We decided to travel carry-on only when we went to Scotland for a week last month. We ‘re used to traveling pretty light, sharing a bag, and we weren’t trying to go extreme minimalist. We just didn’t want to check any bags. I’ve had my luggage lost. Not fun. With carry-on only travel, they can’t lose your luggage. Also with the flight delay fiasco we faced trying to get to Scotland, not having to worry about any checked baggaging was a H-U-G-E relief!

But there were some real challenges too.

We had to pack for a wide spectrum of weather, we had to meet carry-on restrictions, and we were packing larger-than-average sized clothing. At least what’s accounted for on most travel sites. I’m plus-sized, and and Mr. Fix-It might not be plus, but he does have a size 13 shoe! We were also originally scheduled for a Flybe connector flight and they are very strict about weight, as well as size, of your bag.

Would we do it again?

Yes. With a few modifications.

What Did We Pack as our Carry-On Luggage?

We carried 2 backpacks as “luggage” (one each) and one shared daypack as a camera bag/personal item.

Mr. Fix-It carried the Osprey Farpoint 40L. Before this trip, he wasn’t convinced that the front-loading “travel” design was such a big improvement over his top-loading Kelty Coyote 80L that he uses for camping. He is now. It’s been a long time since he had to handle his luggage under “stress” like the airport security line or racing to get a connecting flight. The Farpoint is half the size of his Coyote (which would never qualify for carry-on), and so. much. easier. to pack and unpack in hotel rooms, the back of a car, or the airport security line.

It also has this AWESOME feature where you can zip the shoulder/hip straps away (in about 20 seconds!) and use the padded carry handles to haul it around. Stowing all the shoulder straps and buckles away makes it much easier to just slid in and out of the overhead bins.

I carried the Osprey Fairview 55L. It’s actually also a 40L bag with a 15L detachable daypack on the front of it. But it has a “longer, leaner” design than the Farpoint 40. You can carry the 2 bags connected (total of 55L) or separate. I carried them separate and used the daypack clips to strap my coat to the front of the 40L bag. Mine also has the stowaway shoulder/hip straps. Backpacks are easier to haul around, especially when hurrying up and down escalators and on or off metro and trams, and I was very glad of my hipbelt by the end of our airport time!

We ended up flying Delta our entire trip and had no issues fitting both bags in the overhead bins–even on the smallest airbus connector. A backpack can be squished and shoved in there. We were both definitely under the 10kg (22 lbs) weight restrictions. I think you’d be hard pressed to even fit enough stuff in either of these bags to go over that limit. However, I can see that mine might have been a challenge to fit in “the box” for some of the budget airlines we passed in the terminal.

The daypack worked fine for carrying my camera, travel wallet, electronics organizer, phone and first aid kit. It also had enough room to add brochures, souvenirs, and snacks while we were on the go in Scotland. We didn’t have any issues carrying it into castles, museums, and churches where bigger daypacks were security checked.

Carry-On Only Luggage Lessons Learned

• The 55L might have to be checked on European budget flights due to length.
• Stowaway shoulder and hip straps = AWESOME, best feature ever!
• Daypack was surprisingly comfortable to carry. It was heavy, with all our electronics in it, but small enough that you couldn’t really overpack it. Some padding on the top carry handle would be nice, though.
• Backpacks are much more comfortable than suitcases if you find yourself sleeping in the airport…

What Did We Pack for Clothes?

We packed for chilly, wet weather. If you saw any of our pictures (here, and here) then you probably noticed it didn’t rain a single drop the whole time we were there! Also wasn’t cloudy or very chilly. There was some wind though. And there was still quite a bit of wet and muddy ground.

Basics for each of us in our luggage:

• 2 pairs of pants
• 2 short-sleeve shirts
• 3 long-sleeve shirts
• 1 dressier shirt
• 1 extra pair of shoes
• 1 super-light packable raincoat (we both have the Groundbreaker from REI)
• 1 coat (Mr. Fix-It took his Carhartt Heavyweight Rain Defender hoodie and I took my fleece lined Eddie Bauer rain parka)
• Lots of socks and underwear
• Pjs

I added a pair of black leggings, black ballet flats and a 3/4 sleeve black cardigan to go with my “dressy” shirt. Ended up never wearing the leggings or the flats, but they packed so flat I didn’t even notice them in there! I wore the cardigan several times because I never needed my coat–good choice! I also took a hooded vest which I wore twice when it was a little windy but not actually cold, like our day at Eileen Donan castle. I’m on the fence about this choice. I did wear it twice, and it packed flat when I wasn’t wearing it. But it would not layer nicely with my coat or my rain jacket because of the double hood.

Carry-On Only Clothing Lessons Learned

• Pack more short-sleeves! They’re easier to layer with long-sleeves if it’s cold, but it’s hard to UN-layer a long-sleeve shirt if it’s warmer than expected!
• Skip the coat. Next time I’ll just pack a fleece to go under my rain jacket, and maybe shove my Carhartt Henley in my backpack as insurance. That should be fine for anything less than actual winter.
• Use packing cubes!!! (I did, Mr. Fix-It did not. Having to open his bag once for security review and he’s converted. With packing cubes, nothing unexpected falls out!)
• Don’t plan to “wear your bulkiest clothes on the plane.” I saw this advice 1,000 times. But if you get stuck in the airport for 2-3 days, it gets uncomfortable. Go middle of the road with this. Make sure you can still fit your bulky items in your luggage if needed.
• Just take sneakers. Get some low-top hikers for outdoors-ey travel. After wearing his boots for 48 hours straight in the airport, Mr. Fix-It took them off and never put them on again (and size 13 shoe, so, see point immediately above).
• Use one small packing cube to keep a complete change of clothes handy. I changed in the Edinburgh airport before we got our car. Even with only 2 packing cubes, it was a little challenging to get into each one and pull out the 1-2 pieces I needed in that tiny, icky stall without touching anything or anything else falling out.

What Did We Pack for Toiletries?

This was probably the area I would change the most from packing. Mr. Fix-It packed deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash and face wipes. And a hat, which is a standard part of his daily routine. I don’t think he would change anything {smile}.

I usually think of myself as pretty low-maintenance when it comes to skin, hair, and face routines. But travel delays without a shower for 3 days, left my skin and hair feeling icky and abused and it never quite recovered. I regretted some of the product cuts I made to pack light. In hind-sight, I would have made Mr. Fix-It carry some of “my” liquids to include more items. He had plenty of room.

Liquids and Toiletries I packed in my backpack (everything was travel size and/or under 100 ml/3 oz):

• Deodorant
• Toothbrush (we both used Steripod covers) and travel toothpaste
• Dry shampoo
• Face scrub/Face Wipes (get the scrubbing-kind of wipes!)
• Feminine wipes
• Travel razor and case
• Hairbrush, clips and ponytails
• Q-tips
• Contact solution and case (and a couple extra contact lens!)
• Eye drops
• Glasses and case
• Shampoo/Body Wash (I use a combo baby product when traveling so the whole family can use the same product.)
• CC cream, mineral powder, mascara, lip gloss
• Downy Wrinkle Release PLUS
• Clary Sage and Lavender Essential Oils (with diffuser bracelets)

Carry On Only Liquids and Toiletries Lessons Learned

• The Downy Plus is AMAZING stuff. Never leave home without it!
• Next time I WILL pack a mini flat iron for my hair. Sounded like ridiculous luxury when I was packing, but it would have felt so nice after being all grubby in the airport for days!
• Next time I WILL go through the extra work of decanting my own witchhazel astringent, Keeva cream, and CeraVe lotion to have all my preferred products with me. They would have fit and I missed having them.
• Having our toothbrushes worked miracles on our attitudes in the airport.

What Did We Pack for First Aid?

Ok, Mr. FIx-It packed nothing. I’m pretty sure this is because over the last 20 years he’s gotten use to me carrying it and never thinks about it anymore.

Since it was just the 2 of us, I packed a tiny version of what I carry for first-aid when we’re on-the-go as a family, and put it in a little waterproof zipper pouch. When we were driving around Scotland I kept it in my daypack. Using wipes and packets meant less bulk and no liquids for my carry-on limits.

First Aid Kit Items (everything was travel size and/or under 100 ml/3 oz ):

• Claritin
• Flonase spray
• Bug Bite Itch Stick (which works on ANY itches)
• Benadryl
• Advil
• Dramamine
• Immodium
• Pepto
• Antibiotic Cream packets & band aids
• Sunblock travel stick
• Bug Spray wipes
• Wet Wipes singles
• Tissues
• Tweezers and nail trimmers
• Prescriptions, VItamin B-stress Complex, Emergen-C+ drink packets

Carry On Only First Aid Lessons Learned

• Didn’t need anything but our daily prescriptions, vitamins, and allergy meds, YEAH! I’d still pack it all.
• I don’t know if the Emergen-C helped with germs, but if definintely helped with hydration/electrolytes and saved money over buying drinks in the airport.

What Did We Pack for Electronics?

We were committed to being all there for our trip, so we went very light on the electronics. And didn’t miss them! We kept our electronics in our daypack for 99% of the trip. We packed so light my normal family/work electronics organzier was too big (no laptop cords or accessories!), but we put all the camera acessories in it too so it worked ok.

Electronics for both of us:

• 1 tablet
• 1 cell phone
• Travel adaptor (with built in surge protector and 2 usb ports)
• Backup charger with 2 ports
• 10-foot-long charging cord
• 3 sets of earbuds
• Nikon D3200 w/one lens (Nikon 24-120 mm f4/G ED VR)
• Camera battery charger
• 2 Camera SD cards
• Camera extra lens cover
• Camera cleaning wipes and brush
• Camera wifi adaptor

Carry On Only Electronics Lessons Learned

• The daypack got kinda heavy carrying all that stuff. Glad we opted for only one camera lens.
• We only used the tablet in the airport, so might skip it next time.
• Without the tablet, we could have gone with a smaller backup charger. The only time it was anywhere near drained was when charging the phone and the tablet at the airport for a few hours.

Other Packing Light Notes

• Did I mention my travel wallet? Awesome! I was able to keep track of our passports, insurance cards, 50,000 revised boarding passes, money, bank cards, reservations, receipts, maps, metro cards, tickets…It was a safe place to stash non-relevant currency until we needed it without getting mixed up. It also fit my super-bulky-but-indestructable-Otterbox-covered cell phone in the front pocket if I needed my hands free. Something a little smaller would probably also work for just the 2 of us, but it held ALL our paperwork, so we had our car and travel insurance policies in there, etc.

• Packing Cubes and Front-Open Backpacks making unpacking easy! Cubes of dirty clothes are unzipped straight into the washer. Cubes of clean clothes (if you have any!) are put away. Our packs have one large opening like a suitcase, so you just empty, wipe with a lysol wipe, spray with Febreeze, and air out for a day. Done.

• Choose your Travel-Day clothes carefully! You might be in them longer than expected. We wore our “bulkiest” clothes (jeans and boots) and they were basically not fit to re-wear after 2.5 days of airports. Mr. Fix-It changed his jeans on JFK Day Two. Smart move. I stuck with mine. They were comfortable, but too icky to re-wear once we arrived. Next time I’ll be traveling in my black Columbia Anytime pants. Which I’ll also be buying in every other color available because they’re like wearing your pjs in public but looking like a decent person!

Do you pack light? Have any tips? We usually travel pretty light (because we also have to carry all the kiddos stuff!) but were always duffle-bag packers if we weren’t camping. Mr. Fix-It and I usually share one piece of luggage when traveling by car. Packing light certainly suits our UnPlan Travel Style!