Canny budget travelers are donning FISHING VESTS and stuffing travel pillows with clothes

Canny budget travelers have revealed their latest hacks to get around extortionate airline luggage fees - by wearing fishing vests and stuffing travel pillows with clothes.

Julie Waters, who is an attorney, took a Spirit Airlines flight to Dallas and packed entire outfits in a nifty fishing jacket she bought specifically for the airplane. 

Waters, who has never fished a day in her life, wrote on TikTok: 'This fishing vest is a great packing hack! Don't pay extra baggage fees for your flight. This fishing vest held a week's worth of clothes.' 

The only downside, she said, was that someone may have mistaken her filled-out, puffy khaki vest for a 'Unabomber-type' contraption. 

Julie Waters, who is an attorney, took a Spirit Airlines flight to Dallas and packed entire outfits in a nifty fishing jacket she bought specifically for the airplane

The only downside, she said, was that someone may have mistaken her filled-out, puffy khaki vest for a 'Unabomber-type' contraption

In the clip, she placed a week's worth of her clothes out on a bed - including dresses and underwear - to prove that she could fit it all into her trusty jacket.

She then showed herself carefully pack in all the items into the large pockets, before posing for the camera with the vest on ahead of her flight.

Waters gleefully smiled as she made her way through airport security with the cunning contraption. She said that no one batted an eyelid, including the Spirit Airline staff.

She told WSJ: 'The clothes on your lower back made it kind of hard to sit. You couldn't lean all the way back—there is this puffy thing.

'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.

'What I really want to try is the pillowcase one, where instead of a pillow it’s full of clothes.' 

Nowadays, some economy flight packages make customers pay extra to bring hand luggage on to the plane - with a bigger fee if you want an extra hold bag. 

Spirt Airlines baggage fees run between $35 and $150. 

For weekend getaways, sometimes just one size-restricted cabin bag is not enough - so people have had to get creative with ways to get around the strict rules. 

Peter Barnett, another savvy flyer, said that he used one of his multi-pocket jackets on a flight in a bid to boycott the fees some airlines charge for luggage.

In the clip, she placed a week's worth of her clothes out on a bed - including dresses and underwear - to prove that she could fit it all into her trusty jacket

The attorney said she breezed through security with no problems

She made in on the airplane with her vest filled with her clothing

Chelsea, 32, removed the foam from her neck pillow and proceeded to stuff it with numerous clothing items

He used the fishing jacket to pack his trousers, shirts, hat, tie, and shoes - as well as his charger cables and his laptop. 

Barnett, who said he's saved hundreds of dollars with the hack, told WSJ: 'I just carry it on. They don’t know what’s in there. It allows me to have really cheap vacations.'

Travel expert Chelsea Dickenson, from North London, who runs cheapholidayexpert.com took to TikTok to reveal her favorite travel tip.

In the clip, Chelsea, 32, removed the foam from her neck pillow and proceeded to stuff it with numerous clothing items.

She captioned the video, which racked up over 1.4 million views, 'If this works it's gonna be a GAMECHANGER! #travelhack #budgettravel #cheaptravel'

Chelsea said her hack was more 'lower risk' than the one she's seen on TikTok where users stuff clothes in a large pillowcase.

She said: 'So I have got a lower risk option for you to try, and it includes this. Yeah, so the other day I noticed it had a zip so I opened it up, there's the memory foam—goodbye sunshine!

'And instead, here's my pants, probably shouldn't have them on show, soz about that.

'There's some tights that I'm putting in, also my hat, space for leggings also my T-shirt, so much room honestly.

'Look how chocka full it is, I tightened it up, we are good to go.'

Chelsea also bought a fishing vest for another flight she was taking from London to Lisbon.