? for those who've carried on

[Trissy]

My DH and I will be carrying on (I hope) for the first time and just wanted to know from those who have, approx how heavy can your bag be. We have smaller size suit cases that fit within the airlines carry-on dimensions but I don't know how full they can be. Bottles are pretty heavy. I just wanted to know your experience with carrying on.

 

[soxnation]

i have flown several times with just my standard roll on case i do not think at any time that the bag was acutally checked for weight and i have used it for long trips to cali and it was quite full
the limit for checked luggage is 50lb then they charge you extra on some airlines
if you are worried that it may be over weight i would call your carrier directly and find out if they have a policy for the weight of carry on luggage
have a great trip

 

[rdsx28]

HI, if you are flying SW just be careful.Our luggage was okay outbound but comming back they weighed our bags and they were too heavy so we had to open them and shift around some things to meet the weight requirements. Just be sure to check what your carriers limits are because this was a pain when we had to open up our suitcases and move things around at the counter. Good Luck!

 

[KJSJpipe]

Good question! I was just thinking about that myself. I may be going for a long weekend at the end of September and would rather not have to check in a bag.

 

[NotUrsula]

I am not aware of any major US domestic carrier that currently *enforces* a weight limit for carryon baggage, though most of them have a stated limit of 40 lbs. If there is a stated limit it will always be on the airline's website. In practical terms, if you can't lift it over your head and stow it without assistance, it is too heavy.

FYI: Air Canada was in the news yesterday because they have just announced that they plan to enforce a limit now. European carriers do very strictly enforce their carryon weight limits, which for most of them is about 13-15 lbs.

That said, if your cabin baggage is extraordinarily heavy, please think about putting the very heaviest things under the seat in front of you rather than in the overhead. Baggage from overheads has been known to fall out on occasion. This goes DOUBLE if the heavy thing is a bottled liquid, as if it leaks the angle of ascent will guarantee that the liquid will drip on every aisle passenger on that side from the compartment aft to the tail.

 

[KristinU]

I've carried on quite a bit for business travel - a good rule of thumb is to know that you can comfortably heave it above your head in the confines of the cabin without straining anything. And, Like NotUrsula said, it is best to keep the heavier stuff at your feet.

Cheers!

 

[Trissy]

Thanks for all you advice guys!

 

[heathrow42]

I'm hoping not to get flamed.. but can I ask why you aren't going to check your bag?
I've had 3 r/t's in the last 3 weeks (2 florida, 1 san jose) .. all on southwest. So many people carried on actual luggage and I noticed it seemed to take so much longer to load the plane, because everyone had to stop and try to get their luggage in the over head bins. Some parents even had their kids carry on luggage, it was so hard for them to make it down the aisle. At one point a couple came on and they each had a suitcase, neither would fit in long ways, so they had to put them in side ways, they took up so much room... then they run out of overhead space before the plane finishes loading and people get annoyed because there is no bin space near their seat.

If you don't want to check them into regular baggage, why not just check them at the gate as they do with strollers and pack a carryon/backpack that has just the stuff you need for your flight and any medications/irreplaceables? Checking them at the gate means they will be the first bags off the plane and will be brought to you.

..it made me want to ask all the people with luggage, "whatcha got in there!?" since we usually only carry on stuff that can't be replaced, or is likely to be stolen, like laptop, camera, medication.

--heather

 

[DebbieB]

Be careful not to stuff the outside pockets. I was on a flight recently where the bag was stuffed so full that it would not fit in the overhead height wise. The flight attendent got a bag and they emptied out the outside pockets. I think he should have just made them gate check it, not accomodate an oversized bag. With the extra bag, they were over the limit of 1 bag plus 1 personal item. Others had to end up gate checking their bag because there was no room left. They really need to crack down on the large bags and also the too large personal items. I recently saw a woman bring on a rollaboard, a large tote bag and a purse. They said something at the door so she stuffed the purse into the top of the tote bag (didn't close). It was way too large for personal item size but they let her go.

 

[NotUrsula]

I agree that SWA is too easy on folks who REALLY stretch the definition of personal item, and a 24" rollaboard is an oxymoron. Even a 22" often will not fit wheels-out in the overhead, which is the way a rollaboard SHOULD fit. The best rule of thumb is not to carry on a rollaboard that is more than 20" tall.

However, there are a lot of companies that forbid business travellers from checking bags while on trips for work. There are many reasons for it (mostly having to do with standby policies), but it is a fairly common rule. Also, if you are carrying camera equipment, it is allowed as an extra bag.

Gate-checked suitcases are normally sent to the carousels, not returned to the jetway like strollers, so gate-checking defeats the purpose of carry-on only for many travelers who avoid checking bags in order to avoid the carousels.

 

[ducklite]

I'm hoping not to get flamed.. but can I ask why you aren't going to check your bag?

For longer trips I check my bag, but for short ones of 24-72 hours, I carry-on. My 19" wheels to handle roll-on fits feet first into every overhead, and it takes me seconds to lift it in. I dont over stuff it, it generally weighs under 15 pounds including the suitcase.

But I agree, if you can't quickly stow your bag in the overhead, or can't do so without help from another pssenger or a FA, check it, and that includes kids.

Anne

 

[thinkerbell]

Originally posted by ducklite:
But I agree, if you can't quickly stow your bag in the overhead, or can't do so without help from another pssenger or a FA, check it, and that includes kids.

I tried to check my kids one time but the airlines wouldn't let me.