Please sign in to post.
Holiday Sale! Save 20% Storewide!

Rick Steves "Euro Flight Bag" is a good underseat bag

Posted by on

A few years ago I purchased this bag from Rick Steves website, and I really like it. It fits well under every seat I've had on Air France, Japan Air, Korean Air and Royal Air Maroc overseas. Also good on Southwest, Alaska and Delta domestically. Today I had to mend the velcro on the little RFID bag that fits inside the Bag. It's meant to be securely attached to the inside of the bag, with a secure closure. The velcro is so sticky that the attachments were starting to come loose. I have a lot of experience sewing, so it was easy for me to repair.
Another improvement that I made was to attach an elastic strap to the top front inside of the bag to retain material when the bag is full, and the big top zipper is opened. I had found that without that, things could easily fall out when I needed to access the contents. The bag is accessible when I need to find something during a flight, but it's very annoying to find fallen lost things under the seats!
I usually have a stiff folder that I place in the front of the bag against the elastic band which also serves as a retainer for my stuff. If I found a way to give a review to this bag, it would be 4 stars out of 5. With my homemade improvements, it would be 5 stars for sure.

As I'm writing this, the bags are still on sale!

Posted by
8202 posts

I agree, twallis. I really like the Euro Flight bag, and have used it on a number of trips. I also agree that it's easy for things to fall out, but when I use it, I put my extra change of clothes in a packing cube, and everything else is in soft containers (electronics, toiletries, etc.). So there's nothing loose in there to fall out. For its size, it really holds a lot.

The only fault I have is that it's cumbersome to carry, especially when you are walking along the aisle to your seat. It protrudes a lot and can get in the way.

I think the little RFID pocket is a waste of space, though, so I removed it early on and never use it. I would never put my passport or anything like that in a detachable pocket. I have a small purse I bring and the wallet has RFID protection for my cards in there.

Posted by
2019 posts

I love mine, but I never knew it had an RFID. I always put my daily pill cases in the grey velcro bag. I pack my travel pillow last, {or like Mardee my emergency stash of extra clothes for one day} and that always holds things in. I've never had a problem with stuff falling out. My sister's liked mine so well they each got one for their travels, too.

Posted by
1964 posts

Whenever I see EuroFlight Bag, I feel like I need to post my grumpy contrarian opinion for balance.
Here it is ... again. If you remove the shoulder strap and carry it on top of a suitcase, it’s fine. My issue is my body size and bag shape. I am just under 5’5.” The bag gets boxy when full. I cannot carry it as a shoulder or crossbody bag. (Believe me, I hauled it several times. At a 3 day convention and a couple of trips with flights.)

I have relegated it to car trips without the shoulder strap. Makes a good 1-2 day bag. I hear it is also good for CPAP devices.

Posted by
608 posts

I’ve had one for years and I also found it too boxy to be a good travel bag for air travel. And it is somewhat awkward with the opening being so wide and low on the front of the bag. I started using it for car travel and with packing cubes and now I love it. I’ve always been impressed at how well made and sturdy it is.

But I must add on my last tour probably 4 or 5 folks had them and liked them for their bus bag.

Add Reply

Please do not reply to violations of our Community Guidelines.