At check-in, your bag may be weighed and you could be charged an additional fee or forced to check your bag if it is overweight.  On several occasions, we have witnessed people trying to organize their bags contents by swapping items between multiple bags so that they meet weight restrictions.  This holds up the line and is embarrassing to the traveler.  Some security locations may also have size restricted conveyer belts through the baggage x-ray machines not allowing oversized bags to pass through.  This is another reason why a soft sided bag is a smarter choice as it can often be reshaped to fit through bag size restricted areas where a hard sided bag may not be able to pass through.  The smart traveler can often avoid oversized bags and excess weight by following a few simple steps. (Beating Bag Restrictions)

Remember to check with your carrier, but the example below can be used as a guideline to be fairly certain your bag will not be over weight and size.  Don't guess as your bags weight.  If you cannot weigh your bag independently, stand on a scale holding your bag, then weight yourself without your bad and subtract the two values. Now, compare the weight to your airlines allowed bag weight and note if you are over or under the limit.  If you are over, you still have some work to do to reduce the weight of your bag.  If you are under, make note of the value so that if you acquire items on your trip, you will have an idea of how much additional weight you may add to your bag on your return trip.  Keep in mind that if you are bringing items along with you such as sunscreen, toothpaste, shampoo and other liquids, they should weigh less on your return.  You may even want to toss any partly used items on your return to give you additional room and reduce the weight of your bag.

After you have done everything possible to make sure your bag meets the airline size requirements and it is not overweight, you end up boarding the plane last to find that all the overhead bins are full and there is no place to store your bag.  In this unfortunate situation, a flight attendant may take your bag to have it stowed in the compartments with the checked luggage.  To help mitigate the chances of this happening, look into purchasing the Early Boarding option if it is available with your airline.  In most cases, the cost is only $5-$10 for each board point.  It may be well worth the extra minimal expense to ensure your bag stays safely in the cabin with you.

Airline size restrictions may vary slightly by carrier
(10 kg = approx. 22 lbs.)