Tips for Packing Light – On Your Next Flight

I spend hours planning trips and love every minute of it, but actually packing for the trip…that’s another story. After a bad experience a few years ago with lost luggage, we have been trying to travel only with carry-on luggage whenever possible. It is kind of liberating to know that you have everything you need and do not need to rely on anyone else for ensuring that your luggage arrives.

You may have read our September post, “How to Pack for the TSA”, in which we offered some ideas for minimizing the number of liquids that you have to pack. Well this post ties in nicely. This article will provide some ideas and products that will allow you to take less and pack more efficiently. So even if you have to check luggage, hopefully you will pick up a few tips to make the whole packing process a bit more tolerable. Granted, this post is probably a little more oriented toward women travelers, but there are some tips for the guys too!

Note: Included below are links to all the products that are mentioned. However, these companies are not affiliates and we receive no compensation from any vendors. These links are all to items that we use on a regular basis and feel comfortable recommending.

What to Pack

As mentioned, I am committed to trying to pack everything into only carry-on luggage. Realistically though, that may just not be possible for every trip. If you are traveling to a wedding for example, it’s probably not going to work out well trying to jam suits and fancy dresses into a small bag. But if you are going on a more casual trip you may find these ideas helpful.

If you pack lightly for longer trips, you will also need to be willing to do at least a little laundry and be resigned to the fact that you will repeat outfits. Personally, both of these compromises are fine with me. I do realize though that not everyone may agree. However, I hope you still find value in these tips for planning an efficient wardrobe.

The clothes you pack are of course dependent on the activities you have planned. Clearly, packing light is much easier in the summer months since clothing tends to be lighter and less layers are typically needed. However, you can still travel light for winter trips, like a ski trip, you just may have to be willing to take fewer changes of clothes or do extra laundry on your trip.

Here are the steps I take to select all the clothes that I am taking on a typical warm weather trip.

• Pick Your Colors

I start the packing process by creating a capsule wardrobe for the trip. In a nutshell, a capsule wardrobe is simply a collection of clothing that can easily be mixed and matched. Typically, I chose tops, bottoms and dresses in shades of black, gray, white, cream and khaki. Pretty much every top will coordinate with every bottom. In addition, I throw in a couple of sweaters or jackets that also coordinate with this color scheme.

• Select Each Piece of Clothing

Our trips tend to be fairly casual in that we don’t usually take any dressy clothing. Unless it’s wintertime, I also never bring any bulky clothes. That almost always means no jeans, sweatshirts or other heavy clothes. Instead, I bring along several pieces of technical clothing, often used for hiking and outdoor activities. These types of clothes can easily be compressed without wrinkling and because they are so lightweight, take up much less space in the suitcase. Another advantage to technical clothing is that it is easy to launder by hand, dries quickly and doesn’t wrinkle.

You can find technical clothing for both men and women at a lot of retailers like Columbia, REI, Orvis, etc., but here are a few examples of some pants and skirts that I often include in my capsule wardrobe.  These clothes are so comfortable on the plane and when touring around all day. You can switch to a nicer top and even dress them up a bit to wear to dinner.

If I do need to look a little nicer, I also take a couple of lightweight sun dresses that can be worn to dinner or even for touring. Having a coordinating cardigan to throw on can change the look of the dress and keep you warm if there is an evening chill.

TIP: You can really change the look of an outfit simply by adding a smart scarf.  Throw a couple in your bag.  They take up no room and are an easy way to create a different look.

• Select Shoes

Depending on the activities you plan to engage in and the color scheme you have selected for your clothing, I recommend taking no more than 3 pairs of shoes that could go with every outfit. I also suggest wearing your heaviest or bulkiest shoe on the plane, while packing one or two other pairs that can be worn for either walking around or dressing up your outfits for dinner or an event. On my last couple of trips I wore a pair of slip-on sneakers on the plane and packed a pair of Keen hiking sandals, and a pair of flat sandals that could be dressed up or down. All 3 shoes were black and therefore coordinated easily with all the pieces in the capsule wardrobe.

• Finalize the list

When all is said and done here is what I usually have in my carry-on luggage for a 2 to 3 week trip. If there is any extra room, I will throw in a couple of optional pieces like a pair of dressier pants or more tops.

3 pairs of technical pants (black, gray, khaki)
2 skirts (black, gray)
2 dresses (multicolored)
7 or 8 short sleeve tops
1 or 2 sleeveless tops
1 or 2 colorful cardigans
2 pairs of sandals
2 camis/tanks
2 pairs of yoga pants
1 pair of folding slippers
1 rain jacket
10 pairs of underwear
3 bras
5 pairs of no-shoe socks

Tips and Products to Help You Pack Efficiently

• Convertible Backpacks

I have used so many different carry-on suitcases over the years and finally decided that my Travelpro Rollaboard was perfect, that is until I discovered eBags’ TLS Mother Lode Weekender Convertible Junior. This bag is awesome! It can be carried in a traditional manner, but I purchased it to use in its backpack mode. I have found that the bag is easy to carry on my back and it allows me to have both hands free while navigating the airport or making my way to my hotel. I absolutely love this little bag. It has a ton of pockets and compartments for holding water bottles, papers and even a laptop. Amazingly it holds every bit as much or more as my old Travelpro, but is so much lighter and easier to handle. Take a look at all the clothes that I fit in this bag… and I didn’t even have to expand it to hold all this!

• Packing Cubes

You may have noticed a little blue pouch in the picture above. This is a packing cube, and it is a great product that really helps me consolidate my clothes into the smallest space possible. You can find a lot of these on the market, but my husband and I have each owned our own set of eBags packing cubes for years and they have held up very well. These packing cubes are available directly from eBags.com or you can purchase them on Amazon. eBags has frequent sales though, so if you keep an eye out, you can probably get this set (small, medium and large) for less than $20.

I will admit that when I first heard about packing cubes, I was a bit skeptical. I really didn’t think that they could make that much difference, but boy was I wrong. The secret to using the packing cubes effectively is to roll your clothes instead of stacking them. By rolling your clothes and fitting them into the packing cube, you are able to maximize the available space in your suitcase. Here is an example of what I packed into a large cube.

Frankly, I could have fit even more into this cube by doing a little bit of stacking. But by using a single layer in this large cube I was able to fit 4 pairs of pants, 3 dresses, 2 skirts, 2 yoga pants and 2 camis. All of my tops, cardigans and rain jacket fit into the other medium and small eBags cubes.

Another great thing about the packing cubes is that they allow you to pack and unpack quickly, all the while staying very organized. There is no more need to root around in your suitcase looking for that one shirt. Packing cubes allow you to easily see everything and select one item without disturbing the rest of the clothes in your bag.

I have also found compression packing cubes to be very helpful. These bags have a double zipper that allows you to totally compress the contents of each bag. They are wonderful for things like underwear, bathing suits or any other items that are resistant to wrinkles. I purchased this 4-piece set on Amazon for under $25.  The technique for using these bags is the same. Simply role the clothes, stuff them in the bag, zip the inner zipper to close the bag and then zip the outer zipper to compress the entire bag. It works perfectly and really helps when you to carry bulky items like sweaters and other cold weather gear.

• Packing Folder

My husband uses all these same techniques for packing, but in addition he uses the Samsonite Packing Folder. This folder is great for ensuring that his dressier pants and button down shirts do not get wrinkled.

This packing folder holds at least 10 dress shirts and probably more. And what’s even better, you won’t have to iron them when you arrive at your destination!

• Packing the Backpack

Here is my little stack of clothes all packed up into the packing cubes.

And here are those packing cubes strapped into the TLS Motherlode Weekender Jr.

And finally, here is what it looks like when it’s completely packed up and on my back. Keep in mind that there is still plenty of room to stuff a lot of odds and ends into the various outside pockets. The only word of caution is because you can pack so much into this backpack, it can get a little heavy. The pack in this picture weighed in around 20 pounds. That’s not a big deal for me, but it could be an issue for some folks, so just be aware.

TIP: Most U.S. airlines are fairly liberal regarding the weight of carry-on bags. However, some international carriers have much stricter guidelines, some as little as 15 pounds. Always check with your specific airlines and weigh your bags to ensure that they will meet the weight restrictions for all of your flights, including your connecting flights.

• Tote Bag

I never carry a purse on the plane, but I do always carry some sort of tote bag. Last year I started carrying this Eddie Bauer Mini Zen Tote. It is lightweight, durable and has several secure zippered compartments for phones, passports, and other items you want to keep safe. I typically use this bag to hold my phone, iPad, makeup, sweater or jacket and all the other little things you need on a long flight. This bag is easy to carry with its shoulder straps and it fits nicely under the seat on the plane.

• Toiletry Bag

In addition to everything else in the tote bag, I carry all my toiletries in this eBags Pack-it-Flat toiletry bag. I wasn’t too sure about this product when I purchased it, but it has turned out to be another gem. This bag fits a ton of stuff and it even has some lined sections for products that have the potential to leak. True to its name, it lays flat and takes up less room than some other bulkier toiletry bags. It can also fit nicely into the Motherlode backpack.

• Travel Purse

Finally, I mentioned that I do not carry a purse on the plane, but I do take a purse along on the trip. I try not to take any valuables on our trips, so that means no expensive purses. Instead, I take along this Travelon Anti -Theft Crossbody purse that I usually stuff into one of my carry-on bags. These purses are admittedly not the most fashionable, but they are quite functional. They are lightweight, comfortable to carry and their built-in safety features help keep your valuables safe. These type of purses come in all sorts of sizes and colors, so you should be able to find something that appeals to your aesthetic.

So here is the final product. Everything that I need for a 1 to 3 week trip stowed away in 2 small carry-on bags.

I hope you have found some takeaways that you can use on your next trip. But I bet a lot of you folks have some tips, tricks and products that you have found helpful too. Be sure to share your ideas in the comments section. And if you haven’t already read our article on packing your liquid products for air travel, be sure to take a look at “How to Pack for the TSA”.