How we measure a suitcase

Every measurement on this site is taken from the product tag on the case, and it includes the wheels and the handles. That is how airlines measure a case at the gate, so it is how we quote it.

Why our numbers sometimes look bigger than other sellers'

A case measured shell-only, without wheels and handles, reads 3 to 5 cm smaller in depth and height. It is the same case. If you compare our figures against a listing that quotes the shell alone, ours will look larger and will be the one that matches the sizer.

Exterior, interior and capacity

• Exterior is the whole case, wheels and handles included.
• Interior is the usable packing space, which is smaller than the exterior because of the shell, the lining and the wheel housings.
• Capacity in litres is the interior volume. It is the most useful number for deciding how much fits, and the one we put on every size row.

One thing we do not do

We do not state a single axis order across the range, because the tags themselves disagree: some print height first, some print width first. Where a range prints its figures in an unusual order we say so on that range's page rather than silently reordering them.

Weights

Where a tag gives a weight we publish it. Where it does not, we leave it out rather than estimate. A missing kilo figure on a size row means the tag did not carry one.