Can you bring a book on a plane

Considering weight constraints, should I put books in carry-on or checked luggage?

To clarify, in order to keep my checked luggage as light as possible, should I stuff it with books or clothes?

EDIT: I'm basically asking which is denser (more weight per volume occupied): books or clothes?

asked Aug 10, 2015 at 4:42

gbergergberger

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Books are heavier, period.

Your typical cheap-ass perfect-bound B&W 300-page airport paperback detective/romance novel weighs around 441 grams. A nice hardback or a big chunky guidebook will be more: Lonely Planet India is over 1 kg, and a 500-page ream of A4 printing paper is well over 2 kg!

A T-shirt occupies roughly the same volume as that paperback, but even a nice heavy cotton American Apparel T-shirt will only top the scales around 250 grams. (Note that T-shirt weights are per square meter, and you need >1.5m2 for a short-sleeved shirt.)

Now I'm sure you can construct a pathological case where a suitcase stuffed full of steel-toed Doc Martens and studded denim weighs more than a suitcase filled with the airiest pulp novels known to man, but in general, if you're looking to lose weight, chuck the books first — and get e-books instead. International M-Bags are also a surprisingly cheap way of shipping printed material around the planet.

answered Aug 10, 2015 at 11:01

lambshaanxylambshaanxy

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I often buy multiple books on trips and carry them home. For the outward bound trip, the suitcase is 10-15 lbs (4.5–7 kg) or more below the maximum weight limit. That way I know I have some room for souvenirs and books. I've also taken older clothes that I'm willing to toss out at the end of a trip.

If I think there's a chance that a bag is overweight, I may put one or two of the heaviest books in my backpack.

I usually carry on a backpack, not a suitcase, so I have space constraints. I'd much rather make it as light as possible, so I pack the suitcase to be checked as heavy as I can.

If you're taking a suitcase on board that won't fit under the seat, remember that you're going to have to lift it up in the overhead bin.

gerrit

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answered Aug 10, 2015 at 6:42

mkennedymkennedy

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If you plan on reading on the flight then keeping them with you is probably ideal.

I guess it also might depend on which is more replaceable - the clothes or the books. Checked luggage sometimes gets mis-routed between flights and can be stolen while at the luggage carousel.

answered Aug 10, 2015 at 5:43

neubertneubert

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Clothes are far lighter (and no-one weighs your take on even if there is a limit). Put your books in your take-on.

A Kindle at 180g (6 oz) is far lighter than 15 books though and perhaps more convenient.

answered Aug 11, 2015 at 12:48

As baggage fees increase and airlines become increasingly strict about the height, weight, and width of our precious carry-ons, packing lightly—and packing efficiently—is more important than ever before. And while there are some items that are first to get the heave-ho, no questions asked, there are others that are harder to part with for a number of reasons, sentimental or otherwise. Should books, those so-called bastions of a tech-free era, get replaced? Condé Nast Traveler editors weigh in.

Tech Types

"On a month-long solo trip, every precious inch of packing space counted—and books were the first casualties. Say whatever you want about the smell and the touch of a paperback, but I read both of the Hilary Mantel 600-plus-page Thomas Cromwell novels without giving myself a backache. Books are great for curling up with at home, but I’ll never be without an e-reader on the road ever again." —Lilit Marcus

"When I was younger, my parents would urge me to keep my book overage charge to a minimum when we traveled. It was never really a question of if they would have to pay for my horde of library books—it was a given. That all changed when I got an e-reader. I could bring 30 books in my pint-sized reader to breeze through on the beach and never have to worry about paying fees for extra books packed in my checked luggage. All of the knowledge, none of the hassle." —Meredith Carey

Paper Proponents

"Books over e-readers, hands down. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that I enjoy flipping through the pages of a book more than I do tapping a screen. It's also easy to get distracted when traveling with electronic devices—one minute I’m on an e-reader, the next, I’m checking my phone for incoming messages. But when you travel with a book, you can in some ways 'unplug.' Also, when I carry a book, I try to make a conscious effort to accomplish more reading than I would with an e-reader. It’s like making a mental reading assignment, and every time I see the book, I'm reminded: 'Oh, I have to finish reading this!'” —Francina Morel

"While e-readers are certainly great for saving space (and especially for condensing magazine collections!) nothing compares to the feeling of flipping through the pages of an actual book, engrossed in something that doesn’t involve a screen. We're on screens all day—vacations give us a chance to disconnect. Plus, if you stick with smaller paperbacks while traveling, the additional weight amounts to nothing more than an extra pair of shoes." —Daniel Jameson

BOTH!

"It depends on the type of trip I'm taking—or the sort of travel I'm doing. If I'm traveling for work, I'll load up books my iPad and read that way: being able to flip the page with a tap of my finger or lower the screen brightness goes a long way on planes, trains, and automobiles. If I'm going on a longer, international trip, I'll bring a book or two I don't want to keep and once I'm done, exchange them or leave them at hostels, hotels, or libraries along the way. After all, it's hard to get the same feeling reading from a device as it is paging through a book at a cafe in a sunny piazza." —Katherine LaGrave

How do you carry books when traveling?

Does a book count as a personal item?