I saw an article earlier about a new type of TSA baggage scanner being introduced at US airports to scan carry-on bags more thoroughly & efficiently. It is intended to help reduce time spent opening bags for manual inspections thereby speeding up the process. It sounds like it is a really complicated scanner and it is actually pretty cool tech. Scary, in a way, but still cool.

Sounds like great news for US travelers, but only to the ones following size restrictions for carry-on luggage – otherwise it will be a bit of heartburn for some. The opening to the machine is the maximum allowed carry-on size on US aircraft so if your luggage won’t fit through you’re going to need to check your luggage because you will not get through security with it. This also means that your carry-ons will fit on US airlines but possibly not on more restrictive non-US carriers; you might make it through TSA but still not on your international flight on a non-US carrier. Always need to check if in doubt.

I’m sure there will be plenty of whiners (and whining videos from said whiners) about this, but the size restrictions are there for a reason. It makes sure there’s room for everyone’s carry-on bags – dimensions are plainly posted when you buy tickets and at the airport so there should be no surprises. It also helps boarding/unboarding go much smoother & faster.

I’m all for it. I will not check a bag when I fly and I have NEVER had to check my travel pack because I take care to pack very little and keep my bag well within all of the limits. I have seen all kinds of oversized things brought onboard and it pisses me off because I adhered to the restrictions so why can’t everyone else? Airlines in America let the entitled do what they want, but that nonsense doesn’t “fly” in Europe (did ya like that?). Your bag doesn’t fit? Well guess what…either you don’t fly or it gets gate-checked for a very large fee. They won’t tolerate entitlement and your whiny-baby self might end up on the news or become a viral jerk. Or arrested.

It is why I love backpack travel. I bought my Osprey Farpoint 40 travel pack six years ago because I like Osprey products. It has no frame or internal support so it easily fits into a bag sizer (which I have never been told to use anywhere in the world). The hip-belt and shoulder harness are VERY comfortable and pack behind a panel if necessary (mainly used for checking a bag); I can then use the detachable shoulder strap to carry it as a duffel, which is what I do in airports. I carry it into the airport like that and it stays that way until I get to my destination (BTW – never wear your backpack onto a plane – carry it in front of you to stow it faster and to not hit anyone while removing it to stow it). Many video reviewers hate hip-belts for some reason, but it is the whole idea behind a pack – to put the weight on your hips and not your shoulders. This is pure stupidity

I also researched several packs before buying it. I wanted a bag that would not be an issue taking into the cabin on foreign airlines so I looked at some size charts like this one to make sure it fit a majority of carriers; there is a lot of really good detailed info on the linked page so read it thoroughly. One thing you must do if you are taking other flights is to look at ALL of your flights on a trip and plan your luggage according to the most restrictive airline. By doing this you should be safe with your packing.

Once you get the sizing down then you need to focus on weight, which means your packing skills are next. ANY little thing adds weight so cut out the fluff. You don’t really need two pairs of shoes or two weeks’ worth of clothing. Doesn’t matter the trip length – I only take 3-4 days’ worth of clean clothes, mostly merino since it can be worn 2-3 days without smelling and it dries fast. You can buy many toiletries wherever you go and shampoo & soap is usually available in every hotel.

I do like packing cubes and I use a clean/dirty packing cube; when you put your dirty clothes in the back the cube retains its same size & shape so your packing doesn’t change. All of my clothing other than pants fits in this one packing cube. One thing I find will not use for backpack travel is compression cubes. The whole idea of backpack travel is to pack LESS and not more. I guess you could compress and use a smaller pack, but my one pack is for all of my travels so I use the same pack and it always packs the same way.