Flighthacker

Pack light, outta sight! Photo Credit: SlipStreamJC

Hand Luggage Only (HLO) travel seems to be a perennial topic across countless travel sites and forums, especially now that pretty much every low-cost airline has provided it as a fare-saving option. Often the questions raised include the following:

• I’ve booked a discount flight and waived the check-in baggage fee, how am I going to carry everything I need?
• I’m tired of lugging a suitcase around, can I fit everything into a carry-on bag instead; or
• Honestly, how do you carry-on only folks do it?

In so far as I’m no expert on the sublime art of bag-packing, I was recently faced with the precarious situation of packing for a week-long ski trip, with only 10kg carry-on allowance to my name. Thankfully, I’ve been a long-time convert to cabin-only (due to a profound phobia of baggage carousels), so here are some lessons learnt from my ski jaunt and some other practical tips for packing more into less.

Know your Rights

Each airline has their own exactions regarding the maximum weight and dimensions of carry-on luggage. For example, Jetstar’s policy for Australian flights is as follows:

• Max. weight: 10kg (one main item of cabin baggage + one small bag)
• Max. dimensions: 56cm (length), 36cm (height) & 23cm (depth) for an overnight bag, laptop bag or briefcase

Virgin Blue follows a similar suit with:

• Max. weight: 7kg (one main item of cabin baggage + one suit bag/small bag/briefcase)
• Max. dimensions: 48cm (length), 34cm (height) & 23cm (depth)

What this all roughly means is a medium-sized duffel/overnight bag that can fit into the overhead locker, plus a smaller bag for slipping under the seat in front of you. For the ladies, the choice of bag for the latter is obvious – one of those oversized boho handbags always works a charm. For the gentlemen amongst us, a manbag, messenger bag or briefcase is ideal, the more pockets for stash the merrier. A few words of caution – Solid roller bags are usually excessively heavy for their size. Ditch them. That said, any shoulder bag that weighs more than 8kg will become a real burden to carry through a long terminal, so you’re well advised to keep within the limits stated above.

What to Pack

Now you have your duffel bag and your small-but-mighty hand/man bag, it’s time to pack what you need for the trip. Here are some tips:

• Pack your toiletries and any liquids in a mesh/plastic bag in one of the outside pockets. This will make it easy to remove for security checks (and save your gear from a potential shampoo-bottle explosion). Don’t forget the 100mL liquid limit on international flights.
• Purchase at least one compression stuff sack for putting all your clothes and crushable items in. You can buy these at Kathmandu stores from around $15 up and can shrink a remarkable amount of gear in them. Consider purchasing a second one for dirty laundry, if you’re squeemish about storing your used knickers in the same space as your pristine t-shirts.
• Count your clothes. Estimate how many days you will be away from a laundry and pack accordingly. Pick items that mix and match well (and don’t require ironing). That said, I always end up wearing black on tour
• For cold climates, bring a down jacket. Down in particular provides a lot of warmth for little weight. Perhaps more importantly, down jackets crush down remarkably well in a compression sack.
• Only count on bringing one pair of shoes, being the pair you’re wearing. If you’re lucky, you might be able to stuff a pair of thongs/slippers or canvas shoes into your bag. For my ski trip I lived in one pair of snow/apres boots for the entire week!
• Fasten your jumper/jacket to the outside of your bag if you don’t intend to wear it on the plane.
• Stuff your small electronics, books and gew-gaws in your smaller bag. See illustration above for all the amazing goodies you can fit in. If you’re too manly for small hand-luggage, carry your gear on your person. Watch this video if you’re truly interested in how much crazy stuff you can fit into a trusty pair of baggy pants! I don’t endorse carrying firearms on aircraft, though…
• If planning to shop, only shop for flat/crushable items. Ye be warned!

At the Airport

• Expect to have your bag weighed. ‘Nuff said.
• Buy drinks at the gate (ie. after the customs & security check) for international flights – any liquids exceeding 100mL prior to this point will be confiscated. On one particular low-cost carrier, I slipped a 2L bottle of water into my bag in front of a flight attendant – there was an expressionless, wan acknowledgement, an understanding. Neither of us wanted to pay for water on this flight, obviously. That said, I tried the same at Bangkok Airport and had to board the flight with a very full bladder.
• Try to board in good time, before all the overhead locker space is taken. The only time I’ve been threatened with the dolly (being the carry-on bag scale) is when my legitimately-sized bag had trouble fitting amongst everyone else’s stuff.
• Enjoy your righteousness over all those jetlagged people lining the baggage carousel at the other end. 15 minutes saved jostling for a luggage cart is 15 minutes extra in the hotel hot-tub. Ahh… The only way to fly.

Thanks for reading. Do you have any killer tips you would like to add to this list? Add a comment below!

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