Best underseat bags that fit 40 × 30 × 20 cm
By Kate Morrison Published 10 November 2026
From 2 February 2027, most Jetstar fares come with one small underseat bag, and the overhead bag costs extra. So if you fly Jetstar on the base fare, everything you carry on has to fit into 40 × 30 × 20 cm. A bag that size is handy on other airlines too, as the small bag that goes under the seat in front. What you want is one that uses every centimetre without going over, and that's easy to live out of for a few days.
Best overall
Cabin Max Manhattan 24L
- 0.5 kg empty, the lightest of the three
- Opens wide like a small suitcase for packing
The laptop sleeve only takes up to a 13-inch laptop
Best with wheels
Cabin Max Evos
- Pull it on wheels or wear it as a backpack
- Expands from 15 to 20 cm deep when you need the room
1.8 kg empty, the heaviest here by a long way
Best value
ECOHUB 9-pocket underseat bag
- The cheapest of the three
- Nine pockets, including one hidden on the back
A little heavier than the Manhattan at 0.6 kg
How they compare
| Feature | Best overallCabin Max Manhattan 24L | Best with wheelsCabin Max Evos | Best valueECOHUB 9-pocket underseat bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 40 × 30 × 20 cm | 40 × 30 × 15 cm, expands to 20 cm deep; wheels included | 40 × 30 × 20 cm |
| Empty weight | 0.5 kg | 1.8 kg | 0.6 kg |
| How you carry it | Backpack straps, top and side handles | Wheels and pull-up handle, or backpack straps | Backpack straps and a top handle |
| Price | Check price | Check price | Check price |
Which one is for you
What decides it
Underseat bags all look much the same online, so these are the things worth checking before you buy one.
All three measurements
Jetstar’s carry-on changes for 2027 set the underseat bag at 40 × 30 × 20 cm. Check all three of a bag’s numbers, with any wheels counted in.
Straps or wheels
Backpack straps keep the bag light and leave your hands free. Wheels save your shoulders on a long walk to the gate, but they add weight before you’ve packed a thing.
How it opens
A bag that unzips flat like a suitcase is much easier to pack and to live out of for a few days than one you load from the top.
The picks
Why we chose each one, and who it suits best.
Best overallCabin Max Manhattan 24L
For a weekend away with nothing but an underseat bag, we’d take the Manhattan, mostly because it’s so light. At 0.5 kg empty it’s the lightest of the three, so less of any weight limit goes on the bag itself. It’s 40 × 30 × 20 cm, the full size of the underseat bag Jetstar will allow from February 2027. It holds 24 litres, which is plenty for a few days of clothes if you roll them. It also sits inside the size of the personal item Virgin Australia allows under the seat. Our carry-on limits guide has the other airlines’ sizes.
The main compartment opens out like a small suitcase, so you can lay it open on the hotel bed and see everything at once. Inside there are ribbons that stop your clothes sliding about and a mesh pocket for the bits that always go missing. There’s also a padded sleeve at the back for a laptop of up to 13 inches. A strap on the back slides over a wheelie case’s handle, which is handy on the trips when you’re checking a bigger bag as well.
The laptop sleeve is the one thing to check: a laptop bigger than 13 inches won’t fit it, so measure yours before you buy. It has no wheels, so you carry it on your back the whole way; if you’d rather pull a bag, look at the Evos.
What we like
- 0.5 kg empty, the lightest of the three
- Opens wide like a small suitcase for packing
Worth knowing
- The laptop sleeve only takes up to a 13-inch laptop
Best with wheelsCabin Max Evos
The Evos rolls. It has wheels and a pull-up handle that extends to 87 cm, and when you hit stairs or a cobbled street you can wear it on your back instead. That’s a big help on a long walk to the gate, or if your back doesn’t love a loaded backpack.
It’s also the only one here that changes size. Zipped in, it’s 40 × 30 × 15 cm and holds 18 litres, and it expands to 40 × 30 × 20 cm and 24 litres when you need the room. Both sizes include the wheels. So if one flight on your trip allows a deeper bag than the next, it can work on both. Just pack light enough to fit the 18 litres, because a bag packed full at the expanded size won’t close back to 15 cm. Inside there’s a padded pocket for an iPad or tablet, and ribbons to hold your packing in place.
The catch is the weight. At 1.8 kg empty it weighs more than the other two put together. That matters on airlines with a carry-on weight limit. On most Qantas domestic flights, your overhead bag, underseat bag and personal item share a 14 kg limit. The Evos uses 1.8 kg of that before you pack anything, while the Manhattan uses 0.5 kg.
What we like
- Pull it on wheels or wear it as a backpack
- Expands from 15 to 20 cm deep when you need the room
Worth knowing
- 1.8 kg empty, the heaviest here by a long way
Best valueECOHUB 9-pocket underseat bag
The ECOHUB costs about half what the Manhattan does, and it’s a good bag for the money. It’s the same 40 × 30 × 20 cm, so it slides under the seat on the same flights, and at 0.6 kg empty it’s only a touch heavier.
It’s the most organised of the three. There are nine pockets, including a quick-grab pocket on top for your passport and boarding pass, two on the front and one hidden on the back. The main compartment opens up like a suitcase, and straps inside and on the sides hold everything flat. There’s also a sleeve on the back to sit it on a wheelie case’s handle.
If you like every small thing to have its own pocket, the ECOHUB is the one we’d pick.
What we like
- The cheapest of the three
- Nine pockets, including one hidden on the back
Worth knowing
- A little heavier than the Manhattan at 0.6 kg
Final thoughts
Whichever bag you choose, check your airline's small-bag limit for every flight on the trip, because they aren't all the same. At full size, all three of these sit right on 40 × 30 × 20 cm, so pack them so the sides don't bulge, and leave the front pocket for flat things like your passport.
The Manhattan suits most people, because at 0.5 kg it's the lightest of the three. The Evos is for anyone who'd rather pull a bag than carry one, as long as you can spare the extra weight. And if you want the most pockets for the least money, the ECOHUB is a good buy.
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