dpatterson0516
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino del Norte
For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
I think @dougfitz is correct. Its not the size of the bag that is the problem, its the amount of "stuff" that is put in it. The larger the pack, the larger the temptation to take more "stuff".I wonder if you are being too quick to dismiss using the Gregory Zulu. Are you sure you cannot pack it, with perhaps another small personal bag, so that it fits into the carry-on profile?
Hi David, I'm interested to know... did you have to pay to take your backpack on board?I think @dougfitz is correct. Its not the size of the bag that is the problem, its the amount of "stuff" that is put in it. The larger the pack, the larger the temptation to take more "stuff".
Taking a small personal bag will also help with boarding.
For me, I also carry all my kit, and I use a 32 litre Osprey.
I've flown with Vueling recently with no issues with a bag of 32l
Happy packing
and did you have to pay extra to carry it on as cabin baggage... .or did you carry it as one free small bag?Strangely backpacks tend to gain less attention than carry on cases. But how close is it to the maximum dimensions? Could it be squeezed/bent to meet size?
Otherwise, how big a bag do you need? I have an Osprey 30l tempest in which I can fit either my full winter hiking kit or my summer kit with a tent - and this has been regularly on as cabin baggage.
The volume ( 40L ) is less of an issue than measuring the rigid frame and how small you can cinch the pack. Iberia was definitely checking carryon dimensions a few weeks ago as their flights were full, therefore overhead capacity was limited. The only reason we were allowed to keep our bags despite being within the limits is that we had very little time between connections. It would not have been possible to retrieve checked bags, nor assume it would be transferred to next flight on time. Two of the traveling companions were asked to squish their backpacks under their seat. Look at the dimensions on the airlines and see if you can get your pack that small. Pack a small 'personal item' bag with the things you can't part with ( medication, paperwork, electronics? ) This might eliminate packing anything into the top hood of your pack and decrease the length. Good luck!I was planning to use my Gregory Zulu 40L pack for my September Norte/Primitivo trip. It is too big for carrying on. Given the ongoing airline issues with lost luggage, I've decided to acquire a pack that I can carry on. I've Googled and searched on this forum and the options are overwhelming. I will be carrying my pack the entire trip, not forwarding. I am looking for recommendations and advice. I am flying KLM from Canada to Spain and Vueling Airlines within Spain. I would greatly appreciate responses from folks who have had recent experience since the carry-on rules seem to have changed or are at least being more stringently enforced this year. Thanks!
KLM's carryon sizes are: 55cm x 25cm x 35cm. My Zulu totally empty is 65 cm long. That would make it checked not carry-on. I can't shorten the length of the empty bag.I wonder if you are being too quick to dismiss using the Gregory Zulu. Are you sure you cannot pack it, with perhaps another small personal bag, so that it fits into the carry-on profile?
Thanks. I am less concerned with the Vueling flights as they are short filghts, but it is good to know you had no issues! Toronto-Barcelona KLM flight has a layover in Amsterdam, where the airport seems to be very challenged. The Toronto airport is also a mess currently!I think @dougfitz is correct. Its not the size of the bag that is the problem, its the amount of "stuff" that is put in it. The larger the pack, the larger the temptation to take more "stuff".
Taking a small personal bag will also help with boarding.
For me, I also carry all my kit, and I use a 32 litre Osprey.
I've flown with Vueling recently with no issues with a bag of 32l
Happy packing
Thank you that does help.If it helps I carried my Osprey 36 L as carry on last week in the smaller planes Netherlands to Oporto with no problem or questioning.
Thanks for this. As you can see from my post above the totally empty bag is 10 cm over length and given the reports of KLM, they are enforcing the carryon rules rigidly--as many airlines are currently doing.Strangely backpacks tend to gain less attention than carry on cases. But how close is it to the maximum dimensions? Could it be squeezed/bent to meet size?
Otherwise, how big a bag do you need? I have an Osprey 30l tempest in which I can fit either my full winter hiking kit or my summer kit with a tent - and this has been regularly on as cabin baggage.
Thanks for this. As you can see from my post above the totally empty bag is 10 cm over length and given the reports of KLM, they are enforcing the carryon rules rigidly--as many airlines are currently doing.
I have the same pack (love it) and it was no problem for overhead storage.I was planning to use my Gregory Zulu 40L pack for my September Norte/Primitivo trip. It is too big for carrying on. Given the ongoing airline issues with lost luggage, I've decided to acquire a pack that I can carry on. I've Googled and searched on this forum and the options are overwhelming. I will be carrying my pack the entire trip, not forwarding. I am looking for recommendations and advice. I am flying KLM from Canada to Spain and Vueling Airlines within Spain. I would greatly appreciate responses from folks who have had recent experience since the carry-on rules seem to have changed or are at least being more stringently enforced this year. Thanks!
The original question was about cabin baggage rather than small "personal item".and did you have to pay extra to carry it on as cabin baggage... .or did you carry it as one free small bag?
There are still problems in lots of airports with a lack of ground staff, and so it's not necessarilyan airline issue per se. You could be lucky and have no problems or unlucky and have luggage delayed but that has always been the gamble with checked luggage.Can anyone verify about the ongoing airline issues with lost luggage? Does this apply to Vueling? I'll be coming from Asia and arriving in Barcelona then catching a Vueling flight to San Sebastian where we will start our Camino. It's happened to me once before and believe me it's no fun having to wait for your luggage to arrive a couple of days later.
Thanks for the advice. Yes will make sure to pack some clothes inside the carryon luggage just to be on the safe side.There are still problems in lots of airports with a lack of ground staff, and so it's not necessarilyan airline issue per se. You could be lucky and have no problems or unlucky and have luggage delayed but that has always been the gamble with checked luggage.
Could you take your pack onboard at least to Barcelona and check in a smaller bag with anything that can't be taken onboard eg penknife, walking poles, so that even if luggage goes astray it wouldn't completely derail your walk getting started?
I have been considering this. I was planning to buy poles, knife etc. in Spain, but this is also an option. I don't believe I can take my oversized pack on board in Toronto since it is 10 cm oversize. Toronto is having huge issues with lost luggage currently.There are still problems in lots of airports with a lack of ground staff, and so it's not necessarilyan airline issue per se. You could be lucky and have no problems or unlucky and have luggage delayed but that has always been the gamble with checked luggage.
Could you take your pack onboard at least to Barcelona and check in a smaller bag with anything that can't be taken onboard eg penknife, walking poles, so that even if luggage goes astray it wouldn't completely derail your walk getting started?
I was planning to use my Gregory Zulu 40L pack for my September Norte/Primitivo trip. It is too big for carrying on. Given the ongoing airline issues with lost luggage, I've decided to acquire a pack that I can carry on. I've Googled and searched on this forum and the options are overwhelming. I will be carrying my pack the entire trip, not forwarding. I am looking for recommendations and advice. I am flying KLM from Canada to Spain and Vueling Airlines within Spain. I would greatly appreciate responses from folks who have had recent experience since the carry-on rules seem to have changed or are at least being more stringently enforced this year. Thanks!
I second this. I've been carrying on a Gossamer Gear backpack for years. Just measure the packed bag to be sure it doesn't extend too high. You can cinch the top down as much as necessary to stay within the limit. For me it's a comfortable pack and very lightweight.Gossamer Gear backpacks (the Kumo, Gorilla, and G4-20) meet carry-on requirements.
We noticed this on our recent return from Lisboa as well. We flew Air Transat--Lisboa/Montreal/Vancouver. Some people had what I would consider ridiculously oversize backpacks for cabin luggage--and others had a regulation-sized wheelie roll-on PLUS another good sized shoulder bag.My loaded 36L Deuter went both ways as carryon, no questions asked. Airline counter personnel are usually more concerned about checked baggage than carryon. And when you get to the plane you’ll usually see that some people are ridiculously oversize with their carryons. At that point it’s all about getting it loaded and stowed so they can take off.
I flew with Vueling October 2021, Iberia May 2022 and booked with BA for August 2022. None of which charged me for a single carryon luggageHi David, I'm interested to know... did you have to pay to take your backpack on board?
I have carried my bag on all six of my Caminos. I have flown on Iberia to Madrid and then either Vueling or Iberia Express. I used the same 44 Liter pack on all 6 caminos. I have never had a problem bringing my backpack on the plane or fitting it in the overhead compartment on the plane. I have also used it for flights from Mexico, where I live to New York to visit family and friends and have never had a problem with my pack on numerous different airlines. I have no loyalty to any airline I just look for the cheapest flight. I would never risk checking my backpack and having the airline lose my pack.I was planning to use my Gregory Zulu 40L pack for my September Norte/Primitivo trip. It is too big for carrying on. Given the ongoing airline issues with lost luggage, I've decided to acquire a pack that I can carry on. I've Googled and searched on this forum and the options are overwhelming. I will be carrying my pack the entire trip, not forwarding. I am looking for recommendations and advice. I am flying KLM from Canada to Spain and Vueling Airlines within Spain. I would greatly appreciate responses from folks who have had recent experience since the carry-on rules seem to have changed or are at least being more stringently enforced this year. Thanks!
Agree. But what are the dimensions of your backpack? For the lowest risk (since there is a significant risk of having your pack rejected from the cabin), one should use a backpack that can be squished to the official required dimensions.I would never risk checking my backpack and having the airline lose my pack.
If if you use cinch straps you shouldn't have a problem making it fit and putting it in the overhead. Our bags stay with us on the plane in the overhead.I was planning to use my Gregory Zulu 40L pack for my September Norte/Primitivo trip. It is too big for carrying on. Given the ongoing airline issues with lost luggage, I've decided to acquire a pack that I can carry on. I've Googled and searched on this forum and the options are overwhelming. I will be carrying my pack the entire trip, not forwarding. I am looking for recommendations and advice. I am flying KLM from Canada to Spain and Vueling Airlines within Spain. I would greatly appreciate responses from folks who have had recent experience since the carry-on rules seem to have changed or are at least being more stringently enforced this year. Thanks!
Thanks for the response, but as previously posted my bag is 10 cm oversized when it is empty so cinch straps aren't the answer. Prior to COVID we often witnessed many people with oversized bags and even sometimes more bags than were allowed to carry-on and the crew made it fit. No I think--not so much.If if you use cinch straps you shouldn't have a problem making it fit and putting it in the overhead. Our bags stay with us on the plane in the overhead.
I cannot tell you the dimensions anymore as I bought it over 10 years ago and it finally feel apart and I had to get a new one I can say that being a 45 liter pack it was a larger pack and very, similar in size to other packs of that size. I have never been stopped by gate attendants or cabin crew and it easily did fit inside the overhead bin. I have been walking late fall/early winter caminos so with my extra clothes and larger sleeping bag my backpack is pretty full. I also carry a small pillow because if I try to sleep on a typical albergue pillow I would need to immediately go to the nearest chiropractor.Agree. But what are the dimensions of your backpack? For the lowest risk (since there is a significant risk of having your pack rejected from the cabin), one should use a backpack that can be squished to the official required dimensions.
For what it’s worth, my sons are presently walking the Camino Frances having flown from Washington, DC to New York (Delta) to Paris (American) to Bayonne (Air France), and they carried on their Zulu 40s the whole way. It can be done!I was planning to use my Gregory Zulu 40L pack for my September Norte/Primitivo trip. It is too big for carrying on. Given the ongoing airline issues with lost luggage, I've decided to acquire a pack that I can carry on. I've Googled and searched on this forum and the options are overwhelming. I will be carrying my pack the entire trip, not forwarding. I am looking for recommendations and advice. I am flying KLM from Canada to Spain and Vueling Airlines within Spain. I would greatly appreciate responses from folks who have had recent experience since the carry-on rules seem to have changed or are at least being more stringently enforced this year. Thanks!
I used the Gregory 40L in 2019. Carried on Seattle - Rekyavik - Paris - Biarritz and back! No problem. Good luck!I was planning to use my Gregory Zulu 40L pack for my September Norte/Primitivo trip. It is too big for carrying on. Given the ongoing airline issues with lost luggage, I've decided to acquire a pack that I can carry on. I've Googled and searched on this forum and the options are overwhelming. I will be carrying my pack the entire trip, not forwarding. I am looking for recommendations and advice. I am flying KLM from Canada to Spain and Vueling Airlines within Spain. I would greatly appreciate responses from folks who have had recent experience since the carry-on rules seem to have changed or are at least being more stringently enforced this year. Thanks!
In 2019 I carried the Gregory Zulu 40 as carry on luggage. This was on American Airlines from the US to Madrid. No issues.I was planning to use my Gregory Zulu 40L pack for my September Norte/Primitivo trip. It is too big for carrying on. Given the ongoing airline issues with lost luggage, I've decided to acquire a pack that I can carry on. I've Googled and searched on this forum and the options are overwhelming. I will be carrying my pack the entire trip, not forwarding. I am looking for recommendations and advice. I am flying KLM from Canada to Spain and Vueling Airlines within Spain. I would greatly appreciate responses from folks who have had recent experience since the carry-on rules seem to have changed or are at least being more stringently enforced this year. Thanks!
I went on Camino Frances this past April. Took my Zulu 40 on American Airlines as a carry on. No problem.I was planning to use my Gregory Zulu 40L pack for my September Norte/Primitivo trip. It is too big for carrying on. Given the ongoing airline issues with lost luggage, I've decided to acquire a pack that I can carry on. I've Googled and searched on this forum and the options are overwhelming. I will be carrying my pack the entire trip, not forwarding. I am looking for recommendations and advice. I am flying KLM from Canada to Spain and Vueling Airlines within Spain. I would greatly appreciate responses from folks who have had recent experience since the carry-on rules seem to have changed or are at least being more stringently enforced this year. Thanks!
I just measured my Gregory Z40 L bought in 2011. I’m flying RyanAir too. You are correct, it won’t fit if you place it in the sizer like a suitcase. However, using a bit of Pythagoras' theorem, it might just slide in on the diagonal. Especially if you cinch it tight, and put some stuff in a separate carrier to go under your seat. My calculation gives the diagonal measurement of RyanAir's size box along the long sides as 58.5cm and,with a bit of flexing, the frame just fits. I'm not saying it will work but it could, possibly, mightI was planning to use my Gregory Zulu 40L pack for my September Norte/Primitivo trip. It is too big for carrying on. Given the ongoing airline issues with lost luggage, I've decided to acquire a pack that I can carry on. I've Googled and searched on this forum and the options are overwhelming. I will be carrying my pack the entire trip, not forwarding. I am looking for recommendations and advice. I am flying KLM from Canada to Spain and Vueling Airlines within Spain. I would greatly appreciate responses from folks who have had recent experience since the carry-on rules seem to have changed or are at least being more stringently enforced this year. Thanks!
Just to complete my post above. Here are photos of my Gregory Z40, 2011 edition, pretty much packed as I’ll have it on the Camino. The top pocket (brain) is empty, and the contents are in a Nanobag that I’ll use as my under-seat carryon.I just measured my Gregory Z40 L bought in 2011. I’m flying RyanAir too. You are correct, it won’t fit if you place it in the sizer like a suitcase. However, using a bit of Pythagoras' theorem, it might just slide in on the diagonal. Especially if you cinch it tight, and put some stuff in a separate carrier to go under your seat. My calculation gives the diagonal measurement of RyanAir's size box along the long sides as 58.5cm and,with a bit of flexing, the frame just fits. I'm not saying it will work but it could, possibly, might
Perhaps it was the two hour delay, but Gregory Z40 L (2011edition) allowed as overhead cabin baggage on RyanAir Edinburgh to Santiago direct. Once it was in the overhead it was clearly smaller than other rollaboard suitcases. I must say I love this backpackJust to complete my post above. Here are photos of my Gregory Z40, 2011 edition, pretty much packed as I’ll have it on the Camino. The top pocket (brain) is empty, and the contents are in a Nanobag that I’ll use as my under-seat carryon.
As you can see, the pack is in an Amazon box that, fortuitously, is 55cm x 36cm x 10cm. The length when placed diagonally works. But I’m now concerned that the 20cm width is going to be the issue. I can’t cinch down much more with it packed as it is, but I could take out some more stuff and place it in the Nanobag. It’ll be a bit of a squeeze getting the hip belt and shoulder straps to fit in the space, but I’m hoping they just might could (an NC turn of phrase I quite like.)
Anyway, I’ll know for certain Friday night!
I used that very pack. Perfect. I carried mine on as my entire world was in there and wouldn’t let it out of my sight. Good luck and, don’t worry about it.I was planning to use my Gregory Zulu 40L pack for my September Norte/Primitivo trip. It is too big for carrying on. Given the ongoing airline issues with lost luggage, I've decided to acquire a pack that I can carry on. I've Googled and searched on this forum and the options are overwhelming. I will be carrying my pack the entire trip, not forwarding. I am looking for recommendations and advice. I am flying KLM from Canada to Spain and Vueling Airlines within Spain. I would greatly appreciate responses from folks who have had recent experience since the carry-on rules seem to have changed or are at least being more stringently enforced this year. Thanks!
Even Decathlon's cheapest poles (about €9/each) are totally suitable for the Caminos. I usually just leave them behind before going home as I never choose to check my back pack. I have been lucky twice when TSA allowed them to go through the scanner and stay with me.Some airlines are charging more for a checked bag than the price of decent poles at Decathlon.
For the flat trails, I would agree, but I have two bad knees and could not have walked the San Salvador, the Norte nor the Primitivo without very sturdy poles on both the uphills and downhills. Certainly next year when I tackle the Pyrenees climb on the French, I will need excellent poles.Even Decathlon's cheapest poles (about €9/each) are totally suitable for the Caminos. I usually just leave them behind before going home as I never choose to check my back pack. I have been lucky twice when TSA allowed them to go through the scanner and stay with me.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?