How to Fly With Only a Personal Item—Plus Our 3 Favorite Small Bags (2024)

I have always been a r/OneBag traveler. In my twenties and thirties, it was euphemistically called “backpacking,” even if actual hiking in the wilderness was only rarely involved. Bringing that one tiny bag that you could sling over your shoulders was often the only way you could hop onto that tiny inter-island flight or walk around a city looking for a hostel with air conditioning.

I abandoned minimalist travel briefly when my spouse and I had small children. But now that they’re older, I’m inducting them into its joys. Buying plane tickets is more expensive than ever. Budget airlines like Frontier and Spirit have always up-charged for bringing carry-on bags, but now even standard airlines like United have started charging carry-on fees for the lowest-tier tickets. Now is a better time than ever to learn how to travel with only a personal item.

If you think this is hard, let me tell you the mantra of the minimalist packer: The less you bring, the less time you spend making inane decisions and the more time you spend traveling. That shirt you thought would be perfect for Italy? You can’t wear it in the Vatican. Those trekking sandals that you thought you needed for hiking Hawaii? Everyone is in flip-flops. Leave it. If you really need it, you can get it there (you won’t). With less stuff you can go more places and have more money and energy to do things once you get there. Let us show you how it’s done.

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Check the Under-Seat Dimensions

I am always shocked by how many people don’t do this and find themselves in unnecessary brouhahas when boarding. Check the dimensions that each airline will allow for personal items, then grab a tape measure to get the dimensions of your bag.

Here are the size requirements for several major airlines. We have not included any airlines that do not disclose personal-item size requirements on their website.

If you live in the United States, you might be able to get away with some excess here or there. However, airlines in other parts of the world tend to be much stricter when enforcing size requirements. If you’re toeing a fine line, I have a few suggestions. First, pick a soft bag so you can just stomp it into whatever box the gate agents are pointing to when you get to the front of the line. Second, put a smaller bag inside your bag with your essentials, so you don’t have to carry the bigger bag everywhere you go once you arrive at your destination.

Our Favorite Personal-Item Bags

Pretty much any bag that fits these size requirements will work as a personal-item bag. I have used several bags in our guides to Laptop Backpacks and Tote Bags as personal items on flights. However, here are a few that have performed well in recent testing.

Photograph: Adrienne So

Wandrd Carryall Duffel (30L)

$149 $119 at Amazon

$149 at Wandrd

A soft bag gives you the most leeway when it comes to squeezing it under the seat in front of you. This is currently my favorite personal item and travel bag; I’ve taken it on three trips since August. While Wandrd states that its dimensions are 19 x 11.75 x 9 inches, I measured mine when packed and it came out to 17 x 12 x 8 inches, which is small enough to fit on almost every airline except Air Canada.

Most duffels are, by design, black holes where you throw in a bunch of weird-shaped things. Wandrd’s has some structure and is exceptionally well-organized. There are multiple reinforced grab handles on either end as well as both sides, plus comfortable, padded backpack straps (with a chest strap!) for hauling ass through the airport. Two zippered compartments on either end segregate my dirty Birkenstocks and wet toiletry bag and bathing suit from my clothes, and there are a few internal mesh zipper pockets for tucking in your wallet and Kindle.

Photograph: Adrienne So

Take Off Personal Item 2.0

$120 $80 at Amazon

$120 at Take Off

When I rolled this wee bag into the WIRED offices on a recent press trip, several people stopped and marveled at my tiny, tiny suitcase. The standout feature of the Take Off suitcase is that it’s a proper rolling suitcase, but you can pop the wheels off and slide it under the seat in front of you. On a recent trip with Alaska Airlines, however, I didn’t bother to take the wheels off, and the flight attendant did not hassle me about it.

In addition to being adorable, this miniature suitcase works really well. The bumpers show no nicks or bangs, and I am very hard on suitcases. The wheels are easy to pop off, and you can put them in your pocket in a pinch. The grab handles fit my hands and are sturdy, and the telescoping handle extends a full 21 inches, which is the standard height of a suitcase handle, although if you’re taller than I am (5′ 2″) you may find that it’s a bit hard to pull behind you without knocking it with your heels. I have to say, though, that because the wheels are latched on, they rattle louder than other suitcase wheels, especially if you’re walking on a rougher surface like a sidewalk. This made me grate my teeth. However, if you’re not the kind of person who would prefer to slink through an airport like the Pink Panther, then this probably won’t bother you, and it didn’t affect the function of the suitcase at all.

Photograph: Waterfield

Waterfield Designs Air Porter Backpack

$419 at Waterfield Design

Does it make sense to buy a $400 American-made bag when you’re flying on a $40 Frontier flight? If you have to ask, you’re on the wrong article—any airline can be pleasant enough if you have the right gear, and this squared-off backpack Waterfield Designs artfully maxes out on size. Inside you’ll find two laptop sleeves plus a separate zipper pocket. The top has two zippered pockets, one with a lanyard for keys. The sides have two more zippered pockets large enough to hold a 20-ounce Fuji water bottle, if not one of those big cups the kids like nowadays.

The padded backpack straps are a little snug on my larger frame but comfortable enough, and the padded sleeve holds it snugly on top of my full-size carry-on when I’m flying fancy (read: Economy Plus). I have tested the version made from a grayish-green waxed canvas, which has a natural look and is picking up patina, but there’s also a version with 1680 denier ballistic nylon. —Martin Cizmar

Don’t Bring So Much Stuff

Unless you’re traveling with a very specific purpose for which you’ll need a lot of gear, like ice climbing, you can cover your bases with much less stuff than you might think. You just have to be ruthlessly pragmatic, ditch all your fantasies, and discard the idea that you need “options” when it comes to how you dress.

Are you really going to go for a run every morning, and if you are, is it really worth it to bring all that gear for what will be, at most, an hour out of your day? Do you really need a dress, or will you feel a little self-conscious and should’ve worn chinos like always? For example, here is how I packed for a recent three-day trip to San Francisco. Inside the Take Off Personal Item 2.0, I have:

Photograph: Adrienne So

• MacBook Air
• Boox Palma
• Tech pouch with chargers
• Toiletry bag
• Birkenstocks
• 1 pouch with socks, underwear, and swimsuit
• 1 pair of work-appropriate (and I am using this term loosely) pants
• 4 T-shirts
• 1 pair of Vuori joggers
• 1 cardigan
• Fabric tote

I wore my bulkiest items on the plane—that was Vans, jeans, and my hoodie under a work jacket. No, I will not win any fashion awards. It’s San Francisco. Mark Zuckerberg’s recent glow-up aside, no one will notice designer pants or a handbag; the only garment anyone will pay any attention to is an Nvidia hoodie.

We minimal packers do have a few basic tricks. For example, I usually bring only a few pairs of socks and underwear and wash the dirty ones at night with packets of unscented Soak Wash in the sink. I use packing cubes. I also wear my biggest items of clothing on the plane, usually a hoodie or sweater. However, there really is no secret sauce beyond … just bringing less stuff. It makes cleaning up your hotel room much easier. I can’t recommend it enough, and I suggest you try it.