There are many things I like about my Bluesmart One suitcase, but by far my favorite thing is its USB charging port. I spend a lot of time traveling and thus spend a lot of time in airports. I travel for business, so I generally carry with me a multitude of different electronics- my phone, my laptop, and my camera- all of which run on battery life and tend to die quicker than I would like. While it is true that most airports offer charging stations, these are often inconveniently located, or unavailable because someone else to got to the charging port faster than I did. This is no longer a problem with my Bluesmart suitcase. The suitcase has a built-in compartment specifically for electronics that very comfortably fits what I need to carry AND has its own USB charging port inside. This has saved me more times than I can count when my laptop battery is almost drained while waiting for a layover, or my phone decides to run out of battery after too long of a call. I am able to charge my electronics basically anywhere in the airport, I cannot imagine traveling without it now.
The best price for the Bluesmart suitcase is on Amazon.
Although the charger is my favorite thing, this suitcase also has a myriad of other features that have made boarding on and off my flights much easier. Right off the bat, the suitcase is sized specifically to be compliant with carry-on restrictions. This helps me when I am packing because I know that whatever I fit inside can be carried with me on the plane, and I don’t have to worry about extra fees from oversized luggage or have to unexpectedly check in my suitcase because it’s too large to qualify as a carry-on. The entire thing measures 22″ x 14″ x 9″ with a storage capacity of 34L, so it is more than enough room for my equipment, some clothes, and some small personal items.It is also much roomier than trying to shove everything into a backpack or messenger back just to ensure that I can take it on the plane with me- I know for a fact that my suitcase will fit.
On the subject of packing, the Bluesmart suitcase also has a built-in digital scale. The scale syncs with an app on my phone and lets me check the weight of my suitcase. This is another useful way I can prepare for a flight, I do not have to mess around with luggage scales and I will know the exact weight going into the airport. There have been times I’ve packed more than I thought, and my bag is too heavy to be a carry-on. I have not had this problem since I started using the Bluesmart for travel. It also is useful for the trip back as well, in case I end up bringing home more things than I packed when I left. I can easily check how much they weigh and plan how to bring things back accordingly knowing whether or not they exceed the maximum weight. No unpleasant surprises at the airport scale necessary.
The phone app also offers a feature to lock and unlock my suitcase via Bluetooth,using my phone to control when it’s open or closed. This is nice, as it means I can safely open or close my suitcase and not have to fiddle around with buckles or snaps that might break or come open. The digital lock also will automatically lock my suitcase if the Bluetooth sensor detects I am out of range from my bag- a proximity alert pops up on my phone and the suitcase locks itself. I don’t make a habit of walking away from my luggage in airports (and you shouldn’t either!) but this is a very handy safety feature and I appreciate it all the same. It also ensures my suitcase will stay locked in the overhead compartment, and not burst open if there’s turbulence.
The final feature that I cannot believe I lived so long without is the Bluesmart’s built-in GPS tracker. The GPS tracking runs on 3G and is completely free- using the phone app I can queue up a map display and see exactly where my suitcase is. I had the awful experience once of forgetting a carry-on bag in the back of the taxi leaving the airport. When I was able to get in contact with the taxi company, they claimed they could not retrieve my luggage and theywere not liable for lost items. Now, with the GPS tracker, I can know exactly where my suitcase is and won’t have to worry about that happening again. This would also be a useful feature if you check in your Bluesmart suitcase, as you could track its location when luggage is unloaded and see when it leaves the plane so you know to keep an eye out at the carousel.
All-in-all I love my Bluesmart One, it is a great suitcase and makes my business travel just that much easier which is sorely appreciated.
This is a reader review first published on The Forward Cabin.
Jamie Larounis is an avid traveler, blogger and miles/points educator. Traveling well over 100,000 miles a year and staying in hotels for over 100 nights, he leverages miles, points and other deals to fly in first class cabins, and stay in 5-star hotels. The Forward Cabin shares his experiences, musings, reviews, tips, tricks, resources and industry news with you, the fellow traveler.
I had one of the first Bluesmart bags out. Took it to China and almost lost it. China security wanted to see a rating, etc. on the battery inside. It is totally blank. Wanted me to unpack my things and leave the bag. Luckily, I had a Concierge Key escort with me who helped with translation. I ended up showing them the details of the luggage and the website so that they could see it was not contraband, etc. Also, lucky for us, we had arrived 3 hours early for our flight. They delayed us over an hour after elevating it 3 times. My CK escort, Minnie, and my quick thinking (website and specs) saved the day. I took it home and returned it immediately. I travel too much to be delayed for unnecessary reasons.
I am a Bluesmart holder and I don’t recommend it at all. My Bluesmart suitcase costed a fortune and within a year was already broken. I contacted the customer service which asked me to send it back for repair, never heard again from them and never responded my emails. Such an awful customer service doesn’t deserve any customers at all. On top of that, when travelling with it, I was stopped for a check at every airport control. Since 2018, is even banned from the airlines as the batteries cannot be removed, so that leaves you with train and bus as the only travel option with it.
When I bought it, I was tricked as they mentioned that I could track all of my trips distance with the app, but it turns out that the Android app doesn’t do that, only the ios one. Worst than that, every time that I log in the app, I have to watch a ridiculous video trying to sell me the new version of the suitcase, and there is no option to turn it off…
Another awful surprise was to receive it at home and to realize how heavy it actually is, amost 5kg! If we take into account that most airlines are starting to only allow 8kg and some of them only 7kg, this suitcase is worthless!
I must assume the GPS runs in the internal battery so your comment, This would also be a useful feature if you check in your Bluesmart suitcase, as you could track its location when luggage is unloaded and see when it leaves the plane so you know to keep an eye out at the carousel.” is wholly inaccurate since the battery is required to be removed when checking the bag. You’re sharing false benefits of the bag.