Originally Posted by macdo

The trick is to carry the bag effortlessly. Grunting or straining will draw attention.

>5 years ago a colleague had to split their carry on from one into two bags on account of weight as we were leaving ZQN. This at checkin counter. I think it was 10kg total, in line with the rules but no idea why this was noticed. His bag didn't look big but he had books and papers in there.

I am occasionally surprised (AKL-WLG) by the number and size of duty-free bags that international arrivals carry on. Suppose you cant really put them in the hold and shared interest of airline and airports in supporting the business.