We will be flying to the Osa Peninsula in February and we are trying to figure out our bag needs. According to the Sansa website, you are allowed 27lbs of baggage. This would include one checked bag and one "personal" item for carry-on. My question is would a medium sized backpack count as a "personal" item (The website lists other personal items but not backpacks).

The email I received from Sansa didn't really answer my question so I was hoping that some recently travelers on Sansa would have up to date information.

We flew Nature Air last time and having a backpack as a carry-on wasn't a problem.

Thanks is advance.

On the day we flew Sansa, they were being troublesome about the luggage. The girl ahead of me had a 19-pound bag that she wanted to check, and they told her that hers was the heaviest on the plane, and it was too full so she couldn't bring it. The funny thing is my husband and I had bags that were 21 and 26 pounds. Really they just targeted her at random. She threw a fit, and they decided to let her check her bag. I really think what they let you do and don't do can vary based on how full/heavy the plane is. I had my purse as well as a good sized handled bag full of books and magazines, and they didn't bat an eye about that.

The last time I flew Sansa, about a year and a half ago, I was able to bring a duffel bag and a school-book sized backpack. For some reason they made me check both pieces. I had to scramble to get my passport, money, and other important items from the backpack and carry them on in a small plastic bag. I didn't want to risk losing them. On the way back to SJO, I was able to carry on the backpack. On two other trips I had no problem carrying on the back pack. It would be nice if they would be consistent.

Thanks for the responses. Looks like there isn't much consistency so we should be prepared for anything. I will have camera gear in the backpack and they will have to pry it from my dead hands if they want me to check it..

EDH,
When are you going? We’ll be on a Sansa flight to Osa on Feb 15 – I’ll be travelling, too with a small backpack full of camera gear, and I will not check it in. Hope everything works out for both of us, and maybe we meet there.

I think both airlines just make up the rules as the weight dictates I've usually had no problem checking a duffle bag and carrying on a book-sized backpack. On my last flight, Nature Air had us scrambling as we could only take our carry-ons and out luggage would follow the next day. So after a quick re-pack, our luggage did actually make it on the plane that we shared with a surfboard taking up the left side of the plane. Think your backpack should be fine.

When we flew they weighed us with our luggage and we got through no problem. We were traveling with our kids ages 5 and 7 and neither my husband or I is overweight so I think that might have had something to do with why they didn't care about our bags. I think they really are concerned with overall weight on the plane, so in cases like ours, where your group is underweight you're fine but if as a group you're near what they expect then maybe they'll check your luggage more?

xyz99, we are there the first week of Feb so it looks like our paths won't cross. But, I will be sure to post trip reports and pictures as I hope you do as well.