Cabin Zero Military 44L vs. ILE Default XL

Two carry-on travel backpacks, compared spec for spec.

Cabin Zero Military 44L

Front facing view of the Cabin Zero Military 44L
Capacity44 L
Weight1.05 kg
Dimensions52×36×19 cm
Airline fit81%
Price$125

Feature by feature

Cabin Zero Military 44LFeatureILE Default XL
Storage
Y Compression Y
None Expanded Capacity None
4 Opening 2
N Passport N
N Passthrough N
Carry
Y Backpack Y
removable Hip Belt removable
Y Sternum Strap removable
Inside
15in Laptop 15in
1 Main Compartments 1
N Organizer N
Outside
× Hard Shell ×
N Rain-fly N
N Water Bottle Holder 2
Y Water Resistant Y
Material
1000 Denier nylon fabricDurable Cordura or XPAC Sailcloth exterior

ILE Default XL

Front facing view of the ILE Default XL
Capacity40 L
Weight0 kg
Dimensions55.9×30.5×20.3 cm
Airline fit47%
Price$280

Key differences between the Cabin Zero Military 44L and ILE Default XL

Both have: compression straps, backpack straps, hip belt, laptop sleeve, water resistant.

Which airlines take each bag as a carry-on

We checked both bags against the carry-on size limits of 189 airlines. 87 accept both. 66 accept only the Cabin Zero Military 44L, and 1 accept only the ILE Default XL.

Only the Cabin Zero Military 44L fits

Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Air Baltic, Air Canada, Air Caraibes, Air China, Air Malta, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, All Nipon Airways, ANA, Asiana Airlines, ATA Airlines, Austrian, Azerbaijan Airlines, Blue Air, Brussels Airlines, Bulgaria Air, China Eastern, Czech Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Enter Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Eurowings, Fiji Airways, Flair Air, Gol Linhas Aereas, Iberia, Icelandair, Interjet, Iran Air, Japan Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, Liat Airlines, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, Luxair, Mahan Air, Meridiana Fly, Mesa Airlines, Nordwind Airlines, Norwegian, Pakistan International, Peach, Porter Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines, Ryanair, S7, SAS Scandinavian, Scoot, Shandong Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sun Express, Swiss Int'l Air Lines, TAP Air Portugal, TAROM, Tianjin Airlines (A320 & E190), Tiger Airways, TUI, Turkish Airlines, Ukraine International, VIM Airlines (Closed), Volotea, WestJet, Xiamen.

Only the ILE Default XL fits

Cayman Airways.

Cabin Zero Military 44L vs. ILE Default XL: which should you pack?

The Cabin Zero Military 44L carries 4L more than the ILE Default XL (44L vs. 40L), and the two are closely matched on weight. For carry-on flexibility, the Cabin Zero Military 44L fits 81% of the airlines we track — the higher of the two. If you prioritise packing volume, choose the Cabin Zero Military 44L; if you want to travel lighter, the Cabin Zero Military 44L is the better call.