Hi Travel Geniuses! I wonder if you can give us some (more!) good advice!

We're traveling to Italy via Air France and we just picked up some new back packs (we're hoping to avoid hassle and baggage fees by traveling light with a few carry ons)

We got a couple of 40 L packs and we brought them home (kept all the tags on them just in case!) and measured them carefully. They meet all carry-on regulations except for ONE: they are one inch too long. Has anyone ever had a problem with ONE dimension being an inch over the limit?

We don't want to get to the airport and have to check everything if we can avoid it. It's not too late to return the packs for a full refund, but they were a great deal and we'd love to use them if we can.

Advice?

Is the place where they are one-inch over in the hard frame or in the crushable part of the pack? If you can bind up the packs tightly with straps --- don't stuff them, leave room -- it gets a lot easier to take them as carry on.

If the hard frame cannot be dismantled and it is over the limit, you run the risk of having your backpacks checked. Were it me, I would buy a super-cheap 22-inch nylon duffel and stuff all my essential things in the duffel. I would put the duffel in the backpack, and add whatever is leftover. I would strap up the backpack tight. If I was told I had to check the backpack, I would remove the duffel, check the backpack, and carry on the duffel. That way, if Air France loses your checked luggage, you can still get on with your trip.

This is a great bag if you are willing to drop another $25. You can use it on the way home for anything you buy in Italy, and check your backpacks full of dirty clothes.

http://www.ebags.com/product/a-saks/...rceID=DEALTIME

If you don't want to spend another $25, then just buy good old nylon laundry bags and pack most of your stuff into before putting it in your backpacks in case you're told you have to check the backpacks.

How funny! ZEPPOLE, we have a bag that is almost identical to that one, and you're right- it IS a great size for dirty clothes and such. I'll be sure to roll it up and bring it along.

Our packs are a little squishy on top, and I think if we don't pack them to bursting, we should be able to force that top bit down and keep them within the regulations. I LOVE your idea about having a bag within the bag just in case. BRILLIANT!

THIS is why I love coming on the forum- so many geniuses!

I would simply say that Air France has been the strictest major airline as far as dimensiona and weights are concerned.

My carry on bag has been weighed every time I have flown them. I would guess that weight is going to be your problem and not size. Look on their website and assume that they will make no exceptions to their weight rules.

Yeah I agree with Ackislander-be careful of weight. We have 3 friends arrive at the airport with the right size bag thinking they would breeze on and off only to find they were a few pounds over-so had to check.

Agree, AF can be really picky. Thank you, Air France!

So:

If you can't pack your entire backpack to be under the weight limit, then pack your "interior" duffel so that it doesn't weigh more than Air France will allow as carryon.

How to weigh your luggage? If you don't have a scale "hook" to weigh your luggage, then step onto a bathroom scale, weigh yourself, then pack your bag and step onto a bathroom scale with them.

Air France generally weighs my carry-on luggage. Obviously, they automatically weigh the stuff to be checked. This is a good thing. I have never seen them measure the exact dimensions. One has an eye for that or one doesn't.

hi aquilas,

my "carry-on" was about 1/2" over, because the wheels stuck out a bit. because the case was rigid, I was stuck for double the normal fee for checking it at the gate.

this was easyjet at Bristol, however, where they had one of those gauges to check the size of your case. on the way back [from Barcelona] they couldn't care less about the size of carry-on, but were very diligent about how many items were being carried on, so there was lots of stuffing of cameras, handbags, etc. into carry-on cases.

I think your plan for having a fall-back duffle is a great one, but beware the extra charge if you have to check the main bag at the gate, which is what happened to me.

good luck!!