Luggage sizes

Which luggage to take when travelling

• Cabin sized (19 to 22 inches)

  Due to their compact size and easy handling, these bags can be brought on board a train, plan or automobile. They are ideal for use as an overnight bag, with enough room for one or two outfits, toiletries, medications and other personal necessities.

• Mid-size (23 to 26 inches)

  Perfect for trips that are a week long or less, these bags have to be checked when travelling.

• Large (27 to 30 inches)

  Ideal for long trips or carrying the belongings of more than one traveller, these also have to be checked. New airline regulations limit individual luggage size to 30″ in length and 62″ total (height + width + depth). The fines for not abiding to the size rule are hefty.

• Capacity measurements

  These are based on the main compartment inside the suitcase, and are measured in litres. This is best used to simply compare different suitcases as it is difficult to visualise. As a guide, cabin cases have an average capacity of 20 litres, whilst most large cases have an average capacity of 100 litres. If you would like advice on the correct size case for your trip, we would be delighted to help.

Average suitcase sizes

The height measurements are taken from the bottom of the wheels to the top of the case when the trolley handle is down.

Cabin allowance

Joy of Clothes uses the BAA standard cabin allowance guideline for hand luggage, which is 56cm x 45cm x 25cm. This is used by leading airlines such as American Airlines, Iberia and BMI. Budget airlines such as easyJet, First Choice and Ryanair often use a smaller cabin allowance of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm. So, it is best to check with your airline for hand luggage cabin allowances.

The information below is to be used as a guide only!