“You’re all packed and ready to go, but you can’t close your suitcase.” Is everything in that luggage critical and essential? Most likely not.
If you’re new to packing light, you’ll want to start with the basics.
Your packing list will depend on your destination, the length of your trip, the weather, and the activities you intend to undertake. This article’s seven main concepts apply to any and all trips.
#1: Pack “Must Have” items rather than “Just in Case” items.
Lay out all of your clothes and all of your money when getting ready to travel. Take half of the clothes and twice as much money.
Light packing requires sacrifices.
You can’t bring clothes for every possible situation. You should only bring clothes that you would wear on a normal day.
#2: Pack for One Week
Break down your packing list into a more controllable large piece: one week if you’re travelling for two weeks, a month, a year, or permanently.
Prepare for a typical week. A week is a reasonable length of time. One week’s worth of clothing is easily visualized. Your entire closet would be filled with a year’s worth of clothes.
You will need to do laundry if you are travelling for more than a week or two. Prepare your belongings accordingly.
#3: Pack Your Lightest Pair of Shoes
Shoes are the most common reason that people overpack. This hurdle trips up lots of people, men included.
Bring no more than two pairs of shoes, including the ones you’re wearing and wear the bulkier pair, typically sneakers or boots.
#4: Simplify Your Color Palette
Choose a simple, neutral color palette and only bring clothes that go with it.
By sticking to a simple color palette, you can maximize the number of outfits for the clothes that you’re bringing. Everything should match. Anything can be worn with anything else.
#5: Wear the Right Fabrics
Consider the fabrics you’ll be wearing when packing light for any weather.
Cotton is a popular fabric, but it’s a bad choice for the road because it stinks, wrinkles easily, and dries slowly and merino wool and synthetic performance fabrics is recommended.
