Posted by ALTAIR Redaktion
on October 03, 2026
Anyone looking for a high-quality suitcase eventually faces the fundamental question: aluminum or polycarbonate? Both materials have their place — but they age, protect and feel completely different. Here is the comparison without the marketing haze.
Durability: dent or crack?
The decisive difference shows on impact. Polycarbonate absorbs blows elastically at first — until the material fatigues. Then it cracks, often at the corners, and a crack usually means the end of the case. Aluminum deforms instead: it takes dents but does not break. An aluminum case with dents stays fully functional and sealed — many frequent flyers even wear their dents with pride as patina.
Security: the zipper is the weak point
Most polycarbonate cases close with a zipper — and a zipper can be pushed open with a simple ballpoint pen in seconds, leaving no trace. An aluminum case like the Altair Original Cabin does without zippers entirely: the surrounding frame with two TSA-approved metal locks cannot be opened unnoticed. For anything valuable, that is a difference in kind.
Weight: the point for polycarbonate
Here the plastic wins: polycarbonate cabin cases often weigh under 3 kg, aluminum typically 4 to 5 kg. With an 8 kg limit there is still enough room — and if you count every gram, you compensate with a light packing system rather than a thin shell.
Sealing and protection of the contents
An aluminum frame case closes onto a gasket — rain on the apron, spilled drinks in the hold or dust stay outside. Zippers are never fully sealed by design. Against pressure in a crammed hold, too, the metal shell keeps its shape and protects a camera, laptop or suits more reliably.
Price and lifespan: the honest math
Aluminum cases cost more — to buy. Calculated over their lifespan the picture reverses: where polycarbonate is replaced after a few years of intensive use, an aluminum case accompanies its owner for decades. That is why we give every Altair case a lifetime warranty — with a material that cracks, we could not.
Which case is right for whom?
- Polycarbonate, if every gram counts and the case is allowed to be a consumable.
- Aluminum, if you value security, a proper seal and an object that looks better with the years instead of worse — and that you want to buy only once.
Our tip: do not count in purchase price but in cost per trip. Over ten years the aluminum case is almost always the cheaper choice.
