Except that even if you only bring a carry on, it’s not guaranteed that you won’t be hit with the “we’ll have to check this bag free of charge for you”. I’ve been in my seat, the lady takes my bag down from
The storage to fit something else, can’t fit my bag back, and decides to check my bag without even talking to me. Other times it happens as you walk down the aisle and find no room, it’s very common.
Meh, it's avoidable. I travel with a medium-big backpack as my only carry on, usually, and have never been gate-checked. The roller bags which barely fit in the overheads and have no compressibility are the ones that get gate checked.
So you travel for a meeting for a day and back? Ever travelled from warm weather to cold weather? Ever travelled to a place where you’ll need two types of shoes? Or multi city with different weathers, different engagements… I don’t know how you can believe that “you can just travel with a small backpack anywhere!” “If I did it, it must work for everyone!” “99% of the people have carry ons bigger than a backpack because they are stupid and literally do it for no reason”. Is that the logic you’re following? I don’t get it.
But also I've traveled for a month (us to India) from my backpack. One week of clothes, a laptop, some cables, notebook and pens, perhaps a couple more books, a few toiletries. And still some room for one 'fun' thing, like a small synthesizer to jam on.
It's a bit like ultralight backpacking; you can cut down quite a lot one you get in the mindset. I definitely don't claim it works for everyone... But probably most people can travel rather lighter than they normally do.
Fwiw, my travel backpack is pretty similar to this one. Definitely a bit bigger than the standard backpack, much smaller than a hiking backpack, and rather smaller than a roller bag.
100% agree that happens, and frequently, but it's also perfectly avoidable - don't try to maximize volume. Bring a carry on that fits underneath a seat. I typically travel with a rectangular backpack (plus, if needed, a check in, which I acknowledge may not make it there). It gives one an independence and self sufficiency that's completely worth it.
