ProView – Gregory Quadro Pro HardCase 22
I tested the Gregory Quadro Pro Hardcase 22” with a busy fall-spring schedule back-and-forth between home in Colorado and work/play trips to Utah. Since I’m always traveling with photo gear, I end up with limited space in my backpack and this made a great companion for non-photo gear. I packed it for bike trips to Moab and snowboard trips to Powder Mountain and found it to be a feature-filled, protective, organizationally oriented roller. While it’s not aimed for those traveling light, it makes a great companion to a day pack or photo bag.
Gregory Quadro Pro HardCase 22
Product Description: This compact hardcase roller offers overhead-stowable protection for all your gear, plus the ability to expand an additional two inches for extra storage. The removable ActiveShield compartment inside separates clean clothing and is protected by the durable polycarbonate shell.
Offer price: MSRP: $219.95
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Packability
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Performance
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Features
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Durability
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Summary
The Gregory Quadro Pro Hardcase is a highly organized, feature-packed semi-rigid suitcase that stays on your heels like a well-trained dog. With a heavy starting weight, it might not be the best carry-on for weight-restricted flights but will offer organization and protection. This bag is for those willing to compromise on weight and capacity for that organization and protection, making it a great roll along bag for regular travelers who will also carry a larger personal item.
Overall
4Pros
- Extra 2” expandability
- TPU handles are soft and sturdy
- Wheels follow you and feel floaty
- Active shield compartment
- Built-in locking zipper
- Highly organizational
Cons
- Heavy starting weight for light air travel
- Plastic is only semi-rigid
- Extendable handle has a little play (could be durability issue long term)
- Active shield leaves ½ suitcase relatively unusable
Packing
The first thing I noticed when I opened up the Gregory to start packing were the many compartments. Between the two small mesh zip pockets, active shield, buckled strap, and zippered off compartment, this bag is meant to stay organized. The active zip is a huge part of the bag, roughly half of its volume when installed. The only things I could fit under it with a full active shield compartment, were some socks in the channels or a spread out puffy. When closing the pack up, it is nice that you can really push the semi-rigid shell together and the soft possessions inside will compress around harder objects (like my bike shoes or helmet), or if you’re really in a pinch you can expand it 2”.
Liveability
The 22” Quadro Pro Hardcase has a 45L capacity. When I thought about how much I was fitting into this bag compared to a 45L duffel, I was a little confused. For me, this bag compromises on the amount you can fit to keep it safer, better organized, and put it on wheels.
I’ve brought a 33L pack on a 10-day Euro-trip in rainy dark November, a 36L pack for three weeks traveling around Mexico from small mountain towns to big cities, and I always brought a moderately sized camera and packable day pack with me both times. While my bags were pretty full, everything was rolled up as small as possible and they weren’t overflowing. But because of the rigid structure of the Quadro limiting stuffability and the one access point of opening up the whole bag, I would not feel comfortable taking it as a solo bag. Where it shines is as a companion to a daypack when you have the luxury of a roll along. Once at my destination, the organization came in handy and I didn’t have to dig to the bottom of a bag to find one item and subsequently repack as I normally would with a duffel or backpack- everything was in its right place.
The expandable 2” zip is an important feature in a rigid bag. Whether from progressively lazier packing or picking up a souvenir along the way, my bags tend to fill up over the course of a trip. The 2” expansion can help alleviate this problem on your return or just give you a little more room for a bigger or more gear-intensive trip.
Moving around
The Quadro moves exceptionally well due to its spherical wheels. Whereas other rolling bags I’ve used always follow the track of their wheels, the Quadro’s spherical wheels track in any direction you pull. It was easy to maneuver through crowds, narrow hallways, and over curbs as the bag more naturally follows you.
The TPU handles have a nice feeling on the hand and a nice amount of give. Even when loaded heavily, they were easy to move the bag around with.
The extendable grip extended easily to both heights, but the handle did have a concerning amount of play from the get go. Because it’s not the handle I’d be swinging the bag around from or lifting, I doubt it would fail, but I would expect it to feel more solid than it does.
Active Shield
When packed with used layers the active shield will keep smells, liquids, and dirt in. The shell is really thick and has some structure to it. Although definitely overkill for basic travel, it makes a great travel hamper. I used it to keep my dirty bike clothes in after riding in the desert and it easily kept the red dirt and smell of my sweaty shoes and used socks at bay. Similarly, a week’s worth of sweaty snowboard layers’ stench stayed sealed inside. I wouldn’t recommend leaving anything really wet in it for too long though or you’ll end up cultivating a rank microclimate and likely need a respirator to open it up back at home. The biggest downside to this feature is that when it is installed, you lose roughly half of the packable volume.
Weight
After initially unpacking the Quadro Pro Hardcase, the first thing I noticed was how heavy it was. For road-based trips, it’s no problem, but I often catch flights with a ~22.5lb bag limit for carry on. At 8.63 lbs unpacked, this bag alone is roughly ⅓ of that limit. Because I haven’t weighed a rigid suitcase before, I don’t have much to compare to, but that might just be the price you pay for the protection you get.
Other features
The Quadro Pro Hardcase features cleverly installed TSA compliant lockable zipper tabs that are a little bit of a pain to get in the lock slots but do offer a little peace of mind. While they won’t keep even a semi-skilled thief out, they’ll stop anyone from getting in your bag while it’s anywhere remotely public.
The zippers, buckles, and pockets are all well thought out, large enough to easily grip, and thoughtfully placed. To be expected from Gregory, the function and placement of these just make sense.
Final Thoughts
The Gregory Quadro Pro Hardcase is a highly organized, feature-packed semi-rigid suitcase that stays on your heels like a well-trained dog. With a heavy starting weight, it might not be the best carry-on for weight-restricted flights but will offer organization and protection. This bag is for those willing to compromise on weight and capacity for that organization and protection, making it a great roll along bag for regular travelers who will also carry a larger personal item.
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