Before you buy a carry on bag or backpack, read this. Yesterday I was ready to buy the immensely popular Farpoint 40L Backpack for my son. It’s a great bag, good quality and has everything you could ask for but, just as I reached for my credit card, the shop assistant mentioned that although the Farpoint ( or Fairpoint for women) is the maximum carry on size for European carriers, it’s just that little bit too big for Air Asia’s size regulations.
That’s a deal breaker. Maybe we’d get away with it, maybe we wouldn’t, but there is absolutely no point in buying a $100+ bag that may end up having to go under the plane, while relieving me of the hefty extra luggage charge. To me it makes far more sense to buy a bigger, more useful, bag, if it’s destined for the hold anyway, or buy one that Air Asia can’t question.
This bag is for my son and he doesn’t carry a whole bunch of gear, but he does have a laptop a Nerf Gun and a bunch of Pokemon cards, so we need a laptop pocket at very least, multiple internal pockets ideally. I set out to find the perfect Air Asia sized carry on bag and relegated the Farpoint to “possibly”.
We generally don’t travel carry-on only, but if you’d like to read more on this style of travel and what to pack, click through. Alternatively you can visit our travel gear page to see what’s essential and wht’s not, tested through 4 years of family travel.
Air Asia’s Bag Size Regulations
“Each guest is allowed one piece of cabin baggage AND 1 laptop bag OR 1 handbag on-board. The main cabin baggage shall not exceed 56cm x 36cm x 23cm and does not weigh more than 7kg. This baggage should also be able to fit under the seat in front of you or the overhead compartment” Source Air Asia More Information Here
So Air Asia is one of the few airlines that still allows 2 items of luggage, most of the airlines that we regularly use in Europe only allow one. That’s no help to us, we need to have the same bag, on every flight, so we just have to find one at 56cm x 36cm x 23cm, or, one that when compressed and not stuffed full, meets those dimensions. Compression straps are going to matter. If you plan on carrying a separate hand bag, purse, or other “personal” bag, check out our selection of anti-theft bags, they have some fantastic features for regular travellers including RFID blocking for passport and cards, anti slash bodies and anti cut straps.
It’s worth noting that Air Malaysia has the same 56 x 36 x 23 cm, 7Kg, cabin baggage allowance as AirAsia.
Bags With Wheels and Handles
On this occasion we were looking for a good sized backpack, but bags with wheels are also a possibility. Under seat baggage is the latest development here, with some budget airlines even starting to charge for use of luggage bins.
Below are bags designed to be stowed under the seat in front of you.
A Quick Look at the Farpoint or Fairpoint 40 L Osprey Bag.
We bought the Osprey Farpoint 40 for our Air Asia flight. It’s such a good bag that we decided it was worth a shot. We bought it almost a year ago and have never had anyone so much as look at it on every Air Asia or Air Malaysia flight we’ve taken so far. We have travelled between London, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, it’s been tested thoroughly. It has never been weighed. So we think it’s a good choice and we love the bag. Take a look at the bag here to see if it’s good for you. It was a lot cheaper on Amazon than in our local shops and the sales assistant gave us a whole heap of wrong travel information so we won’t be using that store ever again.
Max size: 54 cm x 34 cm x 37 cm
Weight: 1.44 Kg
good harness with waist strap
great quality and lifetime guarantee
two sizes
This bag is a beautiful thing and comes with a lifetime guarantee and choice of colours. The harness is comfortable, it comes in 2 sizes ( s-m and m-l) and it has that all important laptop pocket. For carry on only travel in Europe it’s perfect, but we’re heading to Asia, aren’t you? If you click through above you can see the internal pockets. It’s a great bag, but 2cm too big. We HAVE, however, been using this with no problem whatsoever on Air Asia and Air Malaysia so far. It’s a fraction too big but nobody has checked its size or weight.
Osprey Porter 46 L ( Not Available in the UK)
Max size: 57 cm x 36 cm x 24 cm
Weight: 1.09 Kg
stowable harness with hip strap
excellent compression
Lowe Alpine AT Lightflite Carry On 45L
Max Dimensions: 36cm x 51cm x 25cm
Weight: 762g
Cabin Max 44L
Dimensions: 55cm x 40cm x 20cm
Weight: 700g
low price
Mountain Warehouse 45L Phoenix Extreme (US only currently)
We own this bag and have had it several years, although below is a newer model. It’s not as well built as a Lowe Alpine or an Osprey Bag, but it has a good harness and is light enough for trekking. This is one of the bags we took on the Everest treks. It’s a conventional top loader backpack rather than a front opening travel pack like those above. We have always taken this bag on Air Asia and many other budget airlines and never had a problem.
Maximum Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
a traditional lightweight backpack suitable for trekking with a large 45L capacity.
Cabin Max Equator Backpacking Cabin Luggage
Maximum dimensions: 56cm x 36cm x 23cm (also described as 54cm) Air Asia perfect!
Weight: 1.3 Kg
fold away hip strap and harness
laptop slot
rain cover
low price
external compression straps
So after weighing up the options, we’re going to try the Cabin Max Equator, it’s the only bag that’s been designed specifically for Asian regulations. It’s not my bag of choice, but we’ve ordered it and we’ll check it out. That’s the beauty of Amazon, we can return it if it’s not up to scratch. Update: We returned it, the Osprey won in the end and we’re very happy with it.
Our Next Problem, the 7 Kg Weight Limit.
We will also be needing one of these.
For you, for Pinterest
Keeping the airlines happy is a real headache these days. We’ve noticed that travellers with backpacks generally get better treatment than wheely bag owners, it’s rare to see a backpack taken to the hold before boarding but we see it often with wheeled suitcases. I guess because our soft bags can be squashed they cause less of a problem in overhead lockers. We adults always fly with checked luggage, we couldn’t and wouldn’t fly carry on only as our electronics alone would take up our weight and volume allowance, but for the kids, it’s what we do and it saves us a few dollars on most flights. In my heart I want to buy the Lowe Alpine, it’s a brand I use and trust, but the Osprey is beautiful bag, it’s a shame it’s potentially too big for Air Asia. Because it’s a hugely popular bag I would presume that airline staff look out for them and know they can charge an extra baggage fee should they choose to. So which to choose for our next round of travel n Asia, which would you choose or what do you use?
Kate Doornik says
I don’t understand. How big is the Osprey? It says 56 by 34 by 37. That is A LOT over Air Asia regs not just a little!
Alyson Long for World Travel Family says
The Farpoint is 56 x 34 x 37, So 56 x 36 x 23 is the limit, 2 cm under in 1 dimension, 14 cm over ( potentially) in another…this is where the compression straps come in. 37 is the depth, so you can squish it down. That’s why the hard cases are more of a problem, they don’t squish. Many budget airlines take hard cases from passengers at the steps of the plane, and if you’re really unlucky, charge you an excess baggage fee at the gate. But as I said, so far so good with the Farpoint, no problems at all and its been over a year now.
Kate Doornik says
Hi – thanks for this – we are travelling with Air Asia this summer, between SIngapore and Borneo (coming from UK). My daughter has a (hard) wheelie suitcase that is officially just very slightly too big at 55 by 40 by 20. Do you think it will be OK? I know you said they were tougher on cases than backpacks.
Alyson Long for World Travel Family says
I can’t advise on this sorry, a lot of it comes down to luck.
Denise says
Thank you! Travelling Air Asia next week with 4 kids and had assumed we would use the carry-ons that we always use. I am now off to do some measuring.
Alyson Long for World Travel Family says
You should be OK Denise, just be aware. We’ve had no problems at all with the Osprey bag which is slightly too big.
Carrie Veatch says
Thank you for this! I am heading out all over Asia and was nervous about the Fairpoint 40 L Osprey Bag being too big for carry on, but it sounds like it will be ok to use as long as it meets the weight limits. Thanks for this through review of backpacks!
Carrie
Jamie Cordon says
Great list of backpacks here! Will definitely check your recommendations and check out what fits my needs. Thank you for sharing!
Matt says
Hi,
nice thread,
i’m searching for a carry on backpack and actually thinking about a Lowe alpine lightflite AT 40 carry on; has anyone tried this yet ?
@rachel: why did you prefer the At 45, it weights more ?
About the air circulation problem at the back: Would it be a solution to put some shirts between the backpack and the back, instead of having a construction like the Deuter Futura 32, and changing them sometimes when they sweated ?
I’m planning to travel SEA, and maybe do some hiking with the backpack.
Daniel says
The Farpoint is not too big for Air Asia; the bag can easily be compressed to the size requirements especially if it is only carrying 7kgs. The problem with airlines like air Asia is that the total weight of the two bags must be under 7kg.
I use a Farpoint 40 when travelling overseas. For me I need to carry a laptop for work. I can meet the 7kg limit if the weight of my laptop is not included. My wife also uses a Farpoint 40 and can meet the 7KG limit. We have used the Farpoint for many trips; this pack is very robust and should last many years.
I usually will not consider an airline that has a 7kg limit. I would be willing to pay a small fine to be able to carry a 10kg bag. As an alternative to the Farpoint; the Osprey Ozone35 and Ozone46 are somewhat lighter. That being said; the Farpoint is very robust and we have checked these bags in many times without damage. We use ultra light packs to carry our essential stuff when we want or have to check in the Farpoint. The Farpoint can be over packed and can hold 46 liters.
Although I like the Farpoint it is not a pack for every one. If one is using check baggage a backpack with better organization would be my preferance.
Alyson Long for World Travel Family says
Yep, like you, I can never travel carry on only with laptop, camera, chargers etc. But for the kids the Farpoint is great so far, no problems. Just waiting for a ” jobsworth” to get his ruler out.
Vibeke says
Hi, i have the farpoint and love it! Used it on 4 flights with air Asia this summer, no comments at all. I tried to strap it as tight as possible, but it was larger than it should have been. We only had carry ons, but I could have put my stuff in the kids’ backpacks if I had to. If it’s not too full, it should be easy to strap it tight enough to get within the regulations!
Alyson Long for World Travel Family says
Yes, we’ve had no problems so far with Air Malaysia or Air Asia ( their size regulations are the same). Long may it last!
Isaac says
Hey Alyson, nice post here. I have had quite a few backpacks in a relatively short period of time. At this point, I am looking for something that will last reasonably long. I am willing to sacrifice a bit of cash for it so long it’s worth it. Your post provided quite a good number of options. Thanks.
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SANKAR SOM says
A nice informative article for Budget Airlines flier.
Rachel says
Hi Alyson,
I have just been researching the same issue, in reverse for the European carriers. I wanted something which would also fit AirAsia/Scoot etc as the majority of our travel is in Asia. After much research I bought the Lowe Alpine 45L carry on (not the lightweight one). Arrived last week and I’m happy with the quality and set out of internal pockets. Has a laptop sleeve and compression straps. I wouldn’t want to do a lot of serious walking with it when fully loaded though. First use next week so will report back how I find it to pack and carry.
Australian luggage websites are a good option for researching the 56x36x23 as these are the limits for our domestic carry on. Some ship to UK for a minimal fee. If you need a proper harness, then something like the Blackwolf Tempo or Strata would be worth looking at.
Rachel says
Packing update.
The good: Got my full complement of clothes (7 tops, 3 bottoms, 1 dress, sandals, swimmers and pjs), toiletries and medicines in quite easily. Rolled clothes using packing cubes. iPad in the laptop sleeve. Also taking a small handbag with purse, phone, snacks etc. as prefer to keep those separate, but could probably fit them in.
The downside: Didn’t love the outside pocket – the opening is too narrow to fit the 20x20cm liquids bag in, which would have been ideal for easy airport access.
Michel says
Nice post!