Packing light, and actually sticking to it

Start from the bag, not from the pile

If you pack into a large bag, you will fill it. Buy or borrow a smaller one and the constraint does the arguing for you.

A small carry-on can suit some trips when laundry is available. Adapt luggage to medical, accessibility, family, climate and equipment needs; the airline’s size and weight limits still apply.

The three-climate wardrobe

Three thin layers cover a wider temperature range than one thick one, weigh less and dry faster.

• Base: 3–4 T-shirts or thin long sleeves in merino or a synthetic blend.
• Mid: one light fleece or thin down jacket that compresses to the size of a water bottle.
• Shell: one genuinely waterproof jacket with a hood. Water-resistant is not waterproof.
• Bottoms: two, one smart enough for a restaurant. Never three.
• Socks and underwear: four days’ worth. Wash in a sink and hang overnight.
• Choose two neutral colours and one accent so every combination works.

Shoes: the biggest single win

Shoes are heavy, bulky and consistently over-provisioned. Two pairs maximum: the ones on your feet and one alternative. Hiking boots only come if you are genuinely hiking, and then they travel on your feet.

What to leave at home, every time

• The “just in case” outfit. If you cannot name the specific event, it is not coming.
• A full-size toiletry kit. Shampoo exists everywhere; buy it there and leave it behind.
• Books you have not started. Bring one paperback you are already reading, or an e-reader.
• More than one bulky jacket. Layers, not thickness.
• Anything for a hypothetical version of yourself who runs at dawn, journals daily and dresses for dinner.

What earns its place

• A power bank and multi-port charger.
• A universal adapter, ideally with USB built in.
• A refillable bottle, with a filter if tap water is a question.
• A packable day bag that folds into its own pocket.
• A small first-aid kit: plasters, blister patches, painkillers, rehydration salts and prescription medicine in original packaging.
• Earplugs and an eye mask.
• A paper copy of key documents, separate from the originals.
• Laundry soap sheets, which remove the need for three extra shirts.

Packing cubes: useful, but not for the reason people say

Cubes do not create space. What they do is make the bag navigable: find one item without unpacking six, and repack after a night stop in two minutes. On a trip with several moves that is worth the small weight penalty; at one destination it is not.

The weigh-and-remove ritual

Pack two days before you go. Pick up the bag, walk around the house for five minutes and put it on a scale. Anything above about 8 kilograms for carry-on means fighting it at every staircase.

Then remove three things. Not because you identified the right three, but because the exercise forces a comparison you otherwise avoid. Repeat it every trip and eventually you stop needing to.

Carry-on only: the argument and the caveats

No checked luggage means no carousel, no lost bag, faster connections and the ability to walk straight from an airport to a train. Over two weeks that reclaims hours and removes one category of anxiety.

The caveats are real: liquid limits require decanting or buying on arrival, some budget airlines charge more for cabin bags, and knives or multi-tools must go. Check the airline’s exact dimensions before buying a bag.

The part that changes your habits permanently

People whose luggage disappears for three days usually report the same thing: they were fine, if bored with one shirt. It teaches that the list of things you genuinely need is much shorter than the list of things you brought.

Own only what you can carry with you, wrote Solzhenitsyn, and know languages, countries and people. He was not writing about hand luggage, but it applies.