American Tourister vs Travelpro
One costs $90 and covers you for ten years. The other costs $160 and does not state an end date. Divide each by its own warranty and the gap almost disappears.
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.
American Tourister costs roughly half as much — a published $89.99 against $160 — but covers you for 10 years against a Travelpro warranty with no stated end date. Per covered year that is $9.00 against $8.00. Travelpro wins on weight (5.4 lb against 7.3 lb); American Tourister wins on fit, clearing 4 US carriers to Travelpro’s 3.
| # | Product | Cost per covered year | Fits | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Tourister Stratum 2.0 Carry-On SpinnerThe under-$100 buyer who still wants a decade of coverage | $9.00/yr | 4 of 11WN F9 G4 SY | 5.9 | $71.99 · Check on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 2 | Travelpro Maxlite 5 Carry-On Spinner (21 in)Southwest, Frontier and Sun Country flyers who want a lifetime warranty | $8/yr | 3 of 11WN F9 SY | 6.6 | $160.00 · Check on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 3 | American Tourister Moonlight Spinner (21 in)Buyers who prefer single spinner wheels to doubles | $9.10/yr | 4 of 11WN F9 G4 SY | 5.9 | $117.53 · Check on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 4 | Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-On Spinner (21 in)Frequent flyers who check a carry-on at the gate often | $19.50/yr | 3 of 11WN F9 SY | 4.8 | $390.00 · Check on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 5 | American Tourister Airconic Carry-On SpinnerHawaiian's 25 lb carry-on cap, and anyone lifting a bag overhead unaided | Not published | 4 of 11WN F9 G4 SY | 3.8 | $130.00 · Check on Amazon#ad How we earn |
Prices last verified September 24, 2026. Prices move — the figure you see on Amazon at the moment you click is the real one.
The arithmetic that makes this interesting
The shelf presents this as a budget-versus-quality decision, and the published numbers say something more specific. American Tourister publishes a 10 year warranty term. Travelpro publishes no end date, which this site converts at a stated 20 year horizon. Divide each published price by its own coverage and the two brands land within a dollar of each other.
| Case | Published price | Warranty term | Cost per covered year |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Tourister Stratum 2.0 | $89.99 | 10 years | $9.00 |
| American Tourister Moonlight 21 | $90.99 | 10 years | $9.10 |
| Travelpro Maxlite 5 | $160 | No stated end date | $8.00 |
| Travelpro Platinum Elite | $390 | No stated end date | $19.50 |
The counterintuitive result: the more expensive brand is the cheaper one per year of cover, by about 11 percent. Not because Travelpro is generous, but because the denominator is twice as long.
That only holds if you keep the bag. If you replace a carry-on every four or five years — and plenty of people do — the honest lifespan question applies, and the up-front price is the number that matters instead. At four years of use, the American Tourister costs $22.50 a year and the Maxlite 5 costs $40.
Where Travelpro wins outright
Weight, and it is not close. The Maxlite 5 publishes 5.4 lb; the two American Tourister cases publish 7.3 and 7.83 lb. That is nearly 2.5 lb of difference in an empty bag.
On the carriers with no published cabin weight limit that is a comfort question. On Hawaiian’s published 25 lb cap it is 10 percent of your entire allowance, and on the 35 lb published by Frontier, Breeze and Sun Country it is 7 percent. The lightest cases we track ranks that axis on its own.
The exception inside American Tourister’s own line is the Airconic, which publishes 4.43 lb — lighter than the Travelpro — but publishes no price we could read, so its value cannot be scored.
Where American Tourister wins
Fit, narrowly, and for an unglamorous reason: the American Tourister cases publish 22 in of overall height where the Travelpros publish 23 and 23.5 in. Height is the dimension that fails a sizer.
| Case | Published size | US carriers it fits | Which ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Tourister Stratum 2.0 | 22 × 15 × 9.5 in | 4 of 11 | Southwest, Frontier, Allegiant, Sun Country |
| American Tourister Moonlight 21 | 22 × 15 × 9.5 in | 4 of 11 | Southwest, Frontier, Allegiant, Sun Country |
| Travelpro Maxlite 5 | 23 × 14.5 × 9 in | 3 of 11 | Southwest, Frontier, Sun Country |
| Travelpro Platinum Elite | 23.5 × 14.5 × 9 in | 3 of 11 | Southwest, Frontier, Sun Country |
Neither brand clears the 22 × 14 × 9 in box that eight of the eleven publish. The American Touristers are 1 in too wide; the Travelpros are 1 to 1.5 in too tall. If you need a case that clears everything, neither of these brands has one in our ledger, and the list that does is mostly soft bags.
The verdict
Buy American Tourister if
The up-front price is what you are optimizing, you fly the roomier-box carriers, or you expect to replace the bag inside a decade anyway. At a published $89.99 the Stratum 2.0 is the cheapest case in this comparison and it clears one more carrier than either Travelpro.
Buy Travelpro if
You intend to keep the bag, or you are flying anywhere with a published weight cap. $8.00 per covered year is the best figure here, and 5.4 lb is 2.5 lb of allowance you get to spend on clothes instead of shell.
Buy neither if
You need a bag that passes every published US limit. Both brands fail the strict box, and no amount of warranty makes a bag fit a sizer it is an inch too big for.
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 · The under-$100 buyer who still wants a decade of coverage
American Tourister Stratum 2.0 Carry-On Spinner
$9 per covered year is the best value figure in this ledger, and it is the only bag here that lists under $100 at its own manufacturer.
- Published size
- 22 × 15 × 9.5 in
- Weight
- 7.3 lb
- Capacity
- Not published
- Weight per liter
- Not published
- Cost per covered year
- $9.00/yr
- Published list price
- $89.99
Warranty Limited 10 year global warranty
Fits 4 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, G4, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- $89.99 published price against a 10 year warranty works out at $9.00 per covered year
- 22 in published height clears the 22 in limit exactly at six US carriers
- ABS shell is the cheapest way to a wipe-clean hard case
What you give up
- 15 in width fails the 14 in limit at American, Delta, United, Alaska, JetBlue and Hawaiian
- ABS is the least impact-resistant of the common hardshell plastics
- No published capacity figure, so cost per liter cannot be computed
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value 8.6/10 — $89.99 ÷ 10 yr = $9.00/yr
- 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 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: American Tourister published specifications and price, compiled 3 September 2026.
2 · Southwest, Frontier and Sun Country flyers who want a lifetime warranty
Travelpro Maxlite 5 Carry-On Spinner (21 in)
The best weight-per-liter figure of any softside carry-on here, and the cheapest route to a lifetime warranty — but the published overall height is 23 in, which is an inch over the limit at most US carriers.
- Published size
- 23 × 14.5 × 9 in
- Weight
- 5.4 lb
- Capacity
- 46 L
- Weight per liter
- 0.12 lb/L
- Cost per covered year
- $8/yr
- Published list price
- $160
Warranty Built For A Lifetime limited warranty
Fits 3 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- 5.4 lb for 46 L is 0.12 lb per liter, the lightest carry-on in this ledger
- Lifetime limited warranty covering wheels, zippers and handles at a $160 published price
- Softside give means an overstuffed bag still closes
What you give up
- Published overall height of 23 in fails the 22 in limit at American, Delta, United, Alaska, JetBlue, Hawaiian, Allegiant and Breeze
- No published airline-damage cover
- Fabric shell scuffs where a hardshell would only mark
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value 8.1/10 — $160 ÷ 20 yr = $8/yr; $160 ÷ 46 L = $3.48/L
- Airline-fit breadth 2.7/10 — Fits the published carry-on limit at 3 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, SY
- Carry efficiency 7.3/10 — 5.4 lb ÷ 46 L = 0.117 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: Travelpro published specifications, compiled 3 September 2026. Travelpro publishes both a 21 × 14 × 9 in case size and a 23 × 14.5 × 9 in overall size. The overall figure is the one a gate sizer measures, so it is the one used here.
3 · Buyers who prefer single spinner wheels to doubles
American Tourister Moonlight Spinner (21 in)
Effectively the Stratum 2.0 with single wheels and half a pound more mass, at a dollar more — the arithmetic says buy the Stratum instead.
- Published size
- 22 × 15 × 9.5 in
- Weight
- 7.83 lb
- Capacity
- Not published
- Weight per liter
- Not published
- Cost per covered year
- $9.10/yr
- Published list price
- $90.99
Warranty Limited 10 year global warranty
Fits 4 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, G4, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- $9.10 per covered year, within a rounding error of the cheapest here
- 1.5 in expansion on a sub-$100 case
- Split-case packing with two full compartments
What you give up
- 7.83 lb is heavier than the Stratum 2.0 for the same published box
- Single spinner wheels are the usual first failure point on budget cases
- Same 15 in width problem as the Stratum — over the limit at six US carriers
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value 8.6/10 — $90.99 ÷ 10 yr = $9.10/yr
- 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 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: American Tourister published specifications and price, compiled 3 September 2026.
4 · Frequent flyers who check a carry-on at the gate often
Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-On Spinner (21 in)
Skip this one. Not against these two brands' entry cases. At a published $390 it is $19.50 per covered year, more than twice the Maxlite 5 and the American Touristers, and the published airline-damage clause it adds only pays off if you gate-check regularly. Buy it for that clause or not at all.
One of only two carry-on cases here whose published warranty covers airline handling damage — the most expensive thing that happens to luggage — and the only one that asks you to register the bag first.
- Published size
- 23.5 × 14.5 × 9 in
- Weight
- 7.8 lb
- Capacity
- 46 L
- Weight per liter
- 0.17 lb/L
- Cost per covered year
- $19.50/yr
- Published list price
- $390
Warranty Built for a Lifetime limited worry-free warranty
Fits 3 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- Published warranty covers damage caused by an airline when the bag is registered
- Same 46 L capacity as the Maxlite 5 in a heavier, more heavily built shell
- Repair rather than replacement is the published first remedy
What you give up
- $390 published price is the highest here — $19.50 per covered year against the Maxlite 5's $8
- 7.8 lb before anything goes in it, against a 25 lb cap on Hawaiian
- 23.5 in overall height fails the 22 in limit at eight of the eleven US carriers we checked
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value 3.2/10 — $390 ÷ 20 yr = $19.50/yr; $390 ÷ 46 L = $8.48/L
- Airline-fit breadth 2.7/10 — Fits the published carry-on limit at 3 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, SY
- Carry efficiency 5.2/10 — 7.8 lb ÷ 46 L = 0.170 lb/L
- Warranty & support 10.0/10 — no stated end date (6 of 6); repair published (+2); covers airline damage (+2)
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: Travelpro published specifications, compiled 3 September 2026.
5 · Hawaiian's 25 lb carry-on cap, and anyone lifting a bag overhead unaided
American Tourister Airconic Carry-On Spinner
At 4.43 lb it is the lightest hardside carry-on in this ledger by nearly a pound, which matters most on the carriers that publish a weight cap.
- Published size
- 21.7 × 15.8 × 7.9 in
- Weight
- 4.43 lb
- Capacity
- Not published
- Weight per liter
- Not published
- Cost per covered year
- Not published
- Published list price
- Not published
Warranty Limited 10 year global warranty
Fits 4 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, G4, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- 4.43 lb empty leaves over 20 lb of payload inside Hawaiian's 25 lb published cap
- Polypropylene flexes and returns where ABS cracks
- 7.9 in depth is the slimmest here, which is what actually decides a tight bin
What you give up
- 15.8 in width fails the 14 in limit at six US carriers
- No published price, so we cannot compute cost per covered year
- Light shells transmit more impact to what is inside them
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 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: American Tourister published specifications, compiled 3 September 2026. American Tourister lists the Airconic on its own store but did not publish a price we could read on 3 September 2026, so the Value axis is not scored for this bag.
Prices last verified September 24, 2026. Prices move — the figure you see on Amazon at the moment you click is the real one.