Pack what you will need, not what you might need. Anything you might need you can just buy.
Just leave some room in the bag to bring back anything you might buy so you don't have to ship it.
Why Can't You Pack a Bag? (2024)
11–20 of 83 posts
Re: Why Can't You Pack a Bag? (2024)
#12From personal experience when I was younger: Spending a month traveling on European trains with a backpack will teach you a whole lot about what you actually need to pack, and what you will want to just leave behind and purchase again locally if you really turn out to need a given item. For me, the starting point that makes a lot of it way easier is to focus on layering. Anyone who lives in the Bay Area will instantl…
In late 1970s, I spent two months hitching and riding trains around Europe, just an external frame backpack and a sleeping bag. A few years ago, I spent 2.5 weeks in U.K. and Ireland, with an 18-liter backpack and a waist bag (a.k.a. fanny pack ), which made getting around a breeze especially at airports and on trains. It even allowed me to carry a notebook computer. As mentioned in TFA, merino wool and no cotton garments helps. The rain was a minor inconvenience, but I did have lodging where I could get things rinsed and dried out in my room. I did buy an umbrella but should have splurged on better quality, even if I would end up abandoning it.
Best packing advice I ever received: take half as many clothes, and twice as much money, as you think you'll need.
Re: Why Can't You Pack a Bag? (2024)
#13I really don't understand what people are putting in the 2-3 large suitcases I see them struggling to shove in overhead. For one, rolling luggage is usually a mistake for anyone who's not flight crew.
I bring a week's worth of thin clothes that layer. If I need more, I'm either washing by hand or using a service. Basic toiletries, an e-reader, phone, keys, charger bricks, a notebook/pens, daypack. It fits into an underseat backpack with room to spare.
This has scaled fine all the way up to multi-month scientific expeditions in remote locations. Sometimes I need to accommodate specialized equipment like formal clothes/shoes, camera bodies/lenses, excavation equipment, tent, water purification, sleeping pad/bag, etc, but that's solved through the magic of bringing a slightly larger bag.
Re: Why Can't You Pack a Bag? (2024)
#14The advantages of packing light aren't always obvious[1] until you experience them, so you can pretty much tell someone's level of travel experience by how small their luggage is. I've yet to meet someone who packs more and more stuff based on past experience. As the article mentions, good fabrics (like merino wool) can go a long way. (1) Reliability and flexibility being foremost. Not having to worry about lost lugg…
For people without children, yes; with children, often, the opposite.
Re: Why Can't You Pack a Bag? (2024)
#15From personal experience when I was younger: Spending a month traveling on European trains with a backpack will teach you a whole lot about what you actually need to pack, and what you will want to just leave behind and purchase again locally if you really turn out to need a given item. For me, the starting point that makes a lot of it way easier is to focus on layering. Anyone who lives in the Bay Area will instantl…
I tried layering when I traveled somewhere cold, where the high was just above freezing. I felt foolish whenever I went indoors and had to peel off three or four layers in order to feel comfortable.
The next time I went, I brought a proper winter jacket. When I was indoors, I took off my jacket. It was simpler and more comfortable, both outdoors and indoors. You cannot replicate a winter jacket with a rain shell and a bunch of layers.
The Bay Area has a lot of microclimates but none of them are really cold nor hot or humid.
Re: Why Can't You Pack a Bag? (2024)
#16interesting how much overlap onebagging has with ultralight backpacking
Re: Why Can't You Pack a Bag? (2024)
#17Pack what you will need, not what you might need. Anything you might need you can just buy.
Unless the shops are closed and it is surprisingly raining now and you did not bring that rain jacket/umbrella.
Re: Why Can't You Pack a Bag? (2024)
#18Pack what you will need, not what you might need. Anything you might need you can just buy.
Depends how remote your destination is.
Re: Why Can't You Pack a Bag? (2024)
#19Pack what you will need, not what you might need. Anything you might need you can just buy.
Exactly. Buy local. Support the local economy and blend in.
if you’re visiting major cities and need basic clothing you’re probably shopping at the some of the same name brand outlets or lines
Re: Why Can't You Pack a Bag? (2024)
#20For me, colder weather doesn't necessarily dictate warmer clothing, it dictates a faster pace or more inside activities.
Another thing is getting used to and being comfortable with being cold and hot. Enjoying time in saunas and cold plunges made me pack even lighter than I already did.