Today I will introduce an example of a 10kg suitcase. Because it’s very difficult to imagine how big a 10kg suitcase is and how much it can actually hold!
so you are going on vacation, but you decide to take only 10 kg of luggage with you. And I think you are now panicking, thinking: “Oh, I can’t put everything in that little suitcase and it will definitely weigh more than 10 kg!” Actually, I don’t even know how much 10kg is! How much can fit in a 10kg suitcase!?’
I hear you!
i’m also one of those people who can’t really imagine how much 10kg is, or what it means in terms of suitcase size and how many clothes you can pack. I know my weight, so 10kg is…what…about the size of a foot? How many T-shirts are the same weight as my legs….?
today I’m here to give you an example of a 10kg luggage and explain how big the case is and how much it can hold.
here are some tips to keep your weight under 10kg.
Here are some topics I’m going to cover today…
- which bag should I use if my luggage weighs 10kg?
- how much can fit in a 10kg suitcase?
- 10kg luggage example
- Toiletries are too heavy!
- Other heavy goods exchange
- Should I use packing cubes?
- How do I weigh my case and what happens if I exceed it?
weigh your suitcase and make sure it weighs less than 10kg!
I like to use these portable travel scales to weigh my suitcases.
What bag should you use when you’ve got 10kg luggage?
if you choose to pack 10kg, you’ll probably pack it in a small suitcase or a large backpack.
For many airlines, suitcase size is actually more important than weight. Size is especially important if you are bringing your bag on the plane, as it will need to fit in the overhead locker.
When checking in, the dimensions of the bag are not that important. Be sure to check the allowed bag dimensions and measure your bag first!
when looking for a suitcase that can hold 10kg of luggage, look for the following:
- Must be within your airline’s size limits
- Not too heavy
- Backpack or wheels is a personal preference
below are some of the best luggage options for a 10kg suitcase or backpack.
The Travel Hack Cabin Case
the Travel Hack Cabin Case is my favorite 10kg luggage option. The suitcase itself weighs only 2.7 kg, but has a large capacity of 45 liters. It also has convenient pockets so you can easily access your belongings on the plane, at security, at the airport, or anywhere else.
Cabin Max Metz
The Cabin Max Metz backpack fits within most airline carry-on dimensions and weighs only 0.7kg!
If you’re looking for a super lightweight yet spacious bag, this is it.
Tripp Ultra Light 4 wheel cabin case
If you’re looking for a lightweight suitcase, you can’t go wrong with the Tripp Ultra Light 4 Wheel Cabin Case. It weighs 2.1kg, so once you add the baggage, there will be 7.9kg left.
Antler Clifton Suitcase
Antler Clifton suitcases are of high quality and reliable. The cabin case is a bit heavy at 3.5kg, but if you’re looking for a really high-quality case and don’t really care about weight, it’s a good option.
Cabin Max Lightweight Backpack Trolley
If you’re not sure whether you need a backpack or a trolley, check out the Cabin Max Lightweight Backpack Trolley. It weighs only 1.7 kg and has a capacity of 44 liters.
How much can you fit in a 10kg suitcase?
i think many people are surprised at how much luggage they can fit in a 10kg suitcase!
below is an example of a 10kg luggage and everything I managed to fit into my 10kg suitcase. I used The Travel Hack Cabin Case, which weighs 2.7kg empty. This is a large cabin case so it was very easy to overfill it and I had to keep weighing it to make sure I wasn’t overstuffing it!
10kg suitcase example + 19 outfit ideas!
I packed:
- 10 x Dress
- Play clothes x 2
- Shorts x 2
- 1 x Skirt
- 4 x Tops
- Swimsuit x2
- 1 x thick cardigan
- 1 x sandals
- 1 x hair iron
- Pouch containing underwear and pajamas x 1
- large microfiber beach towel
- 1 toiletry bag containing toiletries and makeup
- 1 x plug adapter
i’ll show you the outfits I packed in my suitcase that weighed less than 10kg!
How do you weigh your 10kg suitcase?
The easiest way to weigh your suitcase is to use a travel scale.
Luggage scales are small, portable, and easy to use.
Alternatively, you can use a regular scale. If you have difficulty putting your suitcase on the scale, weigh yourself, then lift your suitcase and weigh yourself again. No matter how much weight you add, your case will still weigh the same.
this works while you’re at home, but your holiday accommodation is unlikely to have a scale, so you won’t be able to weigh your 10kg suitcase on the way home. If you don’t add anything, it’s fine. In your case, it could be a problem if you bought something while you were out and about.
i tested the luggage scale using 10kg dumbbells and it was pretty accurate!
How to not overpack your clothes
I think most of us are guilty of bringing too many clothes on holidays. How many times have you gone out and returned home with a suitcase full of clothes you haven’t even worn!?
The trick is to plan a rough itinerary while traveling and plan specific clothing for each activity. Not only will you have a better vacation, but it will also be much easier to pack lighter.
Here’s an example of how I plan my outfits:
| Friday | travel date | comfortable in-flight clothes |
| Saturday | Beach day + sumptuous dinner | Beachwear + nice dress and heels |
| Sunday | hiking day | activewear and trainers |
| Monday | city tour | Clothes and trainers for the city |
| Tuesday | SUP tour + night out | Sporty swimsuit + night out outfit |
| Wednesday | travel date | comfortable in-flight clothes |
This list will make things a lot easier for you, and since you’ll be wearing comfortable airplane attire along with your trainers, here’s what you’ll need:
- underwear
- pajamas
- bikini
- beach dress
- flip flops
- dress + heels
- activewear outfits
- city coordination
- Sporty swimwear + casual cover-up
- Bath amenities
- accessories
Other tips to not overpack:
- I usually wear the same comfortable clothes on both my departure and return flights. I don’t want it to get dirty, so I wear black!
- Wear shoes that can be worn for walking, hiking, and as comfortable, casual flight clothing. I’m currently loving my On Cloud Supernova trainer. Mine is white so it gets dirty, but I can clean it with a sponge while traveling.
- Wear thin, light fabrics whenever possible. Cotton beach dresses are a dream because they weigh almost nothing!
- If I wear heels, I’ll probably wear something like thin, lightweight stilettos over chunky wedges.
- Even though it’s sweltering when I fly, I wear my bulkiest items on the plane, like a warm coat or jumper.
- I don’t carry any jewelry with me, I just wear all my jewelry with me all the time. I like Hey Harper Jewelry for items that don’t need to be removed.
7 Stylish Airplane Outfits + Tips for Comfortable Women’s Travel Outfits
Items like satin skirts weigh very little and fold up very small, making them perfect for travel!
Should you use packing cubes for your 10kg luggage?
Packing cubes help you organize your belongings neatly in your suitcase. Packing cubes don’t save much space, but they also don’t significantly affect the weight of your suitcase (unless you use compression cubes).
So if you want to organize your suitcase, 100% use packing cubes. If you find yourself not having enough space in your suitcase, try ditching the packing cubes. Packing cubes aren’t always efficient when it comes to space in small cases because you can’t squeeze items into them. Every corner!
10 dresses in a packing cube
Are packing cubes worth it? Do packing cubes really save space?
Should I use compression packing cubes or vacuum bags?
Compression packing cubes and vacuum bags are very useful when packing very bulky items, such as thick jumpers or ski equipment. Push all the air out of your clothes to create more space. Perfect if you have a small suitcase.
The only problem with compression packing cubes or vacuum bags for travel is that your suitcase is likely to be overweight. If you could crush all your clothes to half the size and pack twice as much, it would weigh twice as much!
Be especially careful if using vacuum bags. Vacuum bags reduce size significantly, but they don’t magically reduce weight (unfortunately!)
Use vacuum-sealed bags for travel: the best way to save luggage space
My toiletries are too heavy
toiletries are often one of the heaviest items in your suitcase, so decant them into miniature bottles to save weight. Even if you’re checking in your luggage, it’s best to keep liquid bottles under 100ml, just as you would if you were traveling with carry-on liquids. You’ll rarely need more than 100ml, and if you’re using a large amount of one product, it’s easier to grab it when it arrives.
other tips for packing travel amenities in your 10 kg luggage:
- Use silicone bottles for shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and other lotions.
- I use small refillable pots for small things like liquid makeup and moisturizer.
- Use small refillable perfume bottles
- Buy everything you can when you arrive (great if you’re traveling in a group and can all share shampoo and sunscreen)
- Take advantage of hotel amenities
- Switch to solid toiletries such as solid shampoos and soaps, as they are often lightweight
- It is okay to not use some products for a few days
- Whenever possible, get sample sizes or miniatures (fashionable cosmetic stores give away small containers of foundation that last 5-6 days!)
How to travel with liquid luggage (put all your toiletries in a small bag!)
Other heavy item swaps
Laptop for a tablet
Not only are laptops heavy, they also come with heavy chargers and bulky cases. When replaced with a tablet, it can also be used for:
- Your job
- To digitally save all your documents
- Edit photos and videos
- watch a movie
- read books and magazines
I love my MacBook Pro, but it’s too heavy to carry around, so I replaced it with an iPad.
Swap beach towels for microfiber towels
I recently replaced them with Dock and Bay microfiber towels. Sure, they’re not as comfortable and absorbent as traditional beach towels, but they look gorgeous and take up very little space or weight!
Don’t use bulky bags and organisers
Don’t get me wrong. I love having all my belongings neatly organized in bags and organizers, but some of these can be unnecessarily heavy. If you use an organizer in your luggage, make sure it is lightweight.
If you have a heavy bag to protect delicate items, wrap the items in a jumper instead.
I have a protective case for my curling iron and Airwrap, but the case alone is heavy, so I prefer to just wrap my hair styling tools inside my clothes.
What happens if your 10kg suitcase is overweight?
if your 10kg suitcase is overweight, you have three options:
- Pay for additional weight (very expensive)
- take things out of suitcase
- Please put all heavy items in “my bag
I’ve had this happen to me a few times, and it’s definitely very embarrassing.
I tend to take things out of my suitcase, so I try to take out all the throwable toiletries and wear as many clothes as possible.
if you have two bags (10 kg suitcase and small personal items) you can put all your heavy items into the small personal items. There are rarely weight restrictions on small personal bags when flying with UK airlines, but there may be restrictions in other countries, so check your airline’s rules.
This is when it becomes very important to maximize the size of your small “personal bag”. Many people (especially women) only carry regular handbags, but you can actually carry much larger bags.
I usually bring The Travel Hack Backpack (perfect for Ryanair) or The Travel Hack Tote (larger and perfect for easyJet). A good option for men is the smaller Cabin Max Metz.
Do they actually weigh your 10kg suitcase?
if you bring a 10kg suitcase onto a plane as carry-on baggage, you will rarely weigh this case. So you don’t have to worry too much about it if it’s hand luggage.
when your suitcase is checked in and placed in the hold of an airplane, it is always weighed everytime. Therefore, if you are checking in a 10kg suitcase, it must be within the weight allowance.