Carry On Luggage Reviews

In the article On The Road, the New York Times reports of more damage to items packed in carry ons. The problem is as follows: As the amount of carry on luggage increases, more is having to be 'gate-checked'. This means that if the overhead lockers are full, the flight attendant will take the carry on from you, put a tag on it and give you the stub. The carry on will then be taken down to be stowed in the baggage hold. So passengers who pack fragile and expensive items like cameras in their carry on, expecting to have it in their possession the entire journey, can see their carry on join the checked baggage. So there's an argument for and/or i) choosing a hard-shell carry on, ii) making sure you're at the front of the queue at boarding. See Buying a Wheeled Carry On, towards the bottom of the page, for a video showing a totally inconsiderate baggage handler gate checking carry ons (with a throwing style like a Mets pitcher!)

Cost   Perhaps not surprising, travelers report more problems with budget luggage. But this doesn't mean that a more expensive bag is necessarily a better bag, you still need to carefully check the construction and workmanship. The fabric used in budget bags is typically polyester which exhibits low abrasion and tear resistance. More expensive bags employ the hard-wearing Cordura or ballistic nylon (developed for flak jackets) fabric. The quality of the wheels in budget bags can leave a lot to be desired, with some using poor specification ball races or roller ball bearings.

Wheeled or Non-Wheeled   Handled bags have many advantages over wheeled bags. They weigh far less than wheeled bags, leaving more of your weight allowance for contents. They are much easier to fit into overhead lockers on the plane, since they compress and squish better. They are more reliable, with no moving parts that might break. But wheeled bags have one big overwhelming advantage. A 20lb wheeled bag is a complete breeze to move, especially on long airport treks. The same journey with a normal bag can leave your shoulder right down to your legs sore and aching.

Durability   Checked luggage is handled pretty roughly. As your bag disappears behind the check-in desk spare a thought for its progress to your destination. Bumping along uneven conveyor belts, hauled off the belt onto another belt or a traffic cart, then swung into the aircraft's hold. Then the whole process is repeated in reverse at your destination. It's not surprising that the sight of a burst case is so common at luggage claim. Carry On luggage has an easier ride, in the watchful care of its owner. However durability is still an issue with carry-ons, especially those with wheels. Imagine a wheel falling off your weighty carry-on during a long and tortuous walk at O'Hare or LAX.

Security   Again, there are more opportunities for checked luggage to suffer from theft, or perhaps more commonly, just never show up at your destination. Carry-on luggage, though, is not without its concerns. Thieves will know that carry-ons can be a pot of gold, containing some very valuable items. Wheeled carry-on luggage can be especially at risk, because by its very nature its possible to leave it below and behind you, temporarily out-of-sight, and vulnerable to a 'luggage-dipper', especially where there's easy zip access to top compartments.

Lightness   Carry-on luggage is getting lighter. A few years ago weight was not a big issue, with heavy 15lb bags being commonplace. Now, more and more people aim to travel without checking any luggage. So light carry-on bags, in the 6-9 lb range, are more in demand, as these take less of the (nowadays stringently checked) weight allowance.

Hard Shell   Hard shell carry-ons, generally made from polycarbonate, are great if you need to offer good protection to your contents. The new models are lightweight, strong and tough. But there are big downsides. They can be very difficult to maneuver into overhead compartments. They don't hold as much as soft luggage of the same dimensions, as plastic takes up considerably more volume than fabric. And low budget models can be made of brittle plastic so damage easily.

Design   Carry-On luggage should be attractive, and functional. How good a bag looks is down to personal preference but there are a few simple pointers.
Black bags will hide dirt and scuff marks better. A simple profile with no protrusions will not snag and catch other bags in luggage lockers. Strong colors and garish designs can date rapidly. If you're picking a wheeled bag, look for a simple design. More complicated luggage like the 'Spinner' range have four wheels not two, which adds up to more moving parts that might break.

Here's a super bargain. Heys's XCASE 20" luggage carry-on, the worl'd lightest carry on (weighing in at a featherweight 5lbs 4oz) at the very low price of $75.99 at ebags.com (MRSP $200.00). It's a overhead-locker-friendly size of 21" by 14" by 10", available in a range of stylish colors, and made from durable polyurethane to provide extra protection for your valuables.

$75.99 is a really great price! See
Heys USA XCASE 20" Lightweight Carry-On.


Excerpt from a user review at eBags.com - 'This bag was made for the air! Lightweight, easy to maneuver--fits all carry-on regulations--what more can you ask for? I was able to pack clothes and shoes for a 7 day business trip'

The founder of Travelpro, Bob Plath, invented wheelie luggage (see below for the complete low-down) and it's great to see that the company continues to go from strength-to-strength despite the now ferocious competition. The WalkAbout Lite 3 22" Expandable Suiter is a brilliant value-for-money model weighing in at a light 9lbs 4ounces. The bag features a new lightweight, nearly indestructible FlexPro honeycomb construction with 1682D dobby nylon with stain resistant DuraGuard coating fabric.

Again a search of the net came up with LuggagePro with the lowest price at $118.99. Click
Travelpro WalkAbout Lite 3 Expandable 22" Rollaboard Suiter

Excerpts from a user review at eBags.com - "I bought this suitcase to use for weekend trips, but I am always surprised to see that it fits more than I expected. I am not a light packer, but I have been able to fit a week's worth of summer clothes into it."

First of our carry on luggage reviews is a great no-nonsense wheeled bag which ticks all the boxes. It's well made and sturdy, lightweight (at 9lbs 4oz), the fabric is ballistic nylon, the size is a restriction-busting 14"x18"x8", it's available in black, and the product is backed by the comprehensive Briggs & Riley guarantee, so if you bag is ever damaged, even accidentally, Briggs & Riley will fix it free of charge.

The design features the unique 'Outsider handle', which means the handle recess does not protrude into the interior, making for wrinkle-free packing. And another useful feature is the Integrated bottom handle which makes for easy lifting when needed.

Searching around we found the best buy at LuggagePros for $155.00. Click Briggs & Riley Baseline 18" Carry-on Superlight Upright.

No selection of carry on luggage reviews should be without a top-quality hard-shell. A top pick is the Titan Xenon - Titan have a great reputation for making excellent quality luggage, and the Xenon range does not disappoint. The polycarbonate shell is strong, robust and scratch-resistant. It weighs in at a fantastically low 5.7lbs. The design is simple and efficient featuring clean lines thanks to precision molding of the polycarbonate material. The wheels are cunningly recessed, so in general snag free. A perfect solution if you want that little bit of extra protection for your belongings.

The lowest price for this bag we could find is $269.96 at eBags. Click
Titan Luggage Xenon 19" International Carry On.


A user review at eBags.com - "Sleek, strong, excellent. Not cheap, but the perfect carry-on bag. Totally indestructible, and smoking-hot to roll up to the front of the plane."

This very fashionable Liz Claiborne design not only looks good, but makes a great carry on. Amply sized at 20" by 12" by 10" it's large enough to make a very generous weekend bag. The design is clean and simple, with just one side pocket on the main bag. The long length of the guarantee, 10 years, is a good indication of the top quality of the bag.

At eBags this bag is selling at a deeply discounted $76.79. Click Penelope 20" Rolling City Bag

Excerpt from a user review at eBags.com - 'I was very pleased with this bag - it's very roomy and packs easily. I used it as a carry-on for my last business trip to Europe. It was large enough for 5 days worth of travel (no checked luggage).'

Wheeled carry-on bags were invented as recently ago as 1987 when a NWA Boeing-747 pilot, Bob Plath, had the bright idea of adding roller wheels to his suitcase to help with moving his luggage. International airports were seemingly ever increasing in size, making the long walks through the terminals more and more of a struggle. Bob Plath was a keen DIYer , so spent industrious weekends in his garage knocking up a prototype. His invention was initially greeted with scepticism by his colleagues, but soon the sight of Bob effortlessly marching through the airport easily towing his bag had made converts of all of them. Bob Plath's company Travelpro was born, with over a dozen patents on a diverse range of rolling bag designs. So were the origins of the Travelpro RollAboard luggage range.

At first the main customers of Bob Plath's were new company were airline flight crew, who appreciated the energy saving benefits of the new design. Then the public at large caught-on about the new wheeled luggage, and Travelpro sales rocketed. Today Travelpro reckon to have 450,000 airline employees as customers, plus many millions of the general public.

Other luggage-making companies noticed the trend, and manoeuvring around Travelpro's patents, started producing wheeled-luggage lines of their own. Though all essentially copied the idea of an extendable handle, plus a pair of wheels on the bottom edge of the suitcase.

TSA rules for carry ons apply for all flights. Remember your TSA 3-1-1 Rules for liquids. You can only have 3 oz. of liquids inside one, 1 quart, clear Ziploc bag. There is also a long list of TSA Prohibited Items. The notable exceptions for your carry on include a small pair of scissors, and a small tool such as wrench or pliers.


Also different size and weight restrictions are imposed by different airlines. Here's a list of the common carriers detailing their current restrictions.

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 personal item   Dimensions: 45" total outside dimension   Weight: 20lbs   Airline link: AeroMexico Airlines Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 personal item   Dimensions: 55" total outside dimension   Weight: Not given   Airline link: AirTran Airlines Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 personal item   Dimensions: 24" x 17" x 10"   Weight: 40 lbs   Airline link: Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 personal item   Dimensions: 22" x 14" x 9"   Weight: No limit given   Airline link: Allegiant Air Carry On Luggage Allowances (Click on Show/Hide next to 'Baggage').

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 personal item   Dimensions: bag: 45" total outside dimension   personal item: 36" total outside dimension   Weight: 40 lbs   Airline link: American Airlines Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 personal item   Dimensions: 45" total outside dimension  Weight: 40 lbs   Airline link: Continental Airlines Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 personal item   Dimensions: 45" total outside dimension  Fit easily in the SizeCheck® unit (approximately 22"x14"x9")  Weight: 40 lbs   Airline link: Delta Airlines Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 personal item   Dimensions: 49" total outside dimension  Weight: 35 lbs   Airline link: Frontier Airlines Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 personal item   Dimensions: 22" x 14" x 9" (45 linear inches)  Weight: 25 lbs   Airline link: Hawaiin Air Carry On Luggage Allowances (Click on 'What are your restrictions for Carry on baggage?')

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 personal item   Dimensions: 24" length x 16" width x 10" height max outside dimensions  Weight: No limit given   Airline link: JetBlue Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 'provided there is ample storage space' 1 personal item   Dimensions: 21" x 15" x 9"  Weight: 50 lbs   Airline link: Midwest Airlines Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 personal item   Dimensions: 45" total outside dimension  Weight: 40 lbs   Airline link: Northwest Airlines Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 smaller personal item   Dimensions: 24" x 16" x 10"   Weight: No limit given   Airline link: Southwest Airlines Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 smaller personal item   Dimensions: 24" x 16" x 12"   Weight: No limit given   Airline link: Spirit Airlines Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 smaller personal item   Dimensions: 48" linear inches  Weight: 35lbs   Airline link: Sun Country Airlines Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 personal item   Dimensions: 45" total outside dimension  Weight: No limit given   Airline link: United Airlines Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag   Dimensions: 24" x 16" x 10"  Weight: No limit given   Airline link: USA 3000 Airlines Carry On Luggage Allowances (Scroll down using 'Scroll Down' button)

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 personal item   Dimensions: 45" total outside dimension  Weight: 40lbs   Airline link: US Airways Carry On Luggage Allowances

Bags Allowed: 1 bag + 1 personal item   Dimensions: 10" x 16" x 24" max outside dimension  Weight: 16lbs   Airline link: Virgin America Carry On Luggage Allowances

Please note allowances can literally change overnight, so the above information may not be totally up to date. Always check the airline's website directly before travelling.