Peak Design’s Roller Lite Carry-On is bigger on the inside — and cheaper, too

When we sampled Peak Design’s Roller Pro last year, we loved almost everything about the camera gear powerhouse’s first attempt at a proper suitcase. Everything, that is, except for the price. Back then, during its crowdfunded launch, the Pro could be had for as little as $425. Today, you’re looking at $599.95 for the same roller bag.

Peak Design has taken that feedback to heart in creating the Roller Lite Carry-On, part of a new series of suitcases that bring many of the Pro’s features and design concepts into a hard-sided clamshell design that’s more traditional and, crucially, more affordable, starting with the $449.95 Lite Carry-On.

It’s part of a new Lite family of suitcases. The slightly larger Lite Carry-On Plus costs $469.99 and measures 22.5 x 15 x 9 inches, while the $549.95 Lite Trunk is 30 x 16.1 x 13.8 inches. The former should still squeeze in most overhead compartments, while the latter is better off checked. Both, though, come in cheaper than the Pro.

That cost-cutting does result in bags with fewer features and less originality, but I still found the new Lite Carry-On to be a great travel companion, first for a two-day whirlwind journey to Rome, then for a week in Tucson, Arizona.

I travel a lot, spending far more time escorting my carry-on around airports than I do driving my car at home, so no surprise that I’m picky about what I drag through terminals and haul up into overhead compartments. I wouldn’t say that aesthetics are a primary concern, but everybody prefers a good-looking suitcase, and the Roller Lite passes that first test. It’s understated yet sophisticated in black, but the emerald green option called cypress might be even better. There’s also a hue called stone for those more into earth tones.

Regardless of color, I think the Lite Carry-On’s hard plastic shell looks better than the soft-sided Roller Pro, and I’d hazard a guess it’ll stand the test of time better, too. The second trip I took with the Lite started in a tiny puddle-jumper of a plane. The flight attendant gate-checked any bag with wheels, even though the Lite Carry-On (21.7 x 13.8 x 9 inches, slightly smaller than the Pro) would have easily fit in the overhead.

It came back to me from its trip to the belly of the aircraft with a few new scuffs and scratches, otherwise looking only a little worse for wear.

Durability was a big selling point on the Roller Pro, and that continues here. The Lite is even more repairable thanks to its easily replaced strap handles. They sit flush without taking up any room in the suitcase itself, yet are quite comfortable to use.

Both the Pro and Lite share the same carbon fiber handle, also easily replaceable. It’s my favorite feature, rising smoothly and dropping into place without a hitch. I especially love the dry carbon weave that’s exposed when it’s raised.

My only complaint is that the handle on top is too bulky, making it a clumsy fit through the luggage passthrough on my backpack. But otherwise, the carbon construction makes for a sturdier feel than the handle on my Tumi 19 Degree Aluminum roller, which costs three times as much.

While both share the same handle, the Lite’s design is a substantial departure from the Pro. The Pro offered a so-called “hybrid” layout, with the top opening up and swinging back into a single large compartment. The Lite is a more traditional clamshell with a zipper running the full circumference, splitting the case in two like a book.

When it comes to packing camera equipment and other gear, I think the Pro’s single main compartment is easier to live with, especially if you’re hauling some bulky telephoto glass.

But when I’m packing more items of clothing than camera gear, I actually prefer the Lite Carry-On’s two smaller compartments. I can separate clothes from everything else, which is useful when living out of a suitcase.

The Lite Carry-On lacks the Pro’s trick external pockets for laptops, passports, and the like. That doesn’t bother me, as that stuff always goes in my backpack, but if you’re looking for a single-bag travel experience, the Pro is better suited. The Lite is also missing the Cord Hook feature of the Pro, potentially useful for strapping a tripod or the like to the outside.

Inside, the right half of the Lite has a zippered flap cover with two large mesh pockets that don’t look or feel as good as the inner pockets on the Pro. You’ll still find a hidden pocket for tucking away an Apple AirTag tracker, though.

The other side has the same elastic-strap holding system as the Pro. You load it up with stuff, then stretch the two hooks across to latch on the other side. It’s a basic, flimsy-looking solution, but it works. When the agents at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport wanted to rummage around in my bag, those little bungee hooks kept everything from scattering over the floor in Fiumicino.

The Lite Carry-On has an integrated, TSA-approved lock, something missing on the Pro, and though it’s slightly smaller on the outside (21.7 x 13.8 vs. 21.8 x 14), removing that front pocket makes it substantially bigger on the inside: 38 liters vs. 34 on the Pro, expanding to 45 liters vs. 39.

The 2-inch expansion on the Lite is a great emergency solution if you picked up a few too many souvenirs in Seville, but the Lite feels loose and floppy when rolling around with its expansion zipper open. I don’t recommend it.

Otherwise, when fully zipped and packed, I really enjoyed wheeling the Roller Lite around. It was an easy glider over smooth terminal floors and didn’t rattle obnoxiously over rougher asphalt.

The Roller Lite Carry-On is undoubtedly a simpler suitcase than the Roller Pro that preceded it, and because of that, it doesn’t feel nearly as special to use or purpose-driven as Peak Design’s offerings typically are.

But then it’s $150 cheaper, roomier, is easier to pack, and, in my estimation, will prove even more durable. It may not be the ultimate roller bag for pro photogs, but it’s my new favorite suitcase for under $500. I’d even put it ahead of options from Tumi, Briggs & Riley, and others that cost many times more, aren’t as easily repaired, and don’t come with a lifetime warranty.

Photography by Tim Stevens / The Verge