Passing Thru - For the Curious and Thoughtful Traveler

For the Curious and Thoughtful Traveler

  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy
  • Blog
  • Work With Us
    • Media Kit
    • Help with Your Business
    • Housesitting
      • How to Get Started as an International House Sitter
      • Our Housesitting Profile
  • Places
    • Africa
      • South Africa
    • Asia
      • China
      • India
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Australia & Oceania
      • Australia
      • Fiji Islands
      • The Philippines
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Bosnia and Herzegovina
      • Bulgaria
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Hungary
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Latvia
      • Liechtenstein
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Serbia
      • Spain
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Alaska
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Florida
      • Hawaii
      • Illinois
      • Iowa
      • Kansas
      • Michigan
      • Minnesota
      • Missouri
      • Montana
      • Nebraska
      • Nevada
      • North Carolina
      • North Dakota
      • Pennsylvania
      • South Dakota
      • Wisconsin
      • Wyoming
    • Scandinavia
      • Finland
      • Sweden
    • General Travel
  • Resources and Tools
    • Gift Guides
    • Luggage and Packing
      • Luggage Tags
      • Passport Security
    • Resources for Zazzle and Print On Demand
    • Technology
  • Contact
  • Opt-out preferences

Choosing The Best Personal Item Bag for Travel by Air Today

By Betsy Wuebker 10 Comments

(Last Updated On: June 28, 2022)

The best personal item bag for travel by air today may not be the one you’ve used before.

Flown anywhere with what the airlines universally refer to as a “personal item” lately? Many travelers are tripped up by ever-changing carry on luggage regulations, some of which forbid a carry on suitcase altogether. All of a sudden, it seems, the best personal item bag for air travel might not be the one you’re used to carrying.

17 Best Personal Item Luggage

Certain airlines make you pay for overhead space, depending upon your ticket class. Still others restrict size and dimensions to levels beyond tiny. It behooves savvy travelers to research and purchase options for the best travel personal item bag to serve in different scenarios.

The best personal item bag for airlines on flight “A” may work, but not on airline “B,” and if no overhead space is available it must fit under the seat. This is when the biggest personal item bag is going to be a travel fail. It’s all very confusing!

The best personal item for carry on will meet your needs in all, or at least most of, these scenarios. Read on for our assessments and tips.

best personal item bag for travel by air
Photo by Chris Brignola on Unsplash

This post contains affiliate links and/or references to our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on or make a purchase using these links.

The Best Personal Item Bag Fits Most Scenarios

In a perfect world, you’d have a personal item bag that would see you through any potential check-in scenario. But as we all know, the airlines are doubling down on passenger carry on restrictions. The best personal item bag for plane configurations that vary has to be versatile. Frontier personal item size and Delta personal item size, for example, are different.

how to choose personal item bag

Many are adding fees designed to, depending upon what you believe, cut down on the amount of cabin baggage as seat configurations, increase the number of bodies in coach, or gouge paying customers for stuff that used to be free.

We also get a lot readers who are looking with dimensions equivalent to 9x10x17 bag. Depending upon the airline, personal item bag requirements will vary, though, so make sure you consult with their individual websites. The best airline personal bag won’t necessarily work on every carrier.

 

Different Strokes for Different Airlines

When your personal item on flight “A” sails through with you onto the plane with no issues, but fails on your next flight because the overhead compartment is smaller or not available for your use, it’s a frustration. The best personal carry on item is going to be versatile in that it will have some “give” – a semi-soft material will fit under an aisle seat whose space might be compromised with an electrical or USB floor outlet. It’s happened to us!

We’ve also seen more than one hapless passenger try to convince a hard-shelled spinner suitcase to fit under an airline seat. Needless to say, the bag wasn’t going to cooperate. A bag with in-line wheels instead of spinners that stick out (and are vulnerable to snapping off), as well as a flexible fabric material might have made all the difference for these unhappy travelers.

Here’s a quick table we put together showing some of the differences on U.S. domestic airlines along with examples that meet the requirements as of this writing:

Personal Item Bag for Spirit Airlines - a purse or a small backpackPersonal Item Bag Frontier Airlines - a purse, handbag or briefcasePersonal Item Bag for Delta, AA - 1 purse, briefcase, camera bag, diaper bag, or 1 laptop computerPersonal Item Bag United Airlines - purse, briefcase, laptop bagPersonal Item Bag Southwest Airlines - purses, briefcases, cameras, food containers, or laptops (case included)
18 x 14 x 8 inches (45 x 35 x 20 cm) including handles and wheels18 by 14 by 8 inches (45 x 35 x 20 cm) including handles and wheels18 x 14 x 8 inches (45 x 35 x 20 cm) must fit under the seat in front of you9 inches x 10 inches x 17 inches (22 cm x 25 cm x 43 cm) must fit in overhead or under seat in front of youPersonal items must fit in the 16.25” (L) x 13.5” (W) x 8” (H) space under the seat. Note this is the smallest dimension within the fleet. There may be more room available on different aircraft.
q? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B075L8RW5C&Format= SL160 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=personalitem delseycarryon 20ir?t=personalitem delseycarryon 20&l=li2&o=1&a=B075L8RW5Cq? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01J80TC1A&Format= SL160 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=personalitem aerolite16 20ir?t=personalitem aerolite16 20&l=li2&o=1&a=B01J80TC1Aq? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01B3I7L7W&Format= SL160 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=personalitem boardingblueduffel 20ir?t=personalitem boardingblueduffel 20&l=li2&o=1&a=B01B3I7L7Wq? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0725CF2LL&Format= SL160 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=personalitem amazontravweekendersmall 20ir?t=personalitem amazontravweekendersmall 20&l=li2&o=1&a=B0725CF2LLq? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01N1SRGAZ&Format= SL160 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=personalitem amazonbackpacktable 20ir?t=personalitem amazonbackpacktable 20&l=li2&o=1&a=B01N1SRGAZ
Delsey Luggage Fusion Wheeled Tote - 6.75 x 17.25 x 12.75 inchesAerolite 16" Carry On Under Seat Wheeled Trolley - 16.50 x 13.80 x 7.80 inchesBoardingBlue Soft Personal Item 17" Under Seat Duffel - 17 x 13 x 9 inchesTravel Weekender Overnight Carry-on Shoulder Duffel Tote Bag - 6 x 11 x 14 inchesAirlines Personal Item Laptop Backpack - 18 x 13 x 8 inches
Click here for details and latest priceClick here for details and latest priceClick here for details and latest priceClick here for details and latest priceClick here for details and latest price

As such, our specific recommendations for the best carry on personal item are going to reflect these realities. It’s not just that we prefer them, it’s that we’ve come to prefer them because they work in today’s air travel climate.

Tip: Looking for additional luggage recommendations? Check out our latest update: Which Luggage is Best for Travel

The Best Personal Item Bag for Women

Women have some fun choices in terms of personal items. Because we’ve carried purses and totes forever, we will often already have a bag or two that will suffice. After all, the best personal item bag for travel is one that will hold all the things you normally carry with you, along with the extras you decide to bring to make your flight comfortable. The best personal carry on bag for a woman will depend on flight length and distance, domestic vs international, whether you’re changing climates at your destination and other variables.

Can you bring a carry on and a backpack with you in the cabin?

You certainly can! Just make sure the items you have conform with airline regulations. Small backpacks suitable for stowing under the seat in front of you come in fun patterns and materials that coordinate with your fashion statement.

Many people are looking for a 9 x 10 x 17 backpack option. Change from your personal item on flight 1 to another on flight 2 depending upon your need for additional space (or in the rare event you’ve managed to end up with fewer items since the last boarding).

Tip: Check out Passing Thru’s New Amazon Travel Shoppe for curated collections of packing, luggage, and travel lifestyle items specifically selected for stylish convenience.

q? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B075QNTVFV&Format= SL250 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=personalitembag chester 20&language=en US
ir?t=personalitembag chester 20&language=en US&l=li3&o=1&a=B075QNTVFV

Note: If you’re still on the hunt for sleek, hard-sided, lightweight carry-on luggage that’s engineered for strength and durability, get The Minima spinner from Chester. This is Betsy’s favorite!
This bag is cabin-approved, aerospace grade polycarbonate in a beautiful selection of colors, with an interior organization system that will keep your belongings shipshape. Chester offers a 30-day no-hassle return policy, and a 10-year warranty on this bag. PassingThru readers get a 10% discount and free two-day shipping on the Chester website, use code PT10. Click here for more information and pricing on this best carry on luggage option.


This bag is also available on Amazon in all colors. If you’d rather purchase from Amazon, click here.

The Best Personal Item Bag for Men

When men are searching for the best personal item for carry on purposes, they’re often looking for personal item luggage that will handle tech essentials or camera equipment. This allows them to avoid the security risks with checking valuable equipment.

Tip: Don’t forget the need for passport security, whether you carry yours on your person or in your bag. A rugged design like this passport cover is appealing to men, and protects while deflecting the wrong kind of attention.

Protecting valuables with the best carry on personal item can be challenging, but we managed to find several items that fit the bill. Can you bring a carry on and a backpack? Yes, with one of these you certainly can.

Note that men are often searching for the best laptop bag for air travel, using it as a personal travel bag by packing a change of clothing in for short trips.

Tip: Check out our Travel Tech Essentials recommendations for digital warriors on the go!

The Best Personal Item Bag for International or Long Haul Trips

The best personal item bag for travel on international flights or long hauls with stopovers are often going to have to serve in tandem with a regular carry on which together will hold all the necessities for the trip. The reason for this is that many travelers are reluctant to check their bags all the way through on a multi-leg flight. When you have a lot of personal items, bag interior configurations matter, too.

We’ve been lucky so far, but we know it’s better when switching airlines on different international legs to retrieve luggage from baggage claim and undergo the check in process again. This can be a real pain, but as full time travelers, we’re insufficiently minimalist to go carry on only on most itineraries. On occasion, we’ve stored luggage at a regional airport knowing that we’ll return to fly out of that location, but those times have been rare.

So, what should you look for in similar circumstances? Chances are you’ll be schlepping this bag fair distances in the airport, upon arrival, and maybe over cobblestones or up multiple flights of steps depending on the location and type of your accommodations. The best personal item bag for travel on long haul, multi-leg trips will have the following features:

  • a trolley sleeve to slip over the handle of your larger roller bag so that you can double them up
  • multiple interior compartments to keep smaller items organized and protected
  • a padded compartment for your laptop
  • slots for smaller electronics – phone, reader or tablet
  • a variety of exterior pockets to keep items you need to grab in a hurry accessible
  • an adjustable handle – if it’s a roller (and we recommend that it is) – to accommodate a smaller bag size with comfortable height

Fortunately, manufacturers have given careful thought to features the best carry on personal item should have. We’ve selected several here that will perform well at affordable prices.

Tip: Now that you know which bag you’re going to choose, it needs a luggage tag. Check out our fun designs that you can customize in the PassingThru Travel Shop: click here.

button discover other travel essentials in our amazon travel shoppe

Pinnable Images

best personal item
best carry on personal item
best personal item luggage

Tips for Trip Success

Book Your Flight
Find an inexpensive flight by using CheapOAir, a favorite of ours because it regularly returns less expensive flight options from a variety of airlines.

Book Your Hotel or Special Accommodation
We are big fans of Booking.com. We like their review system and photos. If we want to see more reviews and additional booking options, we go to TripAdvisor.

You Need Travel Insurance!
Good travel insurance means having total peace of mind. Travel insurance protects you when your medical insurance often will not and better than what you get from your credit card. It will provide comprehensive coverage should you need medical treatment or return to the United States, compensation for trip interruption, baggage loss, and other situations.

PassingThru is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

To view PassingThru’s privacy policy, click here.

Filed Under: Travel Shop, Gift Guide, Luggage and Packing

Comments

  1. Roy A. Ackerman, PhD, EA says

    January 22, 2018 at 7:03 am

    I used to travel 250,000 miles a year. And, back then every airline had a coat closet. (OK. For first class, but that’s where I was way more often then not). And, I traveled with a sky valet (a two-suiter that folded over to be of a size akin to a conventional small bag or could hang in the closet- and had wheels- PLUS the all-important swing-out briefcase carrier, so I could just pull one piece from gate 1 to gate 100 in Miami or Los Angeles or JFK or Orly).
    To this day, I choose to maintain my briefcase (16X10X6- max, if I open a zipper) and my convertible (which meets the same dimensions) as my traveling companions.

    Reply
    • Betsy Wuebker says

      January 22, 2018 at 9:51 am

      Hi Roy – I fondly remember those days of the foldover garment bag/suitcase and the closets, too.

      Reply
  2. KF says

    January 22, 2018 at 2:51 pm

    The dimensions you cite for United are incorrect – they are 17 x 10 x9 inches (22 x 25 x 43 cm).

    Reply
    • Betsy Wuebker says

      January 22, 2018 at 5:31 pm

      Noted and corrected. Thanks for the catch! 🙂

      Reply
  3. E Beachy says

    October 10, 2018 at 10:03 am

    You corrected the personal item size for United (9 x 10 x 17″), however, the bag you recommend for this is “6 x 11 x 14 inches”. The measurements “average out,” but is that acceptable to United or not? Can I fudge on one measurement if I make up for it in another one?

    Reply
    • Betsy Wuebker says

      October 10, 2018 at 6:00 pm

      Hi – Because it’s soft-sided and flexible, it should work fine. I took a look at the specific questions and answers on the item in Amazon to see if anyone had used it on United specifically. No one had. One person expressed doubt but hadn’t tried it. Another person had used it on an airline with smaller restrictions: ” I flew with this bag on Allegiant Airlines and their bag limits are 7 x 15 x 16.” It seems like you’d most likely be fine if you didn’t overstuff the bag.

      Reply
  4. lily says

    August 13, 2020 at 10:49 pm

    Hi, mam, this is great information, I read your post, i am a student of medical college, in nursing. i have already a bag but now i want to buy a new and durable stylish backpack, so i want your recommendation. thanks

    Reply
  5. Jozab john says

    August 23, 2020 at 1:03 am

    This is a great site and shares very nice information with us. i am a photographer and carry different cameras when i go for work, now i want the best backpacks for my camera. thanks

    Reply
  6. Hassan says

    December 26, 2020 at 1:46 pm

    Very impressive and easy to read. Thanks

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. When Looking for the Best Carry On Luggage Vera Bradley Can Be a Winner | Passing Thru says:
    February 4, 2018 at 2:40 pm

    […] carryon luggage, but we aren’t that minimalist. Nevertheless, our system does depend upon carrying on a personal item and an additional piece – which holds electronics, valuable items we don’t want to […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


Aloha! We’re Betsy and Pete Wuebker. We traveled the world full time for close to four years and have visited almost 50 countries. If you’re a curious and thoughtful traveler, you’re in the right place. No matter if you’re new to travel or an old hand, we can help you refine your bucket list!

Here’s to a happier, travel-centered life!

How to Tour Europe by Train Using Eurail First Class Passes

Bucket List Ideas

  • Things You Will Learn About Yourself While Walking the Camino de Santiago
  • 10 Unmissable Attractions in Bhutan
  • Oktoberfest Getaway in Munich: Top Tips Ensure the Best Oktoberfest Plan for the Famous Munich Beer Festival

More Bucket List Ideas

Privacy Policy

Click here for PassingThru’s Privacy Policy.

Disclosure

PassingThru is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Click here for PassingThru’s complete Disclosure Policy.

Copyright © 2023 Passing Thru · Designed by Blue Sun Studio, Inc. on Genesis · Log in

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}