Best hand luggage 2024: Top-rated under-seat bags

Airlines are becoming increasingly strict when it comes to the size of hand luggage we’re allowed to take with us. Book with Ryanair, for example, and, unless you want to cough up your hard-earned cash for extra baggage, you’ll be allowed just one personal item measuring 40cm x 20cm x 25cm.

Easyjet’s basic allowance is a little more generous, but not by much – all passengers can take a bag measuring up to 45cm x 36cm x 20cm onboard. With both airlines, you’ll need to be able to fit this bag under your seat, rather than putting it in the overhead storage compartments.

Don’t assume the larger long-haul airlines are more generous, either – travel with Virgin Atlantic in its economy light class and you’ll be allowed just one bag measuring no more than 23cm x 36cm x 56cm (although, this doesn’t need to fit under your seat).

This brings us to another point. Although all of the bags we’ve included will fit under your seat, we’ve deliberately emphasised ones that are soft-sided or expandable, so you can make the most of extra space when you’re travelling with airlines with slightly more generous allowances.

From duffel-style bags and totes to backpacks, keep reading to find the best hand luggage for your travels.

How we tested the best hand luggage

As frequent flyers, we’ve become accustomed to airlines’ increasingly strict rules. We can tell whether a bag will comply with Ryanair’s ridiculously strict rules at 50 paces, and know exactly how much we can stuff into our favourite backpack without risking getting pulled aside at the airline gate by an eagle-eyed easyJet employee. We stuffed these bags to capacity, scrutinised every detail with a laser-like focus and spent more hours analysing carry-on bag restrictions than we care to remember. In other words, you can rest assured these bags are the best when it comes to hand luggage.

The best hand luggage bags for 2024 are: