Can You Actually Avoid Baggage Fees By Wearing All Your Clothes To The Airport At Once?

There's no denying that traveling is expensive. Even when you use all the travel budgeting hacks and save up all the credit card points and miles, you can still get taken by hidden fees and unexpected expenses. One of the most common and annoying fees that can catch travelers by surprise is an overweight bag fee. These fees can be anywhere from $30 to $200 or more, depending on the airline and how heavy the suitcase is. That's not pocket change! An overweight baggage fee can seriously mess up your travel budget.

So what do you do if your checked bag is over your airline's weight limit? You have a few options. The quickest, but possibly most painful, is to go ahead and pay the baggage fee. Your wallet will hurt, but you'll be on your way in no time. But if you want to avoid those pesky excess baggage fees, you can either open up all of your suitcases, including your carry-ons, and do some rearranging right there on the airport floor, though the chances of that solving your issues are slim, especially if you tend to overpack. Your last resort is to take some clothes out of your suitcase and wear them through security, across the airport, and onto your flight. And as ridiculous as it may sound, it is absolutely allowed, and can even make for some hilarious memories. However, travelers should read up on their airline's policies and proceed at their own risk.

While there is no rule against against this hack, you might want to think twice before you try it. It may be more trouble than it's worth. For one, you'll have to take all the extra layers off when going through security and then put them all on again once you're on the other side. Then you're stuck under a mountain of clothes, which can get uncomfortable real quick. Even after the struggle, you might still get stopped, as was the case for an Australian teen in 2023. She had to pay a fine to her airline, in addition to the overweight baggage fee, after she piled on six layers of clothes. In a more serious incident in 2015, Scottish boy band singer James McElvar collapsed from heat exhaustion onboard an EasyJet flight, due to the 12 layers of clothes he piled on his body just to avoid paying an overweight baggage fee.

But if you're set on trying it, don't let these incidents deter you. According to replies on a Reddit post inquiring about this dilemma, the majority of people had no trouble with this hack besides some mild discomfort. A comment from a now-deleted account read, "I've worn my snowboard gear and boots going through Security. It's a f**king a*se, and you already stink but it at least ensures a quiet flight." Another comment from u/Cimexus voices what others may be thinking: "The extremes people go to to save a couple of bucks on checked baggage fees constantly astounds me..." If this hack doesn't look worth it to you, it might be safer to pay for a second checked bag.