How to pack for your summer trip (even longer ones!) with nothing but a backpack

Last summer, I got radical with my packing. I was sick and tired of dragging half of my earthly belongings with me on every trip, AND (back when we were still flying), I was sick of paying extra money for luggage.

SO, I challenged myself to pack EVERYTHING that I needed into one large-ish backpack. I even did this for a TEN-day trip to Florida.

Here’s how I did it:

• I picked one color palette. I’m already kind of a minimalist dresser, so this one wasn’t too hard. In the summer I wear mostly navy, white and gray, with the occasional pop of color. That way, everything mixes and matches AND you don’t have to bring so many shoes. I ended up taking:

  • 3-4 short-sleeved shirts/tank tops

  • 1 summer dress

  • 1 cardigan

  • 2 pairs of shorts

  • 1 pair of jeans 

  • 1 light jacket

  • 1 pair of dangly earrings, 1 pair of stud earrings

  • 1 pair of gold flip flops (these are my all-time favorites - pricier but totally worth it), one pair of taupe sandals and one pair of sneakers

  • 2 bathing suits

  • 2 pairs of light pajamas

  • 1 cute fanny pack or cross-body purse

• I wore my bulkiest stuff on the plane. I felt a little like Joey in that Friends episode when he wears all of Chandler’s clothes. I get chilly on airplanes anyway, so it made sense to wear my heavier clothes.

• I picked things that could do double duty, like:

  1. A tinted moisturizer with SPF

  2. My Olio and Osso lip balm that’s also a blush. (This is a splurge for me, but it’s SO worth it.)

  3. A dress that could also be a bathing suit cover-up

  4. Sandals that were cute but also comfortable enough to walk in all day

  5. A fanny pack that doubles as a cross-body bag and a wallet, with credit card slots, etc. (I found one just like this at a consignment shop for $12!)

  6. My iPad so that I could read on the Kindle app and do some occasional work if I needed to

• I used a 34-liter backpack with 2 main compartments so that I could pack clothes in the big part and then stuff that would normally go in a purse in the front one. Mine is a pretty inexpensive Coleman backpack that’s since been discontinued, but I’ve got my eye on this bag that avid backpack travelers rave about. (And right now, it’s 60% off!)

• Each family member does their own backpack challenge. Help them pick easy outfits and make sure the bag isn’t too heavy for them to carry on their own.

This works best if:

• It’s warm weather where you are going, since summer clothes are much smaller. 

• It’s a pretty casual trip that doesn’t involve lots of fancy occasions. 

• You have access to laundry, or you’re willing to bring along a small bottle of laundry soap to hand-wash things like bathing suits, bras and underwear.

• You can get access to bulkier things like a hair dryer and beach towels at your destination.

• You don’t mind wearing something a few times before washing it.

What I loved about it:

• You’re hands-free. I sailed through that airport like a pro, and I didn’t have to bat my eyelashes at a stranger on the plane to get help hauling a monster carry-on into the overhead compartment

• It’s easy to unpack. It was SO easy to unpack when I got to where I was going. I emptied the backpack so that it was ready for day trips. AND when I got back home, I wasn’t unpacking for days. 

• Your hotel room or rental stays really neat. The place we were staying didn’t feel overrun with our stuff. No messy suitcases all over the floor. We put our things in a few drawers, and then we had our backpack free for day trips.

Soooo, who’s with me?!?

Leave a comment below and tell me if you’re going to try it.

You’ve got this.