Lightweight Carry-On Luggage
Every pound the empty bag weighs is a pound you cannot pack. On Hawaiian's published 25 lb cap that is the difference between four days of clothes and six.
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.
The lightest carry-on in our ledger is the American Tourister Airconic at a published 4.43 lb. The heaviest is the Delsey Helium Aero at 8.4 lb — 90% more. Against Hawaiian’s published 25 lb carry-on cap that is 4 lb of payload, which is roughly four days of clothing you either take or do not.
| # | Product | Published weight | Fits | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travelpro Maxlite 5 Carry-On Spinner (21 in)Southwest, Frontier and Sun Country flyers who want a lifetime warranty | 5.4 lb | 3 of 11WN F9 SY | 6.6 | Check price#ad How we earn |
| 2 | Samsonite Omni PC Carry-On Spinner (20 in)A hard shell that survives being sat on by the bag above it | 7.05 lb | 4 of 11WN F9 G4 SY | 5.4 | Check price#ad How we earn |
| 3 | Samsonite Freeform Carry-On Spinner (21 in)Southwest and Sun Country flyers who want a hard shell | 6.5 lb | 3 of 11WN F9 SY | 5.1 | Check price#ad How we earn |
| 4 | LEVEL8 Road Runner Carry-On (20 in)Anyone who wants a front laptop pocket on a hard shell | 9.3 lb | 4 of 11WN F9 G4 SY | 4.7 | Check price#ad How we earn |
| 5 | American Tourister Airconic Carry-On SpinnerHawaiian's 25 lb carry-on cap, and anyone lifting a bag overhead unaided | 4.43 lb | 4 of 11WN F9 G4 SY | 3.8 | Check price#ad How we earn |
| 6 | Amazon Basics Hardside Spinner (21 in)One or two trips a year on Southwest, Frontier or Allegiant | 6.9 lb | 4 of 11WN F9 G4 SY | 3.4 | Check price#ad How we earn |
| 7 | Samsonite Winfield 3 DLX Spinner (20 in)Buyers who want polycarbonate and the smallest published overage | 6.97 lb | 3 of 11WN F9 SY | 3.3 | Check price#ad How we earn |
| 8 | Delsey Paris Helium Aero Carry-On Spinner (21 in)Nothing in this ledger — see the alternatives above it | 8.4 lb | 3 of 11WN F9 SY | 3.3 | Check price#ad How we earn |
No live price is currently verified, so every button here reads Check price rather than a number we cannot stand behind. See how we handle prices.
Two reasons empty weight matters, and one that does not
The first reason is a rule. Four US carriers publish a carry-on weight limit: Hawaiian at 25 lb, and Frontier, Breeze and Sun Country at 35 lb. Internationally it is much more common — Ryanair caps the cabin bag at 10 kg and weighs it at the gate more often than any US carrier does. Where a cap applies, the empty bag is spending your allowance before you pack.
The second reason is your shoulder. Even where nothing is weighed, a carry-on goes up into a bin, down out of it, up stairs, and along however much terminal lies between the curb and the gate. Two pounds is not much until it is the difference between lifting a bag cleanly and not.
The reason that does not apply is fuel or fees. A lighter carry-on saves you nothing financially unless a published cap is involved. If you fly American, Delta or United exclusively, weight is a comfort decision rather than a rules decision — a real one, but not one to sacrifice warranty or fit for.
Published weights, and what they cost you
| Bag | Published weight | Share of a 25 lb cap | Payload left |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Tourister Airconic Carry-On | 4.43 lb | 18% | 20.6 lb |
| Travelpro Maxlite 5 Carry-On Spinner | 5.4 lb | 22% | 19.6 lb |
| Samsonite Freeform Carry-On Spinner | 6.5 lb | 26% | 18.5 lb |
| Amazon Basics Hardside Spinner | 6.9 lb | 28% | 18.1 lb |
| Samsonite Winfield 3 DLX Spinner | 6.97 lb | 28% | 18.0 lb |
| Samsonite Omni PC Carry-On Spinner | 7.05 lb | 28% | 17.9 lb |
| Delsey Paris Helium Aero Carry-On | 8.4 lb | 34% | 16.6 lb |
| LEVEL8 Road Runner Carry-On | 9.3 lb | 37% | 15.7 lb |
Why raw weight is the wrong number on its own
A 4.4 lb bag that holds 30 L and a 5.4 lb bag that holds 46 L are not the same trade, and raw weight will tell you the wrong thing about them. The honest measure is weight per liter of published capacity, which is one of the four axes this whole site scores on.
| Bag | Weight | Published capacity | Weight per liter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travelpro Maxlite 5 Carry-On Spinner | 5.4 lb | 46 L | 0.12 lb/L |
| Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-On Spinner | 7.8 lb | 46 L | 0.17 lb/L |
| Amazon Basics Hardside Spinner | 6.9 lb | 39 L | 0.18 lb/L |
| LEVEL8 Road Runner Carry-On | 9.3 lb | 35 L | 0.27 lb/L |
| American Tourister Airconic Carry-On | 4.43 lb | Not published | Not computable |
The Maxlite 5 is not the lightest bag here in absolute terms, and it has the best carry efficiency in the whole carry-on category by a distance. That is what the per-liter figure is for. The Airconic is genuinely the lightest bag, and American Tourister publishes no capacity for it, so we cannot say how efficiently it carries — which is a real gap and we mark it as one rather than estimating.
How bags get light, and what it costs
- Thinner shells. The most direct route and the one with the clearest trade: less material between the outside world and your contents. Polypropylene tolerates being thin better than ABS does, which is why the lightest hard cases tend to be polypropylene.
- Fewer wheels, or smaller ones. Four spinner wheels weigh more than two inline wheels, and larger wheels weigh more than small ones — while rolling better and lasting longer. That trade is here.
- Softside instead of hardside. Fabric weighs less than a molded shell for the same volume, which is why the best weight-per-liter figure in this category belongs to a softside bag.
- Losing structure. The lightest bags of all are duffels and packs, which have no frame at all — 40 L for 2 lb 1 oz is possible if you accept a bag with no shape of its own.
The short version
If a published weight cap applies to a carrier you fly, buy for absolute weight and accept the compromises. If it does not, buy for weight per liter instead — the bag that carries the most for the least is a better bag than the bag that simply weighs the least, and on our numbers those are not the same bag.
And if weight is genuinely your binding constraint, the honest answer may not be a suitcase at all. The lightest bag in our entire ledger is a 40 L duffel at 2 lb 1 oz, and the best travel pack carries 40 L for 3.27 lb — under half the weight of most hard cases here. The pack-versus-case comparison covers what you give up.
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 · 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.
2 · A hard shell that survives being sat on by the bag above it
Samsonite Omni PC Carry-On Spinner (20 in)
The most widely sold polycarbonate carry-on in America, and the one whose published height actually meets the 22 in standard — the width is what fails it.
- Published size
- 22 × 15 × 9.75 in
- Weight
- 7.05 lb
- Capacity
- Not published
- Weight per liter
- Not published
- Cost per covered year
- $12.75/yr
- Published list price
- $127.49
Warranty Limited 10 year global warranty
Fits 4 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, G4, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- Full polycarbonate, which flexes under impact and returns rather than shattering
- $12.75 per covered year
- 22 in published height meets the standard US carry-on height exactly
What you give up
- 15 in width and 9.75 in depth are both over the 14 × 9 in standard
- 7.05 lb of the 25 lb Hawaiian cap is gone before you pack
- Published price varies by colorway, which makes the value figure a moving target
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value 7.6/10 — $127.49 ÷ 10 yr = $12.75/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: Samsonite published specifications and price, compiled 3 September 2026. Samsonite's own store published $101.99 to $127.49 across colorways on 3 September 2026. The higher figure is used here so the value arithmetic is not flattered.
3 · Southwest and Sun Country flyers who want a hard shell
Samsonite Freeform Carry-On Spinner (21 in)
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.
4 · Anyone who wants a front laptop pocket on a hard shell
LEVEL8 Road Runner Carry-On (20 in)
Skip this one. At 9.3 lb for 35 L of published capacity it is 0.27 lb per liter — more than double the best figure here and the worst carry efficiency in our whole ledger. On a page about weight it is the wrong bag whatever else it does well.
The only hard case here with a published height under 22 in, and it pays for that with the worst weight-per-liter figure in the ledger.
- Published size
- 21.5 × 14.4 × 9.2 in
- Weight
- 9.3 lb
- Capacity
- 35 L
- Weight per liter
- 0.27 lb/L
- Cost per covered year
- $9.50/yr
- Published list price
- $189.99
Warranty Lifetime warranty
Fits 4 of 11 US carriers: WN, F9, G4, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- 21.5 in published height is genuinely under the 22 in standard
- Front-opening laptop pocket that takes a 15.6 in machine
- $9.50 per covered year against a lifetime warranty
What you give up
- 9.3 lb for 35 L is 0.27 lb per liter, more than double the Maxlite 5
- 14.4 in width is still a fifth of an inch over the 14 in standard
- The lightest thing in the bag will be the bag's own dead weight allowance
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value 6.6/10 — $189.99 ÷ 20 yr = $9.50/yr; $189.99 ÷ 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 1.4/10 — 9.3 lb ÷ 35 L = 0.266 lb/L
- Warranty & support 6.0/10 — no stated end date (6 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: LEVEL8 published specifications and price, 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.
6 · 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.
7 · 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.
8 · Nothing in this ledger — see the alternatives above it
Delsey Paris Helium Aero Carry-On Spinner (21 in)
Skip this one. It is the heaviest bag here, it fails the standard 22 × 14 × 9 in box on every dimension, and there is no published price to justify either. Every other hard case in this ledger does more with less.
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 rather than a number we cannot stand behind. See how we handle prices.