Gate8 Business Luggage Tri-Fold Garment Bag Review

Gate8 Garment Mate is a very clever piece of business luggage and of the highest quality, fitting every criteria business luggage should have.

Gate8 Garment Mate cabin bag

Running an international flight search engine, I am a frequent business traveller. But my problem is always how to pack. If I take my standard cabin-size luggage, I inevitably have to iron my shirts and my suit when I arrive at the hotel. And if I take the suit bag, I have to check it in (I am one of those people who like to print my boarding card, get to the airport 40 mins before my flight and go straight to boarding gate).

A friend suggested I should have a look at Gate8 Luggage. He said their Tri-Fold Garment Bag is small enough to fit as hand luggage, but big enough to include two suits and a 17” laptop. I checked out a few reviews, all were very positive. OK, let’s try it.

UPDATE: Gate8 released an improved version of this bag. Find out what changed

When the bag arrived I was impressed! It measures 55 x 32 x 7.5 cm (22″ x 13″ x 3″), which is the standard hand luggage size for most airlines. It weighs just 2.8 kg, so even with the airlines only allowing 10 kg hand luggage, I still have 7.2 kg, more then enough for a suit, couple of shirts, pair of shoes and a laptop. It costs £170, but you can see this is quality: made of premium ballistic polyester, with super strong YKK zips and a 5 year warranty.

I thought the detachable “zip-away” laptop case was a great idea (haven’t seen it anywhere else). It means I can leave the main bag at the hotel or conference hall cloakroom and take just the laptop with me for the meeting. And it even has its own shoulder strap. Love it!

Gate8 Garment Mate detachable laptop bag
Gate8 Garment Mate detachable laptop bag

As I unfolded the three parts of the main case, I found a multitude of pockets – for all my ties, socks, underwear and accessories – and even a dedicated pocket for a pair of shoes.

The main compartment can efficiently take up to two suits or 5 shirts and keep them crease free. There was also one little clever add on, hidden in one of the zipped pockets: a detachable hook, so you can hang the case directly into your hotel wardrobe without having to unpack everything.

Gate8 Garment Mate multiple compartments
multiple compartments

I also asked a female colleague for her opinion. She immediately liked the manoeuvrability of the case, with a telescopic handle and large wheels; the fact it was so light weight; the main compartment to keep her dresses crease-free; and the pocket for a spare pair of shoes. The only real downside she found was that it did not have enough space for her toiletries, but then again, these days you can’t take too many liquids in the cabin bag, so I didn’t think that was so much of an issue.

My verdict is that this is a very clever piece of business luggage and of the highest quality. I have been a business traveller for over 10 years and this is the first time I found a bag which fits every criteria business luggage should have.