As you know many airlines will give you a weight allowance that you are allowed to bring on their plane when going on holiday. They usually split this into two types of luggage:
- Cabin/Hand/Carry On Luggage - this is typically a small bag that you can bring onboard the aircraft with you
- Hold Luggage/Check In Luggage - this is a larger bag that you bring with you to the airport but it gets checked in when you check in for your flight. That bag is then placed in the hold of the plane and you have to pick it up from the luggage belt when you land at the end of your flight.
Different airlines have different allowances and it can get very confusing. Not only do they have weight restrictions but they also have size restrictions. It is confusing for so many people, and the airlines simply can not, or will not, agree a set of standards.
Which Airline has a 23 KG Allowance?
Easyjet have a 23 Kg allowance for luggage that goes into the hold. Easy jet allow a small hand luggage with no weight restriction as long as it is no bigger than 45cm x 36cm x 20cm. (17.7" x 14.2" x 7.9")
British Airways allow a carry on bag up to 23 Kg as long as it is no bigger than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm (22" x 17.7" x 9.8")
The 23 KG luggage weight allowance includes the weight of the suitcase and the weight of the contents. A 23 KG allowance is enough weight to allow you to bring clothes, shoes and accessories for one person for a 2-3 week time period.
With Easyjet, customers can buy up to 3 hold bags. If you prefer you can buy additional 3 Kg units up to a maximum of 32Kg for a single bag.
The exact volume of clothes, footwear, makeup, travel accessories etc will differ for each person depending on what you need to pack. The amount of clothes you need for a typical beach holiday will usually be lighter than say a 2-3 week cruise where you will need more clothes and footwear.
A Reality Check
Cabin luggage is small, and it is very hard, if not impossible to pack in 23 Kg of weight to a small bag of this size. So although the Easyjet and British Airways carry on weight allowance seems generous, in reality it is really hard to be able to get all your clothes, footwear etc into a small bag of restricted size.
What Size of Suitcase is 23 KG?
15 Kg Bag
Ideal for a weekend or short break of 2-3 days
Small Case 23-24"
(58 -61 cm)
23 Kg Bag
Ideal for one person for a 2-3 week break
Medium Case 25-27"
(63.5-68.5 cm)
32 Kg Bag
Ideal for a person who packs everything
Large Case 28-32"
(71 - 81 cm)
A 32 Kg bag is also a good choice for 2 people to share for a 7-10 holiday.
How Much Clothes can you get into a 23 KG Suitcase ?
Below we have given you some average weights for the most popular items that people take on holiday. The first thing to do however is to make sure that you take away the weight of your case from your luggage allowance.
So if your luggage allowance is 23 KG and you case weighs 3 KG then you have 20 KG of allowance left. (That's why people usually buy the lightest cases that they can. Soft side suitcases are much lighter that hard shell cases)
The typical things we pack into a suitcase are clothes, shoes, accessories and electronics. Below we have included a few tables with the average weights of the most popular items.
Flymax 26" Expandable Suitcase
This is a typical 26" suitcase with a 68 litre capacity and when expanded will be able to carry around 20 KG of luggage
This case weighs 2.8 KG so with a 23 KG allowance you will be able to pack 20.2 KG of actual clothes, shoes, electronics and accessories
A similar hard shell case will weigh around 4 KG so that would mean you could pack up to 19 KG of actual clothes, shoes, electronics and accessories
The good news is with a case this size it is hard to pack in more than 23 KG. We would always highly recommend weighing your luggage as you pack using a travel luggage scale.
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Average Weight of Clothes
Clothes type | Average Weight |
|---|---|
Jeans | 250 grams |
T-shirts | 100 grams |
Dress | 175 grams |
Swim shorts | 125 grams |
Shorts | 220 grams |
Bikini/Swimsuit | 200 grams |
Underpants | 50 grams |
Bra | 55 grams |
Pyjamas | 300 grams |
Socks | 50 grams |
Blouse | 120 grams |
Shirt | 150 grams |
Skirt | 180 grams |
Jumpers/Cardigans | 325 grams |
3/4 length trousers | 200 grams |
Cover ups | 50 grams |
Jackets | 550 grams |
Leggings | 150 grams |
Average Weight of Footware
Shoe Type | Average Weight |
|---|---|
Ladies trainers | 500 grams |
Men's Trainers | 700 grams |
Ladies Sandals | 280 grams |
Men's Sandals | 500 grams |
Men's dress shoes | 750 grams |
Boots | 900 grams |
Heels | 450 grams |
Flip flops | 150 grams |
Wedges | 650 grams |
Ladies Flats | 400 grams |
Average Weight of Travel Accessories
Accessory Type | Average Weight |
|---|---|
Handbag | 400 grams |
Beach bag | 60 grams |
Beach towel | 500 grams |
Sun hat | 50 grams |
Sunglasses | 40 grams |
Jewellery (item) | 70 grams |
Belt | 20 grams |
Scarf | 120 grams |
Umbrella | 170 grams |
Ties/gloves | 60 grams |
Average Weight of Toiletries
Toiletries Type | Average Weight |
|---|---|
Shampoo/Conditioner/Shower Gel (item) | 350 grams |
Make up (item) | 450 grams |
Perfume | 300 grams |
Toothpaste | 1200 grams |
Toothbrush | 20 grams |
Medicine (item) | 75 grams |
Sun cream/ Aftersun (item) | 200 grams |
Hairbrush | 90 grams |
Deoderant | 120 grams |
Hand sanitiser | 50 grams |
Average Weight of Electronics
Electronic Devices | Average Weight |
|---|---|
Hairdryer | 400 grams |
Hair Curlers | 400 grams |
Hair Straighteners | 425 grams |
Phone Charger | 100 grams |
Travel Adapter | 100 grams |
Kindle | 205 grams |
Tablet device | 800 grams |
Laptop | 2000 grams |
Laptop Charger | 350 grams |
Device leads | 50 grams |
As you can see from the above information the heavier items include laptops, tablets and chargers. Shoes, sandals and trainers are also heavy. If you plan on taking a lot of make-up then certain items are also quite heavy.
That's why it is important to plan out what you are going to wear over the length of your holiday. 23KG is a good amount of weight to work with and ideal for a 2 week holiday, and with some careful planning is enough for up to 3 weeks.
