To Carry-On, Or Not to Carry-On: Make the Most of Your Carry-On Bags

Packing for your next big trip is often a big hassle for many reasons. First, knowing what to bring can be a real hair-pulling experience, especially if you’re trying to pack light. Bringing only a few bags helps you maximize space and reduce your travel expenses. If you’re clever enough, you could even get away with just bringing carry on luggage stored in an overhead compartment.

Furthermore, keeping all your travel gear in one bag is a huge benefit, whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure. There will be no more waiting around the luggage carousel for your bag to roll around. Instead, you can just grab your bag, walk out of the airplane, and get going with minimal delay. That’s a massive benefit for anyone who lives an on-the-go lifestyle.

The following information and tips will help you keep all your travel gear in one bag, make it easier to pack properly and ensure you meet your airline’s carry-on luggage requirements with ease.

Understand Carry-On Luggage Bag Size Requirements

Before you start packing your carry-on bags, it’s important to know this important fact: there’s no one-size-fits-all rule for carry-on luggage. Every airline has different rules and regulations for in-hand bags. These guidelines include limitations on maximum size, weight, and personal item size.

So, before you start planning ways to maximize space in your plane’s overhead compartment, it’s important to check out a few of these guidelines to ensure that you follow them closely. Some airlines allow far more than others, so whether you’re traveling solo or going with your family, limit your carry-on gear with these rules (all sizes are in inches):

• American Airlines: Total Size: 22 x 14 x 9. Personal Item Size: 18 x 14 x 8.
• British Airways: Total Size: 22 x 18 x 10 inches. Weight: 51 pounds. Personal Item Size: 16 x 12 x 6.
• Delta Airlines: Total Size: 22 x 14 x 9. Weight: Varies by route.
• Frontier: Total Size: 24 x 16 x 10. Weight: 35 pounds. Personal Item Size: 18 x 14 x 8.
• ITA Airways: Total Size: 21.7 x 13.8 x 9.9. Weight: 17.6 pounds. Personal Item Size: 17.7 x 14.2 x 7.9.
• Qatar Airways: Total Size: 22 x 14 x 9. Weight: 15 pounds economy, 33 pounds business.
• Southwest Airlines: Total Size: 24 x 16 x 10. Personal Item Size: 16.25 x 13.5 x 8.
• Spirit Airlines: Total Size: 22 x 18 x 10. Personal Item Size: 18 x 14 x 8 (Bare Fare).

What to Do When Carry-On Bags Are Too Big

If your carry-on bags are close to these maximum sizes or slightly over, it’s important to talk with your airline before assuming your carry-on luggage is safe to bring. If it can’t fit into your overhead compartment, you might pay a baggage fee. That’s true even if your bag is just one inch too big or if it weighs too much to fit into the compartment, even as you maximize space.

Unfortunately, this means that all your hard work packing a light bag and trying to save space could cost you extra money anyway. That’s really frustrating if you’ve worked hard to save money on your trip, including making sure to reserve a parking spot ahead of time. By following these carry-on guidelines, you can ensure you save significantly on your travel expenses.

How Much You Save Having Carry-On Luggage

Bringing just a handful of carry-on bags on your next trip will save you on baggage check fees. The cash you save varies based on a few different factors. First, each airline has varying luggage fees that almost always go up with each new piece you bring with you. One exception is Southwest, which charges nothing for the first two bags but $125 for each item after the second.

Generally, though, companies charge using a pattern like American’s: $40 for the first bag, $45 for the second, and $150 for the third. Such fees try to incentivize travelers to bring two pieces of luggage or less on their trips. Furthermore, they may charge oversized fees for bags that are over 50 pounds and 62 inches in size. These extra expenses are often as high as $200 or more.

So, if you’re trying to save money by booking basic economy fares or other similar tricks, it’s critical to maximize space in your overhead compartment by bringing carry-on luggage. Just think of the money you could save if your four-person family limited themselves to just one carry-on bag per trip. That’s potentially hundreds of dollars in savings for your vacation!

Best Features for Your Carry-On Bags

The best flying hacks often include seeking out the best carry-on luggage features for your bags. Each of these unique elements impacts price, storage capacity, and total size. As a result, it’s important to consider them very carefully before investing in your new luggage:

• Size and Capacity: Research the appropriate size, weight, and capacity for your carry-on luggage and try to buy a bag that meets these requirements. Doing so can help you maximize space and ensure your carry-on bags fit in your airplane’s overhead compartment.
• Hard or Soft Shell: A hard shell bag typically protects your gear more successfully but has difficulty fitting in tight spaces. By contrast, soft shells can squeeze more easily into overhead bins but don’t protect your items nearly as well. It’s a balance to keep in mind.
• Wheels: A good carry-on bag probably doesn’t need wheels because it should be small and light enough to easily carry. However, wheels can make bigger bags a little more manageable, albeit difficult with limited overhead space.
• Expandable: An expandable overhead bag seems nice in theory but often leads to overpacking a bag. It could also make your bag a little too big for overhead compartments. If you do buy an expandable bag, make sure you’re careful about how you pack it for your trips.

Other features to consider include grab handles, pockets, compression straps, rain covers, USB chargers, luggage trackers, and tag pockets. All these extra items add value (and cost) to your bag but could also make it bulkier and harder to fit on the plane.

Packing Tips for Carry-On Luggage

Make sure you know how to pack your carry-on luggage properly. Getting everything you need into your bag can seem like a minor miracle, but if you follow our packing tips, it should be easier:

• Measure Your Bag: To ensure that your bag fits most travel constraints, it should be no bigger than 22 x 14 x 9 inches. If it’s even a little bigger, consider using a new bag.
• Create a Packing List: Sit down and create a list detailing everything you need to bring with you. Toiletries, clothing, money, and everything else required should be added.
• Eliminate Unnecessary Items: Okay, now start removing things you don’t need to bring, such as books and even extra clothing items: stick to your daily requirements instead.
• Wear Clothes You Want to Bring: Layer up your clothing, including wearing jackets, sweatpants, and other bulky items that will fill up your bag and take up too much space.
• Use Sample Sizes: Buy small sample packets of shampoo, toothpaste, and other essential items and pack them in small, rigid plastic containers to save room.
• Fold Vertically: Use the KonMari folding method to ensure that your clothes all fit into your carry-on bag. This technique is a powerful tool that can transform your travel.

When to Choose Carry-On Backpack and Duffle Bags

In recent years, fliers have worked to maximize space in an overhead compartment while traveling by using backpacks and duffel bags for their trips. Backpacks and duffel bags are often compact, designed for more accessible travel, easy to carry, comfortable to wear, and flexible enough to store in most compartments. They work very well as carry-on bags for many people.

That said, they do have some limitations. Unlike other carry-on luggage, they rarely have great security protection. As a result, you must keep them close at hand constantly to avoid potential robbery. They’re also not waterproof and usually lack strong exterior protection. As a result, your stuff could get “squished” during travel or even damaged if you aren’t careful enough.

However, clever packing with strong protective gear (even something as simple as a plastic container) can help make backpacks and duffel bags excellent travel choices. Often, they’re perfect for busy summer travel destinations because they keep everything close at all times.

What To Put On Your Carry-On Luggage Name Tag

Name tags for your carry-on bags are essential for your trip, no matter where you’re going. They’re small enough that they let you maximize the space in your overhead compartment quite easily. Just as importantly, they make it easier for people to get them back to you if they’re misplaced. That’s a big deal for frequent travelers! Make sure your luggage tag includes your:

• Name: You can either write your full name (first and last specifically) or an initial and surname combination, such as putting L. James instead of LeBron James.
• Email Address: Don’t use your personal email here. Instead, use a specialized travel email you only use to track your bags. This step minimizes security risks.
• Secondary Mobile Phone Number: Put your phone number on your tag to make it easier for people (or your airline) to call you if your bag ends up getting lost during your travels.

Many travelers get a little too overzealous and add too much information to their bags. Don’t put your home address or home number on the bag. Instead, put specialized, secondary contact information you use only to track your bags. Similarly, when you’re traveling with your children, put your contact information on there and not their names to keep them as safe as possible.

What is the Difference Between Carry-On and a "Personal Item?"

Some discount airlines like Frontier or Spirit charge a fee for a carry-on luggage, but allow a "personal item" for free. What makes my roller bag not my personal item? This distinction exists so people can bring a purse on board. There are also accessibility implications as well; an airline wouldn't want to charge a passenger for bringing necessary medical equipment. In any case, the personal item must fit under the seat for take-off and landing as the FAA does not allow airline passengers to hold anything in their laps. By contrast, carry-on luggage is too big for under the seat storage, but does fit in the overhead bin.

Other Benefits of Bringing a Carry-On Bag

While packing an in-hand bag for your trip might seem challenging, the benefits it provides are huge. Put simply, bringing a carry-on bag instead of checked luggage can provide many benefits that go beyond saving you money. Just a few reasons you may like it include:

• Faster Travel: Skipping baggage check-in lets you jump past the ticket counter and get a boarding pass using self-check kiosks and mobile apps.
• Quicker Arrivals: Imagine moving past baggage claims carousels and directly to the airport exit towards your destination. A carry-on bag lets you do just that by reducing the number of bags on your trip.
• Convenient Travel: With a single carry-on bag, you limit yourself to what you can carry and keep your belongings constantly close at hand, no matter where you travel on your trip.

Getting The Most Out of Your Carry-On Experience

Carefully packing your carry-on bags and following all these guidelines can help you maximize space in your overhead compartment, minimize your travel expenses, and reduce your carry-on luggage weight. Even better, you can streamline your family vacation time, letting you and your kids focus more on having fun, relaxing, and experiencing the world together.

Furthermore, by booking with The Parking Spot, you can save yourself even more time and money! We can help you reserve a parking spot, teach you about important parking lot etiquette tips, handle your luggage during your travel, and even provide airport parking coupons. With over 70 locations serving more than 45 airports, we’re here to help you park your car safely.