A TikTok user has gone viral for a possibly ingenious travel hack: Packing a pillowcase with clothes.

It’s no secret that airlines have gotten more controlling with travel requirements. If you book a basic economy ticket, you will have to give up your carry-on bag as overhead bin space is limited to main cabin ticketholders.

However, one flyer may have discovered a little known hack to carry more items aboard. In a TikTok video seen over 17 million times, user Anya Iakovlieva shows the way she brings her wardrobe aboard a packed flight: in a pillowcase.

“Pillowcase Hack” Goes Viral Among Flyers

Many flyers will choose to bring a pillow along for the ride, especially on longer flights. With many airlines, this is often considered a comfort item and does not count against the passenger’s carry-on limit – similar to shopping bags of items purchased at the airport. However, instead of putting a traditional pillow in the pillowcase, Iakovlieva elects to put her clothes inside.

The subsequent video shows her going through the airport with the pillow in tow, and ultimately on the aircraft holding it at her seat. In a comment on the video, Iakovlieva says she was able to pack enough clothes for a month-long trip in the pillowcase.

Comments on the video have sparked a small debate about just how effective the travel hack is in today’s fee-controlled aviation climate. One TikTok user replied: “Come on, they don’t even allow a handbag/purse on some flights, there’s no way a pillow is gonna fly.” Iakovlieva responded: “6 times tested and worked so far.”

Others wonder just how effective that might be, claiming the weight of the clothes would create a major problem getting around the airport. Several commenters claiming to be pilots say this is a perfectly acceptable way to get around the rules, while another flyer wrote: “I’ve been doing this for 20 years; it’s never failed me once.”

Feature image courtesy: Solen Feyissa via Unsplash