The best personal items are spacious and well-organized, but also lightweight, adaptable, and compact enough to fit under an airplane seat. And given that you’ll be schlepping it on your back or shoulders for hours at a time, a good personal item needs to be just as ergonomically designed as the best carry-on bags or the best luggage.
Of course, there’s an element of personal preference and style involved in finding a great under-seat bag for your needs. If you’re away from home for several weeks, a duffel bag will offer the most packing room, but a backpack or tote will pull double duty as a day pack or work bag during your travels. We’ve outlined several great backpack, duffel, and tote bag options that make great personal items, according to our globe-trotting (and very picky) editors.
Best backpacks to use as personal items
Jennifer Gonick; Les Shu/Business Insider
Backpacks are often our first choice when reaching for a personal item to take on a flight, since they offer a great balance of packing space and portability. Shoulder straps offer a convenient, hands-free way to carry your bag through the airport, and the right backpack can also be used as a day pack on your trip. Below are some of our favorites, but be sure to also check out our guides to the best backpack, best travel backpack, best college backpacks, and best backpacks for work for more great picks.
Mous Extreme Commuter Backpack
Mous designed its backpack as if commuting was an extreme sport. This sleek backpack is made with impact-absorbing and water-resistant materials, and features wrap-around zippers for easy access to your items.
I’ve been using this backpack for the last year. The main compartment is surprisingly massive, considering how sleek and slim the bag looks. I’ve even packed for two people for a weekend trip in that one bag alone — minus a small tote for toiletries and personal items. One of the most useful features is easy access to everything within the bag if needed because of the wraparound zipper. It also has a hard, water-resistant exterior that can handle many weather conditions and any jostling the bag might get between takeoff and landing. —Maiya Pascouche, beauty editor
Cotopaxi Allpa 28L
Each of Cotopaxi’s newly redesigned Allpa 28L backpacks feel unique, thanks to their patchwork design made from headstock fabric. Thoughtful new features include a stretchy water bottle holder, improved straps, and a trolley sleeve for rolling luggage.
If traveling light, I tend to skirt the rules with a slightly larger backpack that offers more capacity while still squeezing under an airplane seat. Cotopaxi’s new 28L Allpa has become my new trusty go-to, which I have used for overnights and long trips. The backpack has an all-around zipper that opens up like a suitcase — I usually pack everything into the main compartment on the right side while keeping the left one empty or lightly packed. This will ensure the bag fits under a seat, which I have had no issues doing. But if I plan to store it in an overhead compartment, I will pack the bag to the max. There are two convenient front pockets for items I need access to, like my passport, phone, notepad, pen, etc. A back compartment has room for both a laptop and a tablet. Even when fully packed, the bag is comfortable to haul on my back, thanks to the padded shoulder straps and waist belt. The fun colors in the Del Dia series are Frankensteined together from dead stock, which makes it easy to spot from afar. —Les Shu, deputy editor
Dagne Dover Dakota Neoprene Backpack
The easily recognizable neoprene bag has a stylish, luxe look on the outside and clever compartments on the inside. It comes in three sizes and nine colors.
My Dakota backpack feels like an entire extra suitcase and has thoughtful features like a storage bag for shoes and two water bottle holders. It’s big enough to take solo as a weekender bag, but it’s always my personal item of choice for longer trips. Most recently, I did three weeks in Europe with just this backpack and a carry-on-sized roller. A slot on the bag secures it to the pole of your luggage, and the neoprene makes it light enough to empty out and use comfortably as a day pack for excursions. —Lauren Savoie, deputy executive editor
Dange Dover’s large Dakota backpack is a stylish, practical choice for a personal item. I love that I can use the luggage sleeve to secure the bag on top of my luggage or comfortably carry it on my back. The backpack’s neoprene exterior looks sleek. It can also take a beating without showing much of the wear and tear that’s an inevitable part of travel. The Dakota also has tons of features that work well for travelers, including two small side pockets that are perfect for items I need to access easily like my phone and passport, an interior pouch that keeps my credit cards and cash safe, a laptop sleeve, and plenty of interior pockets to keep me organized. —Jamie Davis Smith, contributor
Rick Steves’ Europe Civita Day Pack
This backpack is inexpensive, extremely lightweight, features a ton of pockets, and is thin enough to roll up and store in your suitcase when not in use. While it’s not much of a looker, it more than makes up for its lack of aesthetics in utility.
The Rick Steves Civita Day Pack can best be described as a “dad backpack.” It’s boring looking. It holds an incredible amount of stuff for its size. It gets the job done. In my interview with Rick Steves, he said it was one of the few items he always brings on trips. I since started using it, and I take it virtually everywhere. It easily holds a laptop, the latest David Sedaris hardcover, a two-liter of Cherry Coke Zero, notebooks, and more. Plus, one of the perks of it looking so drab is potential thieves will assume there’s nothing of value inside. —James Brains, senior reporter
Best duffels to use as personal items
Talia Ergas; Lauren Savoie/Business Insider
A duffel bag is a classic under-seat choice and typically offers the most additional packing space among personal item types. Unlike backpacks and totes, duffel bags have less utility once you’ve arrived at your destination (other than maybe as a gym bag) and can be cumbersome to carry, but they’re usually so roomy that you can get away with using one as your only piece of luggage for shorter trips. Our guides to the best weekender bags and best duffels outline more options, but our top picks are below.
Aer Travel Weekender
This unassuming duffel has three thoughtfully designed compartments and intuitive details to help you pack smarter.
This duffel earns a top spot in our guide to the best weekender bags. It’s a particularly good pick if you’re packing for multiple people in one bag: it features space for two laptops, two water bottles, and three interior compartments. Thanks to its robust storage, we think this bag is a great option for longer weekend trips or traveling with kids. Despite its impressive packing space, it still has a sleek and streamlined design that doesn’t feel obtrusive to carry.
Travelpro Crew Classic UnderSeat Tote
Travelpro is known for its incredibly thoughtful designs, which makes it a beloved brand among airline staff (not to mention a BI editor favorite brand, too). The Crew Classic UnderSeat Tote showcases that thoughtfulness with its perfect size, plentiful pockets, and durable shell.
The UnderSeat Tote, as its name suggests, is designed specifically to fit under an airplane seat. It functions well as a weekender bag or a companion to a carry-on. Like other Travelpro luggage we‘ve tested — including the Platinum Elite Spinner, our overall pick for the best carry-on — the UnderSeat Tote is a high-quality bag made from durable materials. It opens wide for easy packing, although those who prefer organization compartments and a dedicated laptop sleeve may shy away from this bag. For those who want the reliability of a trusted luggage company, this personal bag should be at the top of your list. —Les Shu, deputy editor
Away Transit Canvas Weekender
This hearty weekender is made from durable canvas. Its thoughtful features include an unobtrusive shoe compartment, a separate laptop pocket, and 48 liters of packing space.
My husband uses an earlier iteration of this bag for his personal item and, often, his only piece of luggage on trips. It carries a surprising amount for its size and the interior pockets are perfect for keeping plane essentials organized. We especially love the shoe compartment, which neatly stores a pair of dress shoes (or sneakers) cleanly away from clothing and toiletries. —Lauren Savoie, deputy executive editor
Calpak Stevyn Duffel
If you prioritize packing space for shoes, the Calpak Stevyn Duffel has one of the most generous shoe compartments we’ve found, plus plenty of packing space in its main compartment.
I’ve been carrying this Calpak bag as my personal item whenever I fly an airline that charges carry-on fees. It easily fits a full weekend of outfits, and I especially love the storage compartment for storing shoes… I can fit three pairs. I accidentally broke the clasp on the carrying strap when I thought it would be a good idea to clip a water bottle to it, and Calpak replaced it for me, making my bag as good as new. It also has a slot on the back to slip onto your luggage handle if you’re traveling with a suitcase. —Jaclyn Turner, senior home editor
Monos Metro Duffel
Monos’ Metro duffel is one of our favorite travel personal items. It’s got a shockingly roomy interior, tons of internal organization, and an external pocket that can convert to a trolly sleeve when needed.
The Monos Metro Duffel is the best duffel that I have ever used. The vegan leather is so smooth and fashionable, but this bag does way more than just look pretty. There are multiple interior and exterior pockets that make packing and organizing your stuff a breeze. I’m a huge fan of the interior water bottle pouch, so your bottle is within reach but still out of the way. The Metro Duffel is the ideal in-flight personal item while still being versatile enough to use as a work bag, an overnight bag, or a gym bag. —Kinsley Searles, home fellow
Best totes to use as personal items
Sally Kaplan/Business Insider
Tote bags are one of the most stylish personal item options and are also a great option if you want easy access to all your carry-on’s contents during your flight. Tote bags come in all different styles, but a good one for travel typically offers several ways to carry — whether that’s multiple handles, a shoulder or crossbody strap, a trolley sleeve, or a convertible backpack tote. Check out our guides to the best travel totes for more.
Cuyana Classic Easy Tote
Made from premium Italian leather, the Cuyana Easy Tote is high quality, easy to style, and convenient to carry. You can also snap in organizational extras like a zippered pouch or laptop compartment.
No bag gets more use from me than Cuyana’s Classic Easy Tote. It’s a flexible, unlined leather tote that fits an enormous amount of stuff. There are two sets of handles, including a long set that can be worn over the shoulder and a short set for carrying with your hands. I love taking this tote on planes because I can overstuff it and then tie the longer handles in a gentle knot over top before shoving it under my seat. Cuyana makes a zippered version, but I prefer the basic open tote because it’s slightly less structured (good for overpackers like me). Our team did a big review of several of Cuyana’s bags, so you can read more about the Easy Tote there. —Sally Kaplan, executive editor
Caraa Studio Tote
This large convertible tote bag tops our list of the best women’s work bags and makes a great, versatile option for travel.
I tend to bring a larger tote on longer trips but this one works well as a personal item for short trips where you don’t need to pack a ton. It’s a great multipurpose work and travel bag because it fits a laptop for commuting but it can also transition from a backpack to a zippered tote. It even has a discreet zippered side pocket on the exterior that can fit a pair of shoes or whatever else you might want to keep separate, like a camera or toiletry bag. It comes in three colors, but I have the black one because it hides scuffs. You can read my full Caraa’s Studio Tote review. —Sally Kaplan, executive editor
MZ Wallace Metro Tote Deluxe, Large
If you want a tote bag large enough to hold all your belongings but light enough to be packed down and folded up, you’ll love the MZ Wallace Metro Tote.
Years ago, when my kids were small, I got a large MZ Wallace Metro Tote Deluxe to carry everything my four kids and I needed whenever I left the house. Now that my kids are older, my tote has transformed into my ride-or-die personal item. It fits a ton, has plenty of pockets to keep me organized, and can be tossed in the washing machine. Whenever I use the tote for travel, I transform the ingenious pocket on the back into a luggage sleeve thanks to a cleverly hidden zipper on the bottom of the bag. Adding to the bag’s versatility is an included strap that changes the tote from a shoulder bag into a crossbody. Plus, the Metro Tote Deluxe looks so nice that I can use it at my destination as a day bag when I want to look more polished. —Jamie Davis Smith, contributor
Best underseat roller bags
Underseat rollers are a great option for short trips or travelers who can’t (or don’t want to) carry a bag on their back or in their arms. These petite roller bags easily slide under the seat in front of you. The downside is that they can be tricky to carry alongside a full-size rolling bag and won’t have a ton of utility as a day pack during your trip.
Travelpro Crew Classic Rolling Underseat Carry-On
This petite rolling bag is surprisingly spacious and packed with useful features like a laptop pocket and a hanging toiletry bag. It’s a great option for those who want to keep their back and shoulders free during travel.
I never understood the true utility of an underseat rolling bag until I tried Travelpro’s Crew Classic. It’s perfectly sized for a quick work trip, and I love that it’s lightweight and compact, so I never have to jostle for overhead bin space. Its two wheels roll easily and it’s way more spacious than it looks. Best of all, it keeps my back unencumbered — a literal weight off my shoulders. —Lauren Savoie, deputy executive editor
How to choose a personal item bag
As you can see in the diversity of our picks, a personal item bag is a very — well — personal choice. The best pick for you may vary from trip to trip: you may want to bring a backpack if you’re hiking in Europe, but a tote bag or briefcase if you’re traveling for a work meeting. Below, we break down some of the pros and cons of each style:
Personal item bag FAQs
What size bag will fit under an airline seat?
Airline seat dimensions vary by airline carrier, but we recommend choosing an underseat bag that is no larger than 18 x 14 x 8 inches (45 x 35 x 20 centimeters) when fully packed.
Can I bring two personal items with me on a flight?
Most airlines allow you to carry on two bags: one to store in the overhead compartment, and one to store under the seat in front of you. Keep in mind that small bags such as purses or shopping bags count as personal items. If you don’t want them to count toward your carry-on allowance, you’ll need to store them in another bag for the flight.
Be sure to check the terms of carriage for your ticket before you fly, however. Many airlines are now offering basic economy tickets that allow you to travel with only one personal item. Some international carriers may also require your carry-on bags to meet certain weight requirements.
Do coats and pillows count as personal items?
No, these items typically do not count toward your carry-on allotment.
