Packing light for a trip has a steep learning curve if you’re used to traveling with multiple bags. After all, finding the sweet spot between over-packing and under-packing is tough. But traveling light makes for a much more enjoyable trip. Check out our minimalist packing guide to help make your trip an epic success.
Why should you pack minimally?
When you don’t over-pack, you can carry your bag right onto the plane (and it won’t weigh a ton). That way, you don’t have to pay to check multiple bags, nor do you have to wait at the baggage claim. You also don’t have to worry about your checked bag getting lost or damaged.
Packing heavy means backaches and headaches. Packing light means your essentials are easy for you to find, and moving from one scenic location to the next is a breeze
In this article, we’re going to share tips that’ll help even chronic over-packers enjoy the freedom of minimalist travel.
Choose the Right Minimalist Travel Backpack
We’ve emphasized the backpack, because backpacks are inherently more suited for minimalist travel than suitcases and duffel bags — which generally have large, pocketless compartments that lend themselves to disorganization and less-mindful packing.
Space Efficiency
A good minimalist travel backpack will have lots of very thoughtfully designed pockets that keep your stuff organized and make the most of the backpack’s space. By the way, Knack’s expandable suitcase compartment adds up to 16 liters of carrying space, and then compresses when you don’t need it. Now that’s an efficient use of space.
Carry-On Friendly
A main benefit of minimalist packing is that you can carry your bag right onto the plane. Most airlines will accept bags of up to 50 liters, but always check with your airline. Better yet, find out if you can fit your backpack under the seat in front of you as a personal item, so that you have easy access to all of your stuff on the flight.
Hint: Knack Packs can fit under the seat on most jets, even when expanded.
Lightweight
Your backpack shouldn’t add a significant amount of weight to your load, even if it’s durable. These days, there are lots of strong and lightweight materials on the market. Even the largest Knack Pack weighs less than 4 pounds and is load-tested to hold up to 40 pounds.
Good Style
Most travel backpacks make you look like a hiker or a tourist, which makes it less comfortable when you want to carry your backpack into a nice coffee shop or restaurant. Regardless of how you use them, Knack Packs are designed with urban professionals in mind. The outer materials take their design cues from suiting fabrics, logos are discrete and minimalist, and even your all-important water bottle is tucked out of sight in Knack’s hidden zip water bottle pocket.
>> MORE: What’s an EDC Bag? How to Pack for Every Day Carry
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How to Choose Clothes for Light Travel
Clothes are definitely one of the hardest things to decide on when you’re packing like a minimalist. But an easy first step is to pack the right clothes. You can’t just throw any fabrics and colors into your bag — you need to choose clothes very strategically.
Choose the Right Fabrics
Go for clothes made of travel-friendly fabrics that are lightweight, quick-drying, stain-resistant, wrinkle-free, and breathable.
This may sound like a lot of boxes to check, but there are plenty of fabrics out there that meet these requirements. One of our favorites is Merino wool. Merino wool is warm but breathable, so it’s excellent for layering. Plus, it’s naturally odor-and-stain-resistant. It’s used to make everything from sweaters to socks. Other great travel fabrics are typically blends. For example, ExOfficio makes amazingly lightweight and quick-drying travel underwear and T-shirts out of nylon and spandex.
FYI, we like to pack a single pair of jeans in our minimalist travel backpack. Although jeans aren’t necessarily lightweight, you can wear them a few times in a row without needing a wash. They pair with almost anything and look good in most situations.
>> MORE: Efficient Ways to Pack Clothes for One Bag Travel
Bring (Mostly) Neutral Colors
Since you want to be able to re-wear your clothes over and over, choose neutral colors that can pair and combine to make new outfits like black, gray, and white. But remember that darker colors tend to hide dirt better. Even though monochromatic tones are sometimes boring, they’re easy to dress up. Don’t be afraid to throw in an accent piece for a pop of color.
Ideally, you can build out a capsule wardrobe, which is a small, strategic set of clothes that complement each other. Check out this post to learn how to build a capsule wardrobe.
How to Pack Clothes for Minimal Travel
Packing your clothes is easy when they’re made of lightweight materials. But here are some tips for saving even more space.
Use Compression Travel Cubes
Packing cubes are great for organizing your stuff. Knack’s packing cubes have a compression function, so they’ll save you even more space. Dedicate cubes to different categories of clothes. For example, use one packing cube for underwear and lightweight T-shirts, and then another packing cubes for pants, long-sleeve shirts, and any accessories.
Get packing cube bundles designed for your Knack Pack here.
>> MORE: How to Use Packing Cubes in a Backpack
Roll, Don't Fold
You’ve probably heard this before, but it’s true: rolling your clothes really lessens the volume that they take up in your bag. Roll everything that won’t wrinkle (which is hopefully all of it), and then fold and place the clothes that will wrinkle on top of the rolled clothes.
Only Bring One Pair of Shoes
Shoes are major space-eaters in your bag. Choose one pair of shoes that will work for a wide range of scenarios: with jeans and a T-shirt, or at a nice dinner. Allbirds make very lightweight shoes that can go with many different outfits, and they’re made out of Merino wool.
If you do have to bring more than one pair of shoes, wear the bulkier ones on the plane. And be sure to use a compression shoe bag for the pair that you pack — shoe bags save space and keep your dirty shoes away from the rest of your stuff.
How to Pack Tech for Minimalist Travel
If you work remotely, or want to keep in touch, you probably need to bring a whole bunch of tech with you on your trip. Unfortunately, tech can get really heavy, and all the extra chargers and batteries can take up a sub-optimal amount of space. Here are some tips for slimming down your tech load:
Skip the Laptop (if you can)
Laptops are some of our heaviest tech. If you can get away with using a tablet, or even just an iPhone, you can potentially save a lot of space. That said, most remote workers can’t leave their laptop at home. Considering how vital laptops are for most of us, your travel backpack should have a dedicated laptop pocket.
Knack Packs have an independent padded side-access laptop pocket that keeps your laptop super-safe and easily accessible at all times.
Simplify Your ChargersChargers too easily turn into a giant tangled mess. Opt to only bring one of each terminal that you’ll need. For example, get a multi-purpose cable bundle or dongle that has one USB, one USB-C, and one lightning terminal. Then, store your chargers in a tech pouch, or for super easy-access, in the Series 1’s cable garage.
Get Smaller Headphones
As much as we love our big noise canceling headphones, they’re not a minimalist piece of equipment. When it comes to traveling, noise-canceling earbuds — like AirPods — are far more sensible. The sound quality might not be as good, but they get the job done, and take up virtually no space.
Don't Bring a Big Camera
You don’t need a fancy camera to capture all the memories that you make on your trip. In most cases, your phone will suffice. If you do want to bring a camera, invest in something lightweight like the Sony RX.
Bring an eBook – Or, Don't!
Replace your books with an e-reader, unless, of course, you’re not really going to read. You can definitely leave your e-reader at home and download the Kindle app on your phone.
>> MORE: How to Best Organize a Backpack for Travel
How to Pack Toiletries for Minimalist Travel
Toiletries don’t have to take up a lot of space if you know what to buy and bring. Here’s what and what not to pack in your minimalist travel backpack.
Don't Bring Liquids
The major hindrance to minimalist packing when it comes to toiletries are the liquids: they’re heavy, they take up a lot of space, and it’s always a bummer when they get confiscated at TSA. And they spill. Instead, replace liquids with bar soaps, tablets and powders. These days, there are so many non-liquid alternatives to common toiletries, like this multipurpose body bar.
If you do bring liquids, bring multipurpose liquids like this 18-in-1 soap by Dr. Bronner’s. Just remember the TSA’s 3-1-1 rule for carrying liquids onto the plane.
Replace Big Toiletries with Smaller Ones
Invest in travel sizes of all your usual toiletries. For example, replace a normal toothbrush with a foldable one, bring a comb instead of a hairbrush, and if you really need it, bring a mini hair straightener instead of a full-size one.
How do you pack like a minimalist for travel? Let us know in the comments.
FAQS
What is the 54321 packing method?
The 54321 Packing Method is a minimalist packing strategy that helps you streamline your essentials for a trip. Although there are some variations to this method depending on the person and where they’re going, here is the breakdown in the most common categories:
How to Pack Minimally for a 10-day trip?
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Plan around a color scheme
Choose neutral colors (black, white, gray, navy) as your base. This allows you to mix and match items easily. Add one or two accent colors for variety.
- Use the 54321 Packing Method
- 5 tops: shirts, blouses, tank tops
- 4 bottoms: pants, shorts, skirts
- 3 accessories: hat, belt, scarves, jewelry
- 2 pairs of shoes: typically one casual pair and one dressier pair
- 1 piece of outerwear: jacket, sweatshirt, or coat
- Layering is Key
- Pack lightweight items that you can layer for warmth or wear separately in warmer weather.
- Opt for fabrics that don't wrinkle easily and can be worn in different settings (e.g., day to night).
- 4. Pack Multi-Purpose Items
- Clothing: Pants, button-ups, dresses or jumpsuits that can be dressed up or down.
- Toiletries: Stick to travel-size essentials or solid toiletries (like soap bars). Consider multi-purpose products, like a tinted moisturizer with SPF.
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Shoes: Choose comfortable yet stylish shoes that can be worn in different contexts (e.g., casual sneakers that can be worn for walking tours or casual dinners).
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Do Laundry Mid-Trip
If possible, plan to do laundry halfway through your trip. This allows you to pack fewer clothes overall.
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Utilize Packing Cubes
Packing cubes can help you organize your items efficiently and save space in your luggage.
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Roll, Don’t Fold
Rolling clothes instead of folding them can save space and reduce wrinkles.
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Minimize Electronics and Gadgets
Bring only the essentials: phone, charger, and maybe a small tablet or e-reader. Leave bulky electronics at home unless absolutely necessary.
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Limit Toiletries
Many hotels, motels and Airbnbs provide basic toiletries like shampoo and soap. Pack only what you need, or purchase items at your destination if possible.
