Air travel hack using fishing gear really works: ‘Absolutely every time’
There’s no such thing as a bad day when you’re fishing — and no such thing as extra baggage charges when you wear a fishing vest.
Travel hackers on TikTok are putting function before fashion in the latest trend, which sees savvy airline passengers using pocket-laden vests — typically worn by anglers to carry their myriad gizmos — to carry belongings they can’t fit into a carry-on.
In a clip with over 1.8 million views, TikTok user @cheapholidayexpert carefully tucks various items into the many pockets of the vest — including a portable speaker, stick of deodorant, pack of cards, and bikini. She even manages to shove a laptop into a larger pocket in the back of the vest.
“After stuffing my pants in a neck pillow and using a duty-free bag, it was only time before I reached the heady heights of leisurewear,” Cheap Holiday Expert jokes in the video’s caption.
The fishing vest hack is a variation on other air travel hacks that have made the rounds on the app. Previously touted strategies have included stuffing extra clothes into a travel neck pillow and wearing multiple layers of clothing aboard the plane, all in the name of avoiding an extra charge.
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Other TikTok creators have tried this new hack and say that it helped them avoid additional checked-bag charges.
“Great travel hack for budget airlines and early check-ins,” creator Natasha Hunt-Stanley gushes in a clip, adding it’s helped her “get around those high [baggage] charges.”
In an email to The Post, Hunt-Stanley, who lives in the UK, said she’s used the trick “five times, [over] eight flights and one train journey.”
“When I wear [the vest] over a black outfit, it’s barely noticeable,” the thrifty traveler said, adding it’s worked “absolutely every time.”
In the clip, she shows herself wearing a fishing vest, smaller pockets packed with travel essentials like chargers, earphones and snacks, and larger pockets stuffed full of clothes.
The user then shows herself taking a tote bag out of the vest and stuffing the vest into it.
“So I don’t look like a crazy person,” she joked.
In another video, attorney and frequent traveler Julie Waters tests the technique with a fly-fishing vest for her upcoming Spirit Airlines flight.
In her video, Waters claims to have stowed a week’s worth of clothing into her vest. Along with her carry-on luggage, the mom successfully made it through security without having to pay for an additional item.
“No one batted an eye, but a friend did make a comment that someone could have thought you were some kind of crazy Unabomber-type person so that would be the biggest downside,” she told the Wall Street Journal. “What I really want to try is the pillowcase one, where instead of a pillow it’s full of clothes.”
For Hunt-Stanley, who frequently travels with budget airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair, it’s a game changer.
“It’s such a winner for budget airlines and early check-ins,” Hunt-Stanley said. “Especially when there is a pool to lounge around.”
The Post has reached out to Ryanair, Spirit Airlines and EasyJet for comment.