Ryanair is known for having the bare minimum included in your airfare, but these days we want to keep the cost down as much as possible. That’s why I love travelling hand luggage only – and these days they even make suitcases that are small enough to fit the Ryanair carry on dimensions!
Here’s everything you need to know before you travel, plus our top suitcase picks that fit the rules.
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Can You Take a Suitcase as a Free Bag on Ryanair?
A free bag for Ryanair will be the one that fits under the seat in front of you. Most people opt for a backpack or soft bag for this, which can make it hard to find suitcases in this category.
What’s the difference between a small cabin bag and a cabin bag?
For Ryanair, their small cabin bag is called a “small bag” and fits under the seat in front of you. A cabin bag is bigger and should go in the overhead bins. A checked bag is the one that goes into the hold and you only access it again after you’ve landed at your destination.
How big can the free carry on bag be on Ryanair?
All Ryanair flights include a small bag which is 40x30x20cm. This size means it can easily fit under the seat in front of you.
What type of luggage can you take as the free carry on bag?
In Ryanair’s baggage policy, they state you can take a handbag, laptop bag or backpack as your small bag. There’s no weight limit mentioned and no mention of suitcases or wheels.
Can you take a suitcase for the small cabin bag?
There’s still apprehension around taking a suitcase as a small bag on a Ryanair flight, due to words like ‘such as’ and ‘can’ in their bag policy. These indicate a suggestion, rather than a rule. So we reached out to Ryanair’s customer service and after a bit of probing, they confirmed you can take a suitcase as long as it meets the dimensions.
How do airport staff check your luggage meets the requirements?
There’s usually a baggage sizer at the gate which will have slots for you to place your bag into. There will be one for their small bag and one for the “cabin bag” – the one that goes in the overhead bins. You might not get asked to put your bag in the baggage sizer at all, but you never know!
What happens if your bag is too big for Ryanair?
The staff might tell you that you need to pay to take your bag on as a cabin bag or checked luggage and the fee for this will probably be more than it would have been if you had added it on at the time of booking.
Which bag is free on Ryanair?
Ryanair charges for any bags that aren’t the small cabin bag – so if you’ve got luggage that’s going in the overhead bins or being checked in, you’ll have to pay for it. The dimensions for this free bag are 40x30x20cm.
The Best Small Cabin Bag for Ryanair
Here are some of my favourite cabin bags, we’ve tried and tested on trips ourselves.
Honest Review
Bought & tested ourselves
- Removable wheels
- Comes in a variety of colours
- Cup holder
This suitcase from WOW Travel is perfect for travelling with Ryanair as it fits their small cabin bag dimensions (40x30x20cm) but has the added plus of removable wheels. You can maximise your packing space whilst still fitting the baggage restrictions.
It also comes with a little bag to pop the wheels into, a cup holder on the back of the case, and reinforced wheels and handle. It’s often on sale and comes in a variety of colours.
- Removable wheels
- Comes in a variety of colours
- Telescopic handle
When I posted about this suitcase it went VIRAL – over 7M views across all social platforms! This suitcase fits Ryanair dimensions exactly when the wheels are removed and this also means you fully maximise the space available to you by not having the wheels included.
This one does sell out a lot in store, but there’s a store checker tool on Primark’s website if you really want to get your hands on it.
- Works as a duffel bag or a suitcase
- External zipped pocket
- Handle can be hidden with zipped pocket
This was our first foray into the world of Primark Ryanair luggage and we’ve been hooked ever since. I took this on a trip to Estonia and it is a decent hybrid of trolley duffel bag and suitcase, with two wheels so you can pull it behind you.
Having said that though, the fact that it’s got two wheels instead of four made it a bit more wobbly in my experience and it was difficult to pull behind me on those old European cobblestones.
More Ryanair Underseat Bags Worth Considering
Some other bags we’ve not bought and tested personally, but are brands that we like and they looks good.
- Removable wheels
- Four spinner wheels
- ABS water repellant hard shell
This has got removable wheels so you really maximise the space available to you and comes in a variety of colours. LUGG is also quite a reputable brand if you want to feel like you’re making a solid choice – plus it’s got over 2,700 ratings with an average review of 4.3 stars.
- Can be used as a backpack or a suitcase
- External zipped pockets
- 3 year warranty
This is another hybrid situation – but this time it’s a backpack suitcase combo. I’ve not tested this one personally but I’ve tested other Cabin Max backpacks and they’ve always been a solid choice and I get recommended this brand by my followers all the time.
The only thing I’d mention with these hybrid styles is that the wheels at the back might eat up into some precious packing space but if you’re looking for a hybrid model and can compromise on space, this is a great shout.
There’s never been more suitcases on the market that cater to a free cabin bag size as demand for low cost airfare continues. There’s lots of different options for every preference and budget so take your pick and travel hand luggage only on your next Ryanair flight.
