Ryanair have increased their small cabin bag allowance since this article was published – it’s now 40x30x20cm.
There’s a new travel bag on the scene – the Primark small cabin bag that comes with a handle and wheels – and so obviously, I had to try it out for myself.
With all the buzz around the viral Ryanair small cabin bag last year, I wanted to see if this new Primark bag had what it takes to knock it off its pedestal. On the face of it, it looks pretty decent but the most important question is: will it fit in the baggage sizers for Wizz Air, easyJet and Ryanair?!
So, with a seven day trip to Estonia coming up, I packed it to give it a proper test out.
Testing the New Primark Carry On Bag
The bag
Primark Trolley Cabin Bag
Price: £25.00
This Primark carry on bag comes with a large main compartment that zips up securely. There’s also a small zipped pocket on the inside too. As for the outside, there’s a deeper outside pocket and the zip has been cleverly set behind the outside fabric. This means it’s a little harder to unzip if you’re a pesky pickpocket!
The winning factor though is that concealed in a small, zipped away patch, is a trolley handle which extends out. It then has two simple wheels that allow you to roll it, and two webbed straps that mean you can carry it too.
The bag currently comes in three colours: black, khaki and animal print.
Check out my packing hacks.
The measurements
The bag itself doesn’t come with any measurement so I packed in some clothes and got my measuring tape out. Here’s how it compares to Ryanair’s 40 x 20 x 25cm luggage restrictions:
Length: 41cm
Width: 20cm
Height: 29cm
Weight (empty): 1.4kg
So yeah, it does appear to be a little bigger than the Ryanair small cabin bag allowance. However, this is by just mere centimetres and thanks to not overpacking the bag, there was definitely some flexibility in there! That’s why I thought it was definitely worth taking to the airport with me.
After packing enough clothes for a week (though with plenty of repeat wearing!), toiletries and some small bits of tech, the Primark bag now weighed in at 6kg.
The airport
Ready for our trip to Estonia, I committed to using this new Primark small cabin bag for my trip so that I could test it in the baggage sizers for Ryanair, Wizz Air and easyJet. These are the metal frames airline staff sometimes use to check if your bag meets the size limits.
easyJet
easyJet small cabin bag allowance: 45cm x 20cm x 36cm
Did it fit?:
It took a fair bit of pushing – the easyJet baggage sizer is quite slim! – to get the bag into the easyJet metal sizer, but it did fit. And once in, there was actually quite a bit of extra space on top so you could definitely take a bigger bag than this.
Wizz Air
Wizz Air small cabin bag allowance: 40cm x 30cm x 20cm
Did it fit?: At first try it absolutely did not look like it was going to fit. But after a forceful push, I finally got it in. Once in, it did seem to fit well but I do have to flag that some staff won’t let you struggle to get the bag in so my advice, if asked to measure, would be to do one swift, powerful push down as you place the bag in the cage.
Ryanair
Ryanair small cabin bag allowance: 40cm x 20cm x 25cm
Did it fit?: When I measured the Primark carry on bag and saw it was a bit bigger than Ryanair’s small cabin bag limits, I was a little nervous it wouldn’t fit. It did bulge out a bit on the sides in the sizer, but it still fit, and it actually went in a lot smoother than Wizz Air. This probably thanks to them having a gap in the side of their baggage sizer.
For more honest reviews follow @holidayexpertshop.
Even though Ryanair’s policy doesn’t mention wheels specifically, I have heard that some of their staff can be picky about accepting small cabin bags with wheels. So, I’d definitely recommend putting the metal handle away and just holding the bag when you’re in the boarding queue, just to be safe.
My Final Verdict on the New Primark Carry On Bag
The Primark carry on bag did indeed pass the test for all three airlines – easyJet, Wizz Air and Ryanair – as long as you don’t get someone who refuses to let you use any force to get it inside the baggage sizer!
My biggest tip is do not overpack it as that’s what could end up giving you grief when you get to the airport.
As for its use ability on my trip, it was really nice to not have to carry my bag around all the time! It’s best on smooth surfaces – think airports and shiny hotel floors – but I did have to find myself doing some holding on cobbled roads and out and about.
I also wouldn’t recommend putting anything valuable or fragile inside as it does get quite knocked about when you’re dragging it around behind you! I’m really glad that I didn’t have my laptop in mine.
Also, the heavier it is, the more difficult it will become to steer!
But overall, I think it’s decent for the price and I hope it will last me a few more trips – though I don’t see it being a bag that sticks around with me forever.
