How to select THE BEST Carry on Luggage

Traveling with only carry on luggage will save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars over a lifetime of travel. Unlike checked in baggage, carry on luggage is in most cases complimentary! That means all you have to pay for is the base price of the airline ticket, allowing you to select any budget carrier you wish #winning. The art is in choosing the best carry on bag so that you no longer need to pay for checked in luggage.

Carry On Luggage Rules

What to consider when purchasing a carry on bag:

Carry On Luggage Size

While it would be extremely convenient for there to be uniform carry on luggage size rules, unfortunately, the carry on luggage size rules differs from airline to airline. Therefore, it is important to check your airlines policy before selecting a carry on bag that is right for you. Travel Made Simple has created a super helpful list of carry on luggage policies of over 150 Airlines.

When purchasing a carry on bag, ask yourself, are you loyal to a particular carrier or do you travel with a lot of different airlines. If you are generally carrier loyal, it is best to buy a carry on bag within their size restrictions. If you are not, we suggest a carry on size of around 22 inches high x 9 inches deep x 14 inches wide. Most American Airlines use these dimensions for their carry on luggage rules.

In saying this, despite all airlines formally having different carry on size rules, no-one is going to get out a ruler and measure to see if your bag is exactly to specification. If it looks like a carry on bag, you will most likely be okay. In all our years traveling, we have also never been made to place our carry on bag into the airline holder to see if it fits. However, we have seen people testing their carry on bag right in front of the check in counter!!! If you think there is even a slim possibility your bag does not fit the holder, do not check your bag in the holder at the airport, you will just attract unwanted attention and you may potentially be required to test your bag in front of airline staff.

Carry On Luggage Weight

The most important part of a carry on is actually the weight, not the size (so long as it looks like a carry on bag!). It is therefore, very important to select a carry on bag that is lightweight to maximise your carry on weight. Again, annoyingly, the weight of carry on bags vary from airline to airline. As a rule of thumb, most airlines offer at least 15 lbs (7 kg) in a carry on bag. Skyscanner, our preferred flight comparison tool, has realised a Cabin Baggage Guide which contains a list of a number of carriers weight policies.

If you are in a gambling mood, more often than not, airlines do not weigh your carry on luggage and you can get away with more than the allocated weight. This is particularly true in places where you are able to print your boarding pass before arrival and proceed straight to security, bypassing the check in desk. However, this is risky business and you need to ensure that you know your carrier well before executing this strategy as low cost carriers including Jetstar in Asia do not allow you to print your boarding pass before arrival and weigh your carry on bags at the counter.

Unless you like to live dangerously, we highly recommend purchasing a baggage weigher. They have literally saved us a lot of agony at last minute at the check in desk. There is nothing more embarrassing/inconvenient than trying to rearrange overweight baggage last minute at the check in desk, trying to figure out if you can really wear another jacket to get your bags down to the specified weight. These godsend devices have saved our lives on numerous occasions. They have also saved us worrying the night before a flight about how much our bags might weigh at the check in counter.

Duffel Bags as carry on luggage

We are particular fans of using the Duffel Bag as carry on luggage. Why? We generally find that you can fit a lot more luggage in a duffel bag than a regular carry on suitcase. They also can be manipulated to fit pretty much any carry on luggage dimension requirement with enough pushing and shoving. Duffel bags without wheels are definitely the most weight effective. However, 15 lbs (7 kg) on your shoulder can take a toll and this option is definitely only for the true clothes horse (or their boyfriend or husband hehe).

Positives of Duffel Bags as Carry on Luggage

We find that you can squeeze a lot more into a duffel bag than a regular carry on suitcase.
Usually, duffel bags weigh less than a carry on suitcase.
As they are soft, you can usually manipulate them to fit any carry on requirements with enough pushing & shoving.

Negatives of Duffel Bags as Carry on Luggage

They can be more effort to carry around as usually the wheels (if any) are not as good quality as a carry on suitcase.
The contents of the bag have more chance of being damaged due to soft nature of bag.

Backpacks as carry on luggage

Backpacks can also be a great option as carry on luggage. The main problem we find with backpacks is that they are usually not as expandable as a duffel bag and therefore, you can fit less items in them. One trick with backpacks is that often airlines let you also take a ‘personal bag’ onboard on top of your usual carry on luggage allowance. This is meant to be a small laptop bag, a handbag or a small backpack. In saying that, provided you don’t place too many items in your usual size backpack, we have never had an airline pull us up on having an extra backpack with our laptop in it. We prefer to travel with a backpack as well as a duffel bag or carry on suitcase for use on day trips once we arrive at our destination.

Positives of Backpacks as Carry on Luggage

Usually, backpacks weigh less than a carry on suitcase.
As they are soft, you can usually manipulate them to fit any carry on requirements with enough pushing & shoving.

Negatives of Backpacks as Carry on luggage

Generally, they provide less space for clothes than a duffel bag
Backpacks can be more effort to carry around as usually wheels (if any) are not of as good quality as a carry on suitcase.
The contents of the bag have more chance of being damaged due to soft nature of bag.

Suitcases as carry on luggage

Carry on suitcases are by far the best form of carry on luggage for ease of travel and for the protection of your belongings. Wheeling a carry on suitcase is far easier than even the best duffel bags or backpacks with wheels. The main negative of suitcases as carry on luggage is that they usually weigh more due to the protective casing & the wheels, meaning you can put less items in the bag to be within your airline weight requirement.

Positives of Suitcases as Carry on Luggage

Much easier to transport than a duffel bag or backpack due to the wheel function.
A lot better protection for your belonging than a duffel bag or backpack.
Great for luxury or business travel where keeping your belongings crease free is a necessity.

Negatives of Suitcases as Carry on Luggage

Generally less space than a duffel bag (and potentially a backpack) due to increased weight of the protective casing, handle and wheels.

The 10 Best Carry on Luggage on Amazon

We have poured through hundreds of Amazon reviews to find the 10 Best Carry on Bags currently listed on Amazon. We love Amazon because not only are purchases one click away but your purchase is safeguarded by the many reviews on the product which you will not find in a bricks & mortar luggage store. We also find that the prices on Amazon are pretty great too!

1. Shacke’s Carry On Duffel Bag ($)

19.5″ x 9″ x 13.5″ | 2.2 lbs | $29.95

What we love about this bag: We love that it has an extra compartment for your shoes (so they don’t have to be in the same area as your clothes). For such a well reviewed bag, the price is also great at only $29.95.

Amazon Review: This bag is just what I needed, I was so tired of my small sports bag wrinkling all my cloths. I actually had researched bags for over 2 months I wanted a bag not to big but big enough to hold all my toiletries, cloths without wrinkling, and separate shoe holding location. I thought this bag would be to small but decided to take a chance, and this bag was IT fricken perfect.