Published on July 29, 2025 8:10 PM GMT

I fly to a lot of gigs, and I check a bag with my pedalboard.Airlines generally limit checked bags to 50lb, and I'd like to be ableto get as much stuff as possible into that 50lb; how light can asuitcase be?

I'm currently using an old Samsonite clamshell that I found on theside of the road. I like how sturdy it is, but it weighs 12.2lb.That's almost a quarter of my 50lb budget allocated to the case!

It looks like a cheap modern hardshell would be 9lb ($70),saving 3.2lb. That's pretty good, but can we do better?

I did some looking for light options, and as far as I can tellSamsonite is the company making the lightest options by a good margin.They're also very expensive, with current-generation options going for$600at full price. Here are the options I see under 7lb that would fit my23.5" x 17.5" pedalboard:

Samsonite Lite-Shock 75cm, 5.5lb ($403)

Samsonite Cosmolite 3.0 Large Spinner, 5.8lb ($330)

Samsonite C-Lite Large 28", 6.3lb ($355)

Samsonite Firelite 28" Spinner, 6.7lb (discontinued)

Samsonite Proxis Medium Spinner, 6.8lb ($439)

These are all pretty expensive, but I'm going to keep an eye out forused ones. Any other models I should be checking for? Should I beworrying that these suitcases are giving up durability for weight?

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