Best cabin bag for holidays and overnight stays

Lightweight yet surprisingly roomy, the best cabin bags can be used for a variety of travelling needs. Whether you've got a generous baggage allowance that gives you an extra suitcase to take onboard with you, you're heading to your destination with hand luggage only, or even if you're travelling by train or car for an overnight stay for business or pleasure. They're the best suitcase for smaller trips where you don't need to take as many clothes and toiletries with you.

If you're wondering what is a cabin bag, simply put, it's a piece of luggage that can be taken into the cabin with you if you're travelling by plane and placed into one of the overhead storage bins, rather than going into the hold of the aircraft. There are many different types of cabin bags that you can get, which is why you may hear them referred to as carry-on bags, cabin baggage or hand luggage. If you pack them strategically, utilising all the space inside and any packing cubes you may have, you should be able to pack enough outfits inside for a long weekend, plus shoes and any cosmetics and personal care items you may need.

Best cabin bag at a glance:

• Best cabin bag overall: Antler Clifton Expandable Cabin Bag – view on Antler
• Best Ryanair cabin bag: DK Luggage 20” Cabin Bag – view on Amazon UK
• Best EasyJet cabin bag: American Tourister Novastream 4 Wheel Exp Cabin Suitcase – view on Luggage Superstore

What is the best type of bag for cabin luggage will of course depend on your needs and duration of travel, but it will also depend on the rules set out by your chosen airline or tour operator. We've got some of the dimensions for cabin baggage for some of the UK's most popular airlines in our FAQs section, but you should always check with your operator before you fly. You can opt for hard or soft shell cases with wheels for you to glide through the airport, a backpack or rucksack for you to carry on your back with everything you need for your trip, or a shoulder bag that has just what you need for your flight inside.

Of course, you don't have to be flying to make use of a cabin bag. The best cabin bags can be used when you're travelling in the UK, too. They're a great size for city breaks, overnight stays with friends and family or if you're staying away from home for work. Whatever you're travelling for, we've searched the web for the best cabin bags, carry-on cases and hand luggage for you to pack all of your essentials inside. The majority of the bags in our list have either been tried and tested by our in-house Yours shopping experts or come highly rated, with plenty of real-life customer reviews online for you to see.

Best cabin bag for your travels

Our verdict: which is the best-buy cabin bag?

In our opinion, the Antler Clifton Expandable Cabin Bag is the best cabin bag on our list if you’re looking for a sturdy, hard-wearing case that has plenty of storage inside. We love that you have the option to expand the depth by 3cm if you’re packing for longer trips or anything that is particularly bulky, such as a towel. It’s a good quality case that comes with a lifetime warranty so it’ll see you through many trips to come.

However, the Clifton Cabin Bag may be slightly too big if you’re travelling on one of the more budget airlines. Ryanair has the smallest maximum cabin bag size out of all the airlines (as you’ll see in our FAQs below), so if you’re looking for a bag that will cover the majority of airline cabin bag restrictions, the DK Luggage 20” Cabin Bag is also a great choice.

FAQs

Where to buy the best cabin bags?

If none of our top picks has taken your fancy, we've rounded up some of our favourite retailers that stock many different brands of cabin baggage so you can browse for the one that is right for you.

• Very cabin suitcases and carry-on luggage
• John Lewis cabin suitcases
• Matalan cabin cases
• Argos cabin luggage and suitcases
• Luggage Superstore cabin luggage

What can I pack in a hand luggage bag?

Wondering what to pack in your hand luggage bag? We've put together a list of all the things you may want to bring with you onboard with you, to help make the packing process that bit smoother.

• Passport, documentation and money
• Valuables such as jewellery
• Clothing and underwear for the duration of your trip
• Any medication you might need (making sure you have supporting documentation from a relevant medical professional if it's more than 100ml worth)
• Phone, laptop or tablet
• Travel pillow
• Phone and electronics chargers
• Entertainment, such as books and magazines to read

You'll also want to pack your toiletries and make-up, such as toothpaste, suncream, foundation etc., but remember, any liquids you pack must be under 100ml in volume to be cleared by security. As all liquids need to be scanned, you will have to take them out of your travel toiletry bag inside your hand luggage and place them into one of the clear bags provided by the airport. You can always pick up your toiletries from one of the shops in departures after you've passed security if you want to bring more than what will fit inside the airport bags.

UK airline cabin bag sizes:

All airlines have different rules when it comes to whether you can bring a cabin bag onto the plane with you, how much it can weigh and what the maximum size your bag can be. We've rounded up carry-on bag information for some of the most popular airlines to travel within the UK, but we would always recommend checking with your airline or tour operator for the most up-to-date information in relation to your fare before you travel.

Ryanair carry-on bag size

If you're wondering what is Ryanair's cabin bag size, it all depends on what options you chose when you booked your flight. On Ryanair's website, they state that each passenger can take one small item of carry-on baggage up to 40 x 20 x 25cm. However, if you've paid extra for a Priority & 2 Cabin Bags fare, you can take a small carry-on as well as a larger cabin bag that weighs up to 10kg with maximum dimensions of 55 x 40 x 20cm.

EasyJet carry-on bag size

Just like Ryanair, what EasyJet cabin bag size is, depends on what type of fare you have chosen. Everyone can bring a small cabin bag that has a maximum size of 45 x 36 x 20cm (including any handles and wheels) according to EasyJet's cabin bag policy. It can weigh up to 15kg, but it needs to be kept under the seat in front of you. If you've booked to have a large cabin bag onboard, this can be up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm, including any handles and wheels, and can be popped in the overhead storage bins. However, if they run out of room onboard, your bag will need to be checked into the hold.

Jet2 carry-on bag size

Jet2 allow you to carry onboard one piece of hand luggage free of charge, as long as it weighs no more than 10kg and is no larger than 56 x 45 x 25cm, including any wheels and handles.

TUI Airways carry-on bag size

If you're travelling with TUI Airways, you can also take one piece of hand luggage onboard with you, providing it doesn't exceed the measurements of 55 x 40 x 20cm, and weighs no more than 10kg.

British Airways carry-on bag size

When flying with British Airways, hand baggage must have a maximum size of 56 x 45 x 25cm and you can also take a small personal handbag onboard, too, with dimensions of up to 40 x 30 x 15cm.

Virgin Atlantic carry-on bag size

All tickets with Virgin Atlantic.){href='https://help.virginatlantic.com/in/en/baggage/hand-baggage.html#:~ =Hand%20baggage%20is%20included%20as,x%2014%20x%2022%20inches).' target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow'} include hand baggage and the size of your bag can be a maximum of 56 x 36 x 23cm.

Rosie Floyd is a Pets, Homes and Garden Product Writer for Yours, specialising in home appliances, décor and furnishings, as well as all things dogs. After completing her Journalism & Media degree from Coventry University back in 2015, she started her career writing about must-visit holiday destinations, moving on to creating content around outdoor living and garden buildings, before joining the team at Bauer.