To not know what a 20kg suitcase looks like and think Ryanair will fleece me anyway?!

[Acunningruse]

Due to fly with bastard Ryanair this summer. We haven't flown in forever (years of UK self-catering holidays with small DC then post-poned holidays due to Covid) and therefore don't have any suitable luggage, nor, apparently, the brain power to work out what to buy!

We are getting a family pass thingy with Ryanair which means we get 4 x 10kg bags and 2 x 20kg bags. ALLEGEDLY this can be shared amongst us, ie, could have different weights between us but I'm not sure I trust Ryanair.

I have no idea what a suitcase suitable for holding 20kg looks like! I dont want to buy a huge one then find it's too big and I can't fill it within weight limits, but equally I don't want to get something too small!

If you have flown with Ryanair recently and used a 20kg baggage allowance, please could you send me a link or share a picture as to what suitcase you used?

Many thanks.

Wizz air states.
Must fit under the seat in front of you; can be a laptop bag, woman’s purse, or small backpack.
Purse, I'm not sure I can fit any clothes into a purse.😂

Not sure how big your family is, but we are flying RyanAir shortly and when we priced up what luggage we thought we'd actually need as individual items the Family Pass wasn't worth the money. We would usually allow about 15kg per person for a holiday in the sun. RyanAir are clever because I also think the more individual bags you take the more likely it is that one of them will be above the weight limit and they can charge you extra.

I think we have better (perhaps more mysterious) methods to ascertain the weight of something rather than looking at it 😝

I flew with Ryanair a couple of weeks back.
Like you I thought I'd be fleeced re suitcase weight. Was worried.
I tried weighing the bag on the bathroom scales but it didn't fit.
It's a long narrow Samsonite bag with wheels- not a traditional suitcase.
I was sure it was over 20kg
It weighed a little over 15kg at the airport.
Yay !

Below is the description of my "medium" suitcase that usually is just under 20kg when fully (and quite tightly) packed. It's a hard shell one, but was quite cheap.

I usually get on the bathroom scales with it too to double check and try not to go over 19kg to give me wiggle room in case Ryanair have their corporate finger on the scale.

24 inch Suitcase > Weight: 3.6kg > Width: 41cm > Depth: 25cm > Height: 60cm > Capacity: 62 litres

It is however out of stock since I bought it 10 years ago but just to give you an idea of size.

I have also got a "large suitcase" and as long as I don't pack it too the rafters and have to sit on it to close it, it comes under 20kg.

I don't pack light and 80kg allowance between 2 adults and kids should be plenty. :)

That's exactly what I have. I works well and is easier than trying to stand on a scale with a full suitcase

Btw when weighing on the electronic bathroom scales I flick it to KG instead of stone, weigh myself, then weigh myself holding the bag and deduct my weight. X

Despite the stories people tell, Ryanair are not out to “fleece” you

Their rules are very clear on the website. I have had countless flights with them and never had a problem. They flew all through the Pandemic, often rescuing folk let down by other airlines. They are consistently the cheapest with the fewest delays and cancellations by a big, big margin

A medium suitcase will be very difficult to fill more than 20 kg. Stop flapping and enjoy the best part of your holiday… the build up. Because once you get on that plane it is simply a countdown until you are coming home again

Get a medium and a large suitcase. Fill the large one with clothes. That should be 20kg. The medium one is for the other stuff. Happy holidays!

We have the Primark large £35 hard shell cases, each person gets half a suitcase and we always come in under 20 kilos per case, this is clothes, toiletries and sun cream for 2 adults and 2 toddlers. We put any extras like towels and shoes in our hand luggage. These are the hand luggage cases we have: we've had them 6 years and they have probably been on 30+ flights and are still in great condition.
5 Cities The Valencia Collection Hand Luggage, 42 Liters, Plain Black Set of 2 smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DSPKF8G/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_4DAT0G45WB0KHTA92P3M?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Home bargains sell digital suitcase scales for a couple of quid, definitely worth getting.

No suggestions OP, and unless you were going to a funeral of a loved one, you have chosen to self-flaggelate by flying with Ryanair and so no sympathy.

Hope you are not charged though, just because I don't want Mr O'Leary to get a penny more.

These large IT suitcases are really lightweight.

Took me by surprise when I flew recently that what used to be free 10kg cabin baggage is now a paid-for option with only a small bag included in value fare.

Ryanair do what they like. I've had to do a chargeback on them before

EasyJet do exactly the same thing. So does WizzAir, Vueling and many other low-cost airlines, it’s (sadly) common practice nowadays and not exclusive to Ryanair.

At least Ryanair “only” charge you £10-15 for the 10kg suitcase. EasyJet want £30-40 per person.

Am I right in thinking this is a new thing? I’m sure last time I flew (2018?) a free cabin bag was one of those fairly large pull along cases.

I'm not overly surprised the Overhead bags became paid for, they caused a lot of problems since there isn't room in the lockers for everyone to have a bag.

I used to be able to fit so much in that size bag (lived abroad and stocked up on stuff like school uniform and children's books while back in the UK!)

the only free bag you can now bring on Ryanair flights are ones that will fit underneath the seat in front of you. You have to pay £20ish to put a small case in the overhead locker (this was free pre-Covid) and £30ish to check in a £20kg bag.

Thanks I was pretty certain it had changed.

Places like Matalan have sets of cases of 3 in most of their ranges. The smallest is usually sized to be cabin luggage and usually takes about 7/8kg comfortably. The medium sized one is for hold luggage, but would take maybe 12-15kg of luggage. The large ones are also for hold luggage and would usually take 18-22kg of luggage. Those weights being a typical/average mix of contents. You'd struggle to get 20kg of a typical/average mix of items into a medium sized one.

Inevitable really as so many people were taking small suitcases on board and not only does it take more time to load the plane, there's simply not enough overhead locker space so often they have to take the bags off you anyway to put in the hold. It also means the cabin crew tell you to put your smaller bags, rucksacks, hold alls etc under the seat so really restricts your space for feet etc.

I struggle to lift 20kg, so my case is around 15kg!

Although it's stating the obvious, the heavier the bag when empty, the less items you can fit inside it as the 20kg includes the bag weight itself, so best to go for the lightweight bags.

If you're worried about the weight from sun cream and toiletries, you can order online using Click and Collect at Boots and select the shop in the airport terminal you are flying from that is listed as "after security". Then you pick up your heavy stuff after everything is weighed.
It will have to fit in your carry on, but allow you to pack more clothes in the cases you check in.

You have to pay £20ish to put a small case in the overhead locker (this was free pre-Covid)

Nothing to do with Covid, it started being a thing around 2016. Everybody used to bring wheelie cases on board before that, and it caused delays and unnecessary chaos. People would refuse to put them in the hold after the lockers were full, or to place them anywhere that wasn't directly above their heads. The boarding process was a true mess. They first separated it into priority / non-priority boarding, and then realised they could also charge for the priority option so that's what they're doing now.

90% of low cost airlines do this - Ryanair, easyJet, Norwegian, Eurowings, Wizz Air, Vueling... and a long list of etc. Even American companies such as Spirit, or even the main ones on shorter segments, have started charging for it.

Why do BA and other flag carriers allow a wheelie case on board for free? Because a very large percentage of passengers on those flights are on a ticket that includes checked luggage so they put it in the hold, or connecting to/from a long-haul flight which usually also includes checked luggage. Even if they did have cabin suitcases, these are almost always checked in for free at the counter, because the airlines prioritise a quick and efficient boarding process and would rather carry extra bags in the hold without charging the passengers for it. I fly Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian very often and since Covid I've never once carried my cabin suitcase on board. I'm going to the counter anyway for them to check Covid docs, so I may as well check the suitcase in and avoid carrying it myself during layovers.

To be completely honest, low-cost flights were always going to be unsustainable in the long term. I fly several times a month and during the last few years have gotten used to £10 or £15 return fares on cheap airlines. Filling a plane with such cheap tickets isn't enough to even cover costs. These businesses are now adopting the model of - our flights are still cheap, but we're going to start charging you for all the 'extras' otherwise we won't be able to afford to run the flights.

Of course the company owners etc are still making shitloads of money and not even hiding it, but you can't forget that even 20 years ago, flying for so little money was not a thing. Modest, 'normal' families had little to no chance at going on a plane. Now (or rather, in recent years and up until now) you can go abroad for £10, and there are dozens of routes to choose from. The price you pay is that you can't take the kitchen sink with you on board, nor do you get a free bottle of water during the flight. If you ask me, that's a small price.