Fancy upgrading your baggage situation for free? Condé Nast Traveller UK has teamed up with quiet-luxury luggage brand Carl Friedrik to give away a Hybrid Luggage set worth £990, timed to the launch of its new Insiders' Guide to Spain. The prize covers the two cases most travellers actually need: a cabin-size suitcase and a checked one.
Why the fuss over these particular cases? The brand's Hybrid range has performed well in the magazine's own luggage tests, earning points for a combination of looks and engineering. The shells are made from lightweight but tough polycarbonate, and instead of a zip closure there's an aluminium double lock — so there's no zip to burst open when a baggage handler is having a bad day. Each case is trimmed with full-grain Vachetta Italian leather and rolls on Hinomoto 360-degree spinner wheels, the kind that glide quietly rather than rattling down the terminal.
The set comes in five neutral colourways, including deep navy, carbon grey with tan leather accents, and plain black, which the brand pitches as the most scuff-resistant option. It's the sort of kit that works just as well on a city break as on a longer trip — the article name-checks espresso-hopping in Madrid, eating your way around San Sebastián, and holing up in a pine-shaded villa in Formentera as the kind of Spanish escapes the set is made for.
Entering is deliberately simple: answer one question — how many suitcases make up the Carl Friedrik Hybrid Luggage set? — and submit your details for the prize draw. The competition is open to UK residents aged 18 and over, and terms and conditions apply, so it's worth reading the small print on the entry page before you submit.
Even if you don't win, this is a useful nudge to think about what you actually want from a suitcase. Zipless hard-shell designs, polycarbonate shells and quality spinner wheels are the features that separate luggage that lasts a decade from cases that need replacing after a couple of holidays. And if Spain is on your list — the inspiration behind this giveaway — a reliable cabin case is arguably the single best purchase you can make before you go.
