Monos Aluminum Carry-On

The redesigned Monos Aluminum Carry-On holds 34 litres, down from just under 40. It weighs 11 lb, measures 22.2 by 14.2 by 9.3 inches, and costs $695.

Losing six litres is deliberate. Carry-on allowances are not one number. North American carriers are generous, most of Europe is tighter, and a regional turboprop will take the bag off you at the gate whatever the website said. A 40 litre aluminium case fits until the one flight where it does not, at which point $695 of anodised metal disappears down a conveyor into a hold it was never built for. Thirty-four litres buys compliance across more of the world, and the trade is that you pack less.

The shell is a custom 5ZCT3 alloy at 0.9 mm, anodised and electroplated with a brushed finish. Aluminium luggage is a particular taste. It weighs more than polycarbonate, costs more, does not crack, and dents on the first trip and every trip after. People who love it love it for the dents, which is to say they like watching an object collect a record of where it has been. Anyone who does not should buy something moulded.

Eleven pounds empty is the real cost. On a 7 kg cabin allowance, which several airlines in Asia enforce with scales, you have spent 5 kg before packing a sock.