Clifton Cabin with Pocket suitcase - Antler
www.antler.com
£179

The Clifton Cabin with Pocket is a new addition to Clifton suitcase range, a best-selling range for Antler. We received the Clifton Cabin w. Pocket at the same time as receiving a Clifton Medium Case (the review of which you can see [here]).

This suitcase was designed with short trips in mind – particularly short work trips. Whether you work for yourself or an employer, this suitcase looks to support remote working with its easy-to-access front pocket. Amber Spencer-Holmes, chief marketing officer at Antler, said, “Nearly 75% of company directors say that home working will remain post-pandemic, so it follows that when travel returns, even more employees will have the flexibility to work from wherever they choose. This case is designed to enable packing for exactly that scenario.” It’s very smart. Working from home is opening up all sorts of possibilities, and Antler have followed this trend by creating a case fit for the purpose.

This added pocket has a lot going on: as well as space for any travelling essentials that you’ll want in easy reach, it has a padded slip pocket inside that can safely hold a tablet, and another for a 15.6” laptop. Frankly, this isn’t only useful for remote workers – I need a safe, easily reached tablet and laptop pocket on any kind of trip.

Receiving them at the same time, we can confirm that the Cabin Clifton case nests neatly inside the Medium, and the Medium apparently fits just as well inside the Large, which is really handy for storage. The other thing that was immediately apparent when we received this case was how high-quality it looked. It is currently only available in matte black, but this has a classic, lovely finish to it. Like all Clifton cases, the case is also colour-fast, which means the colour you see on the outside continues all the way through. This means that scuffs or scratches, which are the unavoidable fate of any suitcase, will come through the same colour as the rest of the case, making them far less visible. This hugely extends your suitcase’s lifespan, keeping it looking good for much longer.

Its handle uses a twistgrip technology that reduces the pressure on your wrist when it’s packed full. This is a particularly useful feature in a cabin-sized case, as I’m always guilty of over-stuffing a small case rather than bring a larger one! Its interior is well divided with various straps and sections, thankfully, so any over-stuffing is also kept tidy and under control!

This case steers like a dream, and this is largely thanks to the design of its wheels. Instead of sitting close to the case, the extra bit of distance and height allows the case to move far more easily, and in any direction, at a tilt or sat upright. I was amazed at how smoothly and intuitively the wheels moved.

My initial fear regarding the front pocket was over how safe it was. After all, any pocket that looks like it might contain a laptop is vulnerable to thieves – especially when it’s been designed to be easy reach! However, the case comes with a double TSA lock to secure your contents if you’re ever going to be separate from your bag.

This case is just as fantastic as the rest of the Clifton range, and with a really useful addition. The only thing I would change would be to see it in some other colours, as the Clifton cases have a lovely look, and I’d want to get this case in a colour that matched anything else I owned in the range. However, this is a new release and it's possible that more colours may come. In the meantime, the matte black is a classic look that makes the case well-suited for a workplace commute, which is its key target purpose.

5/5

Pros:
Easy-reach front pocket
Holds tablet and laptop
Twistgrip handle
Double TSA lock
Organised interior
Strong build
Lightweight
Wheels easily
Nests inside medium or large Cliffton cases

Cons:
Only available in black