Blog Post #20: My Inventory! What I Carry with Me and How to Pack it

Read time: 5 minutes

TLDR:

• There’s a lot that you can fit in a 40L carry-on
• Ensure your clothing is mix and match and useable for different occasions
• Keep items organized with packing cubes and pouches

*Note: I’ve provided links to the products that I personally carry with me while travelling. As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn from qualifying purchases; however, all those that I linked below are ones that I truly think are worthwhile. There’s no extra cost to you and it helps me keep travelling/writing about my adventures. Win-win! ^^

Preamble:

Hello hello Readers!

These questions have been asked to me a lot during my travels: “how can you travel for months with only a carry on backpack?” and “how do you pack?”.

For those who are unaware, I have two backpacks that I carry with me and both are small enough to qualify as carry-on/personal items on a plane. One is a carry-on sized backpack (40L) and the other is a day-pack (20L). There are so many benefits: portability, no need for checking-in luggage and lowered risk of losing your luggage part way. Advantages aside, it can be intimidating to travel with minimal items…thus, this post is for you.

My Total Inventory:

…and the post is done. Just kidding. Above is everything that I currently carry with me minus what I was wearing at the time. It’s a lot to take in so let’s break it down.

Clothing:

Now before I get into clothing, I think it’s important to mention that what I carry with me now isn’t necessarily all that I left home with. When I left Vancouver, I had clothing for all weather including winter as I didn’t know where I was headed. Now that I’m in Asia and it’s hot and humid, I’ve traded away a couple sweaters and long pants for skirts and dresses. Of course I still have my essentials for cold weather like a packable down jacket and a sweater, but all else has been left behind. Expect for the wardrobe to change to fit your needs.

Category	Quantity
Tops	– 5 short-sleeved shirts (2 dry-fit, 2 linen – 1 long-sleeved merino wool shirt – 1 sweater
Bottoms	– 2 pairs of pants (1 x joggers, 1 x leggings) – 1 skirt – 2 pairs of shorts
Outer layers	– 1 waterproof jacket (triple layer) – 1 lightweight jogging jacket – 1 packable down jacket
Undergarments	– 5 pairs of socks (2 x merino wool, 1x lightweight, 2xlow rise) – 3 bras – 5 pairs of underwear
Shoes	– 1 pair hiking boots (waterproof) – 1 pair Ecco waterproof flats – 1 pair flip flops
Misc.	– 1 pair of gloves – 2 scarves (1xmerino wool neck buff, 1x lightweight for AC protection) – 1 warm hat – 1 umbrella – 1 microfiber body towel

Clothing Tips:

• Pick lighter fabrics that dry quickly and don’t wrinkle like athletic wear. In many areas of Europe and Asia, they don’t have heated dryers so laundry must be hung
• Choose tops and bottoms that are mix and match for many different occasions
• Some of my outfits are multi-purpose like my shirt/skirt combo can be used for a night out or as casual wear or my shirts/shorts double as pajamas
• one pair of waterproof shoes…need I say more?
• Merino wool items are lightweight, warm and small

Toiletries:

Electronics:

Miscellaneous:

Now for the random does-not-fit-in-any-category items

Packing it all away:

Now that we’ve talked inventory, let’s discuss how to pack it all such that it can be found….packing cubes. I particularly love these Gonex cubes as they compressible, have a handle and are see-through.

Clothing…

Now for shoes…

Adding it all inside…

Summary:

Not so bad right? It’s actually more intimidating than it sounds living with only a carry on, but there’s truly a lot of items that can fit if used wisely. It’s also really helped me understand myself more as I know what I truly need day to day.

Related: For my rationale on why I keep certain items with me, you can check out this post: Blog Post #14: My Packing Essentials for Travel

Last, but not least…Vanilla was watching me during this process so she deserves recognition for her efforts…

~Tracy