In my job as a showbiz reporter for the Daily Express, I travel back and forth to the UK and Ireland for work and more often than not, Ryanair is the most convenient airline to use.

As anyone who has travelled with the budget carrier will know, its luggage rules are tight. Finding a bag that meets the guidelines will ensure you can swerve any additional fees, so I am always on the lookout for a case that fits the bill. 

The airline allows all passengers to bring one piece of hand luggage for free, but it must be no more than 40 x 20 x 25cm, and it must fit into the sizer. If you show up at the boarding gate and your bag squeeze in, you will have to pay the Priority rate, which can cost between £20 and £60 at the airport. 

I'm on a mission to fit the most capacious bag that meets all the criteria, can fit everything I need for a short work trip, is comforable to carry and ideally, looks half decent (I'm willing to compromise on that last point if it means I avoid any fees). 

The latest bag I tried is a £22 option from Amazon, the VMIKIV Backpack, which claims to "specially designed for Ryanair". I favour a backpack over a holdall as I am generally jumping on and off the tube and trains and find it more convenient, so I was excited to try this one. Here's my honest review.  

The VMIKIV Backpack Review

What we love

• Fits into the sizer
• Good value (though not as cheap as some other viral bags)
• Handy backpack form
• Plenty of pockets
• Feels durable
• Comes in a variety of colours

What we dont

• Laptop pocket only fits 13.3inches
• Very little flexibility (if front pockets were full, it wouldn't have fitted in the box).

How I Tested

I took the VMIKIV backpack on a recent one-night work trip to London, packing clothes, toiletries, make-up, as well as my laptop, chargers, a power bank and a book, assessing 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, plus under my seat on the plane. I then carried it around London for the day to my various appointments, noting comfort levels and practicality. 

VMIKIV Backpack Review

My first thought was that it looked quite small but when I actually opened it out and unzipped all the pockets I could see it had a lot of capacity; as well as the main compartment, there are two front pockets – one of which had plenty of subpockets for accessories or documents and a laptop pocket designed to fit 13.3" computer CHECK – and a security pocket in the back, which I love for my keys and passport when travelling. The fabric felt heavyweight and good quality, plus, I was delighted to see this had very sturdy padded straps. I had the navy version, but it comes in six other shades, including a lilac and pink, two shades of green and black and grey. 

I only needed to pack light. Clothing wise, I needed a change of top and underwear for the next day, some pyjamas and a hoodie which for me, is a travel essential as. Aside from the fact planes can be cold, you never know what sort of weather you will run into no matter what the apps say. This always tends to be my bulkiest item and I have often ended up wearing it around my waist.

I had my toiletries – the standard toothpaste and deodrant etc – plus I also brought make up palettes and brushes and various other bits needed to freshen up when you are running around. I do always compromise on my liquids as the rules don't allow very much but this is the same across all airlines and not exclusive to Ryanair.

Aside from this I just needed my book, powerbank, passport and 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 average, and like many bags, this one has a laptop pocket designed for a 13.3" machine. 

On this occassion I didn't have to use any packing tricks like military rolls for t-shirts. The cubes I used were merely for organisation rather than a space-saving trick. By bringing my clean underwear in a separate bag I can simply swap it out for the worn items the next morning.

My machine is 15.6" as I can't bring monitors with me when I am travelling and this has a laptop pocket designed for a 13.3" so needless to say it didn't fit in the laptop pocket. As expected, my laptop didn't fit in the designated pocket. To be fair this is an issue I tend to encounter on all Ryanair friendly bags and not a reason to dismiss this. However given that my laptop is only 38mm across slightly less padding in the pocket would have ensured it fit. No matter as I just sat the laptop in the main pocket instead. I then used the laptop pocket to house my various chargers, powerbank and book. However this did leave less space to pack clothes. i

I was a bit apprehesive as I put the bag into the Ryanair measuring guide. I didn't relish the thoughts of paying a fee if the measurements of the bag were slightly off. I was very relieved when it fit - although I did take a water bottle out of the pocket and it wouldn't have met guidelines with it in. Also, if you packed out the front pockets it certainly wouldn't fit. In order to meet the requirements it does need to be fairly flush. Feeling very smug, and sad that no Ryanair staff were around to show this to as I measured it, I boarded the plane. It was like they knew we were conducting and experiment as I was in the aisle seat which has a much smaller seat space in front - indeed it was the exact size of the bag. Even a couple of cms over and it wouldn;t have fit so it also passed that test

I spent a day running around London with this bag and it is very comfortable. Unlike many backpacks it doesn't drag down and if you are zooming between appointments and want to keep your hands free this is ideal.

One feature I didn't notice until I got home is a reinforced hole on the side to run a charging cable through while it is connected to a powerbank in your bag. This isn't something I would necessarily use but it seems like a very useful and well thought out addition to the design.

VMIKIV Backpack Final Verdict

For just over £20 this is a workhorse of a bag. You get a lot of bang for your buck. It is extremly neat and the abundance of pockets is fantastic for organisation (which is key when you are travelling light). The capacity is impressive for the size and it's comfortable to carry when packed. while my laaptop didn't fit in the allocated pocket it is flagged that it is for a smaller machine and it sit perfectly in the main compartment so this isn't a major gripe. 

You do have to be careful not to stuff the pockets and also to leave enough space to put your water bottle in the bag boarding the plane. That aside this is defintely one of my new favourite bags for travelling.