Can You Really Fit Everything You Need in a Carry-On? How to pack for a nomadic lifestyle.
Planning our year off was incredibly exciting. Where should we go? What things should we do? How will we get around? So many decisions to make with each effecting the next. The decision for us to travel with only a 40L carry-on each was one of our very first. It fit our personalities well. Both of us dislike waiting around for bags in airports, along with the additional cost of checked baggage, and considering we would be taking more flights in one year then we had in our lives it was an an easy decision to make. The only difficulty was deciding what items made the trip and what did not.
Below you will find a breakdown of what items and clothing made the year-long cut. I will share everything we packed and provide some key tips for anyone considering carry on only travel.
The bag
First things first, if you are following along and attempting the challenge of carry-on only, you are going to require a certain type of bag. The bag Tiahna and I have are the Osprey fairview and the Osprey farpoint. These packs are 55.9cm x 35.9cm x 22.9cm, which narrowly squeeze in the standard carry-on bag requirement of 56cm x 36cm x 23cm. The pack is 40L, but in addition to this we have a small cross body bag from Uniqlo. These are fantastic as they’re easy to carry and give us an extra 5L of bag storage. There are plenty of other bag options that fit these criteria, so choose the one you like and roll with it.
Our Packing List
Alright, now for the important stuff. In order to fit everything into our Osprey 40L packs, we had to prioritise what clothes would be most useful. This meant that my already measly fashion sense was about to take a bigger hit. Prioritising versatility and function is the most important factor in fitting a year of life into one bag. We brought clothes that were all made with quick drying fabrics and contained neutral colours. What these clothes lack in flair, they make up for in their quality and short turn around between wash and wear. Trust me, the last thing you want is to pack wet clothing into your bag!
Clothing
Alex’s pack
Below is every piece of clothing I packed into my bag for the year.
Tops
4 x Quick dry shirts
1 x Workout singlet
1 x Long sleeve shirt
1 x Quick dry button up
Bottoms
2 x Quick dry cargo shorts
2 x Training shorts
1 x Hiking pants
1 x Board shorts
1 x Yoga shorts/Pyjama shorts
10 x Quick dry underwear
4 x socks
1 x Thermal set
1 x Fleece jumper
1 x duck down jacket
1 x Budgie Smugglers
1 x Beanie
Tiahna’s pack
Tiahna packed a little more than I did, but still managed to easily fit all her clothing. Here is all the clothes she packed:
Tops
3 x Quick dry shirts
2 x singlets
1 x cropped T-shirt
2 x dresses
Bottoms
1 x denim shorts
1 x full length active tights
1 x bike pants
2 x active shorts
1 x long skirt
1 x hiking pants
1 x full length cotton pants
11 x Underwear
5 x socks (including hiking specific)
3 x Sports bras
1 x Bra
1 x Beanie
1 x Gloves
1 x fleece jumper
1 x duck down jumper
1 x Thermal set
1 x One piece swimwear
1 x Sun shirt
1 x Bikini
Benefit from hindsight
Our bags are full once we are completely packed and we have had to be extremely careful and selective when buying souvenirs and gifts. In hindsight, we would buy the accompanying day pack from Osprey. It would have added an extra 15L of storage for items we have accumulated along our travels.
Accessories
Tiahna and I decided to leave majority of our accessories at home, only packing the core essentials. These are the items that made the cut:
Soft Broad brim hat - Extremely important, If you plan on seeing what countries have to offer you will be walking through cities, trekking across deserts and hiking over mountains, all of which are exposed and will get very difficult without some good sun protection.
Sunglasses - A the same reasons as the soft broad brim hat. Pack a cheap pair, if you lose them they will be easy to replace anyway you go.
Footwear
Shoes take up a lot of space, so Tiahna and I both packed only three pairs of footwear. A pair of thongs/slides, a pair of Birkenstocks/Tevas, and finally, the pièce de résistance, our everyday hikers. Tiahna bought a pair of Adidas Terrex Free hiker , while I opted for Tropicfeel AT X.
Tiahna’s shoes are water resistant, made with Gore-tex and a continental rubber sole. My shoes are Water-Friendly, designed to be worn in the water if necessary. They have hiking soles made from rubber and a breathable upper.
After three months of travel, including hiking through Patagonia, trekking through the Atacama desert, navigating the streets of Buenos Aires, and swimming in the anaconda inhabited rivers of Bonito, Brasil. We have never needed more than the three shoes mentioned above.
Toiletries
Toiletries are a little bit tricky as majority of airlines require any liquid to be under 100ml. To stick to this, we bought a couple of silicone travel sized containers, as well as a soap bar holder. We opted to use bars where we could, purchasing shampoo, conditioner and body soap in bars. Tiahna packed a small amount of make up and skin care. Here is everything we packed into our toiletry bags:
Alex’s bag
4 x Spare electric tooth brush heads
USB-C electric shaver
Body soap bar
2 x Face Moisturiser 30ml
Tooth paste 100ml
Tooth moose 40ml
Deodorant
Nail Clippers
Face sunscreen 100ml
Cleanser 100ml
Silicon body scrubber
Dental floss
Tiahna’s bag
4 x Spare electric tooth brush heads
Body soap bar
Face Moisturiser 100ml
Tooth paste 100ml
Deodorant
Face sunscreen 100ml
Cleanser 100ml
Silicon body scrubber
Shampoo bar
Conditioner bar
Reusable skin pad
Hairbrush
Bobby pins
Hair ties
Foundation
Mascara
Mi-cellar water
Nail file
Tweezers
Disposable razor
Vitamin C serum
Niacinamide Serum
Retinol cream
Dental Floss
female hygienic supplies
Once we arrived at particular destinations, we purchased other essentials. For instance, insect repellant and larger bottles of sunscreen.
Technology
Our goal when packing our technology was to limit the amount of excess cables and power adapters. This is everything we packed:
2 x Kindles
2 x Power banks
2 x Bluetooth Headphones
2 x Garmin watches
1 x Laptop
1 x Travel power adapter
4 x charging cables ( 2 x USB-C cables, 1 x Kindle charger, 1 x Garmin Charger)
Key Items
If you’re committing to carry-on only travel, jumping from one country to the next, you are going to encounter a lot of tricky or difficult situations. These items might not be the most orthodox for packing light but we use these items regularly and believe they should be included in everyones packing list:
Grayl 24oz Geopress water bottle - Eliminates out 99.99% of viruses, bacteria and Protozoa. Filters particles, Chemicals and heavy metals. These are by far the best purchase we’ve made. A lot of the countries we’ve visited have not got the best tap water and requires filtration. These a great for when you are desperate for water and don’t have a clean water source.
Loop ear plugs / soft eye mask - Both of these items are great for sleep hygiene. Busses, planes, trains and even your accomodation can be very loud and bright. Being prepared with an eye mask and ear plugs will help save you some lost ZZZ’s.
Foldable day pack - if you’re going out after getting to your destination, you don’t want to have to carry your 40L bag around all day. Just pack the essentials for the day in your little foldable daypack.
Portable washing bag (scrubba)- Not every Airbnb, hostel or hotel has a washing machine. As well as this, sometimes timing or access to these services are limited. A portable washing bag allowed us to quickly wash clothes on the go. Super useful.
Portable washing line - To assist with our on the go washing, we also purchased a legless clothes line that can be suctioned or clipped wherever you can find. It is easy to use and essential for drying those washed clothes before you pack them away.
Quick Dry towel - A must, we brought two each. One larger one that we can use at the beach or showers and a smaller one for work outs.
Sleeping Mummies - Extremely useful when you arrive at your accomodation and your just not quite sure if it’s clean or not.
Carabiners - A must have for any traveller. You never know when you need to hang that extra thing from your bag or clip things together.
Luggage locks - These bags contain everything you own for the next year so keeping the contents safe is imperative. Make sure you get locks without keys as you are bound to loose these!
Key Tips!
Universal Charger! USB -C
You want to pack as little as possible and make things as convenient as possible. We bought new USB-C tooth brushes and a new USB - C electric shaver so that charging would be less hassle and so we could pack less stuff. We definetly recommend streamlining your charging situation.
Buy Compression storage bags
To maximise the space available in your bag you have to use compression bags. They are really cheap from amazon and simple to use. Tiahna and I both have three each, Two large ones for shirts and shorts and one small one for underwear and socks. Organise them how you like but make sure you get some!
Packing for Unexpected Events
Travelling light is important but travelling safe is more so. You should pack a first kit that includes a variety of medications. This is everything we packed in first aid kit:
Paracetamol
Ibuprofen
Travel Sickness tablets
Anti-nausea Medication
Altitude sickness medication
Broad spectrum antibiotics
Topical antibiotic ointment
Bandaids
You will need different medications and vaccines depending on what countries you are travelling to. Ask your doctor what you should pack and make sure you pack them into a small medical bag that will fit easily into your pack.
Final Thoughts: Traveling Light saves time and money
At the time of posting this blog, we have been travelling for three months. In that time we have taken over 8 flights. If the average price for checked baggage is $50, then Tiahna and I have already saved $700 dollars by using carry-on only. I also love the feeling of being able to exit an airport and head straight to our desired destination rather than waiting around for our bags. Additionally, we also limit the catastrophic potential of an airline losing our bags.
After three months, Tiahna and I can confirm packing light is extremely achievable. You don’t need to pack your life into a bag to enjoy everything the world has to offer. Be smart and effective with your packing - Focus on using quick dry clothes with base colours (so you can mix and match), streamlining your electronics, and remember, pack for all conditions or the unexpected.
Good bye and Good luck! Go and enjoy the world.