You can take one small personal bag for free on Ryanair, plus more if you pay, but there are strict size rules and security limits on what’s inside your bags.

Quick Scoop: Bags You Can Bring

  • One small personal bag is free with all fares; it must fit under the seat in front of you and be no bigger than about 40 x 20 x 25 cm.
  • If you buy Priority & 2 Cabin Bags or a cabin bag option, you can also bring a 10 kg cabin bag (overhead bin) up to 55 x 40 x 20 cm.
  • Larger bags (10–20 kg or more) must be checked in and paid for; fees and exact options depend on route and season.

What’s Fine in Your Hand Luggage

You can usually have in your cabin bag or personal item (subject to airport security rules):

  • Clothes and shoes , coats, hats, and personal accessories.
  • Electronics : phone, laptop, tablet, camera, headphones, e‑reader, handheld consoles.
  • Chargers, cables, adapters.
  • Dry food and snacks (sandwiches, crisps, biscuits, chocolate, most packaged foods).
  • Medication in reasonable personal quantities; bring a prescription or doctor’s note for special treatments if possible.
  • Medical equipment like some machines (e.g., dialysis devices) may be allowed on board but often need advance clearance and paperwork.

Liquids: The 100 ml Rule

Ryanair follows standard airport liquid rules for cabin bags.

  • Each liquid/gel/paste must be in a container of no more than 100 ml.
  • All your liquids must fit in one clear, resealable plastic bag of up to 1 litre (about 20 x 20 cm).
  • You must be able to close the bag and fit it in your hand baggage.
  • Common examples: drinks, perfumes, creams, gels, toothpaste, hair gel, liquid makeup, sprays.

Exceptions (still subject to checks):

  • Essential medicines (including liquid ones) you need during the flight; security may ask for proof.
  • Baby food/milk and special dietary liquids for medical reasons.

Power Banks, Batteries, Vapes

Ryanair is quite specific about batteries and similar items.

  • Power banks & spare lithium batteries
    • Only in cabin (not checked baggage).
* Must be **under 100 Wh** each; you can usually carry multiple spares (Ryanair’s guidance allows up to around 20 spares under 100 Wh).
  • Electronic cigarettes/vapes
    • Allowed only in cabin , strictly no use on board.
* Not allowed in checked baggage.
  • Lighters
    • One small personal lighter is normally allowed on you (subject to airport rules), not in checked baggage.

Things You Cannot Take On Board (Cabin)

Some items are totally banned or must go in the hold (and some are banned altogether). The big categories:

  • Weapons and firearms : any gun, rifle, ammunition, replicas with realistic appearance.
  • Sharp/pointed items that can be used as weapons, such as:
    • Knives with blades over 6 cm, box cutters, craft knives, some multi‑tools.
* Scissors with blades over 6 cm from fulcrum.

* Loose razor blades (safety/disposable razors with enclosed blades are usually okay).
  • Blunt instruments : baseball bats, hockey sticks, heavy tools that can be used to hit someone.
  • Explosives/flammables : fireworks, gasoline, some fuels, flammable paints, some aerosols, gas cylinders not allowed under special rules.
  • Chemical/toxic substances : pepper spray, tear gas, corrosives, poisons.

Special / Odd Items

Ryanair has specific guidance for unusual gear.

  • Parachutes / paragliding wings can often be checked or carried on if they meet size and weight rules and any gas cylinders are allowed under dangerous goods rules.
  • Self‑inflating life jackets with small CO₂ cartridges can be accepted in cabin or hold under strict limits (e.g., certain number of cylinders), sometimes you must declare them at check‑in at particular airports.
  • Sports equipment (bikes, surfboards, ski gear, big clubs, etc.) must usually be checked and paid for; there are weight limits like 20–30 kg depending on the item.
  • Musical instruments may go in the cabin if they fit the size rules or if you buy an extra seat; otherwise they go in the hold with special handling.

How Strict Is Ryanair?

Recent traveller reports and guides still describe Ryanair as strict about bag size, especially for the free under‑seat personal item.

  • Staff often check bag dimensions at the gate; if your “small bag” is too big, you may have to pay a gate fee and put it in the hold.
  • Soft bags that can be squashed into the sizer sometimes get more leeway than rigid suitcases.
  • Policy details (prices, weight options) change over time, so always double‑check your booking and the airline’s help pages just before you fly.

Bottom line:

  • Free: one under‑seat personal bag (about 40 x 20 x 25 cm).
  • Pay extra if you want a 10 kg cabin bag (55 x 40 x 20 cm) or checked luggage.
  • Follow liquid limits (100 ml, 1 litre bag), keep power banks and vapes in cabin only, and leave any weapons, big blades, and dangerous substances at home.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.