In today’s review, I am going to review a product called American Tourister Kids’ Disney Softside Upright Luggage. As the name suggests, it’s a carry-on luggage bag for your kid.
It’s actually one of the most popular bags in Amazon, #4 in “Kid’s luggage” and Amazon’s Choice for the term “Frozen suitcase.”
For those who aren’t familiar with these badges, those are kind of a big deal. This means that it’s one of the leading brands in those particular categories.
It is being recommended by Amazon to their consumers. As such, they receive more orders than normal and will garner plenty more reviews than their competitors.
Due to this, we can have a much better idea of what to expect. You can take a look at the reviews on their page to see all the faults and good things associated with this product.
As such, the next section below will be all about discussing its pros and cons. This particular item has more than 2,800 reviews which is incredibly helpful if you are thinking about a purchase.
You can read the top-rated reviews to determine if this product is worth your money. You have to consider the bad reviews, too. To get a better image of what this product is all about, you must also read the 1-star reviews as they can point out the common issues that this item suffers from.
I am going to talk about exactly that. I will start with the pros section first then finish it off with the cons section. This is the fairest way of doing a review and I wouldn’t want to give you any less than that. Without further delays, here’s the full review.
Pros and Cons of American Tourister Kids’ Disney Softside Upright Luggage
Pros
10-Year Limited Warranty
One of the best things I like about this bag is it comes with a 10-year warranty. It’s very rare to see a company offer this kind of warranty.
In a way, this shows how much they trust their products. This bodes well for the image of the company as a whole since very few companies actually do this.
What most consumers don’t know about warranties is not many people use them even if the item they bought has them.
Majority of consumers will just buy something new instead of contacting customer support to replace a bag that’s 5+ years old.
But still, a long warranty is still a good deal. Just make sure to remember that you have it when you need it.
Can Double As A School Bag For Your Kids
The design clearly shows that this is a luggage bag for your kids. Plenty of people would also buy this as a school bag for their kids, and that’s great, too.
This bag can certainly double as a school bag for your kids. I know that middle school kids would always opt for something lighter or ‘cooler’ – a backpack or something similar.
However, I know plenty of younger kids who will opt for ‘wheelies’ every single time. If your kid wants this as their school bag, then by all means, use it.
Cross Straps Inside The Bag For Added Security And Stability
Inside the bag, there are several cross straps which you can use to secure all your items inside. They also have mesh fabric that can serve as pouch for smaller items.
If you are planning on using this as a your kid’s school bag, I am happy to report that there are plenty of pouches inside, with varying sizes, which can make carrying books a breeze.
Only Weights 3.86 lbs
This bag is light. But this bag being very light doesn’t mean much if it can’t support full carry-on weight.
From the looks of it, this bag is strong and durable enough to use as a full-on carry-on luggage.
This bag can support a surprising amount of weight. I said surprising because you’d expect something this light to give out when subjected to its maximum carrying capacity but this one carries weight like a champ, no worries.
That is not the case here. You can use this extra weight to carry-on extra items, like a stuff toy, for instance, which your kid would surely welcome.
Kid-Friendly Design
Now, I don’t need to tell you about their design cues. The main target for their products are kids, and by extension, the parents of these kids.
And while I am not a fan of the tacky design, because, well, I am an adult, I am pretty sure that 99% of kids would be delighted to receive this as a gift from their parents.
What’s more, is it is available in 9 designs which are all unique. They did not just rehash one design and changed the colors. Each of the design is different and very unique. Your kids would love it.
Cons
Doesn’t Have Built-in Lock Mechanism
To be fair to this softside upright luggage, it’s very cheap, and it’s a good excuse to not include a built-in lock mechanism because that could drive the price up.
However, it would’ve been perfect if they managed to add that feature in here.
I know that they may need to increase the price for a few dollars but it’s an add-on that many would appreciate.
But I also understand that they probably made an internal decision to not include this feature because good pricing is still the driving factor for their sales.
In that case, it’s totally understandable. But still, a built-in lock would’ve been nice.
Funny Smell
To be fair, this issue affects all kinds of products. Yes, even luxury brands.
I’ve read somewhere that it has something to do with the chemical spray that they use to make the bag last longer and be repellant to bugs or insects.
Most of these bags sit idle inside a warehouse or travel from factory to factory so it makes sense to protect them from parasites.
That being said, it is still a bad experience overall. The smell, while it can go away once you air out the bag, can linger for a long time in some weird cases.
I’ve read enough reviews of this bag to know that the horrible smell isn’t usually the case but it’s still worth pointing out.
Prone To Stain
The materials they use for this bag aren’t exactly the best or the most durable fabric available.
Truth be told, the material they use isn’t known for being durable. Part of what made them decide to use that material is they want to print a design on the bag.
The print design on the bag makes the material have this gloss that is prone to stain.
This is a kid’s bag and kids aren’t exactly known to take care of their bags. It’s quite the opposite, in fact.
Understand that if your kid decides to color this bag with crayons, it will leave a stain that is a pain to remove.
Not Made From Heavy Duty Materials
As I’ve said above, since they need to have a print on the bag (the Frozen Design), they only have a limited choice when it comes to their materials.
As it happens, fabrics that are used for this purpose aren’t exactly known to be durable.
It’s a sacrifice they are willing to takes since durability isn’t their priority. The aesthetic of the bag is more of their priority given that this is a kid’s bag.
It would’ve been perfect had they opt for something more durable but I can sort of see why they chose the lesser fabric.
Uses Inline Wheels
This bag uses inline wheels. What this means is the wheels on this bag don’t rotate.
The wheels are stuck in one position, which means that you would have to almost drag it when turning in a different direction. This shouldn’t be a problem when the bag isn’t full.
However, when the bag is full, expect some kind of resistance when wheeling it across the floor.
I understand that there is a constraint with the features of this bag given the limited budget. But still, it would’ve been nice to get omni-directional wheels.
Here’s a Short Video on American Tourister Kids’ Disney Softside Upright Luggage
Quality Rating
When talking about the quality of items, its not enough to say if its good or bad. You need to provide context if you want a fairer review.
Probably the biggest factor you need to consider when talking about quality is the price. You should not expect a $1,000-level quality from a bag that is $30. That’s just you being cheap, if I’m being blunt.
That being said, this bag in particular is one of the cheapest out there. It’s the #1 choice for Frozen Suitcase keyword which is saying a lot.
To be honest, maybe the biggest reason why that is, is because consumers would always buy the cheapest option out there. That’s just how that market moves.
Surprisingly though, even with this product coming as cheap as it is, its quality does not dip that much even when compared to more expensive items.
When you read all the negative reviews on it (which is surprisingly low, given the 2,800 reviews it has), you will only see a handful mentions of quality issues. Many of the issues are related with the smell.
Overall, the quality of this bag is way higher than its price would suggest. For reference, this bag is priced at $49.99. I’m going to say that its quality suggests a pricing at least twice their actual pricing. Take that as you will. This is a solid 4.5 stars for me.
Size Rating
This item stays true to the dimensions given on the product page. There’s really not much to talk about this side of the product. It’s a good-sized luggage bag that is within the carry-on requirement.
Since this is a carry-on luggage, you expect it to be a little smaller than the luggage that you’re currently using. However, since this is a kid’s bag, it may seem a little bigger for them. Needless to say, its size is subjective. For adults, it’s a bit on smaller side.
In my opinion, the sizing is perfect. 5 stars.
Feature Rating
I’ve already talked about the features of this bag in the Pros section above. If you remember, there’s plenty of features but most of them are your average features in a bag. There’s really nothing special about these features. These are the features you’d expect from any bag on this era.
That being said, we need to put this in context. All of those features are highlighted by the fact that this bag is one of the cheaper options out there. A bag this cheap, you’d expect some of the basic features to be missing but that is not the case here. Every basic feature is present, plus a bit more.
The only thing that’s probably noticeable here is the lack of built-in locking mechanism. I understand that implementing that is going to raise the price a bit, so I get why they skimped out on it. It still a good quality bag, no doubt. But yes, more modern features would’ve been nice. 4 stars.
Brand Rating
I’ve reviewed American Tourister bags before and all I can say is I am a fan of this brand. It’s one of those unassuming brands that’s becoming very well known in the industry.
This is actually great in the industry because their bags are priced competitively, sometimes up to 50% lower than their competitions which pushes other companies to lower their prices as well.
Consumers win whenever this happens. Companies are forced to up their game to secure their businesses.
I don’t really consider American Tourister a disruptor in the industry but it certainly does its job well. It’s a company that has shown itself very capable. What’s more, is it’s affordable. 4.5 stars.
American Tourister Kids’ Disney Softside Upright Luggage: Product Specification
Polyester – Durable Polyester fabric.
Product Dimensions 7 x 12 x 18 inches
Item Weight 4.25 pounds
Department Unisex-child
Manufacturer American Tourister
Final Verdict on American Tourister Kids’ Disney Softside Upright Luggage
Overall, this is a pretty solid bag. It’s main selling point is that it’s both cheap and stylish (at least to your kids).
For a bag that is priced this competitively, you’d expect it to be missing some key features, or to have worse quality. Based on my research, this item did not sacrifice the quality nor their features to achieve a good price point. That in and of itself is quite an impressive feat.
I know that it’s not only me who wants to get the best value for my money. This is why I always consider the pricing whenever I’m writing a review.
Of course, quality is preferred over quantity, but there are certain cases which you have to sacrifice one. Finding the right balance between the two is one of the most overlooked part of the job. This American Tourister Frozen Suitcase, however, sacrificed neither, which makes it a wise and practical buy.
