I’m a firm believer in One Bag Travel. No matter where I’m traveling — or how long I’ll be there — I take just one bag. And it’s a carry-on.

Crazy? Maybe.

Cheaper and easier and less stressful? You bet.

In answer to the inevitable questions about how I manage to pull this off, I occasionally make a list of what I carry and why. (You can compare this list to my 2019, 2017, and 2015 kits, if you like.)

Since I’m currently packing for a month in Europe, I figured it was a good time to do an update.

First, some basic pointers:

Don’t over-pack. This is obvious, so perhaps a more productive way of putting it is this: don’t pack for just-in-case. That worst-case scenario of a blizzard in June isn’t likely to happen. Neither will that ideal-case scenario where you unexpectedly have to meet the queen. So don’t bring things for either occasion.
Use a travel backpack. We are living in the golden age of great backpacks that are sized Just Right to fit the stringent restrictions of airlines. You want one of these. I give my recommendations below.
Nothing does one thing. Ok, this won’t be true. Your toothbrush should probably be used just for your teeth. But do think about ways to crunch down your kit by finding one item to do the work of two, three, maybe even more items.
Watch for sales. You’re going to save money not checking bags, but there’s no mistake that some of the gear I’m recommending is expensive. I’m just a firm believer in getting the single right thing that lasts rather than cycling through multiple cheap wrong things. But, even so, I watch certain manufacturers like a hawk, ready to pounce on a sale.

Seriously, don’t over-pack.

You’ll see I’ve added purchasing links where applicable. If you use the Amazon ones to make a purchase, you’ll help support me and this site.

I should also note that a handful of the items featured here were sent to me by manufacturers who wanted me to review their goods, but I have only agreed to receive such things if there are no strings attached. In other words, how I got an item is entirely irrelevant when it comes to this post. This is simply and truthfully what I am taking with me to Europe.

Travel Kit 2022

The Travel Backpack

I love a good travel bag, and I’ve used and tested quite a few. At present, I use either a new Knack Series 2 Medium (reviewed here) or, when I need more room a tried-and-true Minaal Carry-on 1.0 (bought in 2014 and still kicking!). If I was buying a new bag right now? I need to test them to know which, but odds are I’d go with one of these options:

I know. They’re all hovering around $300. But for me I’m looking for a bag that fits carry-on restrictions, works comfortably as a backpack, helps me organize, lasts through years of international travel abuse, and doesn’t make me look like a hiker.

On that last note, I’ll just say that more than once I’ve had to take my bag with me to a professional suit-and-tie setting, and being able to stow those straps away and carry a sleek bag briefcase style is where it’s at.

Packing Cubes

Packing cubes mean more organization, which equates to less stress during travel. They also make it easier to fit more stuff in your bag. And while I know you’re not going to overpack, you’ll still need to be optimizing all the space you’ve got. In fact, I highly recommend getting packing cubes that have a compression feature.

Most travel bag makers have packing cubes to perfectly match their bags, which is super nice. When Knack sent me their bag to review they sent along a set of their compression cubes, and I found them to be awesome. If I pick up that Peak Design bag I mentioned above, odds are good that I’ll grab their compression cubes to compare them.

That said, packing cubes aren’t exactly high-technology. It’s not at all necessary to match to your bag. If you can find a deal on knock-off or close-out cubes, odds are you’ll be just fine. (Again, though, try to find compression ones.)

Clothing

Clothes is where most folks over-pack. My clothes are all travel-friendly, ready to be layered to match temperatures, and colored to mix and match in whatever fashion. Here’s a fairly standard load-out:

Underwear: 6 pairs.
Socks: 6 pairs
Shirts: 3, at least one of which is a long-sleeved button-up.
Shorts: 1 pair, which is quick-dry, swim-ready material.
Pants: 2 pair, one of which is jeans, worn on the plane.

Conditions and destination will obviously shift things around. If I need a suit, I pack a Bluffworks Presidio Travel Blazer, which doesn’t look at all like it’s travel-friendly but very definitely is. If I’m going to the tropics, I’m ditching those jeans in favor of some linen pants. If I’m going some place cold, I swap out the shorts for thermal base layers (though I’ll check to make sure there’s not a chance of hot-tubbing first!).

What do I mean by “travel-friendly” clothing? Wrinkle-resistant. Breathable. Quick-dry. Machine washable. These days a lot of manufacturers make this kind of clothing, but you’ll definitely see a lot of Columbia, Eddie Bauer, and Orvis among my shirts and pants. I love bamboo (Ecosox) or merino (Smartwool) socks.

As you might expect from those brand names, you may have to poke around a bit to find the shirt that doesn’t look like you’re headed for the woods: there’s a sizable overlap between travel-friendly gear and outdoor-friendly gear. The way I think about it, I’m picking clothes that, yeah, I could go hiking and fly-fishing in, but I’m aiming for the stuff that looks just as at home under my blazer in an office. I’d rather look a bit over-dressed for a hike than under-dressed for a meeting!

Now, obviously, if I’m packing this light I must do laundry on the road. Sometimes that means a laundromat (or, maybe, a washing machine at an AirBnB), but a lot of times it means doing laundry in my hotel room. For that we’ll need:

Drain stopper. A simple drain stopper takes up no room, weighs nothing, but is needed more often than you think because the place you’re staying is missing theirs.
Laundry soap. Either get travel packets or fill up a travel tube with your soap of choice.
Clothesline. Whether you do laundry in your room or just get soaked in the rain, it’s nice to be able to hang things up to dry. Enter a clothesline that’s small and packable.
Wash Bag. For years I did all my travel laundry by hand in a sink, but having used a Scrubba Wash Bag I don’t think I’ll ever go back. It doesn’t take up a lot of room and makes laundry much faster and easier.

Shoes

Lots of one-baggers travel with only one pair of shoes, but I personally like having a change of pace available.

Here’s what I’m looking for in a basic travel shoe: waterproof, breathable, comfortable, dependable, short-hike-ready, and looks good with a suit. I want to wear the same shoes whether I’m walking in the rain through fields in search of battlefields or lecturing in front of an audience about what I’ve found.

There aren’t a lot of shoes that fit this bill. Shoes are very definitely the Number One thing that I’m always looking to improve upon, as I haven’t found the perfect ideal yet.

My most frequent main pair are Thursday Boots Captains, which I’ve treated for water-resistance. But shoes are very much destination-dependent. On a recent trip I was hiking the rough mountains of Greece, so I opted for an actual hiking boot: Salomon Quest 4D GTX Forces 2, which are really amazing right out of the box. If I’m paddling the length of the Grand Canyon, I’m doing it in Bedrock Cairn 3D Pro II sandals, which are comfortable beasts.

My secondary pair vacillates depending on my destination, but it’s very often some “barefoot” sandals or shoes from Xeroshoes or Vivobarefoot — something that packs so flat you can forget it’s there.

Jackets

A good jacket can be worth its weight in gold: like with shoes, you want something multi-functional that can flex to fit the weather and plans.

In the past I’ve run with either an Eddie Bauer convertible blazer or a much-loved SCOTTeVEST fleece that’s no longer made. For the present trip I’m testing out a brand-new SCOTTeVEST Tropiformer 3D, which looks terrific: clean and professional, with lots of pockets, great breathability, the ability to convert to a vest, and some basic water-resistance.

Note, though, that water-resistant isn’t water-proof. If you know you’re headed into some serious weather, you’ll want a packable water-proof rain jacket, like the Eddie Bauer Rainfoil.

If it’s going to be cold where I’m going, I’ll also toss in a packable puffy — like the Uniqlo Ultralight Down Parka — to layer underneath my outer shell.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that the perfect travel jacket exists yet. But companies like SCOTTeVEST are definitely getting close! (And, hey, I have very clear design ideas it anyone wants them!)

Hat

You’ll want a trusty hat. Something that’s comfy but packs light and small. Your hat should be something you can pull out of your pack, not something big you have to pack, if you know what I mean.

I have a few options, and it can be a last-minute decision which I’ll take on a trip: a “cabbie” cap that I picked up at a market in England, a wool beanie, a beloved Tilley TMH55, or a Gadiemkensd packable baseball cap, which is what I’m taking this trip.

Toiletries

Here again, folks will over-pack with the kitchen sink. But remember our rule of One Bag Travel to avoid “just in case.” What we need is “just enough.”

As an example: you don’t need a week’s worth of medications “just in case” you get sick. What you need is “just enough” medications to go get the medications you need if you get sick. What constitutes “just enough” depends on your destination, but odds are good that 99% of the traveling you’ve ever done was within 1 hour of a pharmacy. So stop carrying a pharmacy with you!

What you need will depend on you, but a couple useful things I’ve found over the years are travel toothbrushes, Ecodent powdered toothpaste, and compact nail clippers, which were a gift.

Tech and Gadgets

Phone/Tablet. I haven’t carried a laptop in years. I use an iPhone 12 Pro and an iPad Pro 11 with a Magic Keyboard. To make the iPhone even more flexible, I use a Moment Phone Case, which allows me to mount Moment M-Series Lenses, which are small but awesome. I have an 18mm wide lens and a 58mm tele lens. For what it’s worth, I use T-Mobile, which is fantastic for traveling.

Headphones. I carry two sets. One are my AirPods Pro. I love them for their noise-reduction capabilities, and I’ve upgraded them with skins and memory foam tips to make them more comfy and secure. But I also carry old-fashioned wired earbuds as a back-up in case the AirPods run out of juice. (This does break my “just in case” rule, but they’re super small.)

Plug Adapter. There are many adapters on the market, and most are those clunky “brick” things that adapt to international outlets but also convert the stronger 220/240 voltage overseas to the 110 voltage we’re used to in the USA. Thing is, most modern devices are built to handle dual voltage out of the box, rendering that conversion unnecessary (obviously check these things on your devices, folks!). If that’s the case, all you need is the plug adapter, not the big brick. This is why I use a super-flat one, which is ridiculously small and brilliant.

Charger. Because I have only one plug adapter, I use a dual-voltage, dual-port USB charging block to split my one outlet into two lines. One line goes to a durable lightning cable for my iPad (or for anything else I need to charge on the go). The other line goes to a travel Qi charging pad that can charge my iPhone, AirPods Pro, and Apple Watch. I carry a small set of adapters for headphone jacks and USB plugs.

Spare Battery. Modern smartphones have amazing battery life. But, hey, sometimes you burn through it. I carry an Anker extra battery.

Headlamp. I know your phone can serve as a flashlight. But it also goes dead quick and needs a hand to use. A wee LED headlamp has neither of these problems. I carry a Petzl e+lite.

Carabiner. I’ve long carried an extra carabiner with me, and it’s saved my butt on a number of occasions: from hanging my bag to hanging laundry. These days, I’ve leveled up to the Heroclip, which is a compact carabiner and awesome hanger all in one.

Spork. If you grab something to eat but didn’t get the accompanying eating utensils … a simple spork saves you from looking too much like a savage.

Water bottle. Stay hydrated and save the environment by using a refillable bottle. If I think the water will be sketchy, I’ll take a Grayl UltraPress.

Whistle. Always carry an emergency whistle. It takes no space but could save your life.