Carry on down the aisle

Go Fly:It's so much easier to fly with a cabin bag rather than a big case, But. with allowances shrinking, how do you find the right one, asks ALANNA GALLAGHER

SIZE MATTERS when it comes to luggage. Rising baggage charges are sending the humble suitcase the way of the Hollywood starlet – shrinking to size zero. As far as airlines go, small is beautiful. And carrying on rather than checking in your bags saves you time and money.

Craig Doyle, the ITV sports presenter, prefers to carry on. “I was wasting hours a week waiting by carousels,” he says. “If you don’t have to wait for bags you’re first in line in the queue for taxis.”

Ryanair allows carry-on bags that weigh up to 10kg and have maximum dimensions of 55cm by 40cm by 20cm – slightly slimmer than Aer Lingus’s 56cm by 45cm by 25cm. You need to pack very carefully to avoid paying Ryanair’s hold charges.

Lower airline restrictions are a big problem for the luggage industry, according to Paul Coffey of Arnotts. “After size, weight is the biggest issue when it comes to selling luggage. It is equal to price. If you can get the weight down, customers will nearly pay any price for it.”

Baggage restrictions have stopped travellers overcompensating, says Denis O’Brien, head concierge at Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel. “No more five pairs of shoes when two would have sufficed.”

Brendan Courtney, presenter of RTÉ’s ‘Off the Rails’, agrees. “Shoes are what banjax you,” he says. The secret to staying underweight is to plan your wardrobe. “I bring one pair of multipurpose shoes that will do for business and leisure and just one pair of jeans. And I carry my jacket aboard.”

So does Doyle. But he prefers to carry a Billingham sports bag rather than wheel a trolley bag.

Courtney has invested in a good suit carrier – a leather one from Dunhill – which he can take as carry-on on some airlines but not on Ryanair. He also favours a hard-shell Samsonite with swivel wheels.

These fans of carry-on are not alone. Seventy per cent of Ryanair travellers already limit themselves to cabin bags, says Stephen McNamara, the airline’s head of communications. He packs smartly when travelling for business. He wears his suit onboard “and I get round the laptop second-bag conundrum by packing the device in between my clothes”.

Samsonite sells about one in five of all pieces of luggage bought here, according to its distributor in Ireland – and the company’s Cosmolite range is revolutionary, says Paul Coffey of Arnotts. The carry-on model weighs a mere 2.2kg, leaving more weight for your clothes. Cosmolites are expensive, but buyers regard them as paying for themselves, he says, as they help them avoid baggage and excess-baggage charges.

Other big brands are following suit. Tripp has launched Superlite, Antler has Size Zero and Delsey has Fibrelite. A top brand for A-listers such as Cameron Diaz and the Beckhams is Tumi. Made of ballistic nylon, a material developed for flak jackets, this is the new school of understated luxury.

“Even celebrities are very conscious of being low-key,” says Denis O’Brien of the Shelbourne. “Years ago they may have arrived with 50kg or 60kg of luggage. Now even they arrive with just one bag.”

So if you’re in the market to upgrade your travel bag, we’ve done the flying around for you, to find the lightest, most stylish models on the market.

12 of the best cabin bags - and airlines that will accept them

1 J by Jasper Conran grey duffle bag. €130 from Debenhams. 50cm by 39cm by 25cm, 2.5kg. Stylish carry-on in black-and-grey zebra print. Good if you’re travelling on Aer Lingus but not if you’re on Ryanair.

2 Orla Kiely small car-print weekender. €137 for Debenhams. 51cm by 38cm by 24cm, 2.5kg. Good-looking anthracite-grey PVC bag with leather straps. Good on Aer Lingus but not on Ryanair.

3 Delsey Fibrelite expandable cabin trolley case in red or black. €169 from Arnotts, Clerys and Adamson. 50cm by 37.5cm by 22.5-27cm, 2.6kg. The expandable front sounds like a good idea, but you’ll go over the cabin-baggage limits if you stuff it full. Good on Aer Lingus but not on Ryanair.

4 Antler Size Zero black roller case. €183 from Arnotts, Clerys, Adamson and House of Fraser. 54cm by 36cm by 22cm, 2.6kg. Good basic design that doesn’t tempt you with expandable pockets. Good on Aer Lingus but not on Ryanair.

5 Sub Q by Marsh in red or black. €75 from Bagz (01-8728304) in Dublin and Leather Plus (01-2806072) in Dún Laoghaire. 55cm by 37cm by 25cm, 2.2kg. Basic design that tends towards blocky. Good on Aer Lingus but not on Ryanair.

6 Tumi Alpha framed carry-on in black. €595 from Brown Thomas. 55cm by 40cm by 25cm, 4.6kg. E’xpensive understatement. Good on Aer Lingus but not on Ryanair.

7 Samsonite Cosmolite in black, silver, red or blue. €285 from Adamson, Arnotts, Brown Thomas, Tags. 55cm by 38cm by 23cm, 2.2kg. Pricey, but the hottest thing in luggage. Good on Aer Lingus but not on Ryanair.

8 Mandarina Duck work luggage in black or brown. €248 from House of Fraser. 51cm by 37cm by 20cm, 3.6kg. Good internal pockets and straps for clothes. Good on both Ryanair and Aer Lingus.

9 Timberland T47 Classic in black. €74 from Kildare Village Outlet Shopping. 55cm by 36cm by 20cm, 3.4kg. Well-priced carry-on bag reduced from €185. Good on both Ryanair and Aer Lingus.

10 Tripp Superlite in aquamarine and black. €64 from Debenhams. 54cm by 37cm by 18.5cm, 2.7kg. Reduced from €142. Good on both Ryanair and Aer Lingus.

11 Chesneau Margaux suede-lined weekender in black with chocolate-brown trim. €750 from Chesneau, Dublin and Kilkenny. 51cm by 34cm by 24cm, 2kg. The quilted black leather will suit patriots with a lust for luxe. Good on Aer Lingus but not Ryanair.

12 Garvan de Bruir weekender in black. €420 from Garvan de Bruir (087-6182290, bruir.com). 55cm by 30cm by 20cm, 3kg. Kildare’s rising design star, better known for furniture, is redesigning this bag to be smaller, so these dimensions are approximate. Good on Ryanair and Aer Lingus.

Go Check

Before you buy anything, purchase a digital luggage scales (€29.99 from department stores), which will save you money in the long run – and remember that maximum cabin-baggage dimensions are 55cm by 40cm by 20cm on Ryanair and 56cm by 45cm by 25cm on Aer Lingus.