I used to arrive at the airport ready to cheque a bag packed disproportionately full of massive, bulky clothing. 49.9 pounds of material filled suitcase sweating nervously in line thinking why did I wear jeans on travel day. I was that person.
Then I learned something that transformed the way I travel… heck, the way I look at clothing period. While waiting for a checked bag to reappear in Berlin two years ago (lost by Lufthansa for four days.. four days wearing the same jeans and t-shirt with clients.. freaking professional,) I decided to take my inevitable frustration with lost luggage and figure the “pack-on-the-plane-only” folks were talking about on the internet. Turns out, packing on the plane is not magical – its just applied minimalism and some advance planning.
Once you get the hang of it you’ll never cheque a bag again.. The Basics The sweet spot for most carry on luggage is around 1,800 cubic inches of space. Feel like a lot?
Try stuffing your typical holiday wardrobe into that space.
Pair of jeans: ~200 cubic inches when rolled carefully. Throw in a hoodie (~300 c.i.) a couple crew cut cotton t-shirts (~100 c.i. each) and you’ve already used up half your space without packing any underwear, shoes, or toiletries.
Bottom line: I had to mentally reshape my idea of what “holiday clothes” were. Packing for holiday used to be like planning for me moving overseas. Why?
Three pair of shoes just in case. Shorts incase it gets hot? Heavy jacket incase it gets cool.
Two pair of jeans because…. why do I pack two pair of jeans? Solution? Start eliminating anything that doesn’t match at least three different items you’re packing.
Can’t mix that purple shirt with anything else? It doesn’t come. Harsh?
Yes. Effective? Also yes.
Pick a colour scheme and stick to it. I almost exclusively wear navy, grey, and white anymore when travelling. Simple?
Yes. Boring? Also yes.
But that boring factor allows me to pack navy chinos that go with every single shirt I packed, as well as a grey merino wool t-shirt that goes with both my chinos AND my dark jeans. Materials matter more when packing minimalist. Merino wool is a dream because it doesn’t smell like you’ve been wearing it for days on end like regular cotton t-shirts.
That means I can pack one merino t-shirt and wear it three days in a row (not back to back, but you get the idea) with no problem. The difference between packing 7 shirts for 7 days and packing 3 is wool. So what works for me?
Basically fifteen trips worth of trial and error to figure out what actually works when you fly on-the-plane-only. Here’s the list.. Merino wool t-shirts: x3 (white, grey, navy) Dark Jeans: x1 Navy Cotton Chinos: x1 Merino Wool Jumper: x1 Button-Up Shirt: x1 (pack it so that you can wear it tucked in with chinos, and untucked with jeans) Shoes: Blasphemy as a minimalist traveller?
Wearing your bulkiest shoes on the plane. I pack white leather trainers that go with everything and know I’ll be fine no matter where I go. One other pair that varies by destination.. maybe the white canvas trainers for hot weather?
Brown leather boots? You really only need two pair of shoes 99% of the time. Underwear and socks are where packing cubes come into play.
I picked up these compression packing cubes from Eagle Creek about a year ago and love them. I can compress 7 pairs of underwear into about the size of a paperback book. The same goes for 7 pairs of socks.
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Same idea with workout clothes if you need to pack them. One pair of shorts, two workout shirts fits into virtually nothing. Outerwear will vary wildly depending on your destination, but this is another area where you should be asking yourself hard questions.
20% chance of rain? Okay, throw on a packable rain jacket that folds into its own pocket. Cold?
Wear your bulkiest jacket on the plane and pack a light fleece. The point here is layers. Don’t pack one giant coat that takes up 1/3 of your luggage..
Packing takes more planning these days than actual packing. If I know I’m meeting clients I make sure I have the button-up. Going hiking?
Bring hiking trousers. Skip the chinos.. Beach?
Ok, you need to bring swim shorts. But do you need three pair? Nope.
By figuring out what you’ll actually need you can vastly streamline what you pack.. Roll vs fold? Roll, every time.
It’s about maximising space and rolling tightly (but not so tight that you crease and can’t shake out.) T-Shirts roll up beautifully. Fold your button-ups lengthwise once, then roll from the bottom up. Roll your jeans from the cuff up.
Do laundry on your trip. Maybe radical two years ago when I started doing this, but laundromats exist everywhere and if you’re staying at a hostel you’ve got a built-in laundry system. And hey, most hotels have laundry service now too.
Being willing to do laundry halfway through a two week holiday means you can pack for one week, wash, then re-wear those exact items for week two. Worst case you do a couple shirts in the sink (Merino wool can be washed and dried overnight. ).. Toiletries are where people blow their cubic-inch budget.
Quick math shows that those tiny travel shampoo/bottles add up quickly. Then there’s the 3-1-1 liquid restrictions. I pack a solid shampoo bar, solid cologne, and learned to just live without toothpaste until I land (you can always buy toothpaste anywhere.) Hotel moisturizer isn’t going to kill your skin for one week.
For me, packing like this has an added bonus – I actually dress better when I go on holiday. Everything matches, so you literally can’t put an outfit together that looks BAD. How does that compare to tossing everything you own in a suitcase and hoping you can make it work when you get to your destination?
Freaking pros over here. Ok, so maybe you won’t keep your bag fee, but every two weeks since February of 2017 I’ve saved somewhere around $25 in bag-cheque fees. $400+ that I no longer spend on baggage fees. But did I mention that you also get to bypass the baggage claim carousel?
Yeah.
You walk out of the airport the SECOND your flight lands. No waiting, no lost luggage, no schlepping a huge-ass suitcase down cobblestone streets.
Hell, my girlfriend thinks I’m nuts. She also was entertained for a solid twenty minutes while I debated between two solid grey shirts before departing for Portland last month. She’s come around now that travelling sans checked baggage is as seamless as the process I designed it to be.
And if she can do it.. anyone can.. Accept that you might not look ideal for every minute of your holiday. It’s fine.
In two years of only packing on the plane I have never encountered a situation where I needed something I didn’t pack. Situations change, plans come up. But in my experience, they almost never require you to break your packing strategy.
