Carry-on without the stress: bags that fit every airline's rules
You pack the same bag, you pay the same fare, and two flights apart you can be either waved through or charged £45 at the gate. The bag didn't change. The airline did.
There is no shared international standard for carry-on luggage. IATA tried to set one in 2015 and most airlines ignored it. What you are left with is a patchwork of dimensions, weight limits and fare-class exceptions, all enforced by different gate staff in different moods.
Below is what the rules actually look like in 2026, and how to pick a bag that travels well across most of them.
Two sizes do most of the work
Most airlines now run a two-tier system: a smaller bag that goes under the seat, and a larger one that goes overhead. On the cheapest fares with budget carriers, you only get the smaller bag for free. Pay for priority boarding or a higher fare class, and the overhead bag is included.
The under-seat bag is where the rules are tightest, and where most travellers come unstuck.
UK and European budget airlines
These are the strictest. Measure twice.
| Airline | Free under-seat | Paid overhead | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryanair | 40 × 30 × 20 cm | 55 × 40 × 20 cm | 10 kg | Strictest enforcement. Hard cases scrutinised more. Gate fees £45–£60. |
| easyJet | 45 × 36 × 20 cm | 56 × 45 × 25 cm | 15 kg under-seat | Most generous under-seat allowance of any budget carrier. |
| Wizz Air | 40 × 30 × 20 cm | 55 × 40 × 23 cm | 10 kg | Same free dimensions as Ryanair. Wizz Priority needed for overhead. |
| Jet2 | 40 × 30 × 20 cm | 56 × 45 × 25 cm (free) | 10 kg overhead | The outlier. Every fare includes both bags. No upgrade required. |
The 40 × 30 × 20 cm size that Ryanair and Wizz Air share has effectively become the new European baseline for an under-seat bag. If a backpack fits that, it fits almost anywhere.
Major European carriers
Easier than the budget airlines, but the rules vary more than they look.
| Airline | Cabin bag | Personal item | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Airways | 56 × 45 × 25 cm | 40 × 30 × 15 cm | 23 kg (generous) |
| Air France | 55 × 35 × 25 cm | 40 × 30 × 15 cm | 12 kg |
| KLM | 55 × 35 × 25 cm | 40 × 30 × 15 cm | 12 kg |
| Lufthansa | 55 × 40 × 23 cm | 40 × 30 × 10 cm | 8 kg (enforced) |
Lufthansa is the catch. They actually weigh cabin bags, particularly out of Frankfurt and Munich on busy morning departures. A heavy laptop bag plus a roller can put you over 8 kg before you have even thought about it.
North American carriers
A simpler picture, but watch the basic economy fares.
| Airline | Carry-on | Weight | Basic economy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta | 22 × 14 × 9 in (56 × 36 × 23 cm) | None | Full carry-on included |
| American | 22 × 14 × 9 in (56 × 36 × 23 cm) | None | Full carry-on included |
| United | 22 × 14 × 9 in (56 × 36 × 23 cm) | None | Personal item only on most domestic flights |
The United basic economy restriction catches a lot of travellers out. American and Delta still include a full carry-on on basic fares, which is worth factoring in when comparing prices.
Practical things worth watching
- Backpack depth gets misjudged. A 20 cm depth on a soft pack can become 25 cm once it is packed. Internal compression straps help.
- Wheels and handles count. Every airline includes them in the measurement.
- Weight is a separate fight. Lufthansa, Swiss, Turkish and most Middle Eastern carriers weigh bags. Most low-cost European carriers don't.
- Sizers at the gate are sometimes tighter than the published dimensions. Leave yourself a centimetre of margin.
Where the Storr fits in
The Storr 20L measures 28 × 44 × 14 cm and weighs 1.13 kg empty. The Storr 25L measures 30 × 50 × 14 cm and weighs 1.26 kg.
Here is how each one stacks up against the airlines above.
| Airline / Allowance | Storr 20L | Storr 25L |
|---|---|---|
| Ryanair free under-seat | ✗ (44 cm tall vs 40 cm limit) | ✗ |
| Ryanair priority overhead | ✓ | ✓ |
| easyJet free under-seat | ✓ | ✗ |
| easyJet large cabin | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wizz Air free under-seat | ✗ (44 cm tall vs 40 cm limit) | ✗ |
| Wizz Air priority overhead | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jet2 (any fare) | ✓ | ✓ |
| British Airways cabin bag | ✓ | ✓ |
| Air France / KLM cabin bag | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lufthansa cabin bag | ✓ | ✓ |
| Delta / American / United carry-on | ✓ | ✓ |
The honest catch is the 20L on Ryanair and Wizz Air free fares. At 44 cm tall it is 4 cm over their 40 cm limit. The waxed canvas is soft enough that it often compresses through under-seat sizers in practice, but if you are flying their basic fares we would recommend buying priority and using it as your overhead cabin bag rather than risking it.
The 25L is the safer all-rounder for trips. It fits as a cabin bag on every major carrier we checked, including the narrower 14 cm depth that Lufthansa-group flights tend to enforce strictly at the gate.
Both bags share the same Scottish waxed canvas, the same AustriAlpin COBRA frame adjusters, and the same removable Gigha Sling tucked inside the front pocket for when you arrive somewhere and want a smaller bag for the day.
Neither bag will negotiate with a Ryanair gate agent for you. But both have been built around the rules that the agent will be holding up.
Airline rules change often. The figures above are accurate as of mid-2026, but it's always worth checking the carrier's website before you book.
