Where to get 'the jacket' to beat budget airline fees

MSE_Jenny

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Since Martin's ITV 'Beat Budget Airlines' prog. on Thurs night (watch it), we've been swamped by people asking "where do you get the jacket?" So here’s the answer …

[title=http://images2.moneysavingexpert.com/images/dp/wtd_underline.gif] The 22-pocket jacket[/title]
When flying and luggage only is the way to go, saving the £40 return baggage charges. Yet that means you can only take 10kg max, so take a multi-pocket jacket too, stuff it like a fat suit, wear it to board then shove it in the overhead storage.

To push it to the max, Martin used a 22-pocket US Scottevest that fitted a laptop, towels, books & more. Yet that one ain't cheap and was for TV purposes, so it's best not to do likewise.

[title=http://images2.moneysavingexpert.com/images/dp/wtd_underline.gif] Cheap alternatives ...[/title]
First check your closet - you may well already have a big pocketed coat. One thing to look out for is a jacket with a ‘poacher’s pocket’, a deep lower pocket at the back, where hunters keep game. This bodywarmer on eBay’s a good example. Yet the trouble is finding them online as sellers rarely list the pockets.

Also look out for for things like Regatta's, Zebco's and CrossHatch's - at £20ish they're all less than the baggage charges. Try a camping/army surplus stores.


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Pelican_eats_pigeon

When autumn comes around there will (probably) be a lot of jackets with poacher pockets in charity shops for probably £10-15, appearing all at once. Keep an eye out!

Chester85

That jacket is madness, so overpriced

If you took one case between you and then the hand luggage it would be cheaper than forking out for one of those silly jackets!

PolishBigSpender

It's certainly not worth recommending to buy a specialist jacket for Ryanair purposes, especially when they're very very quick at picking up on these things and banning them promptly. It wouldn't be entirely shocking if Ryanair brought in a maximum weight for overcoats

Inactive

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

It's certainly not worth recommending to buy a specialist jacket for Ryanair purposes, especially when they're very very quick at picking up on these things and banning them promptly. It wouldn't be entirely shocking if Ryanair brought in a maximum weight for overcoats

Agreed, it is just taking things a step too far.

mum2one

Think could do with one for dd, she would take her whole wardrobe if she could!

PolishBigSpender

Inactive wrote: »

Agreed, it is just taking things a step too far.

I don't think it's a bad idea to recommend stuffing your jacket pockets with stuff - because if Ryanair put a stop to it, it's no problem. But it's a different story if someone is buying an expensive type of jacket just to save on Ryanair fees - we all know how unpredictable they are, and even someone who considers themselves to be an avid Ryanair watcher (me) was caught out badly by the change from Visa Electron.

Of course, what's more likely to happen will be that Ryanair will just cut the cabin baggage allowance to 5kg, thus negating any advantage anyway.

donny-gal

I don't fly much these days, but did quite a few Ryanair flights 3-6 years ago, always took my laptop and once they weighed it with your luggage (at one time you could take a laptop bag and hand luggage) I started taking the 2 batteries out of my laptop and put them in my coat pocket, togethr with anything else small & heavy, once through check in they went back in the laptop. You could also get away with a bumbag and hand luggage, not sure if that works now?
DG

conkersm9

I travel to Europe using budget airlines regularly as a photographer. I use a system from ThinkTank which has a belt with lens/camera pouches which I wear as well as carrying my bag with a laptop and minimal clothing.
I have been doing this for three years now and apart from one security guard at Liverpool who was unsure then relented, I have never had a problem as they treat it as an elaborate bum bag. Once on the flight, it gets put with my coat and bag in the overhead locker. I may look silly but it works!
(Look at ThinkTank.com to see what I mean)

A friend of mine, however, was stopped carrying his 400mm f2.8 lens as hand luggage (these are the big lenses you see around football/cricket grounds). So he put the lens on a Camera and hung it around his neck, which immediately makes it "clothing".

Bear in mind that luggage in the hold is only insured by the operator for £1000, and most professionals equipment costs two and three times that for one piece of kit (my Nikon Body costs £3,000 to replace, one of my lenses costs around £2,000) so you can understand why I'm reluctant to put my gear in the hold!

waterbaby59

Although a lot of people will think this idea is very clever, you need to be very careful for two reasons.

One is obvious.. there is only so much you can get through security scanners and in some countries, like America, you will not get through carrying this much on your body without a lot of fuss. They will make you take every little thing out of your pockets, take it off to a separate area for testing and chances are you will miss your flight. We have seen it happen.

The other is that if you are held up at security you may find yourself arrested - and yes, this happened to someone we know in Egypt. She was a little too argumentative about what was going on and they whipped her away.

Is it worth it, or do you just be sensible and pack only what you really need?

NatFeerick

This is all very well - ingenius some might say - but Ryanair will be quick to ban it or charge for it and other airlines may simply determine you look too bulky (fat) and make you buy an extra seat. With fuel costs rising constantly I would not be at all surprised if they soon start weighing US at check-in and charging us excess weight surcharges, so where will you be then with your 22-pocket jacket?