No one anytime anywhere has shown a shred of evidence that passengers carrying their personal effects hinders evacuation
Air Accidents Investigation: Boeing 737-804, G-GDFJ
Page 22
Passengers stood up and started moving towards the exits. Some tried to recover personal items from the overhead lockers, which created restrictions in the flow towards the exits.
Page 31
The evacuation took an estimated 3 minutes and 38 seconds. Passengers attempting to recover property from the overhead lockers delayed movement towards the exits, and the age or infirmity of some of the passengers may have extended the evacuation time.