The simple packing choice that cut our baggage costs in half

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You might assume that paying to bring a carry-on bag will always beat the cost of checking a proper suitcase, but that’s not always the case — especially for parties of two or more.

Across most airlines these days, especially those that identify as a low-cost or ultra-low cost carrier, fees are standard. Unless you have elite status or an airline’s co-branded credit card, chances are high that you’ll pay extra if you plan to move luggage in addition to your person from point A to point B.

For a recent flight on a low-cost carrier, I was shocked to see that pricing for a small carry-on bag that I could stuff in the overhead bin was potentially more expensive than checking a large suitcase with up to 50 pounds in it.

Why would I pay more money for less luggage capacity, and then have to fight the crowd for overhead bin space once I’m on the plane?

Given that my son and I were traveling to Connecticut for a four-day adventure involving train rides and hiking, I built a baggage strategy that would minimize both cost and hassle.

I knew that we could each carry a backpack (deemed a “personal item” by most airlines, as they can slide under the seat in front of you) for free.

Then, I reckoned that for such a brief trip, we could split a single suitcase and get our clothes, toiletries, snacks, and other travel essentials to tip the scales at under 50 pounds. (We landed at 42 pounds on the outbound, and 48 pounds on the return thanks to a bit of shopping.)

The math was simple. By purchasing a checked bag in advance instead of waiting till day-of and paying at the airport, we paid $44 each way for all of our baggage to fly between Raleigh-Durham (RDU) and New Haven (HVN).

The alternative was to pay twice that for each of us to bring a carry-on rollerboard.

I preferred having a free hand in the airport knowing that our lone large suitcase was checked and being taken care of by the airline.

Yes, I do worry a bit more about lost luggage on journeys with connections, but nonstop flights reduce the risk of your bag not arriving at the same time as you.

While it’s never fun to pay more to check luggage, the overall cost of our flight was reasonable when factoring in everything. Plus, using my $50 quarterly credit on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card relieved a lot of the baggage fee sting.