Sizing notice

Every dimension published on this site is produced the same way:

1. The bag is empty, with nothing inside and nothing clipped, strapped or hung on the outside.
2. It is laid flat on a level surface, with every expansion zip closed and every compression strap released. This is the baseline state.
3. It is measured across its bounding box — the smallest rectangular outline that contains the entire piece. Handles, feet, buckles, hardware and straps in their stowed position are all inside that outline and are counted in the figure. Where a piece has a tow handle or wheels, those are counted in the total height; nothing we sell has either.
4. Each edge is measured three times and the largest of the three results is recorded.
5. The result is rounded up to the nearest whole centimetre. Where there is doubt, the number moves against us, never in our favour.

All figures are given in centimetres. Where you enter inches into the Size Ledger, they are converted at 2.54 cm to the inch before comparison.

The full method, with a diagram, is on the how we measure page.

Empty, unexpanded

The baseline. The bag empty, laid flat, every expansion closed and every compression strap released. This figure exists for every piece we sell and is the one used on listing pages and in the cart.

Empty, expanded

The same bag, still empty, at its other setting — expansion gusset open, or compression straps released where the piece works that way. It is published only for pieces that have such a setting. If you are carrying a bag in its expanded state, this is the figure that describes it.

Filled, as listed

The same bag measured again with a defined load inside it. Fabric under load does not sit flat, so this figure is usually larger than the empty one.

A filled figure is only ever published together with the list of exactly what was inside when it was taken. A number without its contents is meaningless, so where that list does not exist, the filled row is not shown at all. If a product page has no filled row, that is why — it is never because the bag stays the same size when it is full.

Softness

Each piece also carries a build rating — fully soft, semi-structured, or structured base — and the approximate amount it gives back under steady pressure against a fixed opening. A fully soft bag can lose up to 4 cm; a structured one loses nothing.

There is no single cabin baggage standard. In practice, the number you are held to depends on several things at once:

• The carrier. Published allowances differ between carriers, sometimes by several centimetres on the same edge.
• The fare. Two passengers on the same aircraft, on the same day, can be held to different allowances depending on which fare they bought.
• The aircraft. Bin geometry and the space under a seat differ between aircraft types, and between rows on the same aircraft. A bulkhead row, an exit row or a row with a floor-mounted equipment box behaves differently from the row behind it.
• The airport and the moment. Enforcement varies. Some gates use a fixed sizing frame, some use a soft-sided template, some assess by eye, and some do not assess at all. On a full flight, the same bag may be treated differently from on an empty one.
• How the bag is measured on the day. A published limit rarely says whether an external pocket bulging under load is included. A frame decides that for itself.
• Change. Allowances are revised without notice and without any obligation to tell a bag manufacturer.

This is why we hold no carrier data anywhere on this site. Any list we published would be out of date, and a customer relying on it would be worse off than one who read the current rules on their own ticket.

Cabinway makes no representation, warranty or guarantee that any item sold on this site will be accepted by any carrier as cabin baggage, as a hand baggage item, or as a personal item, on any route, aircraft, fare or date.

Specifically, and without limitation:

• We do not describe any item as approved, certified, compliant or cleared by any authority, carrier or trade body, because no such approval exists for cabin bags.
• We do not name any carrier anywhere on this site, and we do not describe any item as suitable for, sized for, or compatible with any named carrier.
• We do not state or imply that any item will avoid being checked at a gate or desk, or that it will avoid any fee.
• The Size Ledger performs arithmetic on numbers you supply. A result of Under means every edge of our published figure is more than 2 cm smaller than the corresponding number you typed in. It is a statement about two sets of numbers. It is not a prediction, an assurance or a recommendation.

What we do commit to is narrower and, we think, more useful: the figures published here are the figures we measured, taken by the method above, and where we are uncertain the number is rounded against us.

We compare numbers, not policies. Airlines change limits and measure differently at the gate.

If a carrier decides at a desk or gate that one of our bags may not be carried into the cabin, that situation is handled under the standard return policy and under no other arrangement. If the item is unused, unopened, complete and within 30 days of delivery, you may return it for a refund of the item price in the ordinary way. If it has been packed, carried or used, it is not returnable.

No additional payment of any kind is made in these circumstances. We do not reimburse gate baggage fees, checked bag charges, rebooking costs, missed connections or any other expense, and we do not offer, sell, arrange or recommend any insurance, guarantee, protection plan or similar product covering them.

The identical wording appears in section 06 of the refund policy, and you are asked to confirm you have read this notice before your checkout can be submitted.

1. Find the limit that applies to your ticket — on your own booking, close to your travel date, not from a bag manufacturer and not from memory.
2. Use the filled figure, not the empty one, if you intend to pack the bag full. Our filled figures come with the list of what produced them, so you can judge whether your load is heavier or lighter.
3. Leave yourself room. If the Size Ledger returns Close, treat that as a warning rather than a pass. Two centimetres is within the range of an external pocket under load.
4. Prefer a compressible piece if you are near a limit. A fully soft bag can be pushed into a frame; a structured one cannot.

Any question about a specific measurement — write to support@bagsluggagemore.shop with the item code and we will send the full record for that piece, including the three measurements taken on each edge.