Is a Front Pocket Carry-On Worth It? Yes, If You Fly With a Laptop
A front pocket carry-on is a suitcase with a zippered door on the front, usually padded for a laptop. You open it without opening the main case. For anyone who flies with a laptop, especially for work, it's worth it. For someone who packs a tablet and a paperback, it mostly costs space.
Who a front pocket really helps
- People who travel for work. Your laptop comes out at security, again at the gate, and maybe again in the lounge. A front door turns each of those into a ten-second job instead of laying the suitcase open on the floor.
- People who want one bag, not two. With the laptop in the suitcase, you can carry a smaller personal item, or none at all on airlines that charge for a second bag.
- Anyone who keeps documents handy. Boarding passes, passports and a notebook fit in the same pocket.
If you check your bag, only travel on vacation, or keep your laptop in a backpack anyway, you won't use the pocket much.
It takes space from the main compartment
The front pocket isn't extra room on the outside of the bag. On most hard shells it is carved out of the front half of the case. Pack Hacker's write-up of a LEVEL8 front-pocket model listed this as its main downside: the pocket eats into the main compartment, and the space under the flap can be smaller than you expect. LEVEL8's own listing for its small front-pocket carry-on says the same thing: the main compartment gets smaller when the front pocket is full.
So if you never fill the pocket, you've paid for space you can't use for clothes. If you do fill it, you've moved things, not lost them.
A heavy laptop can tip the bag forward
With a laptop pressed against the front, a carry-on standing on its own wheels can lean or fall forward, especially when the main compartment is light. Owners of front-pocket bags mention this. Two fixes help:
- Pack heavy things at the back and the wheel end of the main compartment, like shoes and a toiletry bag, to balance the laptop.
- Lay the bag down or lean it on something when you stop.
Check the pocket, not just the bag
Front pockets vary a lot. Before you buy, look at the listing for:
- The laptop size it fits. Most take a 15.6-inch laptop. The LUGGEX FX-Core lists up to 16 inches, with a maximum of 15 x 11 inches.
- Padding and a divider. A padded pocket with a stiff divider keeps packed clothes from pressing on the screen.
- How it locks. Some bags lock the front and the main compartment together. Others, like the LUGGEX, have a dual-zone lock, so you can open the laptop side while your clothes stay locked.
- The size with wheels. A front door can add depth. Check the listed size against your airline's limit, usually 22 x 14 x 9 inches in the US.
Hard shell or soft front?
Hard-shell front pockets keep their shape around the laptop, and on a polycarbonate case like the LUGGEX the door opens 180 degrees. Soft fronts, like the zippered front door with two padded sleeves on the Samsonite Mobile Solution 2, can give a little when you squeeze the bag into a full bin. For more on the two materials, see hardside vs softside carry-ons.
Worth it if you carry a laptop more than a few trips a year
Buy a front pocket carry-on if you fly with a laptop more than a few times a year. Skip it if you rarely carry one, or if you need every inch of the main compartment for clothes. Our top pick for business travel, the Samsonite Mobile Solution 2, has a front door with two padded sleeves and a 10-year warranty; the full comparison is in our best carry-ons for business travel.