Just finished a business trip to Europe where my European boss roasted me non stop for my checked bag and how inconvenient it is and how he is able to pack a weeks trip in a carry on luggage.

For a week trip, I would take 3 suits, 3-4 dress shirts then 3-4 undershirts, 4 pair of dress socks, then 2-3 pairs of workout clothes, 3-4 pairs of athletic socks, and then probably 6-7 pairs of underwear. A pair of dress shoes and running shoes, and then my toiletries case.

I struggle seeing how all of this would fit in a carry on. My suits are rather large also at a 52L so that does not help my case. All of my clothes are obviously much larger than the standard American which is much larger than the standard European.

Are you wearing a third pair of shoes? If so that's part of your problem, with just one pair of shoes in the bag I think you could easily make the rest work

I'm like your boss. I always travel carry on only and can go an unlimited period of time with only a carry on. The key is 1) only pack 3 days of clothes plus what you wear on the plane makes for 4 days. 2) All clothes are mix and match so you have multiple combinations. 3) pack 1 suit and wear 1 sports coat on the plane. 4) send clothes to laundry every day or two. For business dress pack 1 white shirt and 1 plane blue shirt, 1 khaki non-wrinkle pants, 3 or 4 ties that go with your suit, sports coat and blue and white shirts. On the flight wear blue or gray non-wrinkle dress pants, golf / casual shirt plus sports coat and carry light pull over to wear on the plane when it's cold and to wear in the evenings for non-work dinners.

I am currently traveling overseas and just yesterday evening had to cancel my flight and change reservations while I am literally standing in the jet way about to step on the plane. This is only possible if you are carry on only. I routinely travel internationally with small groups and no one is allowed to accompany me if they check bags unless they are an experienced traveler that can fend for themselves as they will likely get left behind if we need to make a late minute change, their bags get lost, etc.

And for shoes pack 1 pair black dress shoes, wear casual dress shoes that you can wear with your khakis, go out to dinner, and even work out in or play golf. Bringing true work out / golf shoes would always be nice but usually there isnt room.

Spent 10 days in Peru
Spent 13 days in Eastern Europe
Spent 7 days in Scotland
Spent 5 days in Ireland
Spent 8 days in Mexico City

All carry on. And a backpack where I can place my laptop in. Do not check your bag. Two pairs of shoes max! If you don't workout or run you can prob get away with one. Limit your toiletries. And worse case you can buy clothes or something on site. Do not check your bag. This allows you to be flexible with travel changes.

- Packing cubes
- Use laundry service at hotel so you don't have to take as much
- roll your clothes tight like doobies
- Away makes an amazing carryon travel suitcase
- only one pair of shoes in your suitcase, other pair worn on plane
- backpack for some items which consume unnecessary space in the suitcase like shaving kit

All suggestions so far are spot on. Does that help? I change flights last minute but also you want to be flexible in case you want to jump on other flights while already at the airport and checking your bag is a big hassle. First question a lot of gate agents will ask when you ask to switch flights is, do you have a checked bag?

We use the vacuum sealed small bags for clothes. You can fit a **** load in a carry on when you take the air out.

Americans biggest misconception when traveling is that they will never be able to do laundry. Huge misconception across most of the world. I remember rooming with another American just after college and the guy brought a pair of socks and underwear for each day. He literally thought he'd never be able to clean clothes. I think he had like 14 pairs of each. His underwear and socks took up more than my entire trips worth of clothes.

Bayou City said:

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We use the vacuum sealed small bags for clothes. You can fit a **** load in a carry on when you take the air out.

Americans biggest misconception when traveling is that they will never be able to do laundry. Huge misconception across most of the world. I remember rooming with another American just after college and the guy brought a pair of socks and underwear for each day. He literally thought he'd never be able to clean clothes. I think he had like 14 pairs of each. His underwear and socks took up more than my entire trips worth of clothes.

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There is a travel host that I follow who recommends the vacuum bags for dirty clothes. Seems like they always take up more space than clean clothes. I would expect the vacuum bags would wrinkle clean clothes, but that doesn't matter for dirty ones. Also contains any stink.

I've used this method for packing bulky items on cold weather trips, and it helps a lot.

I also have the largest personal item (backpack) that will squeeze under the seat. I can go for up to 10 days with a carry on, if I have the backpack too. The LLBean deluxe backpack is a good, affordable choice for this. It's very big (37 L). It's what used for years until I upgraded to a Vera Bradley campus XL.

The downside to the LLBean is it doesn't have a strap to slip it over the handle of your carry on.

Any Away carry on with the Overnight bag make it easy to pack for 5-7 days. Packing cubes for your shoes and rolling your clothes makes it work.

Merino wool can be worn multiple days with zero stink.

When I had to wear suits and travel, I used this bag(and still have it if you wanted to buy it). I could get almost what you are packing in there, minus a pair of shoes and maybe some gym clothes. It was great to never have to check it. I have not used mine in a few years, but it was really nice to have when I travelled 200 days a year. Once you go to carry on only, you will figure out fast what you do not need or what can be repurposed on the trip.

https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-606689-Garmet-Sleeve/dp/B07Q8SLBF9/ref=sr_1_59?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JJhaYtHjfI20VL43ShjNYAqJ1LQ_t0OwUeYwTqmJ2Js5T2xAmGwmdFkIrS2uBL66ba4oj5oqbFkT_vB_y3718LEuWSN8B6Lp94Bb_23hPZFJP1cZjgRqqd8m_GPnPsSxPw6e63EsTyXHQ_LoEzSFeRPUlOUL7qgYxC_OS5UTIuRhtaK_WS8aAGuAk3vYOyNl9dJHvc5HgH3DmMno0SpAo957ux9MKnc8MFwfK6-MXvcy17zJAx14z0628FRS_SZpwI1OO7XnyI4v9Nlrt4aF1OrRfhDcrHz6EIVzOQimVVc.aRraKSC6LoqAiCExG_FDstfE7yK7rHZ7d49Dy4KNKwQ&dib_tag=se&hvadid=174252086865&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9029214&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=685326249697803398&hvtargid=kwd-983495034&hydadcr=24628_9648893&keywords=victorinox+wheeled+luggage&qid=1721696470&sr=8-59

Nowadays, I only carry on. I spent 6 weeks in SE Asia last year and only carried on a bag and just had my stuff laundered there. About to leave for PH soon for 3 weeks and will do the same.

Do yall take just a jacket and wear it multiple days with different pants? Most of these trips I may be able to get by with those. Maybe I just don't know how to dress these days but I would take 3 suits for 3 days of meetings, and being a bigger guy my suits take up a ton of space.

3 suits seems excessive. What is your weekly schedule like? Are you at the same site every day and a suit is required?

Marauder Blue 6 said:

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3 suits seems excessive. What is your weekly schedule like? Are you at the same site every day and a suit is required?

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Example this past week we're 2 days of CEO meetings so yes absolutely, and then 1 day client meetings so maybe don't need a suit there all the time however in this instance my boss and I had suits on.

If you must have multiple suits, wear one suit jacket when you fly. That is the bulkiest part and you should be able to fold it neatly above your suitcase in the overhead compartment.

Also get a roller bag with a suiter - it makes packing dress shirts and jackets/coats much easier. Finally, if you are trying to max out packing space, opt for 2 wheels vs. 4 wheels. That will give you ~2 more inches or 10% additional capacity because for the same 22" height dimension, the wheels on the 4 wheelers protrude vs being inset.

I have a ballistic nylon soft side 22" Victorinox and large Oakley backpack that I highly recommend. I travel frequently for work and have never had to check a bag even for 2 weeks overseas trips with my setup. Airlines are a mess and weather is super unpredictable so no need to add additional stress of relying on others for your sanity.

Been a carry-on-only road dog for years. My tips:

1. Obviously find a good piece of luggage that is practical and easy to carry. I have a backpack that I'll be buried with that has external straps for stuff like an extra pair of shoes and/or a rain jacket, etc.

2. Depending on the trip, really decide on what you need to bring. The joke is everyone always packs 3x the amount of underwear because somehow we expect to poop ourselves twice a day. Don't do it. Two pairs of shoes, versatile pants, and a couple/few shirts.

3. Depending on the trip, it might be cheaper to not pack certain things/toiletries if weight savings and convenience are a priority. Know that you can buy toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. wherever your destination is.

4. Don't fold your clothes, roll them. Also if a business trip, get ready to use a steamer or iron (if appearance matters to you).

5. Wear as much as you can to cut down on packing needs. Something like a jacket or hat or undershirts can be worn pre-flight and immediately rearranged when you get on.


Anyways, you learn quickly you really don't need much once you start traveling this way. To me, there is no more annoying/depressing place on planet Earth than the checked luggage conveyor belt at any airport. I'll do any and everything I have to in order to avoid the stand-and-wait process.

Apache said:

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Merino wool can be worn multiple days with zero stink.

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Sort of. Definitely get merino crew socks. They can double for dress up and workouts.

Also, 3 suits? It's 2024.

ABZ-LHR-IAH-ICN-SIN-CGK-SIN-PER-SIN-LHR-ABZ

Two weeks in a rimowa carry on and a medium tumi backpack. Suit and all.

Living overseas in UK i fully agree with your boss, I never check now unless I am traveling with wife/kids and we need more room. In general Americans pack a lot of **** for travel.

Tormentos said:

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ABZ-LHR-IAH-ICN-SIN-CGK-SIN-PER-SIN-LHR-ABZ

Two weeks in a rimowa carry on and a medium tumi backpack. Suit and all.

Living overseas in UK i fully agree with your boss, I never check now unless I am traveling with wife/kids and we need more room. In general Americans pack a lot of **** for travel.

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Yeah, I have a rimowa carryon that I love and even that is big compared to a lot of euro carryons.