Sun Country Baggage Rules
Sun Country publishes eleven inches of depth, which is more than any other carrier we track. Depth is the dimension that fails bags everywhere else.
We have not tested this gear. Every figure here is compiled from published manufacturer specifications and published airline policies, and the arithmetic is public so you can check it. This page contains affiliate links — see the affiliate disclosure.
Sun Country publishes 24 × 16 × 11 in for the carry-on — the deepest box in our table by a full inch — with a 35 lb cap, and it is a paid bag. The personal item at 17 × 13 × 9 in is included.
Figures from Sun Country’s own published bags page, checked 3 September 2026.
| # | Product | Published box | Fits | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patagonia Black Hole Duffel 40LA carry-on that becomes a backpack when the terminal is long | 21 × 13.7 × 10.6 in | 1 of 11SY | 6.5 | Check price on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 2 | Samsonite Freeform Carry-On Spinner (21 in)Southwest and Sun Country flyers who want a hard shell | 23 × 15 × 10 in | 3 of 11WN F9 SY | 5.1 | Check price on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 3 | Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Travel PackClamshell packing when every ounce is being counted | 22 × 12 × 10 in | 4 of 11WN F9 G4 SY | 4.7 | Check price on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 4 | Amazon Basics Hardside Spinner (21 in)One or two trips a year on Southwest, Frontier or Allegiant | 21.6 × 14.9 × 10 in | 4 of 11WN F9 G4 SY | 3.4 | Check price on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 5 | Rockland Melbourne Hardside Spinner (20 in)Flying carriers that actually measure, and packing light on purpose | 20 × 13 × 10 in | 4 of 11WN F9 G4 SY | 3.1 | Check price on Amazon#ad How we earn |
No live price is currently verified, so every button here reads Check price on Amazon rather than a number we cannot stand behind. See how we handle prices.
The published limits
| Allowance | Sun Country's published limit | Included? |
|---|---|---|
| Carry-on | 24 × 16 × 11 in, 35 lb | Paid extra |
| Personal item | 17 × 13 × 9 in | Included |
Eleven inches of depth
Depth is the dimension this whole site keeps returning to, because it is the one a gate sizer catches first and the one a soft bag grows into when packed. The US standard is 9 in. Southwest, Frontier and Allegiant publish 10. Sun Country publishes 11.
| Carrier | Published depth | Against the 9 in standard |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Country | 11 in | +2 in |
| Southwest, Frontier, Allegiant | 10 in | +1 in |
| The six US majors | 9 in | — |
| Ryanair | 7.9 in | −1.1 in |
Which means a bag that fails everywhere else on depth passes here. Several cases in our ledger publish 10 or 10.6 in and are over the standard at six carriers — on Sun Country they are comfortably inside. Why depth is where hard cases lose.
The honest caveat is the same one that applies at Southwest: this is a single-carrier advantage. A bag bought for 11 in of depth is two inches over at every US major, and luggage outlives itineraries. The generous-limit fallacy, in full.
Paid, and weighed
Sun Country is one of five carriers in our table charging for the overhead bag, and one of four publishing a cabin weight cap. Both apply at once, which is the same combination Frontier runs.
The consequence is that dead weight is billed twice — you paid for the bin, and then the empty case eats the 35 lb you paid for. Every pound of case is a pound of clothing you cannot bring in a bag you already bought. Empty weights across the ledger.
The personal item is nine inches deep
At 17 × 13 × 9 in, Sun Country’s under-seat box is 1,989 cubic inches — close to American’s 2,016 and well above United’s 1,530.
Note the depth again: 9 in is deeper than JetBlue’s or Breeze’s 8 in under-seat allowance. If your personal item is a bag with a rigid water bottle or a laptop in an outer sleeve, that inch is the one that decides whether it slides under. All the boxes compared.
Bags whose published dimensions fit Sun Country Airlines's carry-on box
Bags whose published dimensions fit Sun Country's 24 x 16 x 11 in box on all three sides. Almost everything in the ledger does, which is the point — the useful question is which of these also fit the 22 x 14 x 9 in standard.
Travelpro Maxlite 5 Carry-On Spinner (21 in)
23 × 14.5 × 9 in
Southwest, Frontier and Sun Country flyers who want a lifetime warranty
Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-On Spinner (21 in)
23.5 × 14.5 × 9 in
Frequent flyers who check a carry-on at the gate often
American Tourister Stratum 2.0 Carry-On Spinner
22 × 15 × 9.5 in
The under-$100 buyer who still wants a decade of coverage
American Tourister Moonlight Spinner (21 in)
22 × 15 × 9.5 in
Buyers who prefer single spinner wheels to doubles
American Tourister Airconic Carry-On Spinner
21.7 × 15.8 × 7.9 in
Hawaiian's 25 lb carry-on cap, and anyone lifting a bag overhead unaided
Samsonite Freeform Carry-On Spinner (21 in)
23 × 15 × 10 in
Southwest and Sun Country flyers who want a hard shell
What to buy for Sun Country
- Still buy for 22 × 14 × 9 in. You lose nothing here and you keep every other carrier available.
- Short trip → personal item only. It is included, it is 1,989 cubic inches, and the bin is a fee.
- If you do buy the bin, buy it light. The 35 lb cap applies to a bag you already paid for.
- Buy the bag at booking, not at the gate, where the fee tier is highest.
Every pick, with the working
Each entry below shows the published inputs, the four axis scores they produce, and what you give up. The order is the computed order, not a commercial one.
1 · A carry-on that becomes a backpack when the terminal is long
Patagonia Black Hole Duffel 40L
40 L for 2 lb 1 oz under a guarantee that includes a refund as a remedy — the only warranty in this ledger that will give your money back.
- Published size
- 21 × 13.7 × 10.6 in
- Weight
- 2.06 lb
- Capacity
- 40 L
- Weight per liter
- 0.05 lb/L
- Cost per covered year
- $7.95/yr
- Published list price
- $159
Warranty Ironclad Guarantee — repair, replace or refund
Fits 1 of 11 US carriers: SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- 0.05 lb per liter is the best carry efficiency figure on the whole site
- Ironclad Guarantee lists refund alongside repair and replacement
- Removable padded backpack straps as published, not an accessory
What you give up
- 10.6 in depth fails the 9 in standard at six US carriers
- $7.95 per covered year is good, but $159 is real money for a duffel
- A soft duffel packed full loses whatever shape let it pass a sizer
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value 7.8/10 — $159 ÷ 20 yr = $7.95/yr; $159 ÷ 40 L = $3.98/L
- Airline-fit breadth 0.9/10 — Fits the published carry-on limit at 1 of 11 US carriers: SY
- Carry efficiency 9.9/10 — 2.06 lb ÷ 40 L = 0.052 lb/L
- Warranty & support 8.0/10 — no stated end date (6 of 6); repair published (+2); airline damage not covered (+0)
Weights and breakpoints are published on how we rank. Where an input is not published, that axis is dropped and the remaining weights are re-normalized.
Specs: Patagonia published specifications and price, compiled 3 September 2026.
2 · Southwest and Sun Country flyers who want a hard shell
Samsonite Freeform Carry-On Spinner (21 in)
Skip this one. Skip it as a reason to celebrate the extra depth. Its published 23 x 15 x 10 in fits Sun Country comfortably and fails every one of the six US majors on all three dimensions. A box this generous is a place to enjoy margin, not a place to buy a bigger bag.
Polypropylene at a polycarbonate price and 6.5 lb for a hard case is genuinely good — but the published 23 × 15 × 10 in box is over the limit on every dimension at the big three.
- Published size
- 23 × 15 × 10 in
- Weight
- 6.5 lb
- Capacity
- Not published
- Weight per liter
- Not published
- Cost per covered year
- $13.00/yr
- Published list price
- $129.99
Warranty Limited 10 year global warranty
Fits 3 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- $13 per covered year on a 10 year global warranty
- 6.5 lb is light for a hardside of this size
- Polypropylene is the most crack-tolerant of the mainstream shell plastics
What you give up
- 23 × 15 × 10 in fails American, Delta, United, Alaska, JetBlue and Hawaiian on all three dimensions
- No published capacity figure
- The published price is a promotion against a stated $219.99 comparable value, so it moves
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value 7.5/10 — $129.99 ÷ 10 yr = $13.00/yr
- Airline-fit breadth 2.7/10 — Fits the published carry-on limit at 3 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, SY
- Carry efficiency not scored — No published capacity, so weight per liter cannot be computed.
- Warranty & support 4.0/10 — 10 yr (4 of 6); no published repair route (+0); airline damage not covered (+0)
Weights and breakpoints are published on how we rank. Where an input is not published, that axis is dropped and the remaining weights are re-normalized.
Specs: Samsonite published specifications and price, compiled 3 September 2026. Samsonite's own store showed $129.99 against a stated comparable value of $219.99 on 3 September 2026.
3 · Clamshell packing when every ounce is being counted
Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Travel Pack
The lightest travel pack in this ledger and the only one whose maker publishes no warranty term at all — which is a real cost, not a technicality.
- Published size
- 22 × 12 × 10 in
- Weight
- 2.93 lb
- Capacity
- 35 L
- Weight per liter
- 0.08 lb/L
- Cost per covered year
- Not published
- Published list price
- $190
Warranty Guaranteed for Good limited warranty — repair, replace or credit, with no published term
Fits 4 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, G4, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- 2.93 lb for 35 L is 0.08 lb per liter, level with the Farpoint
- Full clamshell opening with four mesh-fronted internal compartments
- TPU-coated 840D shell is heavier-duty fabric than the capacity suggests
What you give up
- Cotopaxi's published warranty states no term — the old 61-year figure is history, and lifespan is at the company's discretion
- 10 in depth fails the 9 in standard at six US carriers
- Without a published warranty term, cost per covered year cannot be computed at all
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value 4.8/10 — $190 ÷ 35 L = $5.43/L
- Airline-fit breadth 3.6/10 — Fits the published carry-on limit at 4 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, G4, SY
- Carry efficiency 8.7/10 — 2.93 lb ÷ 35 L = 0.084 lb/L
- Warranty & support 2.0/10 — no published term (0 of 6); repair published (+2); airline damage not covered (+0)
Weights and breakpoints are published on how we rank. Where an input is not published, that axis is dropped and the remaining weights are re-normalized.
Specs: Cotopaxi published specifications and warranty policy, compiled 3 September 2026.
4 · One or two trips a year on Southwest, Frontier or Allegiant
Amazon Basics Hardside Spinner (21 in)
A three-year warranty against a decade elsewhere is the whole story: this is the bag you buy when the trip is next week and the budget is fixed.
- Published size
- 21.6 × 14.9 × 10 in
- Weight
- 6.9 lb
- Capacity
- 39 L
- Weight per liter
- 0.18 lb/L
- Cost per covered year
- Not published
- Published list price
- Not published
Warranty Amazon Basics three-year limited warranty for luggage
Fits 4 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, G4, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- 21.6 in published height is under the 22 in standard
- 39 L published capacity at 6.9 lb, which is 0.18 lb per liter
- Built-in TSA lock on a bag at this tier
What you give up
- Three-year warranty is the shortest in this ledger by seven years
- 14.9 in width and 10 in depth both fail the standard box
- No repair route published — the remedy is replacement inside three years, then nothing
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value not scored — No manufacturer-published price, so this axis is not scored.
- Airline-fit breadth 3.6/10 — Fits the published carry-on limit at 4 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, G4, SY
- Carry efficiency 4.9/10 — 6.9 lb ÷ 39 L = 0.177 lb/L
- Warranty & support 1.5/10 — 3 yr (1.5 of 6); no published repair route (+0); airline damage not covered (+0)
Weights and breakpoints are published on how we rank. Where an input is not published, that axis is dropped and the remaining weights are re-normalized.
Specs: Amazon Basics published product specifications, compiled 3 September 2026. Sold only through Amazon, so its price is a live retail price rather than a manufacturer list price. We do not carry a number we have not verified live — check it on the day.
5 · Flying carriers that actually measure, and packing light on purpose
Rockland Melbourne Hardside Spinner (20 in)
The only bag in this ledger whose published dimensions clear every single US carrier's carry-on limit — because it is genuinely small.
- Published size
- 20 × 13 × 10 in
- Weight
- 7.5 lb
- Capacity
- Not published
- Weight per liter
- Not published
- Cost per covered year
- Not published
- Published list price
- Not published
Warranty 5 year limited warranty (published terms vary by retailer)
Fits 4 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, G4, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- 20 × 13 × 10 in clears the published carry-on limit at all eleven US carriers here
- 43 linear inches, comfortably inside Delta's 45 linear inch cap
- Expandable, so the small footprint is a floor rather than a ceiling
What you give up
- Published warranty term differs between sources, which is its own warning
- 7.5 lb for a case this small is a poor weight-per-volume trade
- ABS shell at the cheapest end of the material ladder
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value not scored — No manufacturer-published price, so this axis is not scored.
- Airline-fit breadth 3.6/10 — Fits the published carry-on limit at 4 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, G4, SY
- Carry efficiency not scored — No published capacity, so weight per liter cannot be computed.
- Warranty & support 2.5/10 — 5 yr (2.5 of 6); no published repair route (+0); airline damage not covered (+0)
Weights and breakpoints are published on how we rank. Where an input is not published, that axis is dropped and the remaining weights are re-normalized.
Specs: Rockland published product specifications, compiled 3 September 2026. No manufacturer-published price was readable on 3 September 2026. The Value axis is not scored for this bag.
No live price is currently verified, so every button here reads Check price on Amazon rather than a number we cannot stand behind. See how we handle prices.