We tested the smart suitcase meant to make business travel less stressful - here's what we thought
Udashkin saw an opening in the travel gear market and went for it. "Younger people don't have an affinity to a [particular luggage] brand," he said.
Raden was thoughtful about its design and branding. The A22 Carry suitcase arrives in a branded bag that you can keep for storage when you're not traveling.
You're greeted with a simple three-step process for hooking up your bag: 1. Turn on the battery. 2. Download the app. 3. Pair your case with the app so that it knows this is your bag.
We checked out the A22 Carry in black matte. The dimensions of the bag are TSA-approved for a carry-on: 22" by 14" by 9". It's incredibly small and lightweight, clocking in at only 8.4 pounds.
The polycarbonate exterior shell is extremely durable, and, if you put enough weight on it, bends rather than cracks. The reverse zipper lining could also keep your belongings safe, as the polyurethane overlay acts as a waterproof sealing.
Udashkin has said that he didn't want the suitcase to have too many tech features. The only clue on the outside of the suitcase that it's toting a battery on the inside is the conveniently placed USB ports — perfect for charging your phone while you're on the go. This is also how you charge the bag's battery before a trip.
Raden decided to opt for a manual exterior zipper lock, as electronic locks can be prone to error.
You can set your own three-digit code to release the zipper's handles.
The interior of the bag is just as sleek. The two sets of 360-degree spinning wheels are placed on either side of the bag, creating an even weight distribution.
The top half of the bag houses the battery, but you can also pack a few items behind the zippered compartment. That pocket is rather small, however, because the battery does take up quite a bit of space.
Here you can see the 7,800 mAH battery, which can be charged via the two micro USB ports on the outside of the bag. This battery is the essential part of the bag, as it allows travelers to charge their phone up to four times without recharging, and enables the Bluetooth function that can track your bag from up to 100 feet away.
It also comes with a few added perks, including a sleeping mask and earplugs. Here, you can see the mask and the USB cable for charging the bag's battery.
The bottom portion of the bag is where most of your belongings will have to fit. Pack light — there isn't a ton of space in the A22.
For an idea of the dimensions, here's a blazer folded into the bottom.
You can keep track of the weight of your bag with the Raden app. However, given the size of this bag, it would be difficult to pack 50 pounds' worth of clothing into it. We could imagine that this weight feature would be more useful with a bag you were checking rather than carrying on like the A22.
The built-in Bluetooth technology can let you know how far your bag is from your phone. However, unless you lose your carry-on in or on the way to the airport, you probably won't need to utilize this function all too often. This didn't seem like an indispensable feature — if the bag was outside the Bluetooth's 100-foot span, you wouldn't be able to locate it with the Raden app.
There are a few major benefits to the A22, including its light weight, durable design, and phone-charging abilities that would come in handy if you had a layover and some time to kill.
But with a $295 price point for a carry-on that provides less interior space than most because of the battery pack, the Bluetooth and self-weighing function aren't quite as useful as they would be with a bigger checked bag, which would need to be held to a weight limit. If you're going to invest in one of these cases, go for the next size up with the A28 — at $395, you'll be able to pack more and make the most of its handy features.
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