carry on luggage restrictions

How much can you take on as carry on luggage? Generally, carry on luggage weight is restricted to 7kg with the dimensions of the bag to be no more than 115cm. This is measured as a combination of length, width, and height. With 7kg, there isn’t much which you can take.

Additional carry on luggage restrictions are that you are not permitted to take liquids in containers greater than 100ml. This is quite restrictive and you need to look out for this. I’ve had to leave sunscreen behind because it was in a 200ml bottle.

Despite what is written above, hand luggage restrictions are applied differently and are subject to change. An example is Heathrow airport which is now more lenient with its one bag carry on luggage policy.

Airlines also impose different restrictions. Qantas and Singapore Airlines generally follow the restrictions above. United Airlines has the same size restriction but does not state luggage weight restrictions. Emirates and Lufthansa have size restrictions of 113cm (who knows why 2 cm makes any difference). Luftansa also allows carry on luggage weight of 8kg instead of 7kg.

Despite all the hand luggage restrictions that apply, it still depends on whether they are enforced. I have been able to carry a small speaker system weighing 14kg home via carry on luggage. I was never checked for luggage weight or size (it was Kuala Lumpur airport). But it was an effort to carry and make it look like I didn’t have more than 7kg of luggage weight.

Read about:

• why use a backpack?
• size and features of your backpack
• other things to take – sleeping bag, books, Ipod, digital camera
• choose a backpack part 1
• choose a backpack part 2
• carry on luggage restrictions

Return to packing a backpack