My uncle's carry-on only advice saved me $60 in baggage fees

My uncle swore by packing everything into a 40L backpack for a 2 week trip. I thought he was crazy, but I tried it for a flight to Chicago last month. I fit 5 shirts, 2 pants, and a pair of sneakers by rolling everything tight. The airline wanted $60 for a checked bag, so I walked on with just the backpack and saved the cash. Has anyone else ditched checked bags for a long trip and regretted it or been fine?

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burns.brooke23d ago

The rolling trick is a game changer once you get the hang of it. I did a 10 day trip to Portland with a 35L and honestly the only thing that got me was not having room for a second pair of shoes. Ended up wearing the same boots the whole time and my feet were kinda wrecked by day 6. Next time I'm gonna wear my bulkiest shoes on the plane and pack a pair of flip flops in the side pocket. That plus doing laundry once at a laundromat mid trip basically doubles what you can bring without checking anything.