I never feel more badass than when I board a plane with only a carry-on, then get off and walk straight to the pickup curb. That’s right, I just used a plane as a freaking taxi, yo! And it’s because I’m pretty good at packing light.
My top tricks for packing light include:
- A simple color palette (mine is always black and grey)
- High-end athleisure wear (Athleta is my go-to for comfort and style)
- Comfortable walking shoes that can also look dressy (I’ll get to that later)
- Wearing the bulkiest items on the plane (coats, extra layers, bigger shoes, etc)
We just flew from Atlanta to Sacramento for the weekend, and I managed to pack everything I needed (including some of Mike’s clothes) into one backpack. Here’s what I packed for my trip with one carry on…
All the clothes I packed for the weekend:
- Two pairs of black leggings. I recommend these from Lululemon, they’re comfortable so you can travel and walk a lot in them, but they also can be easily dressed up for going out at night. I also wore a pair of fleece-lined leggings on the plane.
- Two plain tank tops like these from Target in black and grey)
- One nice top. I brought a black turtle neck like this one because it was cold at night.
- One sweatshirt. I brought this one from Athleta
- One pair of fashionable sneakers. I live in these Dr Scholl’s slip-ons in black lizard print, they can be super-comfortable to walk around in and they look nice enough to dress up.
- Two pairs of socks. These are PERFECT for the Dr Scholl’s slip-ons — they stay on your heel and they’re low-cut, so you can’t see them)
- One pair of leg warmers. I love leg warmers because you can easily take them off if it gets hot during the day — these are what I’m wearing in the photo.
- One scarf.
- Two pairs of travel-friendly underwear that you can easily wash in the sink and dry overnight. I love these.
- One large coat. The Gramercy coat from Nation LTD is what I’m wearing in the photo.
- One light rain jacket (there was a chance of rain in the forecast). I brought the Everyday Getaway jacket from Lululemon.
Extras:
- One purse — I love me the Foley + Corinna Mid City Tote
- Cell phone
- Laptop — the new 12″ MacBook is tiny, light, and a traveler blogger’s best friend!
- Chargers: laptop, cell phone, Apple Watch, Fitbit
- One book on Machu Picchu
- Toiletries: Toothbrush, toothpaste, tinted moisturizer, mascara, make-up wipes
What do YOU pack for a weekend trip with one carry on? Any tips and tricks I’m missing?
I Love that you do this! Its empowering isnt it? My boyfriend requires me to only pack with a carry on bag–even when we’re going for 1-3 months at a time! It makes everything so much easier and most of the time I end up wearing the same thing anyway. Agree with all your tips and I even skip bringing books and just read on laptop or kindle to save even more space!
I’m all about the kindle or reading on my phone. But that Mike guy… he’s an old school ACTUAL BOOK READER. weirdo.
But what is in the cat?
I don’t understand this question. What am I not getting, Val!???? 😹
Oh wait! I get it now. That’s where I keep all my chargers for my phone and Fitbit.