Verified packing list
Personal-Item-Only Packing List, the verified version
The budget-airline game: fly on the free under-seat bag alone and give Frontier, Avelo or Breeze nothing. The sizes below come straight from our verified airline DB; the packing tricks are marked as tips. Checks save on this device.
Goes deeper on this list's rules: does a backpack count as a personal item, airline by airline.
| Airline | Personal item max | Weight | Data | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Airlines | 18 × 14 × 8 in | 35 lb | verified | official page · 2026-07-02 |
| Allegiant Air | 16 × 15 × 7 in | — | verified | official page · 2026-07-02 |
| Avelo Airlines | No published size limit | — | verified | official page · 2026-07-02 |
| Breeze Airways | 17 × 13 × 8 in | — | verified | official page · 2026-07-02 |
| United Airlines | 17 × 10 × 9 in | — | verified | official page · 2026-07-02 |
| Spirit Airlines ceased ops | 18 × 14 × 8 in | — | verified | official page · 2026-07-02 |
Know your box
- The table above is our verified data — limits differ by 2–3 inches between airlines, and that's the whole game. details →
- A soft bag grows an inch when stuffed. Measure the fat version. details →
The bag itself
- Boxy beats teardrop — round corners waste sizer space. (Tip.)
- Soft bags survive a tight sizer; hard minis don't. (Tip.)
Space plays
- Heaviest shoes on your feet, jacket on your body — pockets are a free extra bag. (Tip.)
- Clothes in the cube, cube at the bottom, everything else layers on top. (Tip.)
- Bar soap, stick deodorant (any size — solid sticks skip 3-1-1), solid shampoo. Fewer liquids, no quart-bag Tetris. details →
- The charger brick pile is the silent space killer. (Tip.)
At the gate
- On strict low-cost carriers, a bag that's visibly overstuffed invites the check. Budget airlines charge much more at the gate than at booking — Frontier says so on its own bag page.
- Your bag rides at your feet — pack the flight stuff (headphones, snacks, meds) at the top. details →
Shop this trip
One pick from each part of the kit we stock — add them all, then trim in the cart. Kits are checklists, never a bundled SKU: you can remove anything.
Large Capacity 150 L Quilt Clothing House-moving Luggage Organizer
19.7 × 19.7 × 13.8 in
$8.99verified fit
Flying on the personal item alone? Check your bag against your airline on the fit checker, and your liquids against 3-1-1.
Size limits change. We watch them for you.
Get one short email when an airline changes its personal item size. No newsletter, just the alert.
Common questions
Is a backpack a personal item?
Only your airline's published under-seat box decides it, and a packed backpack is measured at its fattest point — front pocket and laptop sleeve included. Our page "does a backpack count as a personal item" runs your measurements against every airline that publishes a number.
What happens if my personal item is too big?
On budget carriers you pay the gate rate for a carry-on or checked bag — the most expensive way to buy one. Frontier's own bag page notes bags are cheaper at booking than at the airport.
What size personal item fits every airline?
Computed from our verified table (as of 2026-07-02): staying under roughly 16 × 14 × 7 in clears every published US personal-item limit — but Avelo and a few others publish no numbers, so measure conservatively and check your specific airline.