Understand british airways has a strict carryon limit - 13 lbs? what kind of bag do people use to get the most stuff and the least weight to the bag. assume a pocketbook is also allowed? small backpack for guys, also?
thanks

Yep - six kilos is the limit. A backpack is considered a carryon, unless it a very small one like a woman's leather one used in place of a handbag. Sometimes you can squeeze in a little more - but don't count on it. Some agents are a little more leniemt - but most stick to the limits.

Use any sort of small duffel, satchel, carryall - as long as it doesn't go over 6 kilo/13 lb.

I've never had my carry on weighed- but I don't push the limit either! BA has weighed my checked luggage and sms to be more strict about enforcing weight limits within Europe.

When I flew BA a few times, the carryon limit was indeed enforced. Same for Virgin Atlantic. I ended up using a small/medium sized duffel bag as a carryon, checking the rest of the luggage.

Since my husband's golf clubs were traveling along, we had to have checked in luggage anyway, so that was no big deal. Usually I try to avoid checking in luggage and spent the last 5 years in pursuit of a miracle carry on bag - light as a feather, made out of bulletproof material, small on the outside and very capacious inside and comfortable to carry. Oh yeah, it should also perform beautifully on cobblestone streets, get itself through metros/train stations without giving me hard time and of course wheel through airports without a hitch... The collection in my attic is still growing...

Not being aware of the weight limit, I was stopped at the gate at JFK with my 20" wheely bag as it was over the weight limit. It was probably close to the weight limit when it was empty. I had to quickly throw a few essentials into a shopping bag and check the wheely. This was prior to 9/11, I wouldm't be surprised if they are even more srict now. As far as I know they don't count reasonably-sized purses,nor food and water, so just edit your nylon or microfiber carry-on bag down to a book and a few other essentials and you'll make it.

kasperdoggie - I have the same collection in my attic! If anyone knows where we can find the "miracle carryon" I sure wish they'd tell us.

I have avoided flying with BA just because of their carry-on weight restriction. I really hate to check my luggage (at least going over). I will say though that a couple of years ago we were booked on Aer Lingus from Boston to London and when we checked in they told us they were overbooked and were looking for people to take a BA direct flight instead (our's was scheduled to stop in Dublin). So since it meant we would be getting to London several hours earlier we took it and they did NOT weigh our luggage. We carried on our 20" rolling bags that were definitly over the 13#. And it turned out to be one of the best flights I've ever had. But I still wouldn't count on them letting you carryon something over the limit. It did seem that in Boston at least they were not enforcing their weight limits.

I fly BA all the time to London and try to keep my carry-on light. But I think they've only weighed it once. It probably depends on the person checking you in.

Most times, they don't even see my carry-on, as it is by my side where they can't see it from behind the check-in desk. Just in case they should weight it, I keep one of those lightweight cloth/vinyl-y shopping bags stashed away in my carry-on. If they make me check it, I can use the shopping bag as my carry-on and put the essentials in there.

I fly BA very frequently and have noticed that BA does often enforce its weight limit esp when the flight is fairly full. When the flight is not full, they tend to just ask to see the carry-on. There are different weight limits based on the class of service you are flying.

My carry-on has only been weighed when I have a case. My empty case (21", vertical handle) weighs just over 8 lbs primarily because of the handle mechanism. I pack lightly but not THAT lightly to meet the weight restriction.
I used to have a case with wheels but without the pulling handle that weighed only 3 lbs empty. It didn't manuver as well as the cases with the handle. I, too, am looking for that special case that is tough, rolls well, and packs easily.

I now carry a rucksack as my carry-on. My rucksack has never been weighed and the agents have never asked to see it. However, I have seen the agents weigh passengers' rucksacks, and then tell them that it is too heavy for the cabin. It really is very variable.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had some consistency with airline restrictions and security checks? We have flown BA exclusively for our last 5-6 trips and only once, at check-in at Gatwick, were our carry-on bags weighed and found to be overweight. Never a problem on departure from SFO.

I carry a huge black leather purse for our overseas trips and it has never been questioned. I also have a London Fog tote bag that goes on board with me. My husband has a duffle type bag he uses and when we come home with unpackable things we've purchased he carries the shopping bag. So far we've been fine with our carry-ons. We always check our other bags.

Hopefully because of my above statements, we won't have problems when we fly next year!

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had some consistency with airline restrictions and security checks?"

We could START with the TSA which refuses to consistently enforce its own shoes-off or not-off ??????policy.

THIS is security?????

We went BA both directions Heathrow to Budapest and back and weren't asked to weigh anything in late Oct/early November. We had checked the main bags though

Intrepid, lately I've taken to asking "So, are we shoes on, shoes off or passenger optional today?" Net score so far - 3 laughs (with understanding nods), 1 puzzled look, 1 cold stare and 1 complete ignore (which dashed my still-recovering self esteem, but they could have been thinking about what to have for lunch).

Just to add to the confusion - if BA does weigh your carry on - then after you go through security there are all those shopping opportunities which should you purhcase heavier items - like books or liquor - would make your bag's weight at the check in counter totally meaningless. I bought a bottle of whisky at the duty free before returning home from London via BA last spring - if I'd gotten several rather than one it could have been 13 pounds right there not counting what I already had. Also not counting my mom's very heavy shopping bag from Floris which I think had one of every item they offered.

If I had not had insomnia thia AM, I never would have read this thread - even went to BA website to confirm, since I had never heard of such a weight limit - but it is in fact on their website. Have alerted my mother with whom we fly to London in April - she has a small carry-on that must weigh at least twice that much!

I've flown BA ten times in the past six months, and countless times over the years. I take the same hand luggage with me regardless of my class of travel, I have two large holdalls usually, they never bat an eyelid whether I'm in club or economy.

I've flown other airlines, and they always make a fuss, BA never ever do.

I'm one who is ALL for airlines enforcing not only their weight limits for carry on luggage but the size limit too.

It really pisses me off to get to my seat and see someone ahead of me stuff several huge bags into the bins above their seat, my seat and several other peoples' seats besides.

I do agree that weighing at checkin isn't sufficient since one is able to (even encouraged) to buy as much as one likes from the duty free shops in most departure lounges.

I usually have a rucksack as my hand luggage with all my camera gear in it as well as spare glasses, a book to read etc. Even given how heavy the camera gear is that seldom weighs much more than 6 kilos so I have to wonder what exactly is in all those carry ons that weigh twice as much.

Kavey dear, my handluggage contains four cosmetic/medicament cases of a large size. Accessories such as scarves/gloves/sunglasses/cufflinks/dress studs/jewellery/camera/telephone/pen with ink/. Also, I like to carry gym shoes, and perhaps another pair of shoes that couldn't fit into my suitcase. Other items are also included, and you'd be amazed how it all weighs up.

I'm all for passengers taking as much handluggage as they can. Nothing annoys me more than seeing tiny little cases and bags on the conveyor coming off as checked luggage, madness.

MKingdom, "dear", surely though you have no problem with size since you surely always travel first class and avoid the riff raff rest of us?

mk2, you crack me up. Most of us do not travel with a servant nor do we carry all that war paint.

I have resorted to devious techniques when carrying a great deal of wine in my hand baggage. These include leaving the wine on a chair in a plastic bag near some helpful person at the airport, allowing my carry on to be weighed then retrieving my wine and shoving it in. While I agree with Kavey re how irritating it can be when there is no place in the overhead bin for a reasonable size carry on I also find the 6 kg limit quite low. I always carry a reasonable size strolly bag as much because I have to navigate it over kms of airport as for any other reason. If I manage to fit my toiletries kit (including contact lens paraphrenelia), a shawl, socks, smalls, a couple of magazines (always heavy), a book (in case the mags turn out to have NOTHING worth reading or I cannot sleep), at least couple bottles wine (which I generally buy in the city as duty free never has quite the same selection) and anything fragile I may have bought (this trip it was gorgeous and fairly expensive x-mas tree ornaments from a shop on Via Montenapoleon as those of you who read my Milan trip report may already know) in the bag then I wish the airline check in staff would leave me alone! The problem definitely lies in the weight of the bag though coz it is amazing how the few things I mentioned above always bust the limit!

Until recently I was flying between the UK and the US twice a month for work, so I always had my laptop, plus usually some very large books I needed for work. I was always way over the limit, but United never weighed my carry-on.

When I travel for pleasure, I carry on nothing but a book, bottle of water, and some sort of jacket or sweatshirt. Sigh. That will all come to a screaching halt when I'm annoying all of you by bringing my baby-to-be on long haul flights to see his/her grandmother.

m_kingdom must have some serious flaws that need covering with that much in the way of make-up and toiletries.