Hate baggage fees? Wear a fishing vest on the plane | Hacker News Reader

Hate baggage fees? Wear a fishing vest on the plane

wsj.com

35 pointsxqcgrek261 comments

I was waiting to see a mention of SCOTTeVEST. https://www.scottevest.com. Their raison d'être is to put interior pockets in every article of clothing.

Previously, looking for some garments with pockets in them for a female coworker, I found the company "scottevest" - https://www.scottevest.com

Pockets are kind of a thing for them... and it's a bit more stylish than a fishing vest. For example: https://www.scottevest.com/products/edc-jacket-mens

> Tactical and ready for cold weather, this matte softshell jacket is the ultimate in everyday carry. Securely stow your gear in the 30 purposeful pockets. Designed for stealth, so items wont print, youll have quick and easy access to all your essentials without broadcasting what youre carrying. Key features include side zips at hips, Rapid Access Vertical Panels, removable RFID blocking pocket, internal back pocket, 2 phone pockets, key holder and attached chamois to keep glasses smudge-free. The Weight Management System ensures maxiumum carrying capacity and comfort. So load up with confidence and be prepared for whatever life throws your way.

I've used several marmot jackets for the same purpose, but I like how much thought they've put into the pockets on that edc jacket.

edit: same purpose being carrying EDC stuff. I actually dump all my pockets before flying. Anything I want to put back into my pockets immediately on the other side gets put in separate bags.

They've done some bit with it. I personally don't own any but my coworker was ecstatic to find a black dress that had multiple useable pockets. Most pockets, if present at all, in women's clothing is comically unusable and sometimes just for cosmetic use only (as in "looks like a pocket but can't even put coins in it" - not "can put cosmetics in it").

I like the idea they have, but I wear other clothing that is sufficiently pocketed for my use... though these phones are getting big and pockets aren't always keeping up with them.

Scott-e-vest looks promising but wondering if it's primarily suited to tall and bigs?

I'm wondering if shorter individuals might look a little bulgy with stuff in their pockets.

I wear this vest and it doesn't have too many pockets, but it looks fitted on me (and can accommodate a phone and keys and AirPods).

https://petermanningnyc.com/products/flatiron-vest-navy

With just a backpack, it is already nightmare through security. I can't imagine walking back and forth fishing out that one last thing over and over from all the nooks and crannies.

you can just take off the vest and put it through the x-ray in most airports i think?

Yeah, security is a complete non-issue here (assuming you still follow the carry-on contents rule)

No laptop in it's own bin, some countries need you to put phones, battery packs and other electronics in separate bin etc. Wish they made the process easier.

Some years ago my aunt had sewn a vest that a zipper that converted it into an actual bag. Even when in the vest configuration, it was double, so it essentially was one single big pocket. You could stuff tons of things inside, and given that you could convert it into a bag it was also relatively convenient. You would keep it as a vest when having to prove that you would't carry other bags than allowed, and back to a bag at all other times (including during the security check).

sounds like it would be a great hit if mass produced today. ask her to patent it :)

I think she even looked into that at some point. But I don't think anything really happened.

Hate having the TSA open up and steal items from your checked baggage in the US on domestic flights only? Throw a lower receiver into each bag. It's technically a firearm and so subject to the strict integrity rules requiring sealing at the ticket counter. You don't have to be a 2a die-hard or even have a single functional weapon to exploit this loophole.

Or you could get a backpack that expands to the same size as the largest domestic carry-on and skip checked luggage altogether.

Items you can't take in carry-on bags but are allowed in checked bags: alcohol, actual or improvised weapons.

A friend would wear his winter parka with 6 massive pockets on budget airlines. Even to warm destinations. Each pocket contained travel pouch that he'd move into a bigger pocket molled to his main backpack. Folded up parka made for nice pillow.

I want a light weight anorak with big front and back pockets that you can zip up into a two pocket bag when not worn.

If you hate baggage fees, never, ever, ever fly Frontier Airlines. They recently instituted a policy where an attendant at the gate who gets a $100 carry-on fee from someone gets a $10 commission. There have been multiple reports of gate attendants lying about people's bags that are clearly small enough as being "too big" so that they can maximize the commissions that they get. It's a terrible, truly horrendous policy that will make it so I will never fly Frontier again.

> There have been multiple reports of gate attendants lying about people's bags that are clearly small enough as being "too big" so that they can maximize the commissions that they get.

Don't they have a bag sizing thingy at the gates? If it fits in the thing, you don't have to pay.

They do. That's what makes the lying about "you have to pay anyways" extra egregious.

already ahead of you; they started to weigh passengers at check-in:

https://beatofhawaii.com/hawaiian-airlines-weighing-passenge...

I’m one of the few that likes all these fees. Whenever something is free people just waste it, and mass/volume on an airplane is limited. And I’d rather have my base ticket price lower and opt in to fees for stuff that I actually value.

It’s cute that you think that they made the base ticket price lower.

When you look at Ryanair’s prices, it is often readily apparent that they did.

When there's competition it works. For example in Europe the airlines with the most fees also have by far the lowest base prices.

The problem is if for a specific route or airport there's only one airline. That seems to be somewhat common in the US, and in that case price isn't constrained by competition but the customers willingness to pay. That's where the abusive practises flourish

Base prices have generally been going down since the 90s https://www.bts.gov/content/annual-us-domestic-average-itine....

It’s not enough data to attribute the impact of the broad switchover to baggage fees in 2008-2010, as base prices actually went up after introduction, but base prices are definitely down over time.

I don't know why you're being downvoted. But I guess it's because everybody sees the fees but nobody sees how the base prices are lower than they would be otherwise.

Of course some people don't understand how capitalism and competition work and therefore don't trust that the base prices are lower than they would be otherwise. But that's just not understanding how the economics of the industry works.

I'm quite the opposite type, hate being nickel and dimed for different services, just charge flat fee and include all the basic necessaties.

That's great if you can afford it. But there are people who are more price-conscious where the lower price matters more than the simplicity of a flat fee.

I'm very happy to restrict myself to a carry-on and not have to subsidize people bringing large checked luggage.

Why is this getting downvoted?

I fly regularly and with wildly different luggage configuration. I want to pay for what I use, not less and not more. Sometimes I fly only with hand luggage. Once I flew with 6 suitcases totaling 160 kilos from Dubai to Zürich.

What I want are customizable options with clear prices. Frequently it’s only possible to add more than one suitcase over the phone…

I mostly agree this way of looking at it, but find 2 things distort this nice clear explanation.

1. Lack of clarity. I've no problems paying a fee I want and use. But when the fees are hidden at point of sale, and then added later it makes comparisons hard or fees I don't want getting added because I didn't know about them in advance so couldn't change behaviour to avoid them.

2. Fees that don't accurately capture the benefit Vs the cost, and are gamed. Things like "2 peices of hand luggage" with no weight specified. I once had an attendant tell my wife her hat she was carrying counted as one peice, so she had to put in her bag to walk past the check-in desk to avoid being charged a fee for extra hand luggage. And then you get the opposite with schemes like wearing vests to carry extra items without it counting in your hand luggage allowance. I once had to move ~2kg from my hold luggage to my hand luggage because one was over and the other under. Why not literally charge a per kg fee regardless where you store it that way everyone pays for exactly what they use, no gaming. The current fee structure tends to incentivise maxing out on hand luggage to avoid hold fees, which means overhead storage gets crammed full. Charging per kg would shift a portion of this to the hold and make the cabin less cramped and better for everyone.

the checked baggage weight limit isn't for takeoff weight, it's for the handlers

A lot of airlines do have max weight limits on hand luggage, around 8-10kg. They almost never check, but I did get caught out once.

I travel with a laptop, portable monitor, iPad pro, switch, GoPro, moonlander keyboard, mouse, bunch of plug adapters and a multiway extension. All of that adds up to 9kg when you include the bag base weight.

One time when I was flying from Istanbul to Mauritius, they weighed the bag and it was a big headache. Eventually someone else came along and just let me on since it was all battery powered stuff that couldn't go in the hold.

Charging by weight doesn't make more room in the overhead storage though. Going by volume does, and many airlines do check volume. Especially in Europe, I've seen Ryanair and easyJet stop people many times.

If you look on Amazon, you'll see entire ranges of bags optimized for Ryanair free carry-on limits.

What are examples of hidden fees? Tickets are generally extremely clear on luggage policy, and these days you know you're paying for food on domestic flights. I haven't encountered hidden fees but maybe it depends on the country?

Seat picking fee.

But you never have to pay that, and it's also always shown as part of the checkout process. It's not hidden at all.

Me too. I was annoyed on a recent trip that they were charging for food, but I realized that the food was never very good to begin with. I would much rather have a lower ticket price and buy what I want.

https://archive.is/ePscM

A good strategy for Spirit Airlines.

A big purse is what I use - and I'm a man

One-bagging really has come a long way

This mentality is not helping. Corporations will continue to act badly if there are no consequences.

A backpack works for me.

The point is that backpacks are limited (in theory). Some low-cost airlines will weigh and measure them, so this jacket would let you wear extra weight.

I hate checking baggage in the US. It gets lost, stolen, delayed. It's inconvenient.

I hate boarding planes in the US. Everyone is carrying as much junk as they can.

Japan is the opposite. Boarding is convenient and quick, and most baggage is checked. It doesn't get lost and it is quick.

If you hate baggage fees, you should fight to make checked baggage convenient and safe.

Edit: and, of course, get rid of the TSA

Airlines response:Strip down to your underwear so we can weigh you.

That's a decade-old strategy: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/04/02/176062612...

go further https://simpleflying.com/ana-customers-pee-before-flight/

That would not fly in USA. Quite a few passengers wight twice as much as other passengers with fishing vest or not :-)

I think that would fly really well, and make flights cheaper all around for those who continue to fly.

Would also be totally unfair. Some of us grew to 1.95m and weigh 95kg (I'm told it's close to 200 pounds), not because we're fat. Apparently your weight is proportional to some power of your height.

I don't even fit in even business class seats (I'm too tall, I slide down because the bottom of the chair is not long enough).

If the baggage fee is the decision point on the trip, I’d suggest rethinking whether or not you can really afford the trip.

Last time I flew eu cheap, you had to pay in cash if you were over. A lot of pissed people at the atm. The £20 it cost me, I would have preferred to donate, or just throw away, rather than donate to some airline.

Money that one can afford to spend can still be saved, so it's of interest to anybody who feels the savings are worth the added effort.

These small savings are worth the effort to people who are blowing away multiple times more cash on something else. For example, taking a vacation when they can't actually afford to do so.

They're also worth the effort to me, who values money. Having a lot of money doesn't mean you should be spending it unnecessarily.

I remember traveling as teenager, I setup monitoring system to catch cheap long distance bus tickets.

(I bought some 400km travel tickets costing less than travel to bus station within city)

Some people are in a different situation than you.

Same goes for paying for a specific seat rather than expecting someone who has done just that to move so your family can sit together.

There are a lot of < $100 domestic flights available to low-income people. If you have friends in the area so you aren't paying for lodging, $30 on a $90 ticket is substantial.

Probably true for many. But there can also be the other side of things where you just need to fly a lot and you want to keep those costs from adding up over time. For instance, needing to fly back and forth from home where you work to visit an ill relative. There are probably many situations where there is reasonable value to be had from a strategy like this.

Plus, you get the benefit of looking like an extremely cool dude!

Two things:

1) Not all travel is for pleasure.

2) I’m fortunate enough to be able to afford baggage fees or whatever nonsense the airline wants to try and charge me for, but I absolutely hate being nickeled and dimed. I prioritize using companies that provide upfront total costs whenever possible to vote with my wallet.

In Europe you can get flights for $25. That's $50 both ways, plus let's say 2 nights, which in many places can be had for $50/night. That's $150 plus whatever you send there. Spending another 2x$25 on baggage fees makes a huge impact on that budget.

On Frontier you could easily spend as much on baggage as the fight itself.

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