The Best Carry-on Luggage for Australian's; soft or hard and does size matter?
What size is carry-on luggage in Australia?
You may find a small difference with various Australian airlines, the standard domestic carry-on luggage size is in Australia is one bag at 115cm linear, which includes the handle and the wheels. This is calculated by adding the dimensions of your carry on together (56cm + 36cm + 23cm = 115cm).
Both Qantas and Virgin Australia also allows you the option of taking two smaller bags on board as long as they measure up to 105cm linear each. (48cm + 34cm + 23cm = 105cm).
This size limit ensures your bag — and ideally everyone else's — will be able to be stored safely in the overhead bin for your flight. By far, the biggest benefits of traveling with carry-on luggage is the speed of travel at the departure and destination airports by being able to transport your belongings yourself without entrusting them to the airline and also hoping they'll arrive at your destination on time and in one, undamaged piece.
Check out: https://www.qantas.com/au/en/travel-info/baggage/carry-on-baggage.html and https://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/travel-info/baggage/carry-on-baggage/
Soft vs Hardside Carry-On Bags - which is better?
At Caribee, we have had many years to consider the benefits of Soft vs Hardside luggage for carry on and we have to say we tend to prefer the former. Go soft!
The main advantage of soft sided luggage is actually its durability. That might seem counter-intuitive: shouldn't something with a hard protective shell last longer? But in our experience, after the same amount of use soft side luggage looks more like it did when you bought it than hard shell luggage. Think about it: If you toss a soft fabric bag back and forth against a wall for a period of time, it might look a little bit busted in the corners, but its stretchy-soft surface would probably absorb a lot of the impact. But if that cube was made out of hard plastic, you'd probably see bump marks or damage basically anywhere it hit the wall.
Additionally we feel soft sided luggage gives the traveller more versatility with how they travel. Caribee soft sided travel bags usually incorporate shoulder straps that can convert your carry on bag to a backpack. This is great for when you find your hands are full, carry on bags like the Caribee Traveller 40, Sky Master 40 Carry On, Titan 50 and our wheel aboard versions Stratos Hybrid 42 and Voyager 35 all have concealable shoulder straps, allowing you to get these bags on your back, when you have a lot of gear.
Soft sided bags are also inherently light in weight making them easier to travel with and a lot easier to lift in to the over head bins. The Caribee Traveller 40 only weighs 1.4kg compared to a hard side carry on that would be double the weight empty.
What is the weight limit for carry-on luggage in Australia?
For Australian airlines, weight restrictions vary from 7kg (Virgin Australia) to 10kg (Qantas) per carry on bag. Airlines in the USA rarely give a weight limit, you just just have to be able to lift it above your head into the storage bin. In most cases, even if airlines do list a specific limit on their websites overseas, they likely won't weigh your carry-on bags. As long as your pack doesn't appear to be overstuffed and you look comfortable carrying it, you will probably be ok.
What is the best carry-on luggage?
As with any travel gear, everyone has a different opinion on the carry on luggage brands, but the best buy for you is ultimately the one that suits your needs as a traveller. If you're constantly travelling, invest in a durable bag that can keep up. If you take one or two holidays a year, you can go with something more affordable. Caribee has a great range of wheel aboard and carry on bags that have been design to meet price points and your style of adventure.
What is not allowed in carry-on luggage?
What you put in your carry-on bag is regulated, as well as your checked luggage. The same rules that apply to checked bags, which prohibit firearms, lithium batteries, and other potentially hazardous items. You must be mindful of liquids when packing your carry-on luggage.
Liquids, Aerosols and Gels such as toiletries are required to be 100mls or less and must be displayed within a clear resealable plastic bag and screened at the security checkpoint.
What is the standard international carry-on luggage size?
Australian domestic carry on size requirements now meet the international carry on size for the same airlines (115cm linear). Previously some airlines in Australia were only allowing bags up to 105cm linear for their domestic luggage, this has now grown to 115cm to make transiting through to international flights a lot easier.
Dash 8 services and regional flights in Australia still maintain this smaller cabin bag size (105cm linear) as the physical size of the cabin luggage bins in these smaller aircraft don’t allow for larger bags. Check with your airline regarding regional plane luggage restrictions.
Want to know more?
Check out Caribee's range of Wheel aboard and Carry on luggage via our website. We also have some handy product videos that review all our carry on bags via Youtube to help make selecting carry on luggage a little easier.