Carry on luggage

jenna8984 · July 2014

My suitcase is carry on size but it's the largest parameters allowed. So every single time I fly, they start announcing that the flight is fully booked and some people will need to gate check their bag. The gate attendant always eyeballs the crap out of me and my bag and tries to take it and I always politely say no way Jose as I deathgrip my bag. (I know lots of people who have had lost luggage and I purposely pack light to not have that risk/ not have a checked bag, especially when going international)

So I just spent my day at three different stores with a measuring tape until I found the smallest rolling carry on there is. Most are 20x14x9 or 21x13 x10. I bought one that is 18x13x7 MUCH smaller than the average and I am so stoked. Now if they even glance in my direction I can smile and point to 50 people with larger bags than mine. Woooo- bring on the honeymoon!!!!

lyndausvi · July 2014

I hate that carry-ones are so much trouble these days. I have one that always gets eye-balled that I just stopped taking it. United is getting stricter with personal bags now too.

It's almost like airlines don't want you to fly with all the issues.

mysticl · July 2014

The problem is they started charging for checked bags so that in combination with the lost bags resulted in more people trying to carry everything on. Which makes the cabin overloaded and then they have to gate check the bags which delays departure. I've been on flights where one of the pilots exited the cockpit and started grabbing bags to have them stowed under the plane because trying to get the baggage situation under control was causing major issues on that flight.

JoanE2012 · July 2014

So jealous. I've only been able to pack light enough one time to bring just a carry on....that was for a weekend to Vegas. Every other trip has always been a checked bag. I'm guilty of overpacking.

jenna8984 · July 2014

@joane2012 I went to China and Japan for 2 weeks with just a carry on rolling luggage and a shoulder bag. If I can do that, I can do anything with just a carry-on!! I actually laugh now when I look back at all the stuff I used to pack. Like why did I ever need 4 pairs of jeans and 22 shirts for a weeklong trip before? FI and I are now pros at wearing our sneakers and sweaters, packing flip flops and wearing all clothing twice. We also share toiletries and I bought a travel size straightener & brush so that helps.

@mysticl I know! First checked bag should be free because it definitely results in people with these massive bags trying to carry them on and cause delays. So annoying. You know what else really pisses me off when they stuff their purse/ backpack in the overhead and leave their under seat open. Like F you buddy- they just gate checked people's bags because you took up that space that should go below the seat.

emmyg65 · July 2014

I have the Osprey Porter 46 duffel/backpack and it's the best goddamn piece of luggage ever. It easily fits in plane overheads (even on little puddle jumpers, even totally packed full), it's way easier to maneuver than a wheely bag, it holds an amazing amount of stuff, and I can carry it myself even though I have back problems because it has really comfy straps, plus a waist belt and chest strap. DH and I went to Italy for a week and were able to fit all of both of our stuff (plus all the stuff we bought there). It's like a Mary Poppins bag.

I always get kind of annoyed when airline staff start flipping their shit about overhead bins being crowded and carry-on luggage. Dudes, if you hadn't changed your policies in the first place, this wouldn't be a problem!

delujm0 · July 2014

I have brought only a carry on bag for: 3 separate 2 week trips to Europe and 2 separate 10+ day trips to Asia. Usually i pack a duffel bag inside of the roll aboard on the way there, and then check the roll aboard on the way back (and use the duffel as my second carry on). What we didn't realize for our honeymoon was that South African Airways has WEIGHT restrictions on carry-ons, not necessarily size restrictions. We had planned to each carry on a roll aboard and then check a larger bag. Well, the weight restriction on the carry ons was so light it would have been impossible for that to work out for us. So we checked everyting. Our 2+ week trip involved 7 individual flights, and not even one of our bags was lost or damaged or anything (we even had packed bottles of wine on 3 of the flights with no breaks). And it was all free because they allow 2 free checked bags per person (up to a certain total weight). It was super easy, and made me rethink my strict NO CHECKING BAGS policy. Though in fairness, SAS is a non-US airline. I have much less faith in the US-based airlines to not lose my stuff. They are terrible.

jenna8984 · July 2014

@scribe95 That's what I thought too...my mom flew home from Jamaica a few weeks ago. My dad's bag which was normal checked got lost. My mom's bag that was gate checked was lost. What are the odds?! They both got them 2 days later but what a pain in the ass.

atlastmrsg · July 2014

Just don't gate check in remote places. My MOH just got back from a safari. In Namibia, they were told they couldn't take their carry on (a satchel) with them. They objected, and were told to hand it over or not get on plane. Granted, it was a tiny plane. But it was a racket. After they handed over the carry on, but before they got it back plane-side in Botswana, it was gone through. Their binoculars and GoPro were stolen--about $500 worth.

delujm0 · July 2014

atlastmrsg said:

Just don't gate check in remote places. My MOH just got back from a safari. In Namibia, they were told they couldn't take their carry on (a satchel) with them. They objected, and were told to hand it over or not get on plane. Granted, it was a tiny plane. But it was a racket. After they handed over the carry on, but before they got it back plane-side in Botswana, it was gone through. Their binoculars and GoPro were stolen--about $500 worth.

We checked 3 bags on the small plane between our safari location (outside of Kruger National park in South Africa) and Johannesburg, and none of them had been lost or searched through. The airport i am talking about didn't even have a medal detector...let that sink in for a minute. They hand searched all carry ons before you got on the flight (and then when connecting in Jo'burg we had to go through actual security). I'm not surprised that the above happened to your friend (especially in Namibia), but i don't think that's the norm. Actually, my sister had a checked bag broken into (and stuff stolen from it) flying between West Palm Beach, FL and Newark, NJ, so that can happen anywhere. i wouldn't use that as a reason not to check...but i also wouldn't advise leaving expensive electronics, jewelry, identification, or medications in anything but your purse/pocket/computer bag.

mysticl · July 2014

I guess I'm weird. I hate putting stuff in the overhead bin. I prefer to have it under the seat in front of me where I can access it during the flight. I try to avoid bulkhead seats for this reason.

sarahs616 · July 2014

Southwest is starting to offer international flights (not sure how expansive their fly-to list is); however we were able to get a flight with them to our honeymoon in Jamaica and they offer 2 free bags. I'm excited I'm not even going to bother with a larger carry-on, I'm just going to bring a big purse!

StitelME · July 2014

I'm horrible about over-packing. I've gotten better over the years but I still am so indecisive about what I am going to need so I overpack, using "well on the off chance this happens, i'm definitely going to wish I had that" logic to justify it. So I always have at least one checked bag. That being said, I usually only have my purse as a carry-on bag, maybe a laptop case as well. I keep my valuables on me at all times, and usually store them under the seat so I don't take up overhead bin space.

WinstonsGirl · July 2014

We flew to Cuba with carry on only bags that were well within the allowed guidelines. We were told no carry on was allowed (you could bring a small purse) and were forced to check them. There was a shit ton of room on the plane, cos no one could bring their bags. On the way back, our bags had been rifled through and all of DH's Apple cords were gone. I guess they're not readily available in Cuba, but I don't really want to fly Sunwing again after this.

lyndausvi · July 2014

delujm0 said:

atlastmrsg said:

Just don't gate check in remote places. My MOH just got back from a safari. In Namibia, they were told they couldn't take their carry on (a satchel) with them. They objected, and were told to hand it over or not get on plane. Granted, it was a tiny plane. But it was a racket. After they handed over the carry on, but before they got it back plane-side in Botswana, it was gone through. Their binoculars and GoPro were stolen--about $500 worth.
We checked 3 bags on the small plane between our safari location (outside of Kruger National park in South Africa) and Johannesburg, and none of them had been lost or searched through. The airport i am talking about didn't even have a medal detector...let that sink in for a minute. They hand searched all carry ons before you got on the flight (and then when connecting in Jo'burg we had to go through actual security). I'm not surprised that the above happened to your friend (especially in Namibia), but i don't think that's the norm. Actually, my sister had a checked bag broken into (and stuff stolen from it) flying between West Palm Beach, FL and Newark, NJ, so that can happen anywhere. i wouldn't use that as a reason not to check...but i also wouldn't advise leaving expensive electronics, jewelry, identification, or medications in anything but your purse/pocket/computer bag.

******* We also check bags on our small plane to Sabi Sands (near Kruger) without issues.

Carry on luggage

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