I already had the Travelpro 20 carryon, which I had bought for international travel, but it was too small for longer domestic trips. Enter the Maxlite 5 21 carryon. If you think the difference in size is only about 1, read on:

When deciding to purchase a carryon, its important to distinguish the difference between overall size and case size, as this bag is actually 2 taller than the international model - its also 1 deeper. That may not seem like a lot but this bag carrries 46 liters in volume, up a full 5 liters from the smaller bag. Its also lighter: my little international carryon weighs in @ 6.7 pounds (its a maxlite 4,) and this puppy weighs in at a mere 5.4 pounds.

This bag has a large outer pocket as well as a smaller compartment. The inside has a full-size zippable mesh pocket as well as a side pocket for odds and ends. The handle is comfortable and extends to 4 positions, (only the two taller positions lock fully in place, ie both lock up as well as down,) and for easy handling there are two cushioned handles, one at the top and one on the side. In addition, the bag is expandable - nice, because we always seem to come home with more than we started with.

Even though this bag is ridiculously light, it seems sturdy enough, and my experience with TravelPro is their bags last. By the way, TravelPro has it down with their wheels, which are small and unbelievebly maneuverable. I was tempted to get the 25 rollaboard for the extra space, but in the end didnt, because that model only has two wheels. Im done with two wheelers - just not as easy to handle. These 4 wheelers have spoiled me.

I believe Travel Pro makes the best bags for the money. They are of a quality build and are well designed. I used buy Victorinox exclusively. No longer: These come very close to that level of quality for a fraction of the price.