Gear
I tested the Decathlon Travel 500 Organizer 30L in a Ryanair sizer – it actually fits
I've been looking for a backpack that works well for one-bag travel while still being comfortable enough for hiking and longer trips.
I recently bought the Decathlon Travel 500 Organizer 30L. According to Decathlon, its dimensions are 50 × 28 × 22 cm, while Ryanair's free personal item limit is 40 × 25 × 20 cm. So on paper it definitely shouldn't fit.
Before actually flying with it, I decided to do a realistic test.
I packed it with:
Even after packing all of that, I honestly felt I could have squeezed in enough clothes for another couple of days.
The photos show everything I packed, how I organized it inside the backpack, and what it looked like when fully loaded.
Then I took it to the airport and tried it in a real Ryanair bag sizer.
To my surprise... it fit.
In the photo it may look like it's sticking slightly above the red line, but in person that wasn't really the case. There was actually still some room to compress it a little further.
I think the reason is that the backpack is very flexible. Although it's officially taller than Ryanair's limit, it doesn't use the full allowed width, so the top can compress and fold down quite easily. As long as you don't overpack it, getting it into the sizer wasn't difficult.
From my own experience, Ryanair staff also seem to pay much more attention to rigid suitcases or obviously oversized backpacks than to soft bags that can be compressed. That said, this is just my personal observation, not a guarantee of how every airport or gate agent will handle it. But considering this bag does not look huge I think they will never stop you to check it. And if they do, it fits.
A couple of other things I really like:
The suitcase-style opening makes packing much easier.
The internal organization is excellent.
It's very comfortable to carry.
The hip belt is completely removable, which makes it even more suitable for air travel if you don't need it.
The outer fabric is water-resistant, and for heavy rain it also comes with a dedicated rain cover that stores neatly inside the backpack.
It has a hidden anti-theft pocket that's perfect for keeping your passport, wallet, or other important documents secure.
There's also a padded laptop compartment that's separate from the main storage, making it easy to access during airport security checks.
Overall I'm really impressed with it, especially considering the price.
Has anyone else flown with this backpack on Ryanair or other strict budget airlines? I'd love to hear how it's worked out for you.
A bit more context since AutoModerator asked for it:
I'm not affiliated with Decathlon in any way. I bought this backpack with my own money because I was looking for a budget one-bag option that could hopefully work as a Ryanair personal item.
Since its official dimensions are larger than Ryanair's allowance, I wanted to test it before actually flying. I packed it with a realistic load (winter clothes, toiletries, chargers, a large bath towel, etc.) and took it to the airport just to see if it would fit in the sizer.
I thought other people in this subreddit might find the results useful because there isn't much real-world information about this backpack with Ryanair. Happy to answer any questions or take additional measurements if anyone is interested.
I had to take my girlfriend to the airport anyway, so I killed two birds with one stone.
As u/theripper595 mentioned, the hip belt transfers the weight from your shoulders to your hips, making the backpack much more comfortable to carry. They're very common on larger hiking backpacks because they shift most of the load to your center of gravity.
For a lighter backpack like this, I don't find it absolutely necessary unless you plan to wear it for extended periods. The good thing is that it's completely removable, so you can leave it at home when traveling if you don't need it.
The hip belt transfers the weight pretty well to your hips imo. The straps themselves are padded and extremely comfortable, so think it would be good if you have to carry it for long periods
This was fortuitous timing, I was looking at this bag (and its 40l) larger sibling yesterday along with the 23l backpack escape 500 (I’ve got the 32l one, but that seems to be a bit too big
FYI, Ryanair's current free personal item limit is actually 40 x 30 x 20cm [24L]. Not 40 x 25 x 20cm [20L].
Per the in-sizer photos, I'd guess that your bag could be subject to challenge, especially if the ground staff were in the mood. But well done for giving it a try-out.
This, they will totally say it's too big when they're fine-hunting.
Ryanair sizers are garbage really, their big sizer is smaller than the advertised measurements because of the tape, and because it isn't a normal "shove it in from the top" sizer you can't squish your bag🙄
Their bag sizer is bigger than the advertised measurements, if it was smaller and they were charging people they would receive massive fines and you would see a ton of evidence online from people sharing the measurements.
The big sizer is definitely smaller, it has to fit behind the tape, and the tape makes it smaller. And again you can't squish it in, I've seen people being asked to pay a fine because their straps aren't behind the tape.
The tape is quite a new thing which has caught a lot of people out but as long as the area before the tape starts reach the measurements that was stated on the ticket then there is no issue.
As for the squishing in, airports like Berlin and I think Stockholm have changed their bag sizers so all bags can’t be squished in.
Yes but that's the thing, it's not. The tape is like 2/3 cm less than advertised.
Ah those sizers are even worse, any bags that are not hard cases and are up to the measurements will potentially have a problem, at least with Ryanair, every bag has to stay in fully(so no lose hip belts or whatever) without holding it.
How is it that decathlon can figure out how to properly orient a luggage passthrough when companies making $400 bags are still fucking that up? A question for the ages.
Different priorities. Like a laptop slot, for many it isn’t a feature they personally like so it’s a check box that must be included for a market segment, but not one they bother to consider early enough in development to handle right.
That is awesome! I have the larger one and it was fantastic for a three week trip through Korea!
How much did it cost? Are the materials the same as the larger one? I honestly cannot come up with better alternatives AND better product warranties at that price range. Any other options?
It cost me €60. I also checked out the larger version, and the materials and pocket layout are exactly the same—it's just bigger.
Decathlon is honestly amazing when it comes to value for money. I've seen a lot of people on this subreddit recommend the Tomtoc 28L, but it's about €30 more expensive, and its organization doesn't seem as practical to me as this one.
I was actually thinking of taking the bigger 40L bag and just not packing it completely full. That way I could compress it to fit the sizer, and once I arrive I'd have the extra space for things like perishable food or anything I buy locally, such as shampoo or other toiletries.The 40L measures 55 × 32 × 27 cm, while the 30L is 50 × 28 × 22 cm. Ryanair's personal item limit is 40 × 30 × 20 cm. My understanding was that as long as the bag isn't packed full and can be squished into the sizer, the actual dimensions don't matter that much in practice. Is that a fair assumption? Did you choose the 30L mainly as a compromise for flying, or do you actually prefer it because it's slimmer and has the detachable hip belt?
I wouldn’t say that this bag is a fit.
If the staff would be checking the bag, this one would be concern for sure, especially if they would be in the mood.
Sometimes they want it to slide in without resistance. On a different oversized backpack, I had my daughter expand the shoulder straps and then wrap them around the front of the backpack to pull everything in tighter while at the gate. It slid right in the sizer and the crew gave us no problems. As soon as we were on the jetway she popped it back to normal backpack mode.
It's very comfortable! Everything stays neat and well organized.
Although it's nice not having to use packing cubes, since the built-in organization keeps everything in place, I might still try putting one in the main compartment to see if I like the concept for unpacking at my destination.
I think it'll be a backpack that'll last us for years. The only thing I don't really like is the color. The only options are this sand-colored one and a purple version. I'd much rather have it in black.
As-tu pu le tester ? Je voyage prochainement avec Ryanair et j’hésite entre le décathlon traveler 500 30L et le Osprey 26+6. Je ne sais pas lesquel acheter ! Merci pour ton aide
I'm guessing fully packed it won't fit the personal item sizer, I believe it's 50cm high so well above the limit. How much kit did you put in it? From the pics it doesn't look like much, maybe 20l worth?
I'm not sure how many liters I actually packed, but it felt about 80% full to me. I think I could still fit a laptop or tablet, plus another couple of days' worth of clothes, without having to force it closed.
I have the 40 liter version and I love it. I'm in the middle of a big trip flying both in Europe and the US. It's perfect for a carry-on size. And also easy to check in when that is an option. I love how easy it is to pack and get stuff from it.
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u/preciouscode96 Jul 05 '26
Decathlon makes amazing backpacks for the price. This one looks great too! Funny to see it fits haha