• winter hat
  • pajama pants and t-shirt - this is extravagant overpacking. Normally I would just bring a pair of shorts, and wear whatever shirt/camisole I'd be wearing that day.
  • socks, underwear, shirts
  • laundry bag! This is the key item. (I use a lingerie bag, but a plastic grocery bag would work too). I only pack two changes of clothes, and do laundry every third day.

    When there's no free washing machine, I hand-wash my clothes each night in the sink.
  • from R-L: wallet, phone, ipod, keys, moleskine, pen, and a purse to carry them all in. There's usually a small camera in here too.
  • The other key item: toiletry pack. This tiny bag holds shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, razor, condoms, floss, tampons, hairbands, soap, etc.

    If I need more than a few days' worth of shampoo or whatever, I'll buy it at my destination.
  • miscellaneous chargers (laptop charger not shown). The purple pouch holds jewelry.
  • the laptop - I'll bring it if I might need to do work. Very occasionally, I leave it at home. It's responsible for almost half the weight of the bag.
  • clothes - in this case, layer-friendly wool and cashmere. In summer, substitute t-shirts, sundresses, etc. I wear one outfit and pack two.

How I pack for any length trip in under 10 pounds

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This is what I packed to visit my family. It's also what I packed to visit Chris's family. (Didn't bother unpacking in between). This is basically the same set of stuff I pack anywhere.

It all fits in a single messenger bag, so I never have to check luggage. I don't even use the overhead compartment - my bag fits under the seat.

There are two secrets to make this easy and painless:

1. keep a travel toiletry kit always packed and ready to go. (it's on the far right of this photo). Get the tiniest clear cosmetic bag you can find, and pack it with the tiniest toiletries - shampoo, deodorant, toothbrush, etc.

The tiny bottles will last through a weekend trip, or on a longer trip, they will tide you over until you find a place to buy larger bottles of shampoo and things.

2. bring a laundry bag (a plastic grocery bag will do) and only pack two outfits. Take time to make sure that everything is mix-and-match compatible, and that you have an outfit for every occasion. This is doable, but requires careful planning.

Two outfits for 1-2 people (or three outfits, if you do laundry in your pajamas) fills up one small load in a friend's house or laundromat. If you're away from laundry machines, wash your clothes in the bathroom sink each night (and in this case, pack or buy some detergent and a clothesline). See onebag.com for more info on the wash-as-you-go tactic.

Anne Greene, Tera Lynn Childs, hackyourtravel, sugarplumkate, and 12 other people added this photo to their favorites.

View 6 more comments

  1. loxosceles 47 months ago | reply

    What you see here all fits into a messenger bag, small enough to fit under the seat on an airplane.

  2. loxosceles 47 months ago | reply

    To find out what you personally will need, it depends on what you personally will be packing! Gather your things together and see how big a pile that makes. If you need more information than that, check out www.onebag.com

  3. Nomadic Lara 47 months ago | reply

    thanks! I think I may just pack my things and go to a bag/backpack shop and try out ^.^

  4. pinayoki13 28 months ago | reply

    I tend to overpack, thanks for sharing!

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