Small cabin bag for 10 nights?

[Parttimewoes]

How doable is it? Son’s due to go away with friends and just realised this is all the luggage they have! Weather’s looking dubious so couple of hoodies needed as well as all the usual stuff. Should we be looking at paying extra for hold luggage or am I being daft and it’s easy? We don’t go abroad often but when we have whence always had hold luggage so unsure what’s feasible.

Thank you!

I think it would depend on both the country/destination he's goi g and also what he is planning doing once there. Big difference in what is needed for 10 days lying on the beach and going to relaxed beach bars at night as opposed to a city sightseeing break with proper restaurants booked for the evenings.

Also is it actual carry on luggage (small case that will go in the overhead bins) or a personal item only (small rucksack that must go under the seat in front)?

You wear jeans and a shirt or two plus hoodie on your person. Coat over the top and a hat/scarf if needed, phone, cable and charger in coat pockets plus small objects. Carry one pair of decent trousers, one pair of quick dry trousers if doing outdoor stuff, four or five pairs of socks and pants, couple of shirts. Toothbrush, toothpaste, bar of soap and a book. Done.

It also depends on the airline - there’s a big difference between Aer Lingus hand luggage and Ryanair’s for example!

Cabin Max do great hand luggage, but their website is also helpful as it gives you the dimensions of each airline’s hand luggage.

It’s the small 45x36x20 bag that has to go under the seat. Going to a supposedly warmish destination, planning to go out to eat and to bars etc in evenings

For me, an adult woman who would want make-up, hair tools and multiple shoe options? Impossible. For your son who I'm presuming is late teens/early 20s? Probably doable. Unless they're going off the beaten track they can buy any additional toiletries/underwear/jumpers there if they find they need more

The one that has to go under the seat is rucksack sized basically, so with the best will in the world I couldn't do 10 days with a rucksack. Normal hand luggage, in the overhead lockers, is more than manageable. I always take a tube of washing up liquid (you can get travel toothpaste sized tubes) that you use to wash bits in the sink.

Can he go halves on one hold bag with his mate?

Totally agree with the above , no way would it work for me . My son when he was a late teen would have worn his jeans, hoodie and converse on the plane and packed a few changes of undies and T shirts and bought toiletries at boots after going through security. Why don’t you get him to pull out what he wants to take and see how much fits .

Check out the Cabin Max selection at that size

I have the Manhattan Hybrid, which I've used for a week away - although it was summer, which makes a difference!

I can do a fortnight easily on a cabin bag. Three changes of underwear, spare jeans, change of shoes, sandals, a couple of tops, wash kit and a dressy dress that screws up and shakes out, fully loaded Kindle. If it’s a town or city with ordinary shops, I can do it with a handbag, and buy cheap underwear etc at the destination. But I don’t use electrical gadgets for hair, and don’t wear make-up.

Hmmm… not sure that’s going to work. And I’ve done 10 days comfortably from a small carry on size (overhead bin size) in cold weather that included varied activities such as hiking and a really expensive restaurant dinner.

I’d either buy or borrow a larger bag. They don’t have to be expensive.

the small carry on isn’t even big enough as my carryon 😂.
Ryanair are very strickt - so no carrying a bag with toiletries bought at the airport, it needs to fit in that one bag.
i would probably pay for a 10 kg bag as a second hand luggage, combined would be ok.
Otherwise do a trial pack - measure the rucksack he wants to take, then see how much he can fit it… but likely he’ll need to wash whilst on holiday

I use a cabin bag when I stay with family for a week. It has everything in, make up, clothes, you name it, I squish it in! It can be done!

I did 3 weeks with 7kg of hand luggage. It wasn’t that difficult. It is very easy to fill the volume and a little challenging to stay under the weight limit but with some forethought, totally possible.

Wear the heavy stuff. Don’t take multiple pairs if shows.

The small carry on is tiny. I had a long weekend away of 3 nights earlier in the year and I just about managed it. I did have hair straighteners but also only took essentials and minimum clothes with me. I suppose if he’s going somewhere with laundry facilities it would be ok. But for 10 nights I’d pay for a bigger bag

You’d wear three pairs of pants in 2 weeks? Are you washing these pants otherwise that’s grim.

For 10 days away I would say hold luggage, under the seat bags are tiny.

Is there not an middle option, to pay for a normal cabin bag?

Hand-luggage only (overhead cabin bag) is one thing, but if we're talking only an under-the-seat bag that is much trickier.

If it really is warm there, and he can wear his warm clothes to go and return, only packing a few thin/light things and washing them if necessary, then the under-the-seat option might be doable.

We go overseas each summer and we all have a 10k bag and backpack each. We manage fine but maybe not so much if we didn't have the backpack. We are also going to a destination that is pretty much guaranteed warm weather

Wash out overnight, of course!!! Otherwise, you end up travelling home with a suitcase full of filthy underwear, which is considerably grimmer.

I do this often although admittedly will pay the fee for two cabin items. It’s doable, although it’ll make it less stressful if he can do that. Otherwise he’s going to need to pack light, wear his thickest/heaviest clothes, and find somewhere to do washing!

You’d wear three pairs of pants in 2 weeks? Are you washing these pants otherwise that’s grim.

OMG of course she is! Does that even need explaining!!

In answer to Op. I easily do 2 weeks with just a tiny cabin bag. If it's a hot country.

Your son should easily do it. Wear hoodies and a pair of jeans (if he's taking any) on the flight. Check if towels are included in holiday. If not there are special travel towels that fold up tiny.

Pre-order is toiletries from Boots at the airport and pick up in the departure lounge. He can take the extra Boots bag on the plane.

I bought a vacuum bag thing off Amazon, but honesty after the first time I used it, I didn't need to again, as I've got so expert at just taking necessities.

I'm off to the USA for 10 days next year and only taking small cabin bag. It's easily done.

Get on Amazon or similar and buy a bag that maximises the under seat space. He should be able to fit enough in that if he wears any heavy clothes .

I've just done a week abroad with only an underseat bag and it's been fine. But the weather has been hot and predictable, so no need for raincoats, warm clothing etc.

When flying Ryanair (ridiculously small underseat dimensions) I usually pay about £10 extra for priority boarding, which means you can bring a carryon bag for the overhead lockers too.

The biggest factor in this is if he has access to a washing machine or not.