Techonaut 45 - Does it fit under Airplane seat?

[mboehm88]

Hey all - my wife and I are planning for a 2 week trip to Scandinavia next year. We are going to be flying around a LOT, so our goal is to pack for this 2 week trip with only carry on items/personal items for the entirety of the two weeks. I am usually able to bring my carry on + Synik 30 just fine because it fits under my seat. With this two week trip, I'm thinking of getting a larger, stretch carryon and and the Techonaut 45 to give me as much space as I can get away with while still only having them be carry ons.

For the folks that have the Techonaut 45, does it fit under the airplane seat/are you able to bring it as a "personal item" instead of a carry on so you're able to roll with both? Thank you

[Artdime]

I would definitely recommend that you research the airlines you will be flying with and figure out how likely they will enforce carry-on luggage size limits. It might fit under the seat but still not allowed due to airline policy.

If it fits or not also depends on the airplane you will be flying with. I do not own the Techonaut but the Aeronaut 45 does fit under the seat of a 737 - I had to try it out once in Europe as overhead space was unavailable. However, I have never brought the A45 as my "personal item", which I find quite ambitious to be honest and would recommend against.

Have a great trip!

[bchaplin]

In terms of the rules, my thought is that the A30/A45 are fine as carryons, but not personal items. Also, that would be a lot to carry!

[Cooner]

I often manage to slip my Aeronaut 30 under the seat, but it's a bit of a tight fit and doesn't leave much foot room; it's hard for me to imagine even the extra few inches on an A45 fitting there, and I'm assuming the Technoaut 30/45 are similar in size.

Have you considered doing a bit of research on minimalist packing? Everyone's travel needs are different, obviously, but in my case I could pretty easily manage a 2-week trip with only my A30 and optionally a small personal item. (I'm sure the A/T45 would fit in the overhead compartments and allow you to bring a smaller personal item, tho other folks with an A/T45 who've traveled in Europe can chime in here if I'm wrong.) One of the primary benefits, apart from managing to get everything on-board without checking luggage, is that it's also a lot easier once you've reached your destination to get around on foot, by bus or train or taxi, between hotels, etc. with only one or two smallish, easily-handled bags (especially if one of them can be worn as a backpack.)

Fundamentally, aside from making sure not to pack anything non-essential for the trip, it involves carefully planning and packing an assortment of ideally thin, layer-able, quick-drying, mix-and-match clothes so you can assemble different outfits from day to day, and wear more layers if the temperature requires; and plan to do laundry at least once during your travels. Sometimes this can be one big load at a laundromat or wash-and-fold halfway thru the trip; some people like to wash and rinse their clothes daily or every other evening in their hotel sink and let them air-dry overnight. Many manufacturers also sell special travel clothes made of antibacterial fabrics that can be worn more than one day in a row and that wash easily and dry quickly.

Probably more than you asked for but just a few thoughts. Since your trip is still a while away you hopefully have time to research a bit, and maybe take a weekend trip or two to test your packing choices, or do one of those "live out of your suitcase for two weeks at home" experiments to see if it seems do-able. Good luck!

[G42]

Welcome to the Forums mboehm88 ! Sounds like a fun trip you have coming up! I echo the recommendation to research the specific rule(s) of the airline(s) you intend to use... generally the A/T45 is too big to be a 'personal item' vs a 'carry on' and it's too big for even 'carry on' for some airlines or may require extra fees.

[jimmy]

While you should always check the airline's max dimensions, I've traveled with my A45 for years now over many airlines and it always, always fits under the seat - I never over pack it (i suspect there are times it wouldn't actually fit well if i did), i.e. no bulges. I even fits when the space is "30L" max. Note that this bag qualifies as carry-on, not personal item. A Synik 30 would also generally qualify as carry-on rather than personal item so be aware that if you take both you might have to check-in the A45 depending on the airline, how full the flight is, etc. As I often had to put the A45 under the seat after watching several passengers go with their 30L+ backpack + hard case 45L I'd like to also add that it's one of my pet peeves.

With that said, I travel with the A45 and no personal item, but do have a super small day-pack in it (Osprey ultralight stuff pack, it's as big as a pair of socks), so i can unload in the day pack if necessary [ive never needed to do that in reality, but it makes me feel better to know that i can]. I walked with the A45 as a backpack in the jungle, been held at gun point (yea..), you name it. It's been thrown around, used as a pillow, seat, etc. Can't believe how good it still looks.

Among the probably 100+ flights I had with it in various countries, I had several flights with forced check-in of bags in economy and I never had to check it in. Maybe one day it will happen, but this hasn't happened yet. A single time (united flight, in the US), a lady complained that I was able to carry-on with a bag and the flight attendant specified that not only my bag would fit their size requirements, but it's also a soft bag which guarantees I can fit it under the seat unlike their hard case (which never fit).

Finally, while there's never any warranty that you'll be able to take it as carry-on, the A45 is my favorite bag from TB and just my favorite bag period. I can't recommend it enough.

[latchford]

If you’re able to, I highly recommend giving what Cooner suggests a go. Totally changed my travel game many years ago and there’s no going back for me. Even managed to get by in New Zealand’s South Island during winter with a 23L backpack for about 2 weeks.

Fundamentally, aside from making sure not to pack anything non-essential for the trip, it involves carefully planning and packing an assortment of ideally thin, layer-able, quick-drying, mix-and-match clothes so you can assemble different outfits from day to day, and wear more layers if the temperature requires; and plan to do laundry at least once during your travels. Sometimes this can be one big load at a laundromat or wash-and-fold halfway thru the trip; some people like to wash and rinse their clothes daily or every other evening in their hotel sink and let them air-dry overnight. Many manufacturers also sell special travel clothes made of antibacterial fabrics that can be worn more than one day in a row and that wash easily and dry quickly.

Probably more than you asked for but just a few thoughts. Since your trip is still a while away you hopefully have time to research a bit, and maybe take a weekend trip or two to test your packing choices, or do one of those "live out of your suitcase for two weeks at home" experiments to see if it seems do-able. Good luck!

[Traveltech]

I don’t have a T45 but fit my T30 under the seat.

I think you might regret trying to bring two carry-on sized bags on the flight. I had a bag gate checked in an important trip. It fit the sizer (squished) but was obviously over the stated size dimensions. Not fun…

[DWSeattle]

The typical under seat size limit is 18”x14”x8”. For overhead bags that is more like 22”x14”x9”. EU and budget airlines very and especially from under seat use.

Officially, your bag shouldn’t stick out from under the seat where is might block the path for emergency exit. Practically, you’ll spend your fligh with your knees under your chin

So no, your bag is not suitable for under seat/personal item on any airline. It is actually maximum size for overhead on the majority of airlines and even too deep for overhead on a few EU and budget airlines.

As mentioned, always check the limits for the airline you plan to use and do that before booking. They can change over time.

[marbenais]

The typical under seat size limit is 18”x14”x8”. For overhead bags that is more like 22”x14”x9”. EU and budget airlines very and especially from under seat use.

Officially, your bag shouldn’t stick out from under the seat where is might block the path for emergency exit. Practically, you’ll spend your fligh with your knees under your chin

So no, your bag is not suitable for under seat/personal item on any airline. It is actually maximum size for overhead on the majority of airlines and even too deep for overhead on a few EU and budget airlines.

As mentioned, always check the limits for the airline you plan to use and do that before booking. They can change over time.

Yes. I would not suggest bringing the Aeronaut/Techonaut 45 with the intention of making it your smaller carryon bag to go under your seat. Like Artdime said, even if the Techonaut 45 DOES physically fit under the seat, it might be rejected before you board because it is larger than the airline's official dimensions for a personal item. It is variable based on the airline, the specific airplane model, how full the flight is, and where you are in the boarding queue how much scrutiny your bags will face.
. . . and how big your body is, even if this isn't brought up much because it's so subjective and uncontrollable. I'm short, 5'1" with shoes on, and bags look bigger on/against me than they do a taller person. Someone who's 6' is going to make the Aeronaut 45 look smaller on their body than how the Synik 30 looks on mine (for one example which I've seen!) so a gate agent might think that my Aeronaut is bigger than the taller person's Aeronaut, even though the bags are actually the same size. Someone who is really skinny (especially with narrow shoulders/hips) might make a bag wider than 12" look too wide to fit under a seat, even though you can usually get bags 16" wide under seats. Someone who has shoulders wide enough that they get custom-made dress shirts might wear the Brain Bag and have it look small, while it looks huge on me even though I'm not slim. This is why different people have varying experiences with the same bags.
I mention these examples because those are the situations when airline employees will single out some passengers to ask that they check bags which look bigger on a full flight. They're not going to individually measure every single bag for 200-500 passengers, they're going to look for bags which appear the biggest and hard-sided suitcases which are more difficult to cram into overhead bins.

I used to fit the Aeronaut 45 under the seats of the old Southwest planes (before they did a redesign a few years ago). However! There's now a bar under the seat which is further back, which can prevent bags from being completely under the seat if longer than 18-20" - which would be a problem with a full Aeronaut 45 or one with the internal frame.
I've carried on a full Synik 30 (under seat) and full Aeronaut 45 (overhead bin) on JetBlue and Southwest (taking my partner's overflow packing on a long business trip), but that would not have worked on airlines which are super strict.
(I had to check my Aeronaut 45 on one flight on British Airways, as the flight was full and anyone in the cheapest economy had to check their non-personal-item. Part of their lowest price point is the stipulation that any bag over "40 x 30 x 15cm (16 x 12 x 6in)" might not be allowed in the cabin - and they measured all bags at check-in, it wasn't a "well, yeah, that will fit" situation.)

[Bob S-K]

My Techonaut 45 fits under most airplane seats, but it can vary by airline. This is my only travel bag. The trick is to get the straps out and put it on your back while everyone is lining up to get on the plane. When the staff deliver their "the plane is full and we need people to check bags at the gate" speech, they first look for people dragging roller bags. I'm usually ignored with the Technonaut 45 on my back, but the couple times I've been "flagged," I simply point backwards at it with my thumb and say "it fits under the seat." They always let me through. Then when I'm on the plane, I can always find an overhead bin, because the flight attendants are not members of the bag-is-too-big enforcers, so it's no problem. So far, this has worked every time.

[G42]

Welcome to the Forums Bob S-K !

I've had similar experiences... bags always appear smaller when carried on your back

[bijoux]

My Aeronaut 30 does not fit under the seat when packed with 7 kilograms of stuff. Various Australian domestic airlines & Asian airlines (Jetstar/Air Asia) & Finnair & Alitalia. Sometimes I look at the plane type before we travel for the fun of it, and of course sometimes it's the small type Dash 8 etc. so I know pack light for those sectors and transfer some things to my jacket pockets