Team tour kit bag sizing: write the brief before ordering

Ryanair’s published policy, checked on 7 October 2026, includes one small personal bag measuring 40 × 30 × 20 cm with all fares. It must fit under the seat. Priority & 2 Cabin Bags adds a larger 55 × 40 × 20 cm bag with a 10 kg limit.

That distinction matters when a club orders one bag design for everyone. A larger bag should not be specified on the assumption that every passenger has the additional allowance. Record the purchased category beside the dimensional brief, and have the trip organiser confirm it before the sample is approved.

Evidence: Ryanair

easyJet lists a small under-seat cabin bag of up to 45 × 36 × 20 cm, including handles and wheels, with a maximum weight of 15 kg. Its larger cabin bag limit is 56 × 45 × 25 cm, also including handles and wheels. The larger option requires the relevant booking or entitlement.

Use those measurements only for the relevant easyJet allowance, not as a universal manufacturing standard. The page also requires passengers to lift and carry their own bags. For a team order, the useful question is whether the proposed bag still meets the selected dimensions after the agreed clothing and footwear have been packed.

Evidence: easyJet

British Airways lists a cabin bag limit of 56 × 45 × 25 cm, including wheels and handles, and warns that the bag may need to travel in the hold. Its baggage page also distinguishes its own services from partner-airline arrangements, where allowances may differ.

A matching dimension therefore does not settle the whole travel plan. The organiser should check the operating carrier on each leg and decide how passengers will identify and manage bags if their handling changes. Do not turn a dimensional comparison into an airline endorsement or an unconditional promise of cabin carriage.

Evidence: British Airways

The remaining recommendations are purchasing checks, not airline rules. Write a loading list for the intended trip: match clothing, training layers, spare socks, footwear, towel and personal items, where appropriate. State whether shoes sit in a separate compartment and whether that compartment reduces the main storage space. A photograph of an empty bag cannot demonstrate usable packed capacity.

Ask the supplier to measure a physical sample with that agreed load inside. Record the greatest external length, width and depth, including projecting pockets and fixed fittings. Photograph the measuring positions so the buyer and factory are checking the same points. Agree dimensional tolerances explicitly rather than assuming that a quoted nominal size is a maximum.

Keep empty bag weight separate from packed weight. Also record the fabric, lining, zipper arrangement, strap adjustment and reinforcement locations as proposed construction details. These help distinguish two superficially similar quotations without inventing durability ratings. If load testing is required, agree the method and acceptance criteria with the supplier before approving the sample.

A rugby squad’s clothing bag and a Gaelic club’s shared equipment bag have different jobs. Allocate each item to a named packing category before requesting prices. Do not assume that a hurley, helmet, ball pump or other sports item can travel as ordinary cabin baggage merely because a bag appears large enough. The organiser must check the applicable sports-equipment and restricted-item policies separately.

For shared equipment, specify the contents, quantities, divider requirements and handling arrangement in a separate brief. Keep this separate again from the export cartons used to deliver the manufactured order. Passenger baggage planning and factory shipment packing answer different questions, even when both involve dimensions and weight.

Include a removable identification method in the sample discussion if individual names may change after selection. Confirm whether the club wants names printed permanently, a number on each bag, or a label holder. Approve artwork size and location against the assembled sample so pockets, seams and carry straps do not obscure the agreed branding.

Send the enquiry with the bag quantity, intended users, target packed dimensions, proposed loading list, branding files and destination. Identify the airline allowance as a dated design input rather than a permanent product claim. If the team has not booked travel, say so: request a sample proposal, but do not present an unconfirmed baggage category as settled.

Before bulk approval, retain the sample photographs, dimension record, material description, empty weight and artwork approval in one versioned file. Ask the supplier to flag any construction change that could alter usable space or external dimensions. A different pocket, thicker padding or new handle attachment should be reviewed against the approved brief rather than silently substituted.

Keep the delivery deadline and departure date separate, leaving a buyer-approved interval for inspection and packing. Confirm production and shipping arrangements for the actual order instead of assuming a standard lead time. Olinc’s OEM/private-label enquiry route covers bags alongside sportswear; request a bag-specific quotation and sample discussion without assuming an off-the-shelf airline-certified model.