter without considering the spinner penalty. Seeing them side by side you can see how much space is lost to the spinner wheels.

On the inside, the compression differences are stark. The B&R (and Away) have large panels and multiple straps to aid in compression. It can make a real difference. The MM bag has a much smaller panel and only one strap. It did not do much in my testing and seems designed more to keep things together than to compress them. There is an expansion zipper on the MM bag which I guess could provide some compression, but that is not its primary function.

There is also a small "wet bag" sewn into the side. I am not sure how useful it is, but it cannot be removed.

The other side of the bag is covered by a full zip around cover to keep things in there. It is not removable. It rolls up easily enough, but If you want to use the bag as one big space I could see it being annoying.

If it was an inch taller, I probably would keep it. However, I struggle to get everything into my B&R some times so giving up an inch in height plus the spinner space is too much of a compromise for me. Especially since I cannot win any back with compression.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...72f33fbc89.jpg

Same here, i was reading the Away thread and decided to order one from Sam's club. So far i'm happy with it, good build quality and design.