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Backpacks for Flights
Flying with only a backpack? These are built for it: they fit in the cabin, compress your clothes and carry your laptop.
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Products
A flight backpack is built to travel with, on its own or next to a suitcase: it fits in the cabin, holds clothes for a few days and keeps your laptop safe. This page gathers the backpacks that really work for flying: personal-item and carry-on sizes, vacuum backpacks that compress your clothes, bags that open flat like a suitcase and backpacks on wheels. Most have a padded laptop compartment.
Personal item or carry-on?
On low-cost airlines the basic fare usually includes only a personal item that fits under the seat, and on Ryanair and Wizz Air that means 40 x 30 x 20 cm (about 15.7 x 11.8 x 7.9 in). The 20-liter SkyGlider was built for exactly that: 40 x 25 x 20 cm, 500 g (1.1 lb) and a laptop compartment for up to 17 inches.
When your ticket includes a carry-on for the overhead bin, often up to about 56 x 45 x 25 cm (22 x 18 x 10 in), you can take a larger 30 to 45 liter backpack that holds clothes for several days. Before you fly, check the dimensions on the product page and on your airline's website.
Vacuum: more clothes in the same bag
Vacuum backpacks have a sealed compartment with a valve: you pump the air out and your clothes shrink, by up to about half their volume depending on the model and the clothes. Orion comes with a rechargeable pump and a digital scale in its side handle, Korvinor has a built-in pump, and Electron's pump is not included. Vacuum makes your clothes smaller, not the outside of the bag, so for a flight keep it in its unexpanded size.
On wheels or opens like a suitcase
A wheeled backpack like the 34-liter Trevik rolls through the terminal on a telescopic handle and goes on your back for stairs and public transport. Wheels add weight (Trevik weighs 2.5 kg, about 5.5 lb), so count it toward your carry-on weight limit. Bags like Lisbon open fully like a suitcase, so you pack and unpack without emptying the bag, and Champion Plus opens 180 degrees to get through airport security easily.
Frequently asked questions
Which backpack fits as a personal item on a low-cost flight?
A bag up to 40 x 30 x 20 cm (about 15.7 x 11.8 x 7.9 in), the personal-item size on Ryanair and Wizz Air. SkyGlider measures 40 x 25 x 20 cm and weighs 500 g. Airlines change their rules from time to time, so check their website before you fly.
How many liters should a flight backpack be?
For a personal item under the seat, about 20 liters. For a carry-on in the overhead bin on a trip of a few days, 30 to 45 liters, like Electron, which expands from 36 to 45 liters, or Lisbon, which expands from 28 to 38 liters. An expanded bag also grows on the outside, so fly with it closed.
Can I fly with a vacuum backpack?
Yes, as long as you check the dimensions. Compression shrinks your clothes and frees up space, but the airline measures the outside of the bag. In its basic, unexpanded size the bag usually meets carry-on limits.
How much can a backpack weigh on a flight?
It depends on the airline: many full-service carriers allow 7 to 8 kg (15 to 18 lb) for a carry-on, and some low-cost carriers allow up to 10 kg (22 lb). Orion has a digital scale in its side handle, so you can weigh the bag at home.
Backpack or carry-on suitcase?
A backpack is lighter and easier on stairs and public transport, while a 20-inch carry-on suitcase protects its contents better and rolls without effort. Flying with a suitcase anyway? A backpack with a trolley strap rides on top of it through the airport.
Guides
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