Familiarize yourself with the regulations for cabin luggage, or carry-on luggage, for the airline you will be flying on. In general, airline regulations prohibit your luggage from exceeding 45 inches all around. The breakdown for carry-on luggage is often 22 inches long, 14 inches wide and nine inches deep.
Pack your bag. Do not trust the measurements of luggage manufacturers. These are not the measurements of fully stuffed and packed bags. You will need to have the bag fully packed and zipped closed before you measure it.
Use a measuring tape to measure the total length of the luggage. Make sure you have closed all compartments, and place the luggage on the ground in front of you to measure. The length is the longest portion of the luggage, and needs to be 22 inches or less.
Measure the width of the luggage. This is the second-longest portion and needs to measure 14 inches or less.
Move to the side and measure the total depth of the luggage, including anything that you have shoved into the front compartments. Measure from the very thickest point. This measurement needs to be nine inches or less.
