Let’s split this question out between domestic vs international flights. How many bags do you usually take in either case? Do you check-in bags? What do you bring as a carry-on and personal item? What’s been the most ideal and frequent setup for you when traveling either domestically or internationally?
Carry-on only in both situations, I’m a one-bagger - either a wheeled suitcase or a 40L backpack, and a medium-sized sling bag for underseat. Regardless of the climate of my destination, I bring an ultra-compressible down puffer jacket which I’ll take out and use rolled-up as a pillow.
@Skyler
Same here, except if I use a wheeled carry-on then I supplement with a small laptop carrier type bag with a shoulder strap as my personal item. 80% of the time it’s just my 40L backpack.
I’m leaving for Antarctica on Tuesday. It’s a total of 16 days in several climates. I’m packed in an Osprey Carry On Travel Pack 35L. I bought it new for this trip. Used packing cubes and the 5-4-3-2-1 packing plan more or less. 5 underwear, 4 tops, 3 pants, 2 shoes, and 1 accessory. Mostly. I have a lot of cold weather gear which has been a challenge. I also have a small cross-body for inflight. I’m not planning on checking the 35L. Only 2 pairs of shoes. Shoes are the devil.
@Micah
Not arguing for what would be comfortable for you but man, I would not be able to make five pairs of underwear work on a trip like that. There would be days where I would change underwear more than once possibly from either sweat or being wet. Would be too much washing for me.
@Nico
I walked the Camino de Santiago, 500 miles, 1 month on the road in a backpack with 4 pairs of underwear! Special ones, travel ones that dry overnight.
Micah said:
@Nico
I walked the Camino de Santiago, 500 miles, 1 month on the road in a backpack with 4 pairs of underwear! Special ones, travel ones that dry overnight.
Yeah I walked the Camino with 4 pairs of underwear, 4 pairs of socks, 3 tops, 2 pants, 1 shorts. I washed my clothes every night, and it was more than manageable.
I don’t care how long the trip is, my packing is about the same, unless I’m in a cold climate, then I need a bigger backpack for the layers. And I always check my bag, I want the foot room on the plane. I don’t care that I have to stretch my legs for 30 minutes at my destination.
@Micah
Woah!! Have fun, sounds super interesting. Got any activities planned?
Bay said:
@Micah
Woah!! Have fun, sounds super interesting. Got any activities planned?
Kayaking and camping out in Ushuaia, hiking. Train trip to a national park. Wine tasting and dining event…wildlife viewing in the South Shetland islands.
I am a chronic over-packer so I won’t go into my checked luggage but for carry on and personal bag I have a big backpack for my carry on. It’s called Mother Lode from eBags. I always pack my carry on with the assumption that my checked luggage will be lost. So I have a change of clothes, a couple days of undies, chargers, iPad/laptop, etc. Yes, it gets a little heavy to be carrying around but once it’s on my back, it is fine. I don’t know why, but I prefer it over a rolling carry on. As for my personal bag, I started doing a fanny pack I wear across my chest with a charger cord, Kindle, some kind of granola or protein bar, sanitizer, and wallet. I love this because I don’t have to put it on the ground; everything is easily accessible and never out of sight. I also carry a water bottle with a carabiner on it which I clip to the seat back pocket.
Checked varies depending on destination and duration of trip.
The majority of my travel is for wildlife photography, so my carry-on is a camera bag (backpack or roller depending on international or domestic due to their different size restrictions) loaded to the gills with camera gear and other important stuff. I keep separate locks, with separate combos, on each individual zipper to this bag, and the fabric has a slash-proof steel mesh embedded in it. Usually keep any/all cash for the trip in this bag too. Between cam gear, laptop, cash, etc., the contents of this bag have the value of a midrange car.
Other bag varies but usually a small backpack that fits under the seat. Some med supplies, toiletries, Passport, book, water bottle, phone charger, etc.
Due to camera gear and med supplies, I pretty much always have a checked bag. Usually the same roller suitcase no matter the trip. It’s big, hard-sided, and bright red, making it easy to spot on the conveyor. The trip will determine how it’s packed/what’s in it and how full it is, but it’s rarely full.
Keep AirTags hidden in all 3 bags.
Carry on only. I’ve got a big backpack that just fits the size limits (not sure of the capacity, I got it off Amazon) and I bring a convertible purse for my personal item. I love that thing, it has straps so it can be worn as a little backpack and I take it everywhere, even on day hikes.
I haven’t traveled domestically since starting to use carry on only. The issue is that domestic has tighter restrictions on the carry on size and sometimes the price difference between adding a carry on and adding checked luggage is very similar, so I’d be more likely to check my bag. Traveling domestically for me usually involves fewer layovers, so I’m more confident my checked bag would make it to me. I’d prefer carry on though.
Mine’s pretty consistent between domestic and international.
- Suitcase: Clothes. Carry-on-sized but checked 99% of the time unless I’m doing some really weird stunts. On rare occasions, I’ll stick it in a bigger suitcase if I’m expecting to carry home a lot of souvenirs.
- Backpack: Literally a Jansport backpack. iPad and sun hat in the laptop sleeve. Big back pocket holds my stash of N95s (I know the day I take them out is the day I get seated beside patient zero), shaving kit, some meds, my cable organizer, travel plug, battery pack, water bottle, and there’s room for a grocery bag with a change of clothes for when I’ve taken an overnight flight.
It’s always got room to improve, but I’ve done about 1.5 laps of the planet and trips up to around 10 days with this and it’s working well.
I’ve gone to South America, Europe, UK for a month at a time with just a carry on and a personal item. I used to use a backpack, but my shoulders won’t cooperate anymore, so now it’s a hardside Travelpro spinner, with an underseat Travelpro duffle as the personal item.
I use roll-up compression bags from Amazon. Clothing: tops in black and two complementary colors; quick-dry nylon slacks (linen if hot), silk long underwear, merino/cashmere long-sleeved tees/sweaters (if something cozy needed); merino wool socks. I stick to thin natural fabrics and layer, layer, layer.
E.g., I have a black silk tunic that looks great over black nylon slacks, with a bright silk shawl. That’s it for evening wear, and it packs down to almost nothing. Cashmere compresses very well, is light and warm. Everything can easily dry overnight.
If I’m going somewhere hot: linen, muslin cotton, broad-brimmed hat - one pair of capris, one pair of shorts, one light gauzy slacks, three tank tops, two polos, two sundresses, two silk wraps/shawls.
I have an LL Bean puffer that packs into its own pocket, and sometimes tuck in an LL Bean knapsack that also packs into its own pocket, both down to the size of a large fist.
If I’m planning to bring liquids back (we were in Scotland this fall and visited some distilleries 
), I plan to check the hardside on the return. Any clothes bumped by the Scotch fit into the underseat bag and the LL Bean daypack. (I will gatecheck if necessary, but I’m still traumatized from losing my giant suitcase when I was 18 and going abroad for a summer immersion program. They never did find it!)
I wear any heavy shoes - I wore hiking boots every day in Scotland - and take a pair of nice flats and dollar store squashy slippers.
I have really enjoyed the looks on the faces of some guides, e.g., the ones we used for a trip in Ecuador in the Andes and upper Amazon basin, who were perplexed that we only had one small bag and a daypack each!
I don’t like roller bags, so I have a backpack that’s the same size as a carry-on roller bag, and then a tote bag as a personal item.
The tote is “what I need for the flight plus what I’d need for a night” - in case I have to gate check the backpack due to lack of space or whatever and it were to get lost. So my electronics, chargers, medications, essential toiletries, and a basic change of clothes. Then all my other clothes and miscellaneous items go in the big backpack. This also keeps my necessities close if I have to put the big backpack on a train’s luggage rack or in the cargo hold underneath a long-distance bus.
Sometimes I’ll use a second smaller backpack as a personal item, but I prefer the tote bag because it’s easier to get things out while in flight. Plus wearing two backpacks isn’t super comfortable for me.
I bring about a week’s worth of clothes and do laundry if I have to. Nothing fancy, just a pair of jeans (that I wear on the flight; I know some folks hate this but I’m fine with it) plus some shorts and t-shirts. A fleece hoodie and windbreaker rain jacket for layering takes care of a lot of moderate weather. I wear sneakers everywhere and don’t pack extra shoes besides a pair of cheap sandals for gym/hostel showers or a pool or beach day.
If I’m going somewhere super cold I add a set of fleece leggings for layering and a scarf/hat/gloves, change some packed t-shirts out for long sleeves, and wear my winter coat onto the plane. I don’t like cold weather so I try to avoid this.
I’ve only checked a bag once in the last 15 years and that was because I needed to bring a larger quantity of a specific liquid product than I could put in a carry-on. Hated the experience.
For me this is the same domestically or internationally, but most of my travel is domestic. I tend to travel using public transit anywhere it’s available and stay in budget places like hostels that don’t always have elevators, so I prioritize being able to easily carry all my belongings with me.
I have a medium-sized suitcase that I check and bring any tech and anything I want with me on the plane in a backpack.
One checked and a rucksack carry-on. Rucksack contains all documents, keys, cards, cash, change of clothes, valuables, electronics, phone and watch charger cables, earbuds, anti-bac, mini-wash kit, handkerchief, foam earplugs, strip of ibuprofen.
For business trips, I prefer light travel and if it’s up to three nights I only go with a backpack. So much easier to move around with free hands and all the stuff on me. It needs a bit of planning, checking whether etc., but it’s usually no problem.
One small carry on and a backpack as a personal item. I only check the carry-on for the return trip, as I’m paranoid about losing or disrupting my vacation days.
Carry on only, unless the trip is longer than 10 days.