Under-seat bag packing checklist for 2026
This is the list for a two or three night trip carried in the one bag nobody charges for. The free under-seat bag is 40 x 30 x 20 cm on both Ryanair and Wizz Air, about 24 litres, and it is the only baggage outcome on a low-cost fare that costs nothing at all. Sizes and fees below come from our carrier research, checked on Aug 29, 2026.
Check the bag against the rule
- Measure the bag at 40 x 30 x 20 cm, the free under-seat size on both Ryanair and Wizz Air in 2026.
- Measure it packed rather than empty, because Wizz Air's conditions of carriage count side pockets inside those dimensions.
- Exclude handles and wheels when you measure a Wizz Air bag, with wheels adding no more than 5 cm; the side pockets still count.
- Keep the top surface soft. The Ryanair sizer is a rigid frame and the bag is expected to drop into it unaided.
- Weigh the bag if you fly Wizz Air, which caps this bag at 10 kg as well as by size.
- Skip the scales for Ryanair, which publishes no weight limit for the free bag and measures it rather than weighing it.
- Count one bag, not two. A handbag and a laptop bag together are more than the free allowance on either airline.
Clothes for two or three nights
- Wear the bulkiest outfit to the airport, including the coat, the heaviest trousers and the larger pair of shoes.
- Pack one spare pair of trousers at most, and pick the pair that works for dinner as well as for walking.
- Count tops as one per day plus one. That is the line where a weekend fits and a fourth night stops fitting.
- Roll everything instead of folding it, which is often the difference between a full bag and a bag that shuts.
- Leave a second pair of shoes at home unless one specific evening needs them.
- Take underwear and socks for each night plus one, since they cost less space than anything else you carry.
- Choose one colour family so two tops and one pair of trousers cover four days without looking like it.
Washbag, tech and documents
- Decant toiletries into small bottles and keep them in a clear resealable bag at the top of the main compartment.
- Leave full-size shampoo at home. Three nights of it weighs almost nothing and the bottle takes a corner of the bag.
- Carry one charger with two ports rather than one charger for each device.
- Keep the passport, phone and cards in a coat pocket, not in the bag that could be taken from you at the gate.
- Pack medication in the bag that stays with you, never in anything that might be placed in the hold.
- Load the boarding pass into the phone and screenshot it before you leave home, in case the app fails in the queue.
- Skip the neck pillow as a separate item. Wizz Air states it is not a free extra and has to fit inside the bag.
What rides on top for free
- Carry a coat or a blanket separately on Wizz Air, which lists both as free items on top of the bag.
- Hold the phone and your reading material for the flight, which Wizz Air also exempts from the bag.
- Buy duty free airside on Wizz Air if you want it, because airside purchases are carried on top of the free bag.
- Bring food for the flight for an infant, plus a foldable stroller or small crib, free of charge on Wizz Air.
- Check the child equipment rule on Ryanair: a pushchair plus one car seat, booster or travel cot travels free per child.
- Add the 5 kg baby bag of 45 x 35 x 20 cm for a lap infant on Ryanair, which is allowed on top of the fare.
- Assume nothing else travels free, because anything not on these lists counts inside your one bag.
At the gate
- Arrive with the bag already the right shape. Ryanair states a bag that fails the sizer is refused or placed in the hold for a fee.
- Budget €70 to €75 if Ryanair puts an oversize cabin bag in the hold at the gate, which can cost more than the fare did.
- Budget €55 to €65 on Wizz Air, where you pay the fee and the bag travels in the hold regardless.
- Take valuables out of the bag before handing it over at the aircraft steps.
- Move anything loose into the bag while you are still in the hall, not in the boarding queue.
- Expect the same check on the way home, because each of these fees applies per one-way flight.
- Keep the bag under the rule and the whole trip costs the fare, which is the point of packing this small.
Questions
How big is the free under-seat bag in 2026?
40 x 30 x 20 cm on both Ryanair and Wizz Air, about 24 litres. Ryanair enlarged its bag from 40 x 20 x 25 cm during 2025, so a lot of retail listings and older guides still quote the smaller size. Both airlines now sit above the 40 x 30 x 15 cm industry minimum.
Is the free bag weighed?
On Wizz Air it can be, since the airline caps it at 10 kg. Ryanair publishes no weight limit for the free bag and does not weigh it, so the only constraint there is the sizer at the gate. Either way, size is what catches people out, not weight.
Can three nights really fit in it?
Yes, if you wear the bulky clothes to the airport, take one spare pair of trousers and roll the rest. The bag is about 24 litres. What does not fit is a second pair of shoes, full-size toiletries and a fourth outfit you were unsure about.
Will the EU make the cabin trolley free?
No. The revised air passenger rights regulation adopted in July 2026 guarantees a free personal item and forces a carry-on-inclusive fare to be shown at the start of booking. It applies around 2027 and still lets airlines sell cheaper fares without hand luggage.
Pack to this list and the fare is the whole price, which is the only version of a cheap flight that stays cheap. When you want a trip that suits it, the weekend deals from Sofia page lists the routes that fit into two or three nights.
Live pages
Sources
- Sweet! baggage research: Ryanair (research/baggage/ryanair.json) checked Aug 29, 2026
- Ryanair bag policy checked Aug 29, 2026
- Sweet! baggage research: Wizz Air (research/baggage/wizzair.json) checked Aug 29, 2026
- Wizz Air cabin baggage checked Aug 29, 2026
- Sweet! baggage decision rules (research/baggage/decision-rules.json) checked Aug 29, 2026