“My suitcase arrived wrapped in a sleek, grey dust bag which was such a nice touch – and my first impression upon lifting it out of the box was how lightweight it was. The medium Stamford weighs less than 4kg when unfilled, which isn’t very much given the quality.
“Packing was a breeze: the extender added 5cm of area which meant I might overpack to my coronary heart’s content material, and along with the packing straps and zipped compartment, I discovered the suitcase divider a useful characteristic. It meant my garments remained flat throughout my travels, and creasing wasn’t an excessive amount of of a problem.
“On the airport, the TSA-approved mixture lock meant I might ship my suitcase away and not using a fear, and the 360-degree rotation wheels made rushing by way of customs *so* straightforward. I used to be stunned by how quietly the wheels glided alongside the bottom.
“All-in-all, my Antler Stamford was perfectly suited to a long-haul beach holiday and I can’t wait to use it again later in the year. My only disappointment was the fact that the black polycarbonate shell scratched fairly easily, so after being thrown around on luggage carousels, my case was subject to a few white marks. I’d maybe opt for a lighter colour next time so that scratches aren’t so visible.”
The assignment: Headed to Puglia for a week with my boyfriend, I needed a bag big enough to fit both mine and his clothes as we only paid for one in-hold suitcase. I’m an over-packer to begin with, let alone when the weather forecast is looking mixed, requiring me to prepare for both a sunny and rainy holiday. Also, with a walk from the car port to our Airbnb in Puglia, I’d need a suitcase that’s capable of taking on a large chunk of cobbled roads. Good luck, Antler.
The tester: Lucy Smith, Commerce Writer.
The product: Stamford large in Khaki.
The decision: “Having dabbled with the Antler Clifton medium case, I had high hopes for the brand’s higher-spec Stamford range. Upon first glance I was impressed with the sleek, matte colourway and the addition of a fillable suitcase divider to keep the bulk of my clothes flat was a nice surprise when initially zipping open the case. It was something I hadn’t seen previously as part of the Clifton set, nor from competitor luggage brands. When packing, as someone who frequently ends up sitting on their case in order to seal it shut, I was pleased to find that such a struggle wouldn’t be necessary and, indeed, myself and my partner had oodles of space on either side for all our shoes, waterproofs and swimwear. With the expandable zip, our larger suitcase was made even larger, allowing us even a little bit of wiggle room to take gifts home.
“Within the airport the case rolled like a dream, nevertheless it wasn’t the flat, shiny airport flooring I used to be apprehensive about. After touchdown in Puglia, the case was a tad heavy coming off the carousel, although that was probably mentioned footwear, waterproofs and swimwear… I’ll say although, in case you’re after a travelling hack to get essentially the most out of a 23.5kg maintain baggage restrict, the model’s laborious shell Stamford suitcase is an efficient 1.92kg heavier than their delicate shell giant suitcase from the Prestwick vary, which is tremendous light-weight by comparability. That mentioned, the peace of thoughts that I gained having a protecting laborious shell in my arsenal was invaluable. God forbid my toiletries fall sufferer to the dealing with of the time-pressed airport employees.
