Weight
Every pound of empty case is a pound of clothes
A fifty pound checked allowance is fifty pounds of everything. If the case weighs nine, you brought forty one.
The median empty weight across our range is 6.6 pounds. The lightest thing we make with a wheel on it is Hanging Travel Toiletry Bag for Women Portable Makeup Bag at 1 pounds. The spread between the two ends of the range is wide enough to matter on a scale at the desk.
Where the weight actually is
| Part | Why it weighs | Can we cut it |
|---|---|---|
| Wheels and housings | Double spinners mean eight wheels, eight axles and eight mounting plates screwed through the shell. | Not without giving up the roll. This is weight we keep. |
| Telescoping handle | Two or three aluminium stages plus the lock mechanism, running the height of the case. | Slightly, by wall thickness. Past that the handle flexes and rattles. |
| Shell or frame | Thicker walls resist cracking at the corners. An aluminium frame adds around a pound over a zip. | Only by dropping the protection. We tune it per case instead. |
| Lining and dividers | Panel, mesh, straps and a zipped side. Fabric is light on its own and adds up across the whole inside. | Yes, and this is where we look first. |
| Locks and pulls | A TSA combination lock is a metal body in the rim. 71 of ours carry one. | Barely worth cutting. Ounces, and the lock earns them. |
Weighing it yourself
Bathroom scales are unreliable under a wide case because the load sits off the sensor. Stand on the scale, note the number, pick up the case, note the second number, subtract. It is accurate enough to keep you off the wrong side of a limit.
If you are chasing a low number, look at the compact and underseat cases first. They are small because of the box they have to clear, and small is where the light empty weights live.
