61 Pelican, NANUK, SKB, Seahorse and Apache cases, measured on the exterior — which is what the airline measures and what retail listings almost never quote. Pick a case and a carrier for the exact answer, including the hold.
Pick a case to see the verdict.
Every figure here comes from the manufacturer’s own product page, and so does every claim. They do not agree, and we have adjusted neither. Note what this does and does not mean: these cases miss the 22 × 14 × 9 limit that American, Delta, United, Alaska, JetBlue and Hawaiian use. Most still fit Southwest, Frontier, Allegiant or Sun Country, which allow more — so the last column is the useful one.
| Case | Maker says | Maker’s own exterior | Against 22 × 14 × 9 | Carriers it does fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NANUK 918 | Airline Carry On: Yes | 16.9 × 12.9 × 9.3 | 0.3″ over | Southwest, Frontier, Allegiant, Sun Country |
| NANUK 923 | Airline Carry On: Yes | 18.6 × 14.4 × 6.3 | 0.4″ over | Southwest, Frontier, Allegiant, Sun Country |
| NANUK 925 | Airline Carry On: Yes | 18.7 × 14.8 × 7 | 0.8″ over | Southwest, Frontier, Allegiant, Sun Country |
| NANUK 930 | Airline Carry On: Yes | 19.8 × 16 × 7.6 | 2″ over | Southwest, Frontier, Allegiant, Sun Country |
| Seahorse SE540 | allowed as carry-on for all the major airlines | 15 × 12.2 × 9.9 | 0.9″ over | Southwest, Frontier, Allegiant, Sun Country |
Sorted by brand, then size. Exterior is what the airline measures; interior is what the model number and most retail listings quote. Cases are rigid, so a bag within a quarter-inch is marked borderline rather than passing — a hard shell does not squeeze into a sizer the way a duffel does.
| Case | Exterior | Interior | Empty | Cabin | Linear | Maker’s claim |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pelican 1120 | 8.41 × 6.76 × 3.87 | 7.29 × 4.78 × 3.33 | 1.58 lb | Fits | 19.04″ | — |
| Pelican 1150 | 9.44 × 7.8 × 4.29 | 8.29 × 5.79 × 3.75 | 1.61 lb | Fits | 21.53″ | — |
| Pelican 1170 | 11.64 × 8.34 × 3.78 | 10.54 × 6.04 × 3.16 | 2.25 lb | Fits | 23.76″ | — |
| Pelican 1200 | 10.67 × 9.75 × 4.86 | 9.31 × 7.13 × 4.12 | 2.55 lb | Fits | 25.28″ | — |
| Pelican 1300 | 10.7 × 9.76 × 6.89 | 9.17 × 6.99 × 6.15 | 3.1 lb | Fits | 27.35″ | — |
| Pelican 1400 | 13.37 × 11.62 × 6 | 11.81 × 8.87 × 5.18 | 3.97 lb | Fits | 30.99″ | — |
| Pelican 1450 | 16.44 × 13 × 6.82 | 14.66 × 10.24 × 6.12 | 5.51 lb | Fits | 36.26″ | — |
| Pelican 1460 | 20.85 × 12.75 × 12.73 | 18.54 × 10.92 × 9.92 | 8.75 lb | 3.7″ over | 46.33″ | — |
| Pelican 1485 Air | 19.17 × 12.8 × 6.89 | 17.75 × 10.18 × 6.15 | 4.57 lb | Fits | 38.86″ | — |
| Pelican 1500 | 18.5 × 14.06 × 6.93 | 16.75 × 11.18 × 6.12 | 7.13 lb | 0.1″ over | 39.49″ | — |
| Pelican 1507 Air | 16.87 × 14.1 × 9.27 | 15.15 × 11.38 × 8.52 | 7.85 lb | 0.3″ over | 40.24″ | — |
| Pelican 1510 ◯ | 22 × 13.81 × 9 | 19.75 × 11 × 7.6 | 11.99 lb no foam; 13.60 with foam, 14.94 hybrid |
Fits | 44.81″ | maximum airline carry-on size |
| Pelican 1520 | 19.78 × 15.77 × 7.41 | 18.06 × 12.89 × 6.72 | 8.29 lb | 1.8″ over | 42.96″ | — |
| Pelican 1535 Air ◯ | 21.96 × 13.97 × 8.98 | 20.39 × 11.2 × 7.21 | 8.69 lb no foam; 9.98 with foam, 11.91 hybrid |
Fits | 44.91″ | — |
| Pelican 1550 | 20.66 × 17.2 × 8.4 | 18.63 × 14.18 × 7.72 | 10.58 lb | 3.2″ over | 46.26″ | — |
| Pelican 1557 Air | 19.18 × 15.79 × 10.5 | 17.33 × 13 × 9.75 | 6.6 lb | 1.8″ over | 45.47″ | — |
| Pelican 1560 ◯ | 22.07 × 17.92 × 10.42 | 19.92 × 14.98 × 9 | 17 lb no foam; 20.00 with foam |
3.9″ over | 50.41″ | — |
| Pelican 1600 | 24.39 × 19.36 × 8.79 | 21.51 × 16.54 × 7.99 | 13 lb | 5.4″ over | 52.54″ | — |
| Pelican 1610 ◯ | 24.83 × 19.69 × 11.88 | 21.78 × 16.69 × 10.62 | 19.5 lb no foam; 22.30 with foam |
5.7″ over | 56.4″ | — |
| Pelican 1615 Air ◯ | 32.58 × 18.4 × 11.02 | 29.59 × 15.5 × 9.38 | 14.06 lb | 10.6″ over | 62″ | — |
| Pelican 1620 ◯ | 24.76 × 19.57 × 13.9 | 21.48 × 16.42 × 12.54 | 21.2 lb | 5.6″ over | 58.23″ | — |
| Pelican 1630 ◯ | 31.28 × 24.21 × 17.48 | 27.7 × 20.98 × 15.5 | 31 lb | 10.2″ over | 72.97″ — oversize | — |
| Pelican 1637 Air ◯ | 26.61 × 20.65 × 14.87 | 23.43 × 17.55 × 13.25 | 15.2 lb | 6.7″ over | 62.13″ — oversize | — |
| Pelican 1700 | 38.47 × 16.42 × 6.14 | 35.76 × 13.73 × 5.35 | 15.1 lb | 16.5″ over | 61.03″ | — |
| Pelican 1720 ◯ | 44.48 × 16.07 × 6.25 | 41.8 × 13.58 × 5.33 | 18.25 lb | 22.5″ over | 66.8″ — oversize | — |
| Pelican 1745 Air ◯ | 46.69 × 19.36 × 8.73 | 44.01 × 16.77 × 7.94 | 17.26 lb | 24.7″ over | 74.78″ — oversize | — |
| Pelican 1750 ◯ | 53.6 × 16.05 × 6.13 | 50.38 × 13.33 × 5.33 | 21 lb | 31.6″ over | 75.78″ — oversize | — |
| NANUK 903 | 9.1 × 6.8 × 3.8 | 7.4 × 4.9 × 3.1 | 1.3 lb | Fits | 19.7″ | Airline Carry On: Yes |
| NANUK 905 | 12.5 × 10.1 × 6 | 9.4 × 7.4 × 5.5 | 3.3 lb | Fits | 28.6″ | Airline Carry On: Yes |
| NANUK 909 | 12.6 × 9 × 4.4 | 11.4 × 7 × 3.7 | 2.16 lb | Fits | 26″ | Airline Carry On: Yes |
| NANUK 910 | 14.3 × 11.1 × 4.7 | 13.2 × 9.2 × 4.1 | 3 lb | Fits | 30.1″ | Airline Carry On: Yes |
| NANUK 915 | 15.8 × 12.1 × 6.8 | 13.8 × 9.3 × 6.2 | 4.4 lb | Fits | 34.7″ | Airline Carry On: Yes |
| NANUK 918 | 16.9 × 12.9 × 9.3 | 14.9 × 9.8 × 8.6 | 6.4 lb | 0.3″ over | 39.1″ | Airline Carry On: Yes |
| NANUK 920 | 16.7 × 13.4 × 6.8 | 15 × 10.5 × 6.2 | 5.1 lb | Fits | 36.9″ | Airline Carry On: Yes |
| NANUK 923 | 18.6 × 14.4 × 6.3 | 16.7 × 11.3 × 5.7 | 6.1 lb | 0.4″ over | 39.3″ | Airline Carry On: Yes |
| NANUK 925 | 18.7 × 14.8 × 7 | 17 × 11.8 × 6.4 | 6.2 lb | 0.8″ over | 40.5″ | Airline Carry On: Yes |
| NANUK 930 | 19.8 × 16 × 7.6 | 18 × 13 × 6.9 | 7.1 lb | 2″ over | 43.4″ | Airline Carry On: Yes |
| NANUK 935 ◯ | 22 × 14 × 9 | 20.5 × 11.3 × 7.5 | 11.6 lb | Fits | 45″ | Airline Carry On: Yes |
| NANUK 940 | 21.7 × 16.9 × 8.5 | 20 × 14 × 8 | 8.4 lb | 2.9″ over | 47.1″ | Airline Carry On: No |
| NANUK 945 | 25.1 × 19.9 × 8.8 | 22 × 17 × 8.2 | 10.6 lb | 5.9″ over | 53.8″ | Airline Carry On: No |
| NANUK 960 ◯ | 25.4 × 20 × 14.5 | 22 × 17 × 12.9 | 19.2 lb | 6″ over | 59.9″ | Airline Carry On: No |
| NANUK 963 ◯ | 32.5 × 21 × 12.3 | 29 × 18 × 10.6 | 22.5 lb | 10.5″ over | 65.8″ — oversize | Airline Carry On: No |
| SKB 3i-2011-7 ◯ | 21.89 × 13.75 × 9 | 20.375 × 11.5 × 7 | 11.2 lb | Fits | 44.64″ | Airline carry-on size approved. |
| SKB 3i-2011-8 | 22 × 14 × 9 | 20.5 × 11.5 × 8 | 7.97 lb | Fits | 45″ | Airline carry-on size approved. |
| SKB 3i-1610-10 | 17.38 × 12.54 × 11.68 | 16 × 10 × 10 | 7.26 lb | 2.7″ over | 41.6″ | — |
| SKB 3i-1813-7 | 19.69 × 15.19 × 7.71 | 18.5 × 13 × 7 | 7.71 lb | 1.2″ over | 42.59″ | — |
| SKB 3i-2015-7 | 22.22 × 17.98 × 8.32 | 20.5 × 15.375 × 7.375 | 9.27 lb | 4″ over | 48.52″ | — |
| SKB 3i-2217-8 | 24.32 × 19.5 × 8.88 | 22 × 17 × 7.875 | 11.12 lb | 5.5″ over | 52.7″ | — |
| SKB 3i-2918-10 ◯ | 31.75 × 20.75 × 12.5 | 29 × 18 × 10.8 | 22.13 lb | 9.8″ over | 65″ — oversize | — |
| Seahorse SE300 | 10.7 × 9.8 × 4.8 | 9.5 × 7.1 × 4.1 | 2.55 lb | Fits | 25.3″ | allowed as carry-on for all the major airlines |
| Seahorse SE430 | 13.6 × 10.7 × 6.3 | 11.1 × 8.2 × 5.6 | 3.65 lb | Fits | 30.6″ | allowed as carry-on for all the major airlines |
| Seahorse SE520 | 15.2 × 12.1 × 6.7 | 13.5 × 9.7 × 6 | 5.05 lb | Fits | 34″ | allowed as carry-on for all the major airlines |
| Seahorse SE540 | 15 × 12.2 × 9.9 | 13.5 × 9.8 × 8.8 | 6.45 lb | 0.9″ over | 37.1″ | allowed as carry-on for all the major airlines |
| Seahorse SE630 | 17.3 × 14.2 × 7.4 | 15.8 × 11.6 × 6.7 | 6.8 lb | 0.2″ over | 38.9″ | recommended for specific airlines |
| Seahorse SE720 | 20.2 × 15.7 × 7.8 | 18.3 × 13.2 × 6.7 | 8.1 lb | 1.7″ over | 43.7″ | recommended for specific airlines |
| Seahorse SE920 ◯ | 24.1 × 16.1 × 10.2 | 22 × 13.5 × 8.5 | 12.8 lb | 2.1″ over | 50.4″ | — |
| Apache 1800 | 9.25 × 7.5 × 4.375 | 8.125 × 5.625 × 3.75 | 2.05 lb | Fits | 21.13″ | — |
| Apache 2800 | 13.5 × 11.375 × 6 | 11.875 × 9 × 5.3125 | 3.96 lb shipping weight, not empty case |
Fits | 30.88″ | — |
| Apache 3800 | 16.5 × 13 × 6.75 | 14.875 × 10.625 × 6.125 | 5.95 lb shipping weight, not empty case |
Fits | 36.25″ | — |
| Apache 4800 | 20.3125 × 15.5 × 7.375 | 17.875 × 12.875 × 6.625 | 10.34 lb shipping weight, not empty case |
1.5″ over | 43.19″ | — |
| Apache 5800 ◯ | 21.875 × 13.75 × 9 | 20.25 × 11.375 × 5.6875 | 15.39 lb | Fits | 44.63″ | designed to fit most airline size requirements |
Pelican 1500, Pelican 1510, Pelican 1535 Air, NANUK 935, SKB 3i-2011-7, SKB 3i-2011-8, Seahorse SE630, Apache 5800 are published at or within a twentieth of an inch of the limit. No manufacturer here states whether its quoted exterior includes the wheels, feet, latches or handle housing — and for a wheeled case measured against a sizer, that is the difference between fitting and not. We are flagging it rather than resolving it, because none of them publishes the answer.
Not 50. A 45 lb case that flies free on every other US carrier costs $75 on Frontier. An empty Pelican 1610 with foam is 22.3 lb, so you have 17.7 lb of gear before the fee starts.
Which is the point at which Delta, Southwest, JetBlue, Breeze and Sun Country refuse the bag entirely. Fly a big case out on Allegiant and back on Delta and the return leg is the problem.
It holds for American. For Delta, Southwest, JetBlue, Breeze and Sun Country the cliff is 80 linear inches, at any price. Internationally the binding figure is weight: 32 kg, about 70 lb, thirty pounds below the US ceiling.
American, Delta and Frontier publish that loose lithium batteries and power banks are carry-on only, never the hold, with a hard 160 Wh ceiling. A drone case that passes every size and weight test here still cannot be checked with its batteries in it. Airline’s own wordsDelta
On its exterior figure, yes — just. Pelican publishes 22 x 13.81 x 9 inches and calls it "the maximum airline carry-on size", with its own caveat to check with your airline. That is zero clearance against the 22 x 14 x 9 standard on two of three axes, on a rigid case that cannot compress into a sizer. It fits Southwest, Frontier, Allegiant and Sun Country with room to spare because those carriers allow more. It does not fit United’s personal item, and on any carrier it is the kind of bag a gate agent can measure and reject.
The outside, every time. This is the single most common way people get caught out with protective cases, because the model number and most retail listings quote the INTERIOR. An SKB 3i-2011-7 is named for a 20 x 11 x 7 inch interior and has a 21.89 x 13.75 x 9 inch exterior. A Pelican 1510’s interior is 19.75 x 11 x 7.6 — over two inches smaller on two axes than the case you actually hand over.
Not always, and the manufacturer’s own figures sometimes say so. 5 of the 61 cases here carry a carry-on claim that the exterior printed on the same page contradicts. NANUK marks its 930 "Airline Carry On: Yes" at 19.8 x 16 x 7.6 inches — two inches over the standard on width, in a rigid shell, which no orientation fixes. We list the claim and the measurement side by side and let you judge.
More than people expect, and it is usually what fails rather than the size. A Pelican 1610 with foam is 22.3 lb empty against a 50 lb checked allowance — 45% gone before anything goes in. On Frontier, whose free checked allowance is 40 lb rather than 50, it is well over half. Three US carriers also cap carry-on weight at 35 lb, and a foam-equipped 1510 is 13.6 lb of that.
Usually not as packed. American, Delta and Frontier all publish that loose lithium batteries and power banks are carry-on only and prohibited from the hold, with an absolute ceiling of 160 watt-hours above which the battery flies on no passenger aircraft at all. American states it plainly for drones: the batteries must be removed and carried in the cabin, and the drone body can then go in the hold with no battery installed. A case can pass every size and weight test here and still be refused for the hold on that basis.
Size ceilings are lower than the commonly quoted figure. "115 linear inches" holds for American, but Delta, Southwest, JetBlue, Breeze and Sun Country refuse anything over 80 linear inches outright, at any price. On that 80 inch cliff the Pelican 1750 (75.8 in), 1745 Air (74.8 in) and 1630 (73.0 in) still make it; nothing in this list does not. Internationally the binding limit is weight, not size — 32 kg, about 70 lb, thirty pounds below the US ceiling.
Manufacturers publish dimensions inconsistently, and a “20-inch” spinner is almost never 20 inches once you count the wheels. Where a brand states dimensions including wheels and handles, that’s the number we use. Where it only publishes the case, we say so on the card. Airlines measure the outside of your bag — wheels, handles, straps and all. Anything marked borderline is down to the gate agent, and remember that a soft bag squashes into a sizer while a hard shell won’t.
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Limits verified October 2026 against each carrier’s published policy. Airlines change these without notice — always confirm before you fly. Spirit Airlines ceased operations on 2 May 2026 and is no longer listed.
Airline Bag Size Checker v1.0.19 · last updated 2026-10-20