I live in Dublin but often travel to London for my work as a showbiz reporter for the Daily Express. That may sound glamorous, but, in reality, it means getting up at the crack of dawn for flights. Usually, Ryanair is the most cost-effective option, as long as I don’t get caught out by its strict luggage rules.

The budget airline allows one piece of hand luggage for free, but the catch is that it must fit into the bag sizer at the airport. The carrier says that the maximum dimensions are 40 x 20 x 25cm. It’s smaller than most other low-cost airlines, and anyone who has seen it can vouch that the box looks tiny in real life.

If carry-on luggage doesn’t meet the criteria, passengers may be charged the Priority rate at the airport, which can cost between £20 and £60. With that in mind, I have been on a quest to find a bag that avoids any charges, fits everything I need, and is not uncomfortable to carry around – no mean feat!

I had seen the Narwey Duffle all over social media as one of the original viral Ryanair bags. I wanted to see it for myself and compare it to the backpack I trialled on my last trip. The Narwey is usually around a reasonable £16 on Amazon and claims to meet all the specifications. While I got my hands on the black version, it comes in eight other colours.

I took the Narwey Duffle bag on a weekend trip to London. I had planned a couple of nights out and a work event, so I needed various clothes. I also required toiletries and make-up, as well as my laptop, chargers and a power bank.

For the review, I assessed how easy it was to fit everything in and whether I had to make any compromises. I placed the fully packed bag in the sizer at the gate and under my seat on the plane. I then carried it around London to various destinations, noting comfort levels and practicality.

My immediate thought was that the bag felt surprisingly robust for the price; it’s made from a heavyweight fabric with sturdy-looking stitching and zips. The shoulder strap is secured with metal hardware, but the top straps immediately struck me as too short. I could just about get it under my arm unpacked, but I had reservations about what it would be like when full. 

However, it did look small and had just one zipped pocket on the outside. Inside, there was a reassuring amount of space because it is essentially one large compartment, with a zipped pocket and three net pouches. There’s no laptop pouch, security pocket, or anywhere for a water bottle. But the proof would be whether it could securely hold all my stuff. 

Clothing-wise, I had a couple of T-shirts, two smart-casual tops, a dress, and a pair of heels, plus underwear and pyjamas. To travel, I was in jeans that I’d mix and match with the tops. Plus, I wore my trusty (and bulky) hoodie, which worked well for this trip as it was a chilly morning for my flight.

I went light on toiletries and makeup (wipes and makeup palettes are your friends) and put them in a packing cube with my liquids in a clear bag to make it easier at the airport.

Additionally, I packed a small box of accessories, a power bank, my passport, and a travel pillow (since the travel pillow clips onto the bag, I haven’t included it in pictures). I also needed my laptop: mine is 15.6”, bigger than the average machine, so it usually requires a bit of packing Tetris.

I’d purposely chosen tops that could be rolled up small. I had wanted to bring a bulkier dress, but went with a fitted one for space-saving purposes. Usually, I would avoid bringing a second pair of shoes, but I needed these for my night out. I used my packing cubes, but more for organisation, and I also packed my underwear in a separate bag. With all these tricks, the clothes fit in no problem.

As predicted, my laptop was a bit of an issue. It wouldn’t sit completely flush, so I had to pack it at an angle. This meant I was packing clothes on either side of it, but it served as padding and protection for the laptop, so it worked out well.

I did struggle to close the bag. It was precision-packed, and I knew if I took anything out, I would have to repack, as everything had to sit a specific way to ensure it fit. My prediction proved correct once I got past security. After taking my laptop out to work, I could not close the bag again and had to repack it.

I was very relieved when it fit in the Ryanair sizer. Admittedly, it was tight—I think the smallest extra item would have tipped it into paying-priority territory. It also just squeezed under my aisle seat, so that was another victory.

My big gripe with this one is the handles: with the bag packed, they weren’t long enough to put it over my shoulder to carry around, so I had to rely on the longer strap. My hotel wasn’t yet ready to check in, and I had to bring it to an appointment with me. It started to drag after a short while, and on busy trains, it didn’t win me any friends; I bumped a few people as I jumped on and off, earning me a few cross looks.

This bag is like the tardis: far bigger on the inside than it looks and holds an impressive amount. The lack of pockets is an issue as it means you have to precision pack it, but it will work for a weekend if you are smart with your packing list, just be mindful that with the soft-shell fabric, it’s easy to over-stuff.

For me, the length of the top straps was a deal-breaker. With a full bag to lug around for a day, the shoulder strap was too uncomfortable. However, if your trip is more leisurely and you are just going straight from a taxi or bus to the plane and jumping onto a transfer, this is ideal.

If you prefer a backpack like me, I would recommend the VMIKIV, which is currently £22 on Amazon. Or, for something a little larger, the Hayayu expandable bag (from £14 at Amazon) claims to fit Ryanair’s size restrictions. Still, it can also be expanded into a bigger Easyjet-compatible cabin bag. Look out for my upcoming review of that one.