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Between finding a carry-on bag that’ll fit in most overhead compartments, a toiletry bag or Dopp kit for your tiny 3-ounce bottles of shampoo, and a personal item to hold everything you’ll need for in-flight comfort and entertainment, solving the packing equation isn’t easy. To make things even more complicated, there aren’t even standard regulations of what counts as a personal item. According to the TSA website, the “size dimensions of carry-on baggage allowed in the cabin of the aircraft vary by airline.” That leaves a lot of room for interpretation, but generally a personal item is something that fits under the seat in front of you. JetBlue defines that as a bag smaller than 17 inches long, 13 inches wide, and 8 inches deep. On United, it’s 17 by 10 by 9; on American Airlines it’s 18 by 14 by 8. Southwest allows an 18.5-by-8.5-by-13.5 item, whereas Delta simply says a personal item is a “purse, briefcase, camera bag, or diaper bag,” with no specific size limit. Pp Trolley Luggage
In other words, there’s a lot that you can get away with. So for further guidance, we sought advice from stylish airport regulars. We’ve previously asked frequent fliers to recommend the rolling carry-on bags they like best, so here are the personal items they use to stash their stuff while in the air. Turns out there are lots of backpack fans among the Strategist editors, but we’ve also got picks for totes, laptop cases, camera bags, and even fanny packs that fit perfectly in a seat-back compartment for easy access.
Aluminum Frame Trolley luggage Dazed executive editorial director Lynette Nylander pointed us to this travel-bag “system” from gender-inclusive bag company Ojeito, which contains four durable bags — three of which fit inside a large, sturdy tote. Each component of the system is constructed from military-grade ripstop fabric using double-stitched seams. While you could definitely organize all your essentials using the interior packing bags, Nylander often finds herself just hauling the tote around. “It’s made for the constant traveler in mind, it’s understated, and I can get it dirty and roughed up without worrying about it,” she says.