Best Carry On Bag for TUI

Published 5 July 2026 | Updated 1 October 2026 by Kate Acaster

Choosing the best carry-on bag for TUI starts with the allowance: 55×40×20cm and up to 10kg on every fare, whether Basic, Standard, Premium or flight-only. The question is which bag to buy for it. We’ve researched six of the best-reviewed carry-on bags on Amazon UK built for this allowance, from a £36 budget suitcase to a premium Antler case. Three come with a caveat, explained in their reviews. The six are three wheeled hard-shell cases, a backpack, a fabric holdall and a lightweight hard case built specifically for this size. Prices, ratings and stock were checked on 1 October 2026.

American Tourister Soundbox Hand Luggage Suitcase

Best overall · 4.5★ · 10,000+ reviews

The Soundbox is the safest all-round choice for TUI’s hand luggage allowance. It measures 55×40×20cm unexpanded, exactly TUI’s cabin limit, and expands to 23cm deep for the flight home. American Tourister is part of the Samsonite group, the shell is polypropylene rather than the ABS used on most budget cases, and four spinner wheels with a weight of 2.6kg leave 7.4kg of your 10kg allowance for the contents. More than 10,000 UK buyers rate it 4.5 out of 5. If you want one case that does the job without surprises, this is it.

Amazon Basics Hard Shell Cabin Suitcase

Best budget · 4.4★ · 53,000+ reviews

At around £36, this is the cheapest suitcase on this list that still gets the size right: 55×40×20cm, with no rounding up. It has over 53,000 ratings on Amazon UK, more than any other bag here, which says more about real-world durability than any marketing claim. The ABS shell is lighter and less scratch-resistant than the polypropylene Soundbox, so it will show wear after a few years of hold-luggage duty, but for occasional TUI trips, it does the job without the outlay.

Antler Stamford 2.0 Hard Shell Cabin Suitcase

Best luxury · 4.5★ · 80 reviews

Antler is a British brand founded in 1914, and the Stamford 2.0 is its case for people who want that to show: a polycarbonate shell, Japanese Hinomoto spinner wheels, a TSA lock and a lining made from recycled material. One catch on size. Antler lists it at 54.1×40.2×20cm, which is 2mm wider than TUI’s 40cm limit on paper, and a rigid shell can’t flex to make up the difference. Antler itself markets it for the larger easyJet and British Airways allowances. If you want zero risk at TUI’s sizer, the Amazon Basics case above and the Cabin Max Anode below are built to the exact size. Buy this one for the brand and build, knowing it sits a fraction over.

Osprey Farpoint 40 Travel Pack

Best backpack · 4.4★ · 65 reviews

For travellers who want to walk onto a TUI flight rather than wheel a case down it, the Farpoint 40 is the benchmark backpack. It has a stowaway harness so the straps don’t snag on a carousel, a clamshell opening that lays flat like a suitcase, and a lifetime warranty from Osprey. One thing worth knowing: Osprey lists it at 55×35×23cm, 3cm deeper than TUI’s 20cm limit, so it only passes the sizer if you pack it lightly enough to compress. If you need to fill it, choose a case instead.

Antler Essential Weekender Bag

Best holdall · 4.8★ · 22 reviews

This is a proper fabric holdall, not a wheeled case with a strap, and it carries the highest rating of any bag on this list at 4.8 out of 5, though from only 22 ratings. It has a padded laptop sleeve and adjustable straps. The catch is its expandable length: compressed, it’s 48cm long and fits easily, opened out for a longer trip, it stretches to 64cm, past TUI’s 55cm limit. Keep it compressed for cabin use.

Cabin Max Anode Cabin Suitcase

Best hard case · 4.6★ · 4,753 reviews

Cabin Max built its name on exact-fit cabin luggage, and the Anode is its 40-litre hard-shell cabin case: 55×40×20cm precisely, with a built-in three-digit lock, eight spinner wheels and a separate wet pocket for shoes or a swimsuit. More than 4,700 Amazon UK ratings average 4.6 out of 5, ahead of most suitcases twice the price. It doesn’t carry the Antler or American Tourister name, but for the price it’s hard to fault.

The best carry on bag for TUI: our verdict

For most travellers, the American Tourister Soundbox is the safest pick: an exact fit unexpanded, a polypropylene shell from a Samsonite-group brand, and more than 10,000 reviews at 4.5 stars. If price matters more than badge, the Amazon Basics Hard Shell gets the same dimensions right for around £36. If you’d rather wear your allowance than wheel it, choose the Osprey Farpoint 40 and pack it light, or for a soft-sided option, the Antler Essential Weekender works well if kept compressed. For a case built to last without the Antler price tag, the Cabin Max Anode’s 4,700+ reviews at 4.6 stars are hard to beat.

TUI’s allowance doesn’t change whether you’ve spent £50 or £210 on the case. Buy something built to the exact 55×40×20cm and 10kg limit, and you never have to think about fare type again.

Kate Acaster, Chief Editor

Packing tips for TUI

1. Roll, don’t fold. Rolling clothes compresses them further than folding and keeps a 55×40×20cm case from bulging past its shape.
2. Weigh your bag before you fly. TUI enforces a 10kg cabin bag limit. A kitchen scale at home avoids a surprise at check-in.
3. Use packing cubes. They keep a hard-shell or holdall organised and stop soft-sided bags like the Antler Essential Weekender expanding past the limit.
4. Wear your bulkiest item to the airport. A jacket worn through security isn’t taking up weight or space in your bag.
5. Pack expandable bags compressed, not expanded. Cases like the American Tourister Soundbox and holdalls like the Antler Essential Weekender have an expanded size that exceeds TUI’s limit, keep them compressed for cabin use.

TUI’s cabin bag allowance explained

TUI gives every passenger, on every fare, one free cabin bag up to 55×40×20cm and 10kg, plus one free personal item up to 40×30×20cm that fits under the seat in front. There are no fare tiers to check and no add-on to buy. All dimensions include wheels, handles and external pockets, and TUI uses a physical sizer at the gate, so a bag even slightly over in one dimension risks being sent to the hold at extra cost. Three bags in this guide need care: the Osprey and the Antler holdall only fit when packed to compress, and the Antler Stamford is 2mm over on width, covered in the reviews above.

How TUI’s allowance compares

This is simpler than the free vs paid split used by Ryanair and easyJet, both of which charge extra for a cabin bag in the overhead locker on their cheapest fares. With TUI, every passenger boards with the same allowance regardless of price paid. See the official TUI luggage page and our own TUI baggage allowance guide for the hold luggage rules too, and for a comparison with a similarly generous airline, see our Jet2 cabin bag guide. You can check any other airline’s limits on our hand luggage size guide for UK airlines or our airline luggage checker.

A cheap extra worth packing

A luggage strap costs less than a coffee and solves two real problems. It keeps a zip from working loose on the conveyor belt, and a bright colour makes your bag easy to spot on the carousel. This two-pack of adjustable straps is rated 4.5 out of 5 from over 2,300 UK buyers and costs under £5.

Frequently asked questions

What size is TUI’s cabin bag?

TUI allows one cabin bag up to 55×40×20cm and 10kg, plus one personal item up to 40×30×20cm that fits under the seat in front. Both are included free on every fare.

Can I take two bags on TUI?

Yes. TUI includes one cabin bag (55×40×20cm, 10kg) and one personal item (40×30×20cm) per passenger, both free on every fare. You do not need priority boarding or an upgrade for either.

Does TUI weigh cabin bags?

TUI enforces a 10kg limit on cabin bags, though gate staff check size more often than weight. None of the six bags in this guide weighs more than 2.8kg empty, leaving at least 7.2kg for your belongings.

Do I need priority boarding to take a cabin bag on TUI?

No. Unlike Ryanair, TUI does not require priority boarding or a paid upgrade for a cabin bag. Both the 55×40×20cm bag and the 40×30×20cm personal item are included free on every fare.

Kate Acaster

Kate Acaster is Chief Editor at Flight Tribe. She writes about practical travel planning, budget airlines, baggage rules, city breaks, beach holidays and good hotels that do not cost daft money.

Kate has travelled through Europe, South America and beyond, usually with a notebook, a half-formed plan and a strong opinion on airport snacks. At Flight Tribe, her work focuses on helping UK travellers understand what is included, what costs extra, and whether a trip is worth booking at the price shown.

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