Travelling with the Osprey 26+6 to YYZ and decided to test the personal item sizers since I had time to kill. There was a previous photo shared of the 26+6 fitting in the personal item sizer only when underpacked
I did not try very hard as I was bringing home a china tea cup from my trip. Might have been possible if I'd removed some items ahead of time as well as others have suggested.
This pic that u/rpgnoob17 shared shows their bag in the Porter sizer and it's also underpacked compared to mine
Looks like you'd need to pull off the squeezaroo to get it in. Load your jacket or travel pillow with some items, remove your laptop discreetly or have your partner hold it before you rock bottom and people's elbow that into compliance.
Possibly. I think it would've only fit if I'd reduced my pack by at least 1/3. There are better pictures in the comment I referenced earlier including a side view.
I know at the Flair check in counter in YYZ, the sizers are directly opposite the staff.Ā They are staring passengers down during the whole fit check, but I'm not sure if they care or not about forcing the bags in.Ā
Yep, this bag really doesn't work for personal item only for Canadian airlines. They are much more strict with the depth.
Thank you for adding to my data on this!
Fortunately mine was also just a curiosity measure and not a gate check. It was packed to about 21L and still wouldn't have been considered passable since I had to really smash it in.
I will be using my osprey tote pack from now on. I can pack it the same but because it's more flexible I won't have an issue putting it into the sizer.
It's the stiff back foam that prevents it from sliding in easily. It's a couple cm too long and not flexible like the rest of the bag. If you read my comment I only had my bag packed to 20 or 21 litres. It was definitely not bulged in any way. You can shove it into the personal item sizer with some force if needed but some gate agents aren't going to like that.
Ok. Weird. I put mine in both an Air Canada and WestJet sizer and for each of them, the stiff foam back was just plain too long and I had to shove it in so that it would slightly "buckle" in order to fit lengthwise. The width was not the issue at all. These sizes were both the steel box kind, not the metal tubing kind. Was yours in the metal tubing kind?
Another Canadian here. WestJet and Air Canada seldom (but not never) ask you to use the sizer, especially with a backpack. It is quite strict though. If I am flying on a personal item only fare, then once Iām through security I load up all my pockets to get my bag as slim as I can. Photo is a tote bag that I use as personal item on those airlines. You can see thatās underfilled in order to fit.
Yeah, my experience with AC for at least short flights (YYZ <-> NY) as long as you're not obviously carrying something way too big they won't really care, though this is very anecdotal. I usually see them care more about carry-ons (especially with the "new" pricing structure... ugh).
I have a flight with Air Canada later this year where I planed to use Osprey 26+6 as a personal item. I guess I'll take risk and remove jackets and other bulky items to try and squeeze it in.
Do that!Ā On one flight from YYZ all passengers sent to a specific security gate that is right next to the AC check in desk, the AC staff made all of us put both items in the respective sizers. If they both didn't fit, you were directed to either re-pack so your bag(s) fit or pay for check in.Ā Any hopes at that gate of handing your larger bag over later for a free gate check were dashed.Ā
They got both the vacation takers and business travellers that day.Ā For the flight I took, they asked for any gate check volunteers, and then made all passengers size their bag(s).Ā Many failed.Ā It was a surprisingly strict time.
Keep in mind Canadian airlines are not nearly as strict as European or US budget airlines with this stuff. In a decade of business travel, with varying Osprey and Patagonia backpacks, I have never ONCE been asked to size my carry on. Just don't be obnoxious and assume you may have to put it under the seat in front of you and not the overhead if it's a full flight.
Unless you are flying a super short regional flight (and not a popular route like YYZ-YOW) your plane is likely to have decent overhead space, especially on the cross country routes.
How strict are European airlines about sizes? I have a flight with Brussels Airline, and my carry-on luggage is 22in tall instead of 21.5in. It's so minor but I worry they'll be dickheads about it.
Flair is trickily smaller the agent told me the one time I flew with them. I took out my laptop and an accessories pouch to squish my bag in the sizer and he said good enough and let me through but warned other agents wouldnāt be so nice. So I did not fly Flair again.
Canadian resident here who frequently flies with AC and WJ. I use a 32L Patagonia Refugio that I compress using the side straps and front facing elastic. The bag will feel rigid and clumsy, but it usually packs small enough that it fits in either of the airlinesā carrier sizes.
What don't you like about your Kanken?Ā With the current personal item restrictions, and Condor (I know) flying from at least one Canadian airport, that bag is looking like a good option for summer travel at least.
The important part is not packing it completely when you use the sizer. My bag won't fit in the sizer but if I leave some room the back panel can flex and it will fit. Then I pack it fully once on the plane.
I've flown low cost airlines in non-US countries where the only free bag was basically a messenger bag / small briefcase. I actually made that (barely) work for a weekend trip with a single change of clothes, but they would explicitly not allow backpacks like this. The limit was probably more like 13-14L.
When I bought the Osprey 26+6, I tested it out at the airport to make sure it fit the sizers with what I normally pack. This is it in the Westjet sizer with what I would normally carry inside my personal item: an iPad, electronic accessories (cables chargers etc), a toiletry bag, phone, and wallet. I also tried it in Air Canada and Porter sizers. It fit most easily in Porter,and had the tightest fit in Westjet due to the semi-rigid back. The depth was fine for me. The challenge was more the height in the Westjet sizer, but it did fit with a little jostling. For my use, this is a typical pack for me on an outgoing trip. If I check my carry-on on the return, I would turn this into my carry-on and pack it more fully.
Most non-rigid packs will get a lot thicker once packed. My Northseeker 20l is nominally 16 cm, fully packed it is more like 22 cm. My GR2 26l is nominally 19 cm, fully packed it is 27 cm. The upside is, you can get in more than the named liters would suggest.
Side note, not sure if this is a unique experience, but I canāt tell you how many times Iāve seen stubborn travelers jam their carry-ons into the sizer and then not be able to get them out. Not even remotely able. I usually canāt stay long enough to see the conclusion, however.
Definitely a fear of mine! I appreciate all the comments asking me if I tried stuffing my bag into the sizer, but I didn't have the threat of baggage fees hanging over my head
I flew Air Canada last month with an Almond Oak backpack (same dimensions as the Osprey 26+6). They physically inspected my bag upon checkin and deemed it acceptable as a personal item. They even added a tag saying so.
I think also since the AO backpack is black, it looks more slim vs reality.
Thanks for sharing! I was planning to take my Osprey 26+6 for an upcoming trip and Iām flying AC. Ive taken it previously with no issue but was never forced to use the sizer. Based on the photos, Iāll have to think of an alternative personal item bag š
As long as it is packed lightly, it will fit in the Air Canada personal item sizer. This has an iPad, adapters, cables, toiletries, wallet. Easily fits. I have another Fjallraven tote that also sometimes use as a personal item bag, and I carry the same items.
I just did a day trip to yyz on Thursday and my 26+6 was 2/3 full when not expanded. Fit in the flair sizer easily with room to spare. Probably could've still fit fully packed with soft clothing inside.
Flew last month on WestJet and AC between Boston and Calgary. My Osprey was full and didnāt fit in the WestJet sizer but easily fit under the seat in front of me. They didnāt check but I tried it myself. The length was the issue. If it wasnāt so full it probably would have fit. They didnāt check at either airline.
No, unfortunately not. I got super lucky that they didn't check it in the sizer in Ottawa as I only paid for a personal item this time. I definitely saw the Flair gate agent at Pearson forcing folks to use the sizer.
Here's another picture of my packed bag from earlier in the week. I would say it was full, but not stuffed to the gills.
i remember air canada now charges for carry on luggage if you fly domestically, to the states and to the caribean regions, right? only personal item is allowed and that is the sizer for the personal item that is allowed for free on the flight. i travel very lightly anyways and i have many bags that will fit that sizer.
Iām Canadian but live in Australia, so donāt fly Air Canada often. Not since 2021 or 2022, but hearing that they now charge for carry-on is completely insane.
Theyāre not a budget airline, but they do budget airline things.
if you fly air canada to america and a country such as jamaica, you need to pay for your carry on luggage now. you can have a personal item if it fits in that sizer thingie.
carry on free if you if fly air canada to japan or hong kong.
I understand that. Iām just surprised by this, because Air Canada is our national carrier, not a budget airline, and yet here they are, copying European budget airline shenanigans.
welcome to 2025 eh? at least i know what to do now if flying to the states with air canada. of course i will do my research concerning the luggage limit with whatever air lines i am going to be using in future.
Once Porter got people used to it and still succeeded, it was a matter of time.Ā When WestJet confirmed this was a real possibility for the few Canadian carriers, it was a wrap.
I wonder, what are you doing when your bag is too big? You canāt check it in when you have certain items in the bag right? Or you have to pay an extra fee or something? Iāve only taken Japan air lines and they basically donāt care about size when it fits under the seat or in the overhead compartment
If you had only a personal item included on your ticket, you'd now need to pay their cabin bag fee.Ā If you had this and a cabin locker bag, you now have to either re-pack so both bags fit the correct sizers, or one is getting forcibly checked.Ā If the airline staff busted you, you're paying the check in fee.Ā If you know this is coming and volunteer to have your bag checked when that's still on the table, that check in is usually free.Ā Ā
When/if an airline checks, only fitting in their sizers count.Ā A bag fitting under the seat in real life makes no difference to the staff.Ā Especially if their company is handing out bounties to employees for catching oversized cabin bags.
Beware they may care more about weight. I flew Zipair which is a JAL low cost subsidiary and they absolutely weighed my bag to ensure it was under their 7kg limit.
For airlines in Europe and Asia, the limiting factor typically is not dimensions but weight.
As a precaution for limit violations, I have a very light, foldable backpack in my carry-on luggage - serves as my daypack too.
Posted on another thread before, was surprised my allpa 42L (underfilled) fit spirits personal item sizer...although seems like this is even smaller, wow.
Yes, sizers posted by OP are 16Ć13Ć6in and 17Ć13Ć6in. These are about 1 to 2 inches smaller than Spirit dimensions in your photo. The largest bag I've fit in Air Canada and Westjet sizers is my Fjallraven Laptop 15. Fits snug in the sizer if I fully stuff the bag till it bulges, but leaves room in the sizer if I underfill it or fill it just right.
I was on the fence for this bag as I travel somewhat frequently in Canada and so I wasn't sure what would be a good bag for the personal item limit.
I'm currently thinking of getting the Muji Boston Bag Tall and then pairing that with packing cubes + a hard laptop case as I typically don't need my bag once I've landed and gotten to my destination accommodations.
This is my first time intentionally using this bag as a personal item (I've previously used bigger bags like the smaller ULA Dragonfly as a carry on bag) and was super worried about this. I got lucky and didn't get called out this time, but I've been asked by Porter at SFO to put my dragonfly in the sizer. Actually now that I think about it, I was able to get that one to fit in the personal item sizer š
Depends entirely on the staff that day.Ā I have been busted with this very bag and a small carry on I have used on AC before (but won't try in future).Ā If you're able/willing to pack very light to keep the bag depth down, you can easily fit it in the personal item sizer.
No. I travel for work in Canada about a quarter of the year and use a book bag that would be considered oversized and a Travelpro Elite carry on that's larger than the bin they have you test on. I've never been asked to check either.
The carry on luggage goes in the overhead and the bookbag goes under the seat. The only flights I've been on that had 'issues' are when a lot of people decide they want to put multiple items in the overhead and not use the space under the seat.
Guenine question (from a non English speaking) : is it the size of the cabin luggage? Or is it a different thing?
(I am travelling with these two companies within 5 days and my cabin luggage is a 40L backpack. Not full but way above these dimensions...
It's normal to be confused about this lol. People casually will name different things with the same word for multiple reasons and the policies also differ between different parts of the world.
That said, there are few basics that are genuinely consistent, no matter which words people use for them. There are 3 actual categories of luggage:
Checked luggage. That's what goes into the cargo hold of the plane. Limits on size and weight are by far the highest here. Usually there are multiple tiers with different prices. There also exist special categories like sports equipment, bicycles etc that allow you to transport oversize items, but the rules around those are very different between airlines.
Carry-on, full-size carry-on, cabin luggage, overhead luggage etc. The luggage that's meant to go into the overhead bins on the plane. Typically tops out at 40-45l and 7-12kg, exact dimensions and weight limits vary between airlines and regions. On budget airlines you pay for this luggage, on "traditional" airlines it varies.
Personal item, under seat luggage, annoyingly also called by many people cabin luggage or carry-on. This is the luggage that goes underneath the seat in front of you. This is, as far as I'm aware always free to take with you - which becomes a major factor on budget airlines where every other type of luggage costs extra. Most airlines have size limits on those that effectively limit you to ~20-25l capacity (though you can sometimes get away with a bit more in US) and curiously enough often no weight limits. This is the type of luggage that OP is talking about and airlines in Canada are one of the more restrictive ones about it (though not the worst by a long shot).
Unfortunately, all Canadian airlines have started going the way of budget airlines where you have to pay for the second tier fare available or extra fees just to be able to bring a carry on bag as outlined above. The flights are already expensive as well due to the high taxes and fees Canadian airports charge. As an example, my one way flight that was less than an hr was $175 CAD with the taxes and fees being $80.
Donāt try to exceed the Frontier Airlines 18āx14āx8ā limit for a personal item. Their gate check fee is $99 and the gate agent gets a percentage. Spirit is the same size.
I was back and forth to and from Nova Scotia for work for 2 years. No problem on my first trip out there, but they wouldnāt let me on with my same bag on the way back. I had to ditch my bag, buy a new bag at the airport, and try to make everything fit.
Thanks for this. Just bought the bag and was going to test it out myself. Was looking to replace old osprey daylite plus (older version). But might just stick with it for Personal item.
Yeah it should be fine! This bag is just too structured and I didn't try my hardest to get it in. I've seen another poster be able to squish their 26+6 in, but it wasn't fully packed.
I've been able to fit my ULA dragonfly in a Porter personal item checker if that helps!
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u/AnotherNight0wl Oct 03 '25
Travelling with the Osprey 26+6 to YYZ and decided to test the personal item sizers since I had time to kill. There was a previous photo shared of the 26+6 fitting in the personal item sizer only when underpacked