There’s a running joke among air travelers that involves carrying all your clothes at once instead of just buying a bigger suitcase and paying a checked bag fee. If you’re worried about the weight of your bag, you can always apply tricks like this guy, or you can embrace the clog as a viable solution. The latter is something a TikToker named Mattiegascar (@mattymendy) did while traveling.
Matty documented his travel “hack” in a viral TikTok that has garnered over 188,000 views as of Saturday. While many found his dedication to the joke hilarious, others said they too had tried it and couldn’t recommend it in good conscience.
The text in Matty’s video reads: “GRWM [get ready with me] for my flight with only 1 carry-on.” He places his recorder on the floor of the airport and then proceeds to show off the many layers of clothing he wears during the flight.
He puts on several pairs of pants, multiple t-shirts, and a short-sleeved button-down flannel over it all. He rocks a baseball cap and rolls a carry-on suitcase around the airport and a pair of shoes in the back pockets of his clothes.
This tactic appears to be a travel “hack” that he has implemented so that he can carry as many clothes as possible with him, while only bringing one carry-on on the plane with him.
@mattymendy fitness check! #jetstar #ootd ♬ Circus – Colorful Clowns
For domestic flights, many airlines sell “basic economy” tickets, which are often non-refundable (for 24 hours and outside of extenuating circumstances such as significant delays and/or cancellations) and come with several caveats.
As is often the case with basic economy seats, passengers will be offered the lowest possible travel costs for their airline tickets. However, they can only carry one personal item, such as a backpack.
Small carry-on baggage with basic economy tickets is usually charged extra, as is checked baggage. Some airlines, such as Frontier, even allegedly enforce strict policing when it comes to the amount of “personal items” people are allowed to carry on planes. One user even went so far as to argue that the bag they were carrying on board was clearly in line with the airline’s rules on personal items, with some accusing the company’s agents of receiving commissions for every passenger they waited for a fare for personal items.
Other travelers have shared their “hacks” for saving money when traveling with luggage and bypassing high bag/luggage prices. For example, one Spirit Airlines customer chose to ship their items home using a parcel service for $35 instead of dropping that money into checked baggage.
One viewer was impressed by Matty’s ability to put on all the clothes in the first place, writing: “HOW did she put on all those jeans?”
Another thought that this technique would lead to a lot of logistical problems, commenting: “Going to the toilet would be crazy.”
Someone else said that their own experience and applying this hack to their travels didn’t go so well.
“I did this once and almost passed out,” they wrote.
Another thought that Matty must have been gone for a long time if he was traveling with so many pairs of jeans.
“My question is how long will you need 4 pairs of jeans lol” they asked.
The Daily Dot reached out to Matty via a comment on TikTok for additional information.
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*First published: April 6, 2024, 11:00 a.m. CDT
Jack Alban
Jack Alban is a freelance journalist for the Daily Dot covering human interest trends/social media stories and real people’s reactions to them. He always strives to incorporate evidence-based research, current events, and facts related to these stories to create your not-so-average viral post.
