Most of the questions we get in the shop come down to one thing: how do I fit this trip into one bag? This is how we'd answer if you were standing at the counter. They're the same rules the one-bag crowd on r/onebag and Carryology swear by, and they're the thinking behind our Trip Planner. Each section has its own link, so feel free to jump straight to the part you need.
The week kit
Here's the secret: past three days, stop counting days. Pack a week, and wash once if you're gone longer. That's 4 tops, 2 bottoms, 5 sets of socks and underwear, and 2 pairs of shoes, one pair on your feet. It covers a week on its own and any trip length with one wash. Nobody's keeping track of how often you wear a shirt, promise.
The one catch: every top has to go with every bottom. Pick one palette, mostly neutrals, and if a piece only works with one other thing in your bag, leave it home. This is also where quick-dry or merino tops earn their price. You can wear them twice, and when you do wash them, they're dry by morning.
Only going for 2 or 3 days? Then go ahead and pack per day: a top for each day, one pair of pants, and one more set of underwear than you have nights.
Wear it on travel day
Whatever's bulkiest goes on you, not in the bag: the heavier shoes, the jacket, the jeans, the hoodie. A second pair of sneakers can eat 15 to 20 percent of a carry-on on its own, so wear the big pair and pack the light one. You'll look a little overdressed at the gate. Planes are cold anyway.
The laundry plan
If you're gone longer than five days, you need a laundry plan, and honestly, the plan decides how much you pack more than the trip length does. You've got three options:
- A machine. Most rentals have one, and hotel laundry is often cheaper than you'd think. Pack the week kit and a laundry bag so worn clothes stay away from clean ones.
- The sink. Bring detergent sheets, a flat sink stopper and a quick-dry towel. Wash tops and underwear at night, roll them up in the towel, stand on it to wring them out, then hang them. Merino and synthetics are dry by the time you wake up.
- No laundry at all. Then seven days of clothes is about the most one bag can hold. Going longer? Plan a laundromat stop around day seven instead of packing an outfit for every day.
Read more: How to do laundry on the road →
Pack by category, not by outfit
We'll be straight with you: packing cubes don't magically make more room. What they do is stop your bag from turning into a pile by day three. Give each kind of thing its own home: one cube for tops, one for underwear and socks, a tech pouch for cables and the power bank, and a toiletry case. When you get to the hotel, the whole thing moves into a drawer in one lift.
Keep the liquids bag and the tech pouch at the top or in an outside pocket, so airport security doesn't mean unpacking in front of a line of strangers. And leave one cube a little underpacked. That's your room for souvenirs, and for the clothes that come back bulkier than they left.
Read more: How to pack with packing cubes →
Two pairs of shoes
You need one pair you can walk ten miles in and one pair that can go to dinner. That's it. Wear the heavier pair on travel days, and if it's a beach trip, the second pair can be sandals. If your carry-on won't close, check for a third pair of shoes first. It's almost always the culprit.
Which bag size
Once you know what's going in, picking the bag is easy. Here's how we size them in the shop:
- Under 5L: phone, wallet, keys and maybe a layer. Errands and nights out.
- 5–20L: a full day out, or a commute with a laptop.
- 20–30L: one to three nights away, or a whole week if you're doing one wash.
- 30–45L: a week or more without laundry, sized to common carry-on limits. Double-check your airline's rules before you fly.
More on sizing in the Carry Index guide →
Before you fly abroad
A few minutes of checking a week out saves a lot of stress at the airport. First, look up the entry requirements for where you're going. Some countries need a visa or an online travel authorization, and many want at least six months left on your passport. If you have a US passport, the State Department's country pages are the place to start; otherwise, check with the destination's embassy.
Then the small stuff: let your bank know you're traveling or bring a card with no foreign fees, and check the plug type so your phone isn't dead by day two. And even if you're checking a bag, keep your meds, chargers and one change of clothes with you in the cabin. Bags get delayed. You don't want your medication on a different flight.
Read more: Before you fly abroad →
The commute kit
Your everyday bag plays by different rules. On a packed train it lives between your feet, so it should stand up on its own. Keep your phone, wallet, keys and earbuds in a pouch or sling you can get to without opening the main bag, because nobody wants to dig at the turnstile. There are no outlets on the subway, so a slim power bank earns its spot.
If you hit the gym or shower at the office, here's a tip that changes everything: keep a second deodorant and toothbrush that never leave your bag. Less to move back and forth, less to forget. And keep your bottle at 24 oz or under. A full 40 oz bottle weighs about as much as a laptop.
Read more: The NYC commute kit →
Take one thing out
Last one, and it's our favorite. Once your bag is closed, open it back up and take one thing out. It's almost always something you'd have carried around all week and never touched. And if it turns out you really needed it, you can pick one up when you get there.
Ready to put it together? Tell the Trip Planner where you're headed and it'll build your list from the weather, your dates and what's in stock. Or come see us at the shop in Brooklyn. We're always happy to help you pack.
