I'm trying to travel to Europe only using a carry-on and a personal item, once I'm in Europe I will have a flight on RyanAir and I'm having a hard time finding luggage that fits their 40x30x20 personal size and 55x40x20 Carryon size.
Does anyone have any luggage recommendations, everything I find is too big by 1/2 inch or more.
The options I see
1- Pay for checking a bag on ryanair
2- find another airline
3- go nuts finding the perfect bag , buy it and add to your collection (for a one time use?)
You are in heading into backpack territory, I think- except for the very small wheeled luggage options more common overseas. A duffel could also work, if you don't overfill it so it can squish in the sizer.
You likely have weight limits, too- 10 kg, right? That's about impossible with the very lightest suitcases already about 5lbs, empty.
You can do it! You just need to be strategic and there's tons of tips on the Packing Light forum (as well as online). I used a backpack for both Norway and the RS Alpine tour due to the size/weight restrictions. (For Norwegian Air I tied my parka around my waist and loaded up the pockets from my smaller personal item).
If you edit this post to ask about backpacks you should get more good advice - or try a search.
Good luck!
Amazon has a wide selection of 55x40x20 carry on luggage for less than $100. Costco also carries European-sized carry on luggage.
The personal item can be the basic dimensions of a laptop case— but 8” thick—which will hold a lot of overflow. And I’ve never known Ryanair to weigh the personal item.
The Rick Steves Rolling Carry-on Bag should fit for Ryanair as a carry-on, as long as you don't completely stuff it - can you resist that temptation? It's 53.25 x 34.25 x 22.75 cm - the "depth" dimension (22.75 cm) is about an inch too thick to meet Ryanair's published limits. The solution is simply to not quite fill it, and it should squeeze down to the required 20 cm depth easily.
We have two of these bags and like them pretty well. You do need to exercise some self-control for Ryanair and some other low-cost airlines.
As for the "personal item", I have one of these that approximately meets the Ryanair size limits (there are several other bags available that are roughly the same dimensions). It's also entirely squishable (no hard/unyielding sides) if it needs to get even smaller. Again, one needs to resist the temptation to fill it to bursting. It's also surprisingly inexpensive, and despite that, it seems well-built and has served me well.
As mentioned above, it's not just the size you need to meet, but often a very limited weight. That's often the harder one to manage (depending on what you're bringing). My "get-it-onboard" plan also includes wearing cargo pants with large empty pockets on the flight (at least empty until needed...).
It's an interesting challenge.
In Europe, it's easy to find a bag to fit the personal item requirements of Ryanair. (I bought one there.) There just isn't a big demand for that size in the US.
You can find bags that are 40 x 25 x 20 on Amazon. Search for "Ryanair personal item.)
I have two bags from Narwey in two different sizes. (One Ryanair size, one Easyjet/Spirit size). I bought both on Amazon UK while in the UK but you can order them direct in the US. They are inexpensive but get the job done. I replaced the shoulder pad with a better one. I now prefer holdalls to backpacks.
In regards to buying a carry on sized bag for Ryanair. Compare this....what will a new bag cost you compared to what it will cost to check a bag on the Ryanair flight? Do you really want to spend a lot of money just for one short flight? How much time are you going to spend searching for and ordering that new bag? What is your time worth?
I know it seems that some posters here think it's heresy or worse, a crime against humanity, to check bag.......but....people do it all the time. It may take you an extra 15 or 20 minutes to wait to retrieve the bag, but in the scope of your entire trip, how much time is that?
Both my carryons fit that size - they're Delsey bags. I bought then here in Singapore, but you may find them in the US. I've had one for several years and I love it. It has a pocket for my laptop, and a short side pocket that I use for phone and keys etc when going through security.
Incidentally I never travel carryon only - even for a short business trip I have a small suitcase checked as well. Funnily enough, the only time the airline lost (or rather temporarily misplaced) my luggage, it was Ryanair...
Thanks for the feedback, it's not the money really, I'm just trying to not check bags since it'll add time onto how long I need to be in the airport and I'm trying to maximize my time in the actual destination on arrival day instead of killing more time in the airport, however, yes that size will make it more challenging to fit everything as opposed to most other airlines.
I'll look a the suggestions and also consider checking the bag just for that one flight. How big is Vienna airport?
Checking a bag with Ryanair or one of the budget airlines is not a problem, and will not really add to the time spent at the airport (OK, you might gain a few minutes). My rule with Ryanair is just to always check a bag, The standard fare works great if you are zipping someplace for a weekend, but needing to carry enough, even packing light, for a multiweek trip, checking a bag is cheap risk mitigation. Keep in mind not only size, but weight is limited as well.
I usually just go with the "Plus" fare bundle if available, it gets you a small bag to take on board, a 20 kilo checked bag of a larger size profile, a reserved seat, and airport check-in if for some reason the app or service is giving you a problem.
The flights are point-to-point, so little chance of lost bags or missed connections. The airports are usually small or use lesser terminals, so bags get to you quick, and you are not competing with hundreds of people to get to your bag. In my experiences, yes, it takes 5-10 minutes, but wandering looking for the public transport, waiting for a train or bus, or half a dozen other things take as much.
A search on Amazon for Ryanair carry-on should do the trick as there are manufacturers that specifically cater to this market.
Sometimes they can be strict, other times they don't check at all, assuming the bag isn't obviously oversized. If what you have is only 1/2 inch over it's unlikely to cause a problem unless the wheels or handle stick out beyond that.
I like to carry on, but when I fly with Ryanair or Easy Jet I pay a little more for checking a bag. It’s worth it to not stress over the size and weight of my bag. I did the same a few months ago for flights within Australia for that reason.
The size of Vienna's airport is subjective. What are you comparing it to?
I've flown in and out a few times and it's not tiny but not massive.
However, it's always been crowded.
We have never used RyanAir before but are taking our family of eight to Fes from Barcelona and returning to Barcelona via Marrakech. We didn't want to chance any one of the eight having carry-on issues, so we chose the package that also includes checked bags.
Checking a bag is not expensive, on Ryanair or on any other airline I've ever flown or just flirted with - it's the cost of a decent lunch, (or a beer in Norway). Not a place to pinch pennies IMHO, and really no big deal. Checking a bag (on Ryanair or other airlines) is not a sin, I do it all the time and suffer no consequences or guilt. Lost time? Come on, most of us spend more time in a bathroom upon arrival than it takes to grab your checked bag, I'm not going to skip either if I feel like doing it. Sure, traveling with carry-on only has it's advantages, but it's not always the right choice for everyone all the time.
