Ultimate Guide to Packing Light: 45 Tips for How to Pack Light

by Elizabeth on February 19, 2008

We’re of the mindset that there’s only one way to pack, and that’s to pack light. Packing light saves time (e.g. waiting for baggage to be unloaded), money (no overweight fees), stress (no worrying about lost luggage) and the environment (less luggage means less fuel used to carry it).In our quest to bring you the best (and highest quality) information on packing light, we’ve compiled our favorite packing light tips from these 35 links to show you how to pack light.

Make a List

  • The Universal Packing List This really is the ultimate packing list creator. It even includes weather information. However, it will spit out everything you could possibly need, so trim down from here and remember to pack light.
  • Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush A nice application that will send you reminder emails, but you have to sign up (free).
  • One Bag: What To Pack : One-Page Checklist “This is a travel packing checklist, not a list of items to pack on any particular trip! Rather, it is a sort of ‘worst case’ compendium of stuff that you could sensibly consider.”
  • Travellerspoint: Packing List Another list of everything you could possibly need.
  • San Fran Chronicle CARGO CULT “This is everything I pack for a typical three-week trip to Europe or South America, riding trains and buses and splitting my time between town and country. It all fits easily into a carry-on bag, with room left over for a bottle of Côtes du Rhône, a baguette and a few souvenirs.”
  • The Lost Girls: What We Packed What these three gals packed for their 1-year round the world (RTW) trip.
  • About.com Honeymoon Packing List Includes massage oil and other items that might be fun to have.

Check it Twice

Edit Your List. Edit it down. Way Down. Cross off everything you don’t absolutely need. Remember, you can buy just about everything abroad if you end up needing it.

Choose the Right Bag

You know how work expands to fill the time? The same is true for bags. If you bring too big of a bag, you will fill the space. It’s just human nature. Unfortunately, we haven’t found the best backpack or favorite lightest luggage yet. (Though from pictures I’m partial to: Ebags Mother Lode Mini Duffel for business and Eagle Creek Centerline Maiden Voyage 70L or something like it but smaller for backpacking.)

  • OneBag: Choosing A Bag
    The most important things to consider are: 

    • quality — because luggage takes a beating, and because quality should always be an important consideration
    • transportability — because you will carry your luggage more than the carriers will (and yes, whatever your actual plans, you will carry it)
    • airline carryon limits — because in the real world, there are two kinds of luggage: carryon and lost
  • Brave New Traveler: Choosing the Perfect Backpack This backpacker outlines his quest for the perfect backpack before deciding on.

Fold Your Clothes

in an efficient, wrinkle free manner. Use a special bag like these to roll and remove the air.

  • OneBag: Packing Clothes discusses “Bundle Packing.” (I typically roll my clothes, but I might try this next time.)

Find Your Own Style

Ultimately, you are the only one who has to to live with the way you pack, what you pack, and how much you pack. (Eds note, actually all of us have to live with what you pack because if you bring your entire house with you on the plane, this is costing us in fuel and carbon emissions, but that’s beside the point for now.)

Best Tips and Links

Following are the best tips for packing light and what to pack from a variety of great sources:

If you need help booking your flights check out our posts on Vayama, Priceline Bidding, and Flexible Travel Search Engines.

Recommended Reading:

  1. 13 Tips for Meeting Other Green Travelers
  2. 5 Tips for Camping Green with Your Dog
  3. McDonald’s Bathrooms are Lifesavers & 16 Other Travel / Life Lessons from Estonia

{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }

Sheila February 23, 2008 at 9:56 pm

Oh, wow. I had no idea there were that many articles written on traveling light. I’m a big fan of it myself and wrote my own article about it back in November. (I’ve linked to that specific article in my name.)

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Marilyn Terrell June 22, 2008 at 5:53 pm

Great list of tips! Here’s a few more, from National Geographic Expeditions’ manager Jim Bullard, who spends a lot of time on the road and reveals some tips you won’t find elsewhere:
http://intelligenttravel.typepad.com/it/2008/05/ngs-jim-bullard.html

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Shaula July 24, 2008 at 11:34 pm

For anyone trying to make their road trip as green as possible, here’s a packing tip on how to choose the smallest possible cooler.

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Wendy August 16, 2008 at 11:44 pm

Hi

There’s a great checklist for New Zealand travellers, but comprehensive enough for any other travels:

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holidayparkhotel.com February 14, 2009 at 3:41 pm

wow, so many links! very informational. traveling light is very handy for moving around and I must say, your post is very true. holidays are best if you don’t have to worry about your stuff all the time. check out hotels in Fort Lauderdale for cheap rates that will maximize your trip further.

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Off Airport Parking April 16, 2009 at 11:07 pm

This is a great collection of tips. I like the point about organizing the metal items together. Also, I think it’s important if you are taking a laptop, to take a very light one. Also, now that you can’t really take much in terms of liquids with you it makes it easier to not spill things.

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Lexi Johnson May 14, 2009 at 10:58 pm

Pack a water filter straw. Takes up less room than a water bottle. Does the same trick and means you can drink tap water wherever you go – meaning no need to use the nasty plastic water bottles !

pocket water filter

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Scribetrotter July 9, 2009 at 1:35 am

This is fun! And what a treasure trove of information.

So allow me to add my own travel packing list to the bunch!

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Emma August 13, 2009 at 11:22 am

Great tips! I spent a year living in Paris and doing lots of traveling on super discount airlines like RyanAir and EasyJet, which all have obscenely strict rules on how much you can pack before the fees start piling on. Being on a tight budget was a great incentive to learn how to pack light! I even learned a new way to style my very curly hair when I made the decision to leave my blow dryer and straightener in Paris!

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William Wallace September 6, 2009 at 10:36 am

I’m going ot forward this to my girlfriend because she doesn’t have a clue about travelling light, she can hopefully learn something…..

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Hostelio October 11, 2009 at 8:09 pm

I have never meet a traveler who, after five trips, brags, “Every year I pack heavier.” The measure of a good traveler is how light he travels. You can’t travel heavy, happy, and cheap. Pick two.

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Richard October 21, 2009 at 8:20 am

I try to travel as light as possible, and with good luggage too. Otherwise the carrying all those bags makes traveling a burden.

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lyn November 26, 2009 at 5:13 pm

‘CNN.com: Packing Light, It’s all in your head recommends bringing a bar of soap and also using it for shampoo. ‘ – worst tip ever! If you’ve ever used soap to wash your hair you’ll agree. A MUCH better idea is to bring Shampoo and also use it as soap.

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Wisconsin Dells Hotels January 18, 2010 at 3:31 am

This is one of the best packing guides I’ve ever read. I travel a lot and always try to pack light. Your guide will help me achieve more efficiency while enjoying more of the world. Thanks.

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weightloss eating February 20, 2010 at 8:44 pm

Nice put up! GA is additionally my biggest earning. However, it?s not a much.:)

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Nepal trekking, trekking in nepal, mountain expedition October 2, 2010 at 9:48 am

whatever I do and however i tried to reduce my item..end of the my luggage is full..but the information are much helpful!! thanks!!!

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Nepal trekking expedition October 3, 2010 at 7:34 am

now days every where in travel destination we can get what ever we want to so better not to carry many food list and reduce many cloth and other normal thing. it make travel easy lighten

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Aidan October 23, 2010 at 12:39 am

This is a fantastic article, I got a lot of value out of it and I hope others will as well.

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Allen November 8, 2010 at 3:00 pm

Great article. Thanks for the tips. I’ve been living out of my backpack for the last year. Its a great feeling to be able to go anywhere at any time.

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Tradewinds Travel Club November 18, 2010 at 8:40 am

Those are great tips! With the cost of luggage transport seemingly always on the rise, finding new and inventive ways to pack more efficiently is probably one of the best cost savings possible while traveling. Thanks for the wonderful links and advice!

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Bali Signature Villas November 20, 2010 at 2:04 am

Nice article. Thank your for sharing.

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Sylvia December 28, 2010 at 5:09 pm

WOW!! great tips! Definitely makes life much easier. I’m going to have to borrow some tips for my next trip :)

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Rafah March 13, 2011 at 1:46 am

Thank you so very much! This has been the most helpful website I have come across in all my searches to prepare for my travel! Thank you!

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Poland Travel March 19, 2011 at 1:39 pm

best packing light tips, I will recommended this site to my collegue

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Grand Vacation Club August 1, 2011 at 12:10 pm

Love this article! This is the most informative article I have ever seen for information on how to pack light! We always talk about how easy it is to pack light, but until you actually do it and see that it is possible, it is often a difficult option to comprehend. Thanks for making this great resource page for others, hopefully we can all start traveling lighter.

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Nancy Schimmel August 4, 2011 at 11:06 am

A tiny keychain flashlight is not just for the boonies. A big city can have a power failure too.

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Best Carry On Luggage August 24, 2011 at 7:58 am

Great information on how to pack light. The part about packing light to help save on fuel costs is unique. It makes a lot of practical sense with the high cost of fuel. Thanks.

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holiday club October 22, 2011 at 6:57 pm

That’s so useful. Having so much things to carry is disadvantage specially when you are riding in airplane so you must lessen your load. I am happy that you share us tips that will help us to lighten up our loads.

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L.Bennett October 29, 2011 at 9:41 am

Great information on packing light. Learned something today. Thanks

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Menu Planning December 12, 2011 at 12:56 am

Great!!
It is quite useful for the sportsmen and tourists because of their trips to the other countries !!

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Bernice December 29, 2011 at 6:55 am

Just exactly what I need when I travel. :)

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Shipping Baggage January 9, 2012 at 11:49 pm

Fantastic article the solution of luggage problem…!!!

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ray the carry on luggage guy January 27, 2012 at 9:32 pm

Wow what great directory of articles you created for packing lightly. Packing light will definitely solve so many issues if everyone did it. What I hate most is, and I’m guilty of this too – people going to visit friends or relatives they haven’t seen for a long while, always have to bring gifts and other random useless stuff. Why is this considered normal? You bring yourself as company to have real meaningful interactions! No? Well sometimes gifts are nice, but most of it is just ridiculous and it would be much simpler to just send some money over.

Having a simple good quality carry on luggage with you wins every time. You bring what you need and not worry about your materialistic possessions getting lost.

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Nepal Tour March 9, 2012 at 8:09 am

in my view everything available everywhere so just make small backpack. it make travel light so that travel can be enjoyable, comfortable and memorable. any way above your information looks very informative. thanks for information sharing

with best Regard
Nepal Tour

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