Travelpro Maxlite 5 Spinner 21” for domestic travel

I’ve never had my carry-on bag scrutinized after 10-12 inter-Europe flights on budget airlines. I find that the gate staff is often too busy getting the plane to take off on time to slow down the line. That doesn’t mean you will never be forced to pay a penalty for a slightly oversized bag. It might happen especially as airlines look for new revenue streams in the future. It’s also possible it’s more likely to happen if you’re getting your boarding pass at the check in desk instead of online.

I did have a Gatwick to Rome flight on Wizz this year and spent about 2 hours in the line to get a boarding pass (printing online/phone costs extra). There was a tour ahead of us where 100% of the tour group members had a giant suitcase above the WizzAir limits. Each individual person argued with the airline staff and at one point the line didn’t move an inch for 30 minutes in a row. It meant we got to the airport more than 2 hours early and had to run through gatwick to catch the flight. Suffice to say, the airlines have plenty of people egregiously trying to break the rules that they might not to bother nickel and diming you over a carry on being 1.8 inches too long or what have you.

What does that mean for you? I would just buy the bag you want and take the small risk of Wizz air or Ryan Air hitting you with a €15 fee or something. If you’re going to be obsessive about it, maybe you want to strictly follow the rules so you never have to think about it. But I will say that having a slightly bigger bag can be helpful, it’s annoying to maneuver packing a bag near its limit of interior volume space.

"*Standard TSA size is 22x14x9”. *"

Actually it's not TSA...each airline determines their own sizing. I would go with the smaller 20" one so you are compliant with carryon regulations for many legacy US airlines. No point in buying a bag too big.

A couple of years ago I was looking for a bag that was lighter than the RS carry on. I was traveling Delta to Paris then connecting on an Air France flight to Milan. A number of folks here had had the experience with Air France where their bags were put into a sizer at the gate. I wanted to avoid that so I strictly went by the measurements.

I also found that it was easier to go by the metric measurements as the inch measurements are often rounded - sometimes rounded up, sometimes down so I was very confused looking at them. The metric measurements are usually on each manufacturer's website.

ALSO, go with the lightest weight bag that will work for you. Some airlines have a weight limit as well.

I wouldn't buy a 23" bag for carryon in the US, knowing that 22" is the maximum. Take a look at Osprey's Ozone bags. They make a 4-wheel spinner that weighs 5 pounds (almost half a pound lighter than the Maxlite) with a 38L capacity. It's 22x14x9. I have an older version of the two-wheeler that weighs 2kg. I have not seen a lighter wheeled bag, and I have looked.
For the intra-European flights, the baggage sizes are all over the map, and you're right to expect to check your bag on those if it's US carryon size.
Two good alternatives to Amazon are Sierra and Macy's, as both carry a broad selection and generally include bag weight. You've already learned to check the dimensions and not be misled by the title.

Our experience last October was our RS rolling Ravenna carryons were acceptable for our Swiss International flight but had to be gate checked for our Swiss domestic flight. The gate agents in Zurich were walking thru the crowd measuring bags. They were doing the same in Milan on the way home but we had checked our bags. It does happen just be aware. The only thing we’re noticing on frequent flights domestically is that both United and Alaska have become very strict on one carryon and one small personnel item. I have not seen them measuring carryons. But expect that in the future considering the amount of people we’re seeing lately trying to cram oversized luggage into the overhead bins.

One of the Maxlite 5 spinners is a 22X14X9 Compact. I purchased this last year and really like it. I haven't checked it, but held up fine on my RS tour, etc. The Compact is true to size, well, it could be slightly less than 22". I fly Delta and BA so I went for the smallest size (Delta), which is 22X14X9. I found the other Maxlite bags didn't follow the rules, mainly too wide as I recall. If someone at the gate is having a bad day, I don't want to be the one having to check my bag because I'm an inch off.

Macy's has the TravelPro Walkabout 6 2-wheeled rollaboard on sale for $120. It's 22x14x9, 5.4 lbs. That's a pretty light bag for that price.

kscrim, I have the Travelpro Maxlite 5 21" spinner and have never had to check it. I've flown on Delta, KLM, Air France, Sun Country and a few other smaller airlines with it, and it has never batted an eye. On my current trip, I flew the second leg on TAROM, a Romanian airline, and it was fine there.

I would suggest not overstuffing it and definitely don't use the expandable zipper. Also keep the weight down. I had my suitcase pretty much filled for my current trip to Romania, but it still only weighed 18.3 lbs, and that's why I love this bag!

My flight from Budaprst to Zadar 2 days ago there were some unhappy folks as more than a dozen bags got measured and most were too large. The gate check fee is about $60 or about the same as the ticket cost.

First time i have ever seen RyanAir measure bags but it was a full flight so maybe they were making sure those that followed the rules would have room for their bags in the overhead. I appreciate that.

I bought my bag the day prior as my usual is a tiny bit too large for RyanAir, and I just had a gut feeling. $30 for a hard spinner at an Asian discount shop. Pretty solid, silly light. It should last a few years.

I think only you can decide.

This is the bag I travel with in a hard-sided and I really like it. I normally check it when I fly domestically (free with my credit card), as I am always going point to point. However on occasion I carry on and American doesn’t blink at it. I almost always check when flying internationally - and I ALWAYS check it when flying the budget European airlines (Ryan, Easy Jet, Wizz, Air Serbia, etc.). So I am not a good data point for domestic carryon (or really, any carryon), but I do like the suitcase. I ordered mine from Amazon and it was quite a bit cheaper than from the Travel Pro website.

I like that it’s expandable. I also have the smaller 19” for international carryon and would love it more if it expanded. But I use it for shorter 1-2 week trips (I am usually gone 1-2 months).

I have the TravelPro Maxlite 5 Expandable 21 inch. I'm carry-on only almost all the time (sometimes I will check when coming home) both domestically and internationally and have never been told I had to check it because of size or weight.

I have not carried it on a budget carrier here or in Europe - the inter-Europe airlines I've flown are the ones affiliated with Delta or United.

I don't expand it unless I'm checking it on the way home.

I have used it for long weekends and for a 2.5 week trip that included a river cruise. If it ever dies, I'll replace it with another one. I've been super happy with it.

Understand that some of the language here isn't precise. There is a distinction between "I had no problem with ...." and "my .... bag conformed with the standards published by the airline."

"I have never been caught" .... does not equal ..... "you will never get caught".

I purchased the smaller Maxlite 5 international spinner for a recent trip to Europe, four flights on Air France on A350s and A320s. My bag didn’t get a second look at any gate, though the width is slightly more than AF’s size limit.

Two caveats: 1, we were flying business class, so that may have had something to do with not being scrutinized. 2, it’s important to check your airline’s size and weight rules; we’ve all seen the horror stories here about overzealous gate agents examining every bag.

I really like the bag (and Travelpro over the years). The size difference compared to the “domestic” version is negligible, the wheels are solid performers, and both bags are expandable. Good bag at a reasonable price.

As someone who is lucky enough to get to fly business class to Europe because the company is paying the bill I will tell you that quite often I could bring on anything I want. Air France Delta Luftanasa BA etc. often if you’re in business, they do not really look at your luggage

And I’ve had the exact opposite experience when I’ve been on the same airlines in coach

I’m looking at 4 wheeled spinner TravelPro Maxlite 5 models and was reading through this thread. From what I have learned, there are the two 21” models: the “compact” which is 38L, 22 x 14 x 9, 5.1 lbs and the I guess you could call it “Regular” 23 x 14.5 x 9, 46L and is 5.4 lbs?

They are both priced the same. I’m just wondering if there is a real advantage to choosing one over the other. Is that extra inch and 8L of volume more important than being exactly within the measurements of the airlines? From some of your responses, it doesn’t seem to be an “to big- can’t carry on” issue with the Regular 21”. The weight seems negligible. Our trips go for less than 10 days. Kscrim, which did you end up choosing?

It would be nice to see them side by side at a store, but I don’t think that they are readily available. Just curious if there’s any more feedback to consider. Thanks all.

They are both priced the same. I’m just wondering if there is a real advantage to choosing one over the other. Is that extra inch and 8L of volume more important than being exactly within the measurements of the airlines?

If flying on foreign airlines the bigger one could be problematic.

For domestic airlines US airlines much less likely to be a problem.

Wife and I have the 'international' ( smaller) size version ( 2 wheel) and seem to be able to get everything in we need.

Following up, I just purchased the compact 21” version (on sale during Amazon prime days) in the interest of carrying on in Europe. It came yesterday, but I may return it. I compared it to my older Walmart carryon, and it is about an inch smaller. Looking at the interior, and there is a lot less space. That 8L really makes a difference!

I think I’m going to switch out for the 21” I was originally considering. It should be comparable to the one I already have that I only have had to check when expanded. If I have to check it for my Europe trip, so be it. At least it will be small and light enough for me to manage on the tour.

Thanks for coming back with an update on your purchase and your feelings about the size. I, too, wonder if that size might be too restrictive. The weight is so close on the two models, so going a bit larger might be the way for me to go, too. Weight is a big factor for me. I have been reading old posts and saw references to a Samsonite Airea 21 in spinner that only weighs 4 lbs. I think Frank II had one. I can only find it through a Canadian online merchant, though, and it’s not clear whether they ship to the US. It looks like a nice case.

Travelpro makes solid products. It’s good that you have been able to decide before your trip. I hope the bigger 21 in works well for you.