'I'm a travel expert - the viral Primark travel bag is only worth it for one thing'

A thrifty expert shared their final thoughts on the viral travel bag, which swept social media earlier this year. Cheap Expert’s Chelsea Dickenson tested out the bag earlier this summer on a week’s-trip to Estonia.

She travelled through a city, on a boat and went to the beach, saying she really gave the bag “a run for its money”. The sells for £25, with many holidaymakers impressed with the cabin bag option. The bag comes fitted with a handle, separate straps and two wheels.

Back in the summer, she in various airlines’ baggage sizers at the airport. Chelsea wrote: “And to confirm, we are testing it in the SMALL CABIN BAG baggage sizers - ie, the one you get included in your fare for free! After it came in a little larger than the luggage allowance measurements, I WAS WORRIED - but here’s the results!

“And not just for Ryanair, but for and easyJet too. Now, there was some squishing involved - I’d love to hear whether people have had issues with this but I’d say this was more a forceful shove and then it easily went in.”

But how does the bag fare when you’re travelling with it? Chelsea first praised its packing space, saying there’s more room than in a standard small suitcase.

She came armed with compression bags to pack her belongings in, claiming she got ‘quite a lot in’ for her seven-day trip. Chelsea continued: “When I got to the airport, it did fit in all three baggage sizers that I tested. However, definitely do not overpack this because you’re gonna find it difficult to squeeze in, and sometimes the staff can be a little bit funny about that.”

She also flagged that some airlines may be funny about whether a bag has wheels, so be on the lookout. Chelsea advised to pick up the bag and hold it by its material handles.

Its extendable handle measures three feet three inches, so may not be tall enough for tall people. “As for dragging it around after you, as long as you’re on a smooth surface and it isn’t too heavy, it’s not too bad, but you do have to be quite deliberate with it,” she said.

“It did like to flip over from side to side and it’s because of that I would not recommend you putting anything valuable or fragile in the bag.”

The travel expert also warned that the bag did not fare well on uneven or rough surfaces. As there’s nothing for the bag to rest on, the bag can also get quite dirty.

Chelsea continued: “After my seven day trip it’s still totally usable. However it is starting to get a little bit dirty, and also I did spot, I have a bit of a tear right here, and a few scratches.”

She concluded: “So overall I think this is pretty good. If you are literally just going from the airport to the hotel and not doing much else. Also if you have accessibility needs I definitely think this would be helpful.

“However if you’re looking for a bag that’s gonna take you across a range of different terrains and that you can use for years and years to come, then I don’t think it is the bag for you.”

Other travellers had mixed feelings about the viral bag, with Alice saying: “No, I tested it on Ryanair sizer, not fully packed, and it was slightly too long, didn't fit if you want to use it as your free bag.”

While Becca said: “I love this bag! Have only used it for three day trips abroad but it’s my new favourite travel bag!” Ewa Labuda wrote: “Fab review I love to travel with an underseat bag only.” @suelee188 agreed: “I bought one and it fitted nicely under the seat on a jet 2 flight.”