tailsock

Looking for advice on how to avoid having to pay for addtional baggage fee on EasyJet. We are taking a couple of flights around Western Europe in March. Here's what i got:

-1 small carryon suitcase that meets EasyJet's restrictions to the T (forgot the dimensions)
-1 Nikon SLR with additional 200mm zoom lens. that all fits in a small Nikon bag

Technically, i can put the Nikon bag in my carryon and roll with that but it will be STUFFED to the max. I won't have room souveneirs or anything. On a different forum one guy said he has simply worn the camera around his neck because EasyJet can't charge you for what you have on your person. That would allow me to cram the Nikon bag up into a little ball and stuff it into my carryon. I would be able to pack an extra shirt or two as well
I've also seen where others worn their heavy clothes, coats, etc

thanks!

isabel

You wouldn't believe the stuff I've seen people do - like wearing three sweaters at a time, things like that. In March you would probably have a coat, or at least a rain coat - make sure it has big pockets and you can put a lot in them. If you wear the camera around your neck and have a rain coat and a scarf they probably won't even notice it. It really is a matter of luck - I've seen people pulled out of the line and made to check a bag while others in the same line just kind of hid something under the coat that they were carrying over their arm and they got through.

annhig

hi tailsock

here's the size allowed, taken straight from the easyjet website:

Each passenger may carry one item of hand baggage only, measuring a maximum 56 x 45 x 25cm (including wheels, pockets and handles).

actually that's not too bad, so long as your bag hasn't got sticky-out wheels - they caught me out once [when it only cost £16 to put something in the hold, not a whopping great £40] . you are allowed a coat and a duty-free bag, but i couldn't find mention of a camera so I would assume not.

if you want to be completely safe, buy a smaller camera that you can slip in your pocket. i travelled with one for the first time this summer and i loved it.

hetismij2

Or buy something from dutyfree and put the camera in the bag with it.

I'd have the camera around my neck, but be prepared to put it in the carry-on and take the body cap with you as well as both lens caps - the body and lens take up less room when separate. They'd probably even fit in a couple of pockets that way just to get you onto the plane.
If you do have them in your carry on, make sure you are there early so you can actually carry on your carry-on - the bins fill up fast.

tailsock

oh man i'm liking the sound of that! wearing a coat and stuffing the pockets with socks, wadded up boxers, shaving cream LOL

annhig...my Nikon WILL be coming no matter what. at worst i'll pay the hold fee but this camera will be no farther than 2 meters from me at any given time

Micheline

I wear a lightweight rain jacket with lots of deep pockets. My suitcase was 2 lbs over limit in Biarritz and they wanted lots of $$$ so I just took the extras out and put them in my pockets.

annhig

the "radical" alternative is actually to check a bag. in numerous trips with easyjet they have never lost a bag of ours and by the time you've got through passport control the bags are there waiting for you at the baggage reclaim.

just a thought!

greg

Or "wear" a carry on "bag."

www.scottevest.com/v3_store/Carry-on-Coat.shtml

tailsock

WOW!! that coat is insane!!! probably easyJet's worse nightmare

Christina

Why don't you just pay the fee. It isn't that high.

tailsock

i'm not interested in paying the €17 fee & then having to wait around at baggage claim Christina

easytraveler

Absolutely the scottevest suggested by Greg.

I had an easyjet flight when I wore both a scottevest and a scottejacket.

Stuffed camera, netbook, all chargers, phone, magazine, light backpack (there's a huge pocket on the back of the scottevest), large wool scarf, gloves, all the "necessaries" like passsport, cash, etc. etc into the numerous pockets of the scottevest and scottejacket.

In fact I had more things in my scottevest and jacket than in the suitcase and looked like the Hunchback from Notre Dame plus the fat lady from the circus all rolled up into one.

The easyjet people didn't care how i looked, so long as there was only one carryon and it fit into the sizer bin.

Once on board, I took out my backpack from the scottevest and loaded all the heavy electronics stuff

Backpack was a Rick Steves Civita bag.

BTW, if you are going to get the scottevest/jacket, get it at least one size larger than what you usually wear, because you'll the extra room for all the stuff you will be carrying.

indy_dad

To each, their own . . . it's interesting psychology but I bet many people treat paying €100 for a flight with a checked bag allowance differently than paying €80 for the flight and €20 for a checked bag separately.

I agree that having to claim a bag can sometimes be a deterrent but as annhig says, on a international flight the wait isn't that much longer since you often go through passport control.

We've found it easier not to sweat it and check the bag if the logistics start to become a problem.

annhig

IME travelling without checking a bag is particularly difficult if you are a solo traveller - with two of you, you can save money by checking only one bag, then you can take a reasonably large bag on with you as well. that's what we usually do and it works very well.

the exception is our next trip to Paris - last time we spent ages at CDG on the journey back at check in because we had a bag to deposit, so this time we're going with hand luggage only. the trip after that is with a KLM scheduled flight where there are no problems at all - i think we even get lunch for free!

I'll report back on the difference.

daveesl

Here is another "vest" alternative for you. I have a couple of these and it is amazing the amount of stuff you can comfortably carry. I do it because I carry a fair amount of camera gear along with various self-made battery packs, so the security folks always want to inspect them (hmm, little plastic boxes with batteries and wires hanging out...doesn't look suspicious at all).

http://www.amazon.com/Rothco-RECON-V...7758895&sr=1-1

dave

tailsock

so i talked to my wife and she was very unimpressed with me cramming my camera and lenses into my peacoat separately. she said we'll just pay the damn fee and check one bag each. at least i'll have room to bring home some chocolates

Cathinjoetown

Sanity prevails!

annhig

she said we'll just pay the damn fee and check one bag each. at least i'll have room to bring home some chocolates >>

good choice, tailsock.

i hope that it all works out well.

NB - on easyjet you are allowed to "pool" your luggage - ie one case can weigh 19kgs and the other 21kgs. so long as together they weigh no more than 40kgs, you're ok.

FYI, this is not the same on Ryanair, where each piece must not exceed 15kgs - ie no pooling.

Nyetzy

What about Vueling Air? They seem to have a lower baggage allowance for hand carry. According to their website, only 10kg but they allow up to 23kg if we check in?

Dukey1

I was going to say that NONE of the rest of us are interested in WAITING behind you as you waddle down the aisle, your whatever you are wearing STUFFED with dirty clothes, your kids, your other worldly goods, etc., etc.