Muji Hard Suitcase Mini-Review

Last Fall we were preparing to travel, but the wheels on the softside luggages I bought over a decade ago were finally starting to die. They survived more than 12 roundtrips between California and Japan. (Thank you Swissgear luggage from Target, you have served me well.) It was time to retire them, and I was looking to make the switch over to some polycarbonate/ABS suitcases.

I waffled for awhile between Away or Muji. I like how both have a clean understated look. I'd heard good things about Away and always pass by their store during lunch. Lots of color options, great carrying capacity, and lifetime warranty. I also like their compression straps. I don’t need the battery charger though since I already have one.

Away's Carry-on - $225

MUJI's Hard Carry Suitcase 35L - $160

But I'm such a sucker for Muji! I love their designs and their product quality is reputable. I lived off their furniture as a student and shipped back as much as I could when I moved home. It's just annoying how the selection in the US stores is limited and the mark up is so high, but I guess it's still cheaper than a plane ticket…

To help me decide, I found super helpful and thorough reviews of Muji suitcases at Maphappy and Urbancarry.

The ultimate factor that sold me on Muji was the wheel locking system. This is super handy when taking trains and subways. Buying 2 suitcases from Muji would also cost much less than 2 suitcases from Away, so price was a big consideration.

Pressing a button under the handle locks the wheels.

I decided to go with a 104L check-in size and a 35L carry-on size in black, an inconspicuous color. I wanted to get them while in Tokyo so we could take advantage of the lower price, yen exchange rate, tax free, AND have extra luggage for bringing home all of our goodies. With dimensions at 30.3"x20.5"x11.4", the 104L just barely squeezes in at the 62 inch limit for checked baggage on most airlines. Sadly all the 35L carry-ons in black were sold out everywhere! I guess it’s a very popular color. We went home with only the 104L which ended up being more than sufficient.

Fast forward a few weeks, we're at MUJI’s Stanford store and the 35L suitcases were on sale for $120! They retail at 14,900 yen, or at the time of this writing, about $136. That’s even less than exchange rate! YAY.

The downside of purchasing luggage from MUJI in the US is the lack of a warranty. I was told by their employees that after the 30 day return period, I would need to contact customer service or be referred to a luggage repair place in case of any defects, repairs, or if I lost the key. There is a 2 year warranty for luggage purchased in Japan, but of course it’s only honored there. Not fantastic compared to Away’s lifetime warranty, but at nearly half the price I was fine with this.

Carry-on size containing clothes, tablet, and toiletries.

The Muji 35L rolled out on its maiden voyage during a girl’s weekend trip to Monterey. A carry-on is definitely overkill for a 1 night stay, but with its small size and subdued looks it didn’t get so much as a second glance. That’s all I wanted from it, so success! (it also helped that among our group, my bag wasn’t the largest :P)

Some photos from the weekend!