Ryanair passengers told 'forget packing cubes and rolling' if you want to save space and avoid fees

Ryanair passengers should "forget packing cubes and rolling" if they want to avoid fees, it has been warned. A study by the experts at Which? found the best way to pack your hand luggage and avoid any unexpected fees when you're jetting off this spring and summer with Ryanair, a budget airline rivalled by the likes of Jet2, TUI, Easyjet and more.

Since Ryanair's allowance for its under-seat carry-on and larger paid-for cabin bag is the smallest of most budget carriers, Which? used bags that fit the restrictions, reports Birmingham Live.

"We used two under-seat bags with the dimensions 40x25x25cm: a tiny wheelie case by a brand called Travel Ready and a squishy holdall by Kono that went viral on social media for being the ideal Ryanair-sized carry-on you can fill to the brim without going over the strict dimensions," said Which?

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"And then two pieces of larger carry-on luggage: a hard-shelled suitcase and a rucksack (50x40x20cm), both Cabin Max."

Which? went on: "Read manufacturers' claims, and these are miracle products. Packing cubes will help you 'pack more in less space' while one brand of vacuum roll bags boasts it will help you fit three times as many clothes into your suitcase."

"Head to TikTok and you'll find video after video of users raving about 'the sorcery' of compression cubes and how they help them to cram more into their bags."

Which? commented further: "Our results show you can forget the hype around vacuum packing and compression cubes. Even rolling our clothes didn't give us an advantage."

"Instead, we found that folding was best. We fitted 129 garments across all four bags using this technique that's 16 more pieces of clothing than vacuum packing. The compression cubes social media influencers sometimes promote also failed to impress in our test."

"They fitted in 11 items fewer than folding, although they were useful for stuffing in lots and lots of socks because there were plenty of gaps left around each cube. But considering we spent over £50 on these cubes, we expected them to work miracles."