How to Choose Carry-On Luggage
Rankings tell you which bag scores highest. This page tells you which questions to ask, in the order that eliminates the most options fastest.
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.
Five questions, in this order: which airlines do you actually fly, then do they publish a weight cap, then wheels or straps, then how long do you want it to last, then what does it cost per covered year. Price is last because it is the easiest question and it should decide the least.
| # | Product | Cost per covered year | Fits | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Osprey Farpoint 40 Travel PackOne-bag travel on any carrier that measures | $9.25/yr | 4 of 11WN F9 G4 SY | 7.2 | Check price 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 | Check price on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 3 | 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 | Check price on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 4 | 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 | Check price on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 5 | Samsonite Winfield 3 DLX Spinner (20 in)Buyers who want polycarbonate and the smallest published overage | Not published | 3 of 11WN F9 SY | 3.3 | Check price on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 6 | Delsey Paris Helium Aero Carry-On Spinner (21 in)Nothing in this ledger — see the alternatives above it | Not published | 3 of 11WN F9 SY | 3.3 | 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.
Why the order matters
Most people buy a carry-on by starting at price and working outward. That is backwards, because price is the only one of these questions where every option is still on the table — so it eliminates nothing and you end up choosing on appearance.
Start with fit instead. It removes most of the market immediately, and everything after it is a choice among bags that will actually board the aircraft you fly.
1. Which airlines do you actually fly?
Not which you might fly — which you did last year. Then buy for the tightest published box among them.
| If you fly | Buy for | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Any of the six US majors | 22 × 14 × 9 in | The standard box, and it clears Southwest and Frontier too |
| Only Southwest or Frontier | 22 × 14 × 9 in anyway | Their boxes are larger; sizing for the standard costs you nothing |
| Anything European short-haul | 20 cm (7.9 in) of depth | Ryanair's depth limit is tighter than any US carrier |
And use the overall published dimensions, not the model name. A “21-inch” bag frequently measures 23. Why the naming misleads.
2. Do any of them publish a weight cap?
Seven of the eleven US carriers we track publish nothing. Four publish a figure, and every international carrier in our table does.
If no carrier you fly publishes a cap, the weight of the empty bag is a comfort question and you can buy a heavier, better-built case with a clear conscience. If any of them does, weight becomes an allowance question and the arithmetic changes hard.
| Empty case | On a carrier with no cap | Against Hawaiian's 25 lb | Against Ryanair's 10 kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.43 lb | Irrelevant | 18% spent | 20% spent |
| 9.3 lb | Irrelevant | 37% spent | 42% spent |
3. Wheels or straps?
A genuine fork rather than a preference, and it is decided by your itinerary rather than by the bags.
- Long terminals, smooth floors, a heavy load → wheels. Nothing about carrying weight through an airport is pleasant.
- Stairs, cobbles, trains, a walk from a bus stop → straps. Wheels are dead weight the moment the ground stops being flat.
- The weight difference is about four pounds at carry-on size — a 40 L pack at 3.27 lb against a 46 L case at 5.4. The comparison in full.
4. How long do you want it to last?
Warranty term is the only durability claim any maker will commit to in writing, and it separates the field more sharply than price does.
| If you want | Look for | In our ledger |
|---|---|---|
| Two or three trips a year, replaced eventually | 3+ years | Amazon Basics at 3 years is the floor |
| A decade of ownership | 10 years | Samsonite and American Tourister, both global |
| To never think about it again | No stated end date | Travelpro, Osprey, Eagle Creek, Peak Design, Patagonia, LEVEL8 |
| Cover for airline damage | Almost nothing | One Travelpro line, once registered |
The last row is the one worth pausing on. Airline handling is how most luggage actually dies and almost no warranty covers it. What warranties actually cover.
5. What does it cost per covered year?
Now price — and as a rate rather than a number. Published price divided by warranty years is the figure that makes a $390 bag and a $90 bag comparable.
| Bag | Published price | Warranty | Per covered year |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Tourister Stratum 2.0 | $89.99 | 10 yr | $9.00 |
| Travelpro Maxlite 5 21 in | $160 | Lifetime | $8.00 |
| Travelpro Platinum Elite 21 in | $390 | Lifetime, covers airline damage | $19.50 |
The $160 bag is cheaper per covered year than the $90 one. That inversion is the whole reason this question comes last — it is invisible if you started at sticker price. The full method.
Running the framework
- List the airlines you flew last year. Take the tightest published box.
- Check whether any of them publishes a weight cap. If yes, weight is a hard filter.
- Decide wheels or straps from your itinerary, not your preference.
- Set a minimum warranty term and discard everything under it.
- Of what survives, buy the lowest cost per covered year.
Most people find three or four bags survive step four, which is a short enough list to choose from on color if you want to. The full ranking.
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 · One-bag travel on any carrier that measures
Osprey Farpoint 40 Travel Pack
40 L that fits the standard 22 × 14 × 9 in box on height and depth, weighs 3.27 lb, and carries a warranty with no stated end date. It is the strongest single row in this ledger.
- Published size
- 21.7 × 13.8 × 9.1 in
- Weight
- 3.27 lb
- Capacity
- 40 L
- Weight per liter
- 0.08 lb/L
- Cost per covered year
- $9.25/yr
- Published list price
- $185
Warranty All Mighty Guarantee — any reason, any product, any era
Fits 4 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, G4, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- 0.08 lb per liter is the best carry efficiency figure on this site
- The All Mighty Guarantee names no failure cause and no time limit
- 21.7 in height clears the 22 in standard with room to spare
What you give up
- 13.8 in width clears 14 in only when the pack is not overstuffed — soft bags grow
- No wheels, so a long terminal is carried on your back
- $9.25 per covered year is good but not the cheapest here
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value 7.2/10 — $185 ÷ 20 yr = $9.25/yr; $185 ÷ 40 L = $4.63/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 — 3.27 lb ÷ 40 L = 0.082 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: Osprey 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 and Hawaiian
- 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 · Frequent flyers who check a carry-on at the gate often
Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-On Spinner (21 in)
The only bag in this ledger whose published warranty covers airline handling damage once the bag is registered — which is the single most expensive thing that happens to luggage.
- 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 six 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.
4 · 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.
5 · Buyers who want polycarbonate and the smallest published overage
Samsonite Winfield 3 DLX Spinner (20 in)
The closest any polycarbonate case in this ledger gets to the 22 × 14 × 9 in standard box, missing it by a quarter-inch of height and half an inch of width.
- Published size
- 22.25 × 14.5 × 9.5 in
- Weight
- 6.97 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 3 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- 22.25 × 14.5 × 9.5 in is the tightest published box of any hard case here
- Polycarbonate shell with a mounted TSA lock
- 1.5 in expansion for the return leg
What you give up
- Still fails the 22 × 14 × 9 in limit at six US carriers, by a small margin
- No manufacturer-published price on 3 September 2026, so cost per covered year cannot be computed
- No published capacity figure
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value not scored — No manufacturer-published price, so this axis is not scored.
- 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, compiled 3 September 2026. Samsonite's own store did not publish a price for the 20 in Winfield 3 DLX on 3 September 2026 — only for the large spinner in the same line. Rather than borrow a reseller's number, the Value axis is not scored for this bag.
6 · Nothing in this ledger — see the alternatives above it
Delsey Paris Helium Aero Carry-On Spinner (21 in)
Skip this one. Skip it at question one. It publishes 22.5 x 15.25 x 10 in, over the standard box on all three dimensions, and 8.4 lb, the heaviest here. A framework that starts with fit eliminates it before you ever get to price - which is the point of doing the questions in order.
Skip this one. At 8.4 lb it is the heaviest carry-on in this ledger, and its published 22.5 × 15.25 × 10 in box misses the standard limit on all three dimensions.
- Published size
- 22.5 × 15.25 × 10 in
- Weight
- 8.4 lb
- Capacity
- Not published
- Weight per liter
- Not published
- Cost per covered year
- Not published
- Published list price
- Not published
Warranty 10 year limited warranty
Fits 3 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- Two-compartment layout with a lined divider and tie-down straps
- TSA-approved combination lock as standard
What you give up
- 8.4 lb empty is a third of Hawaiian's entire published 25 lb allowance
- Over the limit on all three dimensions at six US carriers
- No manufacturer-published price, so its value cannot be checked either
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value not scored — No manufacturer-published price, so this axis is not scored.
- 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: Delsey published specifications, compiled 3 September 2026. No manufacturer-published US 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.