Luggage Guides

This library is a set of practical, honest guides to luggage and travel, written by the people who make one aluminum carry-on. No hype, just the numbers and trade-offs that help you buy once and travel lighter.

Buying a suitcase

• How to Choose Carry-On Luggage. A step-by-step framework covering size, weight, shell material, wheels, closure, warranty, and budget.
• Best Carry-On Luggage 2026. Honest picks by category, from budget hardside to aluminum, with prices and runners-up.
• Best Suitcase Brands. Rimowa, Tumi, Samsonite, Travelpro, Away, Monos, and July compared on price, warranty, and repairability.
• Best Aluminum Luggage 2026. Honest picks across the aluminum makers by use case and budget, with who should and should not buy aluminum.
• Best Hard Shell Luggage 2026. Polycarbonate, aluminum, and ABS picks by need, plus whether a set makes sense.
• Rimowa and Tumi Alternatives. Aluminum cases from eight makers compared on construction, wheels, warranty, and price.
• Aluminum vs Polycarbonate Luggage. Weight, impact resistance, closures, aging, price, and repairability, plus who should buy which.
• Hard Shell vs Soft Shell Luggage. Where each type wins, the materials inside each, and which one fits your travel.
• Spinner vs Two-Wheel Luggage. Airport ease against rough-ground handling, the downsides of each, and why replaceable wheels matter.
• Luggage Without Zippers. How frame latches beat zippers on security and weather sealing, and who makes them.
• Luggage Lifetime Warranties Compared. The three tiers of lifetime coverage, compared by brand, with questions to ask any maker.
• Do You Need a Luggage Set? The cost-per-trip math for one great carry-on against a three-piece set.

Sizes and airline rules

• Carry-On Size Guide. Limits for every major US airline, the 115 cm rule, and how to measure your bag.
• Suitcase Sizes Explained. Every size class from carry-on to oversize, with dimensions, liters, and trip lengths mapped.
• Checked Luggage Size Guide. What 62 linear inches means, how to measure, and the fee traps above the limit.
• Checked vs Carry-On. Fees, lost-bag risk, time, and capacity compared, with a decision table by trip type.
• What Is a Carry-On Bag? The definition, how it differs from a personal item, and what stays out of the cabin.
• Personal Item vs Carry-On. Overhead versus under the seat, sizes by airline, and the two-bag strategy for valuables.
• Carry-On Weight Limits by Airline. Most US airlines publish no domestic limit. International caps and how to weigh at home.
• Carry-On Luggage for International Travel. The common 55 x 40 x 23 cm standard, weight caps abroad, and how US bags fare.

Airline carry-on limits

• Delta Carry-On Size Guide. The 22 x 14 x 9 in limit on every fare, weight rules, gate sizers, and tips.
• American Airlines Carry-On Size Guide. Carry-on and personal item limits, Basic Economy rules, garment bags, and gate tips.
• United Carry-On Size Guide. The 22 x 14 x 9 in limit, why domestic Basic Economy gets only a personal item, and gate fees.
• Southwest Carry-On Size Guide. The larger 24 x 16 x 10 in allowance, what changed with checked bags, and why carry-on wins.
• JetBlue Carry-On Size. The 22 x 14 x 9 in limit, the personal item, what Blue Basic includes, and the sizer.
• Alaska Airlines Carry-On Size. A 22 x 14 x 9 in carry-on free on every fare including Saver, plus gate-check reality.
• Spirit Carry-On Size. The 22 x 18 x 10 in paid carry-on, the free personal item, bag fee timing, and bundles.
• Frontier Carry-On Size. The 24 x 16 x 10 in paid carry-on, the 35 lb weight limit, fee timing, and the free personal item.

Security and travel programs

• Carry-On Liquid Limits. The TSA 3-1-1 rule, 3.4 oz containers, exemptions, international rules, and a quick reference table.
• TSA Locks Explained. Not required by law. How Travel Sentry locks work and what luggage locks really protect.
• TSA PreCheck vs Global Entry vs CLEAR. What each costs, what each speeds up, how they stack, and which fits your flying.

Packing

• How to Pack a Suitcase. The five-step system, rolling vs folding vs bundling, cubes, wrinkle-free suits, and packing order.
• How to Pack a Carry-On. The one-week clothing formula, rolling vs folding, packing cubes, 3-1-1, and the last 10 percent rule.
• Cruise Packing List. Documents, clothing day counts, formal night reality, motion sickness basics, and what cruise lines confiscate.

Care and repair

• Aluminum Luggage Care. How to clean anodized aluminum safely, handle scratches and dents, care for wheels, and store the case.
• Does Aluminum Luggage Dent? Yes, and that is the material working as designed. What dents affect and when they matter.
• Luggage Wheel Repair and Replacement. Diagnose wobble versus grind, replace screw-mounted wheels yourself, and find parts by size.
• Suitcase Handle Stuck? How to Fix It. Why telescoping handles jam, clearing grit, release button fixes, bent tubes, and cold weather.
• How to Reset a Luggage Lock. Built-in combination locks, padlocks, frame locks, and what to do when you forgot the code.

About TALO

• Our Story. Talo is the Finnish word for home. One aluminum carry-on, engineered in the United States, built as equipment.
• Lifetime Service. Wheels, latches, handles, and the trolley repaired free for the life of your case, and what is covered.
• Shipping and Delivery. Free tracked shipping in the contiguous US.
• Returns and Exchanges. 14 days from delivery, unused, original packaging, full refund, no restocking fees, prepaid label.
• Shop luggage. Every category page, from carry-on and aluminum to hard shell, small suitcase, and spinner, with a buying checklist on each.

One case, for life

Every guide here points back to the same idea. Buy one carry-on that fits the overhead bin, closes without zippers, and gets repaired instead of replaced. That is The Cabin. Questions about the case, shipping, or service are answered in the FAQ.