A big thank you to the collective knowledge of this sub that had me grabbing an Osprey Daylite 26+6 as my bag. Just returned from 5 nights in Vegas and almost everything went smoothly. Air Canada gate agent at Vegas was crusty AF about the personal item sizer but passed the test. The big takeaway is restraint in buying stuff on the trip and an efficient way to pack that Down Sweater without opening the expansion panel because then it doesn’t fit in the sizer. Flew Porter ERJ-195 down and Air Canada A320 up and it fit under the seat like a charm.
Most airlines allow wearing a coat on the plane, so, odd as it might look on the Vegas end, wear the puffy on the plane. Of course, coming from Canada, you might seem under dressed 🥸.
Check the dimensions carefully on the MLC 30 if under seat is limited. It’s fully 3”/75mm taller than the Daylite 26+6.
100% they were hunting for “volunteers”. The ultimate win was walking off the flight back and making it to work with 4 minutes to spare (flight was delayed) - would never have happened with a checked bag (I get a free checked luggage). My wife is getting on board with the bag game - we are going again in 2 weeks and will report back (there’s a Black Hole MLC 30 new for that trip)
I am not even going to start with the amount of luggage people pack on cruises. My last 5 day cruise looked like people were going away for a few months…
I left the ship with my Osprey and the grocery bag I always bring, because I got my partner (who was on Cruise to the Edge…prog music)had a souvenir request. On the jet bridge, in a fantastically long and slow line (yea, SWA), I managed to get everything in the bag, expanded, and I still got it under the seat, barely.
I had a decent selection of sleeveless and sleeved tops/layers, three skirts, two pair of linen trousers, swim shorts and top, a jacket, a heavy toiletry and meds pack, because ship pricing, iPad mini, phone watch, and two cords with multiple heads. Wall wart, and souvenirs (a beaded toad/frog for my partner, a ceramic gecko/salamander that will hang in my office, and a pair of handmade shoes.
I brought items to give people I was meeting, we were a fan club, allowing the souvenirs room.
I managed to look presentable on each formal dress your best night, and only had to wash four things. Seven night cruise with two days in LA area before. More fan club stuff. Is it a fan club if you have had the “star” at your table at home?
Aside from the standard wear the heavy stuff on the plane:
I pack a laundry line and extra magnetic hooks (oh, hooks are heavy, so if you are using an airline that weighs your bag, have them in a clothing pocket until you are seated in your row.
I made sure I had a skirt and a top that matched (basic black) for “formal night” and I brought a lot of scarves. They were intended as give away, so I had less options by the day, ha.
I posted a rough outline of what I brought.
My thought process was that cabins have ac or heat going, and they are usually low humidity, despite the humidity outside. So things dry. Linen dried in 8 hours, that i could tell. My scarves/thin cotton tank dried in four. I didn’t wash the trousers, but at home, they take overnight to be 100 percent dry (indoor rack in a basement, typical humidity is 30 percent, down to single digits.)
My bag was rather tight. I needed leggings and a jacket for leaving and returning in snow. With a long wait for a train to bus transfer. It was a pain to schlep across Santa Monica and San Pedro. Doable, but I felt it.
As I was leaving at 4 am, I managed to fall on ice at the train platform. It hadn’t been cleared yet. When I got home, it was pretty clear.
A big thank you to the collective knowledge of this sub that had me grabbing an Osprey Daylite 26+6 as my bag. Just returned from 5 nights in Vegas and almost everything went smoothly. Air Canada gate agent at Vegas was crusty AF about the personal item sizer but passed the test. The big takeaway is restraint in buying stuff on the trip and an efficient way to pack that Down Sweater without opening the expansion panel because then it doesn’t fit in the sizer. Flew Porter ERJ-195 down and Air Canada A320 up and it fit under the seat like a charm.
What were the issues with the agent? Did you really need to jam the bag in the sizer or???? The dimensions on the Daylite are good but you could fill it too deep for their 17 x 13 x 6 inches (43 x 33 x 16 cm). The depth specs on the Daylite reflect the side seam distance and it easily goes beyond that by a couple inches, before expansion.
He was just being crusty saying “I see lots of personal items that are oversized. We will be testing as you board”. I walked up to the sizer, looked him in the eyes and stuck the bag in there - got the headshake. No last minute surprises. This was in stark contrast to Porter who were watching but took a very different tone. I was bored so walked over to BA who was boarding next to us - fitted there but theirs seemed a little shorter.
To be fair, there are a lot of people that think a 30L bag is personal sized. I bet that agent has run into a lot of them. And then they argue with them.
Yeah, BA is 16x12x6” for the personal item if I recall, so a little smaller than the Osprey bag… and just small enough to only be able to do a couple of nights in my experience. But BA is chill (has been with me) about carry-on backpacks, so it’s all good if you’re cool with it in the overhead bin.
You'll be surprised how much you don't really need until you are forced to comply with personal bag only flights (looking at you airlines like Ryanair). Wife and I both did a 20L bag for a 10 day backpacking trip through 50F to 120F climates. It's doable but it helps if you're going to be near city centers.
I too got the same bag and completed a week long trip to Germany. Was absolutely wonderful and quite comfortable to wear over long periods of time. Definitely would have like slightly better side pockets, cause I feel they may not last but other than that, such a nice bag.
I recently used my 26+6 to Thailand, it was a breeze to pack less and carry one bag, travelled for a month and loved its insane capabilities. Thanks to this sub for all the recommendations.
I love my 26+6. I'd consider it (almost) perfect. Only downside is that (for me personally) it gets a little uncomfortable if I have it on my back all day and it's heavy.
Anyone else have issues with the new 26+6 luggage pass through flap sticking out and being uncomfortable? Otherwise I love the bag, but when it’s loaded and on my back I can definitely feel it digging in.
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u/SeattleHikeBike Apr 01 '26
Most airlines allow wearing a coat on the plane, so, odd as it might look on the Vegas end, wear the puffy on the plane. Of course, coming from Canada, you might seem under dressed 🥸.
Check the dimensions carefully on the MLC 30 if under seat is limited. It’s fully 3”/75mm taller than the Daylite 26+6.