How to Choose Carry-On Luggage
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Choose carry-on luggage in this order: size for the airlines you actually fly, weight if you fly international, shell material, wheels, closure, then warranty. Price comes last, because a cheap bag that fails early costs more than a good one that lasts. This guide walks the whole decision, with links to deeper reads at each step.
Step 1: size for the airlines you actually fly
Size is the one spec that can stop you at the gate, so it comes first. Most major US airlines, including American, Delta, United, Alaska, JetBlue, and Hawaiian, publish a carry-on limit of 22 x 14 x 9 inches, and that number includes wheels and handles. Southwest and Frontier allow 24 x 16 x 10 inches, and Spirit allows 22 x 18 x 10. If you ever fly internationally, note that many carriers abroad use the IATA guideline of 45 linear inches total, and some are stricter.
The practical move: list the two or three airlines you fly most, look up their current limits, and buy for the smallest one. Allowances change, so the airline's own site is always the final word. For a full table of airlines and measuring tips, read our carry-on size guide.
Step 2: weight, if you fly international
Most US majors publish no carry-on weight limit on domestic routes, so American travelers often forget this step. International carriers are different. Many cap cabin bags at 7 to 12 kg, roughly 15 to 26 pounds, and some weigh bags at check-in or the gate. If those routes are in your future, the empty weight of the case matters, because every pound of bag is a pound of clothes you cannot bring. Our guide to carry-on weight limits covers which airlines enforce what.
Step 3: shell material
Material decides how the bag protects, how it ages, and how long it lives. The broad choice is soft shell versus hard shell, and within hard shell, polycarbonate versus aluminum.
- Softside fabric (ballistic nylon, polyester): light, flexible, exterior pockets, often expandable. Less protection for contents, and fabric can tear or soak through.
- ABS plastic: the cheapest hard shell. Brittle, cracks in cold weather and rough handling. Generally worth avoiding.
- Polycarbonate: the mainstream hard shell. Flexes on impact and springs back, light, wide price range. Quality varies a lot between brands.
- Aluminum: rigid metal shell that absorbs impact by denting rather than flexing. Heavier and more expensive, but it protects contents well and can last decades with serviceable parts.
We break these down honestly, including where each one loses, in hard shell vs soft shell and aluminum vs polycarbonate.
Step 4: wheels
Four-wheel spinners roll upright beside you with almost no wrist load, and they pivot easily in airplane aisles and security lines. Two-wheel rollers have larger recessed wheels that handle curbs, cobblestones, and rough sidewalks better, and they cannot roll away on a sloped train platform. Neither is universally better; it depends on where you travel.
What matters more than wheel count is wheel quality and replaceability. Wheels are the most common failure point on any suitcase, and a bag whose wheels cannot be repaired or replaced has a built-in expiration date. The full comparison lives in spinner vs two-wheel luggage.
Step 5: closure
Most luggage closes with a zipper. Zippers are light and cheap, but a closed coil zipper can be forced open with a ballpoint pen in seconds, and zipper failure is one of the most common ways an otherwise fine suitcase dies. The alternative is a frame closure with latches, standard on aluminum cases and available on some polycarbonate ones. Frame cases cannot be pen-opened and have no coil to fail, but they cannot expand and rarely have exterior pockets. If security or long-term durability ranks high for you, read luggage without zippers before deciding.
Step 6: warranty and repairability
Read the warranty before you buy, because most of them exclude exactly the parts that fail. Typical luggage warranties cover manufacturing defects in the shell but exclude wheels, handles, and cosmetic damage. Wheels and handles are the two things most likely to break. A ten-year warranty that excludes both is worth much less than it sounds.
The better questions: does the brand sell or fit replacement parts, will they repair the bag rather than argue about coverage, and do they publish what is covered in plain language. A bag with serviceable wheels, handles, and latches can realistically last decades. A bag without them lasts until the first part breaks.
What to spend
| Price | What you get | Honest expectation |
|---|---|---|
| Under $150 | Basic softside or ABS/entry polycarbonate | Fine for occasional travel; plan on 3 to 5 years |
| $150 to $350 | Good polycarbonate, entry aluminum | Solid daily-driver territory for most travelers |
| $350 to $700 | Well-built aluminum, premium polycarbonate | Buy-once territory, if service and parts back it |
| $700 and up | Heritage brands, design premiums | You are paying for brand and finish as much as function |
The honest note on the top tier: above roughly $700, the added money mostly buys name and styling, not more durability. And the honest note on the bottom: an under-$150 bag is a rational buy if you fly twice a year, as long as you accept that it is a consumable.
Red flags
- No replacement parts available, and no repair program.
- A warranty that excludes wheels and handles, the parts that actually fail.
- A zipper on a case marketed for security. Zippers and security claims do not mix.
- No published exterior dimensions, or dimensions listed without wheels and handles. Airlines measure the whole bag.
- Review photos showing cracked corners on hard shells. Corners take the hits.
The checklist
- Fits the smallest size limit among airlines you fly, wheels and handles included.
- Empty weight leaves room under international cabin limits if you fly abroad.
- Shell material matches your travel: soft for flexibility, polycarbonate for light protection, aluminum for maximum protection and lifespan.
- Wheels are smooth, quiet, and replaceable.
- Closure suits you: zipper for expandability, frame latches for security and durability.
- Warranty covers wheels and handles, or a real repair program exists.
- Price tier matches how often you fly, not how good the ad looked.
Common questions
What size carry-on should I buy?
Buy for the strictest airline you regularly fly. For most US travelers that means a bag within 22 x 14 x 9 inches including wheels and handles. If you fly international carriers, check their limits too, since several are smaller than US standards.
Is expensive luggage worth it?
Up to a point. Moving from a $60 bag to a $300 to $500 bag buys real improvements in materials, wheels, and repairability. Beyond about $700 you are mostly paying for brand. The best value is the cheapest bag that is genuinely serviceable for life.
Hard shell or soft shell for a carry-on?
Soft shells win on exterior pockets, expandability, and squeezing into tight bins. Hard shells win on protecting contents, water resistance, and structure. Frequent flyers who care about what is inside the bag tend to go hard shell. See our full comparison.
Do spinner wheels break easily?
Cheap ones do, because they protrude from the shell and take impacts. Good spinners with quality bearings hold up well, and the real safeguard is replaceability. Never buy a spinner whose wheels cannot be serviced.
How long should good luggage last?
A well-made polycarbonate case should give you 5 to 10 years of regular travel. A serviceable aluminum case can run for decades, since the parts that wear, wheels, handles, and latches, can be repaired or replaced while the shell keeps going.
Where TALO fits
If this framework points you toward a hard shell with frame latches and serviceable parts, that is the case we build. The TALO 20" Carry-On is a ribbed anodized aluminum case at $349, sized to standard cabin limits for major US airlines, with TSA-approved frame latches instead of zippers, silent spinner wheels, and lifetime service on wheels, latches, handles, and the telescoping trolley. It sits in the entry-aluminum tier on the table above, priced against good polycarbonate rather than against heritage aluminum brands.
