An Elite Backpack Brand’s New Suitcase Has Me Rethinking My Beef with Rolling Luggage

For years, Peak Design has dominated the travel backpack space. Now, it’s bringing that same expertise to a new category.

Man's hand reaching into interior of Peak Design Roller Pro Carry On closeup

By Sean Tirman

Published March 4, 2025

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Peak Design makes some of the best travel bags around, period. The brand’s penchant for exceptional design, unrivaled access and organization, durability, weatherproofing and more has rightfully earned it a spot at the top of our best travel backpack guide.

Now, with the Peak Design Roller Pro, the brand is bringing its elite expertise to a new category: rolling luggage. It’s no big secret that I’m not the biggest fan of rolling luggage, especially for shorter trips. But this release has me seriously reconsidering that stance.

Peak Design Roller Pro Carry On bag in airport with man extracting laptop — The Peak Design Roller Pro is available in three smart colors: Black, Sage and Eclipse (pictured above).

Ready to roll

The Roller Pro hinges on an exterior that combines hard-sided bags’ toughness with soft-sided offerings’ style and expandability. It’s made with a lightweight polycarbonate shell covered with the brand’s
weatherproof VersaShellTM fabric, giving it extreme toughness and unmatched style.

But that’s just one exceptional element. Another defining feature is the brand-new SlimDrive handle.

Peak Design Roller Pro Carry On bag open on hotel floor — The Roller Pro’s clever clamshell opening allows unmatched access with half the footprint of typical carry-ons.

Made from carbon fiber (instead of tubed aluminum), the telescoping handle is far thinner — only 7mm thick, if you can believe it — than those on traditional roller bags. It’s also much stronger and sturdier and resists bending while taking up way less space.

That handle pairs with a quartet of omnidirectional wheels that, thanks in part to their larger overall size, are easier to maneuver and offer smooth travels on all surfaces.

Pack smarter, not harder

The Roller Pro’s innovation doesn’t stop at the exterior. Peak Design has also brought its signature packing expertise to the bag’s insides.

For starters, the SlimDrive handle grants the bag more internal storage space since there’s no need for a big internal rail system. Yet, it still meets all international carry-on requirements.

Man holding handle of Peak Design Roller Pro Carry On on city street — The bag’s carbon fiber handle is incredibly thin but exceptionally strong, and the omnidirectional wheels are smooth as silk.

The bag also has an innovative clamshell opening. Courtesy of an internal cable system (called Drawbridge Cords), it can open in half the space of traditional carry-on bags but still grants complete, unfettered access to its contents.

Inside the clamshell opening, you’ll find a trio of zippered organizational pockets. Opposite that, there’s a generous internal storage space and a compression system, so you can ensure everything is packed tight, whether fully loaded or not.

There’s even a clever external EDC pouch at the top of the bag for anything you’d want quick access to in transit, such as your wallet, keys, passport, tickets and so on.

Back it now

Peak Design launched its Roller Pro Kickstarter campaign earlier this morning. As of the time of this article, it’s already fully funded (and then some) to the tune of over $2 million.

That means the project, which had a goal of just $100,000, is moving toward production. Luckily, there’s still about a month and a half left in the campaign — plenty of time for anyone else who wants to get in on the action.

Backing starts at $425.