Ryan Air carry on policy, trying to find an eligible bag

" Did Ryan do this just to screw a bunch of customers at check in with extra fees?"

Basically. You can buy a new bag that meets their requirements, or just pay to check a bag. If you pay online BEFORE you get to the airport, it's not only cheaper than paying at the airport, but probably cheaper than buying a new bag, unless you plan to take a lot of Ryanair flights (and hope they do not change their rules again).

Ryan is notorious for extra fees - not just bag fees, check-in fees, etc. They make most of their revenue from extra fees. I would just check it or fly another airline and be done with it. Remember, this is the airline that floated the idea of charging to use the water closet.

We flew Ryan Air and liked them, thought they were very good. At the time, and maybe still, they had the safest flying record in the industry. We had no add on fees as we read and followed their rules. Many airlines have followed in their footsteps, WOW (which we just flew r/t SFO-CDG) and Norwegian, just to name two. Safe and low price is good in my book.

Check out Ebags.com for a 20cm bag.

You know that Ryan Air notoriously lists destinations as major cities but the airports they use are further away, for example, Paris destination is actually in Beauvais?

With Ryan Air, and any budget airline in Europe, my advice is the same. Do not worry so much about size, it will be the weight that gets you and the number of items you wish to bring.

In the US, we seem to ignore carryon weight, if it crams through the xray, it is fine, then also bring a daypack, a purse, or carry a shopping bag.

Europe is different. For RyanAir, the checked item has to be of the size stated, but you also need to be under 22 lbs, tough to do for a multi country trip, especially if you pick up a few things along the way. You can also have an item of "hand baggage", but this is not a daypack, but a small purse or other similar item.

As for enforcement, my experience is that in the UK, Ireland, and Germany, it is strictly enforced, either before security or at the gate. The further South, enforcement is less strict. I would not count on this, and other's experience was likely different.

So what to do? Find a bag that works for you and holds the things you need, plus some spare room for souvenirs. If it is larger than the requirements and fully packed (with your daypack inside) is over 15 pounds, then just plan on paying for a checked bag! They are not trying to rip you off, they are offering those that can live with the strict limits and booking far in advance a dirt cheap ticket. For you as a tourist, paying for a bag is typical, and you are still getting a dirt cheap ticket with the baggage cost, why risk it?

"....The only people complaining about Ryan Air are those who can't get with the times..."

Not at all. I dislike Ryanair for their cheapness, their sell, sell, sell approach, their hidden fees (although they have been made to be more upfront about these), their disdain for their passengers, their poor employment record, their habit of flying on minimal fuel and the number of occasions where they've had to request immediate landing due to this policy (one day it's going to go terribly wrong) and their habit of landing at airports miles from the implied destination.

People like them because they're cheap, pure and simple. They are not an airline that others should aspire to emulate.

You say you can't find a bag. That's like saying I can't find a hotel and I'm not going to tell you where I am going.

Do you want a hand bag, convertible bag, wheeled bag, spinner, tote bag, packable bag, etc. How about telling us what you want in a bag and we can help make suggestions--wheels/no wheels. roller/spinner, backpack straps, etc.

There are plenty of "bags" that meet Ryanair's dimensions you just have to be more specific.

To start, look at Eagle Creek International Carry Ons. There are a few of them and most meet Ryanair's dimensions.

Ryanair have improved over the past 5 years. They clearly state where they fly into. They are cheap for a reason - they are no frills, but they are generally on time and safe. A bargain if you book months in advance.

There are dozens of bags available in Europe that comply with Ryanair's size policy. Most customers are European, not American and they have no issues complying.

If the flight isn't full, they may be more flexible on size. Ryanair have a weight limit of 10kg, which is often as much of an issue as size. Ryanair also permit another small piece of hand luggage - few others offer that.

Vueling is another European budget airline. Their bag sizes and weight are the same as Ryanair but without the extra small piece. Thomas Cook is the same as Ryanair but with a 6kg limit.

Easyjet allow larger bags and have no weight limit, but handbags must fit into the hand luggage. The last twice I have flown with them with hand luggage only, as too many people were taking on hand luggage, they insisted that my case go into the hold (at no extra cost).

Even major international airlines such as Qatar have a 50x37x25 limit with a weight of only 7kg and Emirates use 55x38x20 and a 7kg weight limit.

My Samsonite hand luggage is 2.7 kg empty. It's easy to get above 7 or even 10 kg.

Bags are expensive to buy. Unless you are taking lots of flights, it's probably cheaper just to check it in than buy a new bag.

I usually have a soft bag as a carry-on when flying budget airlines, such as Ryanair, Easyjet or Wizz Air. They check the size of your bag by asking you to put it into a metal frame that corresponds to the maximum bag size. A soft bag will fit inside nicely, even if somewhat larger than their limit, as long as it's not absolutely stuffed.

Ryan air actually have a larger bag size than Emirates, they also allow an extra small under seat bag in addition to the main carry on bag.
Remember you are not in the US and many other things will be quite different too.
Ryanair have much improved their service and their image over the last few years and I for one am happy to fly them.
you might get away with a slightly larger bag but I would not bet on it, your larger bag means a bit less room for someone else that has stuck to Ryanair rules.