







I tested the Decathlon Travel 500 Organizer 30L in a Ryanair sizer – it actually fits
I've been looking for a backpack that works well for one-bag travel while still being comfortable enough for hiking and longer trips.
I recently bought the Decathlon Travel 500 Organizer 30L. According to Decathlon, its dimensions are 50 × 28 × 22 cm, while Ryanair's free personal item limit is 40 × 25 × 20 cm. So on paper it definitely shouldn't fit.
Before actually flying with it, I decided to do a realistic test.
I packed it with:
Even after packing all of that, I honestly felt I could have squeezed in enough clothes for another couple of days.
The photos show everything I packed, how I organized it inside the backpack, and what it looked like when fully loaded.
Then I took it to the airport and tried it in a real Ryanair bag sizer.
To my surprise... it fit.
In the photo it may look like it's sticking slightly above the red line, but in person that wasn't really the case. There was actually still some room to compress it a little further.
I think the reason is that the backpack is very flexible. Although it's officially taller than Ryanair's limit, it doesn't use the full allowed width, so the top can compress and fold down quite easily. As long as you don't overpack it, getting it into the sizer wasn't difficult.
From my own experience, Ryanair staff also seem to pay much more attention to rigid suitcases or obviously oversized backpacks than to soft bags that can be compressed. That said, this is just my personal observation, not a guarantee of how every airport or gate agent will handle it. But considering this bag does not look huge I think they will never stop you to check it. And if they do, it fits.
A couple of other things I really like:
- The suitcase-style opening makes packing much easier.
- The internal organization is excellent.
- It's very comfortable to carry.
- The hip belt is completely removable, which makes it even more suitable for air travel if you don't need it.
- The outer fabric is water-resistant, and for heavy rain it also comes with a dedicated rain cover that stores neatly inside the backpack.
- It has a hidden anti-theft pocket that's perfect for keeping your passport, wallet, or other important documents secure.
- There's also a padded laptop compartment that's separate from the main storage, making it easy to access during airport security checks.
Overall I'm really impressed with it, especially considering the price.
Has anyone else flown with this backpack on Ryanair or other strict budget airlines? I'd love to hear how it's worked out for you.