How We Measure Luggage

Every measurement on this site includes the wheels and the handle.

That sounds like a small thing. It isn't. Airlines measure your case the way it actually sits in the sizer — wheels, feet, handle housing and all. Plenty of luggage is advertised by its body only, which is how a case sold as 55cm turns out to be 57cm at the gate and costs you £60.

So when we say a case is 55cm tall, we mean the whole object, standing on the floor, as you would put it in the sizer.

How to measure a case yourself

Stand it upright on a flat floor, handle fully down. Then measure:

• Height — floor to the very top, including the wheels underneath and the handle housing on top.
• Width — the widest point across the front, including any side handles that stick out.
• Depth — front to back at the deepest point, including the wheels if they sit proud of the shell.

Use a tape measure against a wall rather than laying the case down — it's easier to keep the line straight, and soft cases sag when they're flat.

If your case expands

Expandable cases have two depths: packed normally, and with the expansion opened. We list the unexpanded figure, because that's the one that has to pass. Open the expander on the way home, not on the way out.

Litres are not a measurement

Capacity in litres tells you roughly how much a case swallows. It doesn't tell you whether it fits, and no airline measures in litres. Use capacity to compare cases against each other; use centimetres to decide whether one will board.

Sets are measured individually

Where we sell a set, each case has its own dimensions. We don't publish a combined figure — it wouldn't mean anything.

Every product page lists height, width and depth in centimetres, measured this way. If a number ever looks wrong to you, write to hello@fantana.uk and we'll go and measure it again.