Wheeled carry on bag for RYANAIR

I have had no issues carrying on my wheeled Osprey carry on backpack. I use it for 90% of my travels and fly Ryan Air a lot.

As long as it meets the size and weight restrictions, wheels and handle included, they will accept it. But their size is sort of oddball. Anything else is just relying on luck.

Do you want a two wheeled bag or a spinner?

What is your budget?

Ryanair's baggage size limits at 55 x 40 x 20. In the US, most airlines are 56 x 35 x 23.

So finding that exact measurment may be difficult. You may have to compromise a little on one dimension.

Save yourself some stress, when you buy your ticket (or go in and modify your booking) to just buy the "Plus" fare bundle option. That gets you a 20 kilo checked bag, reserved seat, and airport check-in.

If you are on a longer trip, the 10 kilo limit is a ragged edge, that at least I, a light packer, always bump up against, especially if I pick up a thing or two. While I do travel with an active phone, I do like the back up of an airport check-in, and I like to pick my seat. Checking a bag on Ryanair is not a problem, flights are point to point, so little fear of losing a bag.

The only time I have taken the bare bones or regular booking is if I have a home base, and am taking a short trip with just a very small bag with a couple changes of clothes, leaving my larger bag at the base.

Adding on the "Plus" option will increase the price, but the total price will still be a bargain.

I fly Ryan on occasion. Just to illustrate the rice differences (sorry, my computer comes up in Hungarian forints). If you want a carryon and a checked bag it gets a bit pricy.

So, Budapest to Paris on 11 June

BASIC 15.901 ft ($44)
All you get is an under-seat bag. No seat selection, no nothing.

REGULAR 25.041 ft ($70)
Reserved seat, carry-on and under-seat bag

PLUS 28.604 ft ($78)
NO CARRY-ON, but you get your under-seat bag and a checked bag.

FLEXI PLUS 44.141 ft ($123)
The full monte.

THE RULES, but check me at the Ryan website (no one has a fractional tape measure, so I rounded it down to the nearest 1/8”)
Under-seat bag 40x20x25cm (15 5/8” x 7 7/8” x 9 3/4")
Carry-on bag 55x40x20cm (21 5/8” x 15 5/8” x 7 7/8”) 10kg
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fhelp.ryanair.com%2Fhc%2Fen-gb%2Fcategories%2F12489112419089-Bag-Rules&psig=AOvVaw0f24wi95_bo3wnwTMM9RMy&ust=1712475238287000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBIQjRxqFwoTCNiJ3NGJrYUDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

Osprey appears to make more than one wheeled carry on backpack and the smallest I could find was larger than the Ryan allowable. But I dang nice bag and the perfect size for most any other airline.

If you want a carryon and a checked bag it gets a bit pricy

Sorry, but by any definition, $78 to get from Budapest to Paris is hardly pricey. No it is not the basic for $44, but that gets you your day bag in whatever seat is left over. I doubt that even if you wanted to spend the 15 to 20 hours on bus or train, that you could find a cheaper fare to Paris. Flying, you might find some similar fares, but with similar baggage rules.

My basic point with RyanAir, is that people see the cut rate "Basic" price and feel cheated paying to check a bag, that it suddenly becomes "pricey". But the price of the "Plus" package, when compared to other options, is still a bargain. The people who rant and rave about a terrible RyanAir experience, usually had that experience because they were cheap, they knew the rules, and thought they could "sneak by", many times you get caught.

In the numbers given, paying another $8 to check a bag up to 20 kilo is a no brainer, no worry about bag size, no stress over weight, just check the bag and go.

Paul, I love Ryan and Wizz. I love only paying for what I need. Pricy, maybe a little sarcasm.

Travelpro Maxlite 5 (2 wheel version) should probably fit.

(We are flying Zipair (budget airline operated by JAL) to Japan in October. People post negative reviews because you have to pay for everything (overweight carry-on, if over 7kg, checked bag, seat selection, meals, pillow/blanket, etc.). You can't even get a drink of water on Zip without paying CAD$3.50. However, five of us are flying for about CAD$800 each for return. The same flights would cost us at least about CAD$1,800 each with another airlines. The saved $5,000 would buy us a lot of bottled water.)

People post negative reviews because...

Yes, I hear the same about Ryanair and other budget airlines, people on here have even argued that they will not pay extra for a bag, they would rather spend 300 euro for a flight that includes a bag, than to pay extra on a 50 euro ticket, totaling 90 euro, because, well, they saved 40 euro by not having to pay to check a bag. Math, it's hard.

funpig, I am not trying to argue - I spent much of yesterday searching for a carry-on that might be close to "universal" for the various carriers I've been flying recently. One that I looked at is the Travel Pro Maxlite 5. Amazon states its full dimension with handle and wheels as: 23 in x 14.5 in x 9 in. That would be over an inch larger than many international carriers at slightly under 22 inches. I am also concerned with unintentionally over stuffing and exceeding the width. Is there a smaller model?

Maybe I'm wrong to be taking the overall dimensions with handle and wheels too literally?

My experience with frequent flights out of many different countries on several different continents is that much depends not only on the airlines, but also the airport I am departing from - as well as my mileage status with an individual carrier. I have had less scrutiny when traveling as an "elite" status holder with a couple different carriers.

Sorry, I should have stipulated the maxlite 5 in the two-wheel version.

https://travelpro.ca/collections/maxlite%C2%AE-5/products/maxlite%C2%AE-5-20-international-carry-on-expandable-rollaboard

21.75" x 15.75" x 7.75" 5.4lbs
55.2 cm x 40 cm 19.6 cm 2.4kg

We purchased this bag from Amazon.ca. Those official specifications includes the carry handles and wheels, which we have verified using our own tape measure and scale. I am not concerned about the extra 2 millimeters. If we push down on the soft handle, we can reduce the length by at least a centimeter.

On Zip, we can only carry on a total of 7 kg; that is including any personal item. We have decided to try and make do with four carry-ons and one large checked bag up to 30kg (CAD$75) between the five of us.

I travel with the TravelPro ultra light swivel wheel 21" carry on bag.

If the gate agent complains, I just keep on arguing with them holding up the que. Finally they'll give up. Only on Norwegian Air Shuttle did I get charged for a bag that "didn't fit in the rack."

Both AirBus and Boeing bags fit in the overhead luggage containers. And I'm not overweight. The airlines should want their boardings to go as smoothly as possible.

We just flew RyanAir from Seville to Valencia—after seeing the various limits on under seat and overhead dimensions, we opted to pre pay to check in our rolling bags (on US domestic flights they are carryon size)—not much of an increased cost at the time of booking. A fellow passenger had a bag sized similar to ours and it was too tall to fit in the bag template at the gate—she extensively argued with the check in staff without success and then enlisted the help of other passengers to tear the wheel holders off her bag just to get it to fit. Everyone in line cheered when the bag barely fit in the template!! Would have been cheaper for her to pre pay for check in bag. The costs go up the closer to takeoff on Ryan Air and they do not fully delineate the timing or the costs.

When we boarded the plane the overhead compartments looks just as deep as the ones on other 737s so her rolling bag probably would have fit with the wheels on. She may have not have paid for overhead storage.

Here's how one passenger handled it.

Ryanair passenger rips wheels off suitcase

Here's how one passenger handled it.
Ryanair passenger rips wheels off suitcase

Wow, that's one way to "save money" I guess. Interestingly, I recently purchased a carry on bag with wheels that detach on purpose. The brand is Take Off and I got it on Amazon. I haven't used it yet, but I have practiced putting on and taking off the wheels a few times and I'll practice again before I use it to make sure I can do it quickly if needed.

Sorry, OP - this is off-topic a bit.

Another difference in the fare levels (for Ryan and many of the other budget airlines) for me is the ability to change dates or cancel for a refund. I usually just check my suitcase so I don’t have to worry. With that level of ticket, I do get to choose my seat (not a big deal) AND I can (usually) change my flight date for no charge if needed. Rarely do I need to cancel altogether, so I don’t buy the highest ticket level.

I took my first trip overseas in 1980. I have taken literally hundreds since then. I have canceled exactly one flight and ate the cost; changing dates .... maybe twice with a fee. If I had paid a few hundred extra on each ticket for free cancelation and changes it would have cost literally tens of thousands of dollars more over the last 40 years than eating one ticket and two change fees. So, not something I worry about.

I am not going to say I "love" Ryan or Wizz, but they serve their purpose very well especially for those that travel light or settle into a spot and live like a local for a while, using the discount airline for weekend trips.