Flying with Hunting Pack as Personal Item, NOT Carry On

[bmejia]

I used my avial 2200 as a personal item this past summer on 4 flights, no problem. It fits pretty well under the seat.

 

[KU_Geo]

I think everyone has covered it. Hunting pack, school bag, or trash bag: they don’t care what it is as long as it fully fits underneath the seat. If it doesn’t, be prepared to pay to play. Just follow airline posted limits. Or look up the under seat storage spec for the specific model of plane you will be flying on, assuming it’s a large commercial jet.

 

[HoneyDew]

I think everyone has covered it. Hunting pack, school bag, or trash bag: they don’t care what it is as long as it fully fits underneath the seat. If it doesn’t, be prepared to pay to play. Just follow airline posted limits. Or look up the under seat storage spec for the specific model of plane you will be flying on, assuming it’s a large commercial jet.

This summarizes it as best I could. Only thing I’ll add is your boarding group. The earlier you board the more wiggle room you’ll have (still needs to fit under the seat). But come those last boarding groups they’ll look at personal and carry-ons with a more scrutinizing eye if the flight is full. I fly pretty often and I use hunting bags as both personal and carry-ons often.

 

[fwafwow]

I fly Delta a lot. Beating a dead horse, but fwiw:

1. If you board early, don’t expect special treatment on Delta. It can happen, but if the flight is full, the FAs are watching everyone carefully.
2. You are saving $40 by trying not to check another bag. I get the desire to have essentials in carryons, but you can fit a lot in a roller bag that you get to carry on.

 

[Marbles]

I fly Delta a lot. Beating a dead horse, but fwiw:

1. If you board early, don’t expect special treatment on Delta. It can happen, but if the flight is full, the FAs are watching everyone carefully.
2. You are saving $40 by trying not to check another bag. I get the desire to have essentials in carryons, but you can fit a lot in a roller bag that you get to carry on.

Yep
3. Check the roller bag and use the hunting pack as your carryon.
4. If more space is needed, get a small, lightweight duffle to be your personal item and strap it to the pack when in the airport.

 

[Acidbraker]

Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but I think most airlines use the standard 18X14X8 size as the personal item dimension.

I like the Kuiu Divide 1200 for the purpose. It's just a tad long at 18.75, but no one has given me any flak yet.

 

[Banded_spooney]

Clearly beating a dead horse here with the Avail and since your trip is past you obviously made your decision but I've used it as a personal item on many flights, including internationally, with the belt attached. Non-issue.

I would like the option of a frame as my personal item. I'm wondering if anyone has used a pop-up as a personal item. Trying to avoiding having to use my Pintler as my carry-on.

 

[Banded_spooney]

And for the record, its not in an effort to pack it full of stuff for the flight. Its so I can have a frame pack while I'm hunting without sacrificing my roller carry on. I would be putting laptop and optics inside it for the flight then compressing.