The thought of using a duffel bag as your luggage for a flight can seem confusing.
Is it even allowed?
Will it fit the size requirements?
And how do you even measure it to make sure it fits?
Well today's video, I am going to show you how you can use a duffel bag for your next flight.
How to pack and measure it,
what the pros and cons are to using either a duffel bag, a suitcase, or a backpack.
Give you the size of weight requirements for some of the most popular airlines and even give
you recommendations if you are considering buying a duffel bag for your next flight.
Let's go
Dream vacations start here.
So, let's answer the question.
Can you use a duffel bag as a carry-on, personal item bag, or even a suitcase?
The answer is yes, to all of them.
The airlines don't really care what kind of bag you are using.
Whether it's a duffel bag, a backpack, or a suitcase or even a shopping bag.
The only thing that's important to the airlines is that it meets the size and weight restrictions.
Especially for carry-on luggage because it does need to be able to
fit in the overhead compartments on the airplane.
So, what are the size and weight restrictions for each luggage type?
It differs for each airline but in general carry-ons need to be under 22 by 14 by 9 inches.
And as far as weight goes, some airlines have no weight restrictions for carry-ons while
others limit theirs between 15 to 25 pounds with the most common weight being 22 pounds.
For checked luggage, since the shape of your check luggage is not an issue the most common
size allowed is 62 total linear inches and the most common weight is 50 pounds.
Anything larger than that can still fly but may be subject to additional fees.
If you are deciding what type of luggage you should buy for your next trip just
know that you can use many different types of bags especially as a carry-on.
In addition to duffel bags, suitcases, and backpacks, you can also use garment bags,
briefcases, totes, and musical instrument cases as your carry-on.
With that being said most people choose to fly with
either a duffel bag, a suitcase, or a backpack.
So let me just go over the pros and cons for each type of luggage.
Let's start with the duffel bag.
Duffels are super easy to pack into.
They are much lighter than suitcases.
They are probably more affordable than suitcases and backpacks and duffels are very
flexible which means that if you're an inch or two above the limit it's usually fine.
As far as cons go for the duffel bag,
they can only be carried by the handle or the shoulder strap which means they
aren't very good for trips where you need to carry them for long periods of time.
Duffels offer pretty poor packing and organizing features and due to the
soft outer fabrics, duffels don't offer much protection to the contents inside.
Now let's move on to the pros and cons of using a suitcase.
Here are the pros.
Suitcases are the easiest to move around because they have wheels.
They offer the best packing and organizing features and due to the thick outer shell,
suitcases offer good protection to the contents inside especially hard side suitcases.
Now onto the cons of using the suitcase.
Out of all three suitcases are the most expensive.
Suitcases are also two to three times heavier than similar sized duffels and backpacks.
They can also be awkward to pick up for storing in the overhead compartments,
especially for people with back problems.
And even one inch above the size limit will cause issues and you
might even be asked to check them in for additional fees.
And here are the pros and cons for using a backpack.
Backpacks are very easy to move around but overpacked ones might
cause shoulder pain when used extensively.
Backpacks offer pretty good packing and organizing features and slightly
oversized backpacks will be fine because they have that
flexible outer shell which means they can be squeezed into the overhead compartments.
Backpacks are very lightweight but due to the soft fabrics they
offer little protection to the contents inside.
Backpacks are usually less expensive than suitcases but more expensive than duffel bags.
So, if you decided that using a duffel bag for your flight is the best option
for you let's talk about the steps you need to take in knowing how to
even measure it to make sure it fits the right dimensions for a carry-on.
Step number one, you will need to pack the duffel bag full before measuring.
This is because the size changes depending on how full it is.
Step number two.
Wrap a measuring tape fully around the narrowest part of the bag to measure its diameter.
Step number three.
Now divide that number by two to get the sum of width plus depth.
The number you get should be below 23 inches to fit the carry-on size requirements.
And step number four, measure the longest side of the duffel bag to get its height.
This number should be below 22 inches to fit the carry-on size requirements
and to help you out here are some of these size
and weight restrictions for carry-ons for some of the most popular airlines.
Now, if you found out after measuring your duffel bag that it meets the size
requirements for the airline you will be flying on, let's talk about how to pack it.
Keep in mind however that duffels are flexible so if it's one or two inches
over the limit you can still use it but you just won't be able to pack it full.
In duffel carry-ons and carry-ons in general you can't pack any dangerous goods that are banned
on planes such as explosives, firearms, objects resembling dangerous goods, and sharp objects.
Also, all of your toiletries, any liquids, gels, and aerosols, must be in containers below 3.4
ounces and all of them have to fit within a single transparent quart size sealable bag.
If you are also bringing checked luggage, as a rule of thumb always pack your most needed
items in your carry-on because checked luggage can often get lost or damaged.
So keep your valuables, perfume, electronics,
fragile items, medicine and any items you might need during your flight in your carry-on duffel.
As for packing the duffel itself remember that you have to remove some items from your bag.
Items like your toiletries, laptops, tablets,
and other electronics from the duffel when you go through security.
So, keep them on top where they are easily accessible.
Also, avoid packing fragile items near the walls because
the duffel might need to be squished in the overhead compartments to fit.
To organize your clothing, you can use one or two packing cubes which would reduce wrinkling.
And lastly, remember not to over pack and measure your duffel when
it's full to make sure it's below the carry-on size restrictions.
As for which carry-on duffel bags you should use for traveling it
all depends on preference but here are four duffel bags that I would recommend.
Number one, the best overall duffel bag is the Gonex Canvas Travel Duffel.
Although it's 0.8 inches over the width limit for most carry-ons,
you won't have any problems using this duffel as your carry-on.
The front and back pockets stick out but because this bag is flexible enough,
you will be able to squeeze it inside the carry-on measuring boxes at the airports.
In terms of storage, it has one large main compartment,
which even fits laptops up to 15.6 inches, and several smaller pockets.
It has one large pocket on each end, two smaller ones
on the front and a small pocket for passport and valuables on the back.
Another important thing to mention is that this duffel comes with a shoulder strap,
which is essential for any travel duffel.
Number two. The best budget carry-on duffel is that the Dimayer Packable Travel Duffel.
If you are looking for a budget duffel
you won't find a lot of cheaper options than this duffel here.
It is well made but it won't last the abuse of frequent travel but
it's durable enough for occasional traveling, which most of us do anyway.
This duffel does come with a shoulder strap but it's made
with plastic hardware, so don't expect it to last.
But for occasional use, it's durable enough.
Number three.
The best rolling carry-on duffel is the Travelpro Max 5.
This duffel is a hybrid between a duffel and a rolling suitcase.
Out of all the duffels mentioned on the list, this stuff is probably the most durable one.
But it also makes it a bit more expensive but not by much.
Travelpro is actually the go-to brand for frequent flyers and airline crews.
The only downside to this duffel is that it's slightly too large for most airlines.
Its 10 inches in width instead of 9, but if you
don't pack it full you will be able to squeeze it inside the measuring boxes.
What I like about this duffel is that it's simple and spacious.
It essentially just has one large main compartment with
a zippered pocket inside and two smaller pockets on the exterior.
It also has a shoulder strap and another back strap which lets you secure this duffel
on top of other suitcases by wrapping the back strap around the retractable handle.
Number four. The best carry-on duffel backpack is the Gonex 40i Heavy Duty.
This Gonex duffel is a hybrid between a backpack and a duffel bag.
It has two shoulder straps with which you can carry this duffel
on your back like you would a typical backpack.
The two shoulder straps can also be held together to use as a regular duffel bag
and tucked away in a dedicated compartment when not needed.
As with most other duffels, this one is also slightly too large to use as a carry-on but
because it's so flexible you won't have any issues as long as you don't overpack.
The Gonex duffel is made as a cheaper alternative to branded
duffel backpacks from better known brands such as Osprey and Patagonia.
It costs roughly half or even less of what you pay for a branded one, so obviously it
isn't as durable but it's durable enough for occasional use and even light frequent travel.
So make sure you check out the show notes in the video description to see those options.
And as always feel free to share your comments or questions in the comments section.
Thank you so much for watching and I can't wait to catch you in a future video.