Linen & Rose

An Effort to Become a Light Packer

living, travel
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It’s hard to believe I’ve already been back from Portugal for a little over two weeks now. Even though it was quick, that trip really reignited some creative juices for me and has gotten me so excited for our next trip. Speaking of, I don’t know of anyone in my life who would describe me as a light packer, always bringing outfits for every possible eventuality no matter how unlikely or impractical. With our Portugal trip, I wanted to challenge myself to pack for the week with only a carry-on, and I’m proud to say I did it.

I agonized over what to pack for weeks before we left (typical), and while I’m no packing pro, I came away with a few tips that I thought would be nice to share in case anyone is planning any trips this summer. I will say that I probably wouldn’t have even attempted this in the wintertime, because summer clothes are inherently smaller, lighter, and take up less room in a suitcase.

My thought process was simple: pack as many neutral separates and flowy dresses as I could fit, so that I could pair essentially any top with any bottom if I weren’t wearing a dress (which I did most days). Having a majority-neutral wardrobe really came in handy for this. Apart from that, here are some other tips as well as a list of things I packed.

Plan outfits ahead of time. As a chronic over-planner, it really helped me to have a few planned outfits that I knew I wanted to wear. Taking these photos for this post was honestly super helpful because I had some mental images in my mind of what pieces paired well with each other. If things are planned out ahead of time, you also stop yourself from packing things that you never end up wearing, which saved me a ton of space in the end.

Edit the shoe selection. When I told my mom I was planning on bringing 5 pairs of shoes, she laughed (and rightfully so). Shoes take up more space and weight than anything else, so be really critical about which ones you bring. I ended up bringing 3 in my bag and wearing one pair on the flight, but in hindsight I could have been even more selective. Will you actually wear the heels, or will cobblestoned streets make it a treacherous endeavour?

Stick to natural fibres & flowy pieces when possible. Not only are natural fibres typically more packable (I’m thinking crisp poplin or flowy linen that packs in tight), I find they just look better than synthetics when slightly wrinkled. More of a French effortless chic vibe than a sloppy, forgot-to-steam-this vibe. Not to mention the fact that they keep you cooler in the heat and, at least in my experience, don’t get smelly as fast in case you need to re-wear pieces.

Buy minis of your favourite skincare & hoard sample pots. Skincare was by far the hardest part for me. When travelling with a carry-on, at least in Canada, any liquids or gels need to fit inside a 1L zip bag, which is a lot smaller than I initially thought it was. Where possible, I picked up minis of my favourite products so that they would tick the 100mL requirement and fit better in the baggy. I’m also going to keep the containers and refill them as needed for future trips. For any items where I couldn’t find a travel size, I decanted into empty sample pots that I’ve been hoarding over the past couple months.

Think versatility. Last but not least, if you’re going to take one thing away from this post, let it be this. Don’t pack anything you can only wear in one outfit or on one specific occasion. It should be easy to mix and match so you can minimize the number of unique pieces you need to pack. I brought a bunch of dresses that I could wear running around all day and to dinner in the evening with a change of footwear. A button down shirt is also great for this because you can wear them a million different ways. Don’t pack any dead weight!

And finally, the full packing list:

Dresses

  • White cotton poplin midi (from Faithfull the Brand)
  • Black linen midi (from Faithfull the Brand)
  • Brown poplin polka dot midi (from Faithfull the Brand, old season)
  • Terracotta mini (from Sézane, old season)

Tops

Bottoms

Shoes

  • White sneakers (from Veja, similar linked)
  • Black slide-on sandals (from A. Emery)
  • Brown braided sandals (from Ancient Greek)
  • Cream block heels (from St. Agni, old season)

Everything Else

  • Terracotta one-piece swimsuit (from Lido)
  • Denim jacket (from Slvrlake)
  • Canvas sun hat (from Bohème Goods, old season)
  • 2x Sunglasses (from Le Specs and Raie, old season)
  • Earrings (from Jenny Bird)
  • Gold coin necklace (from Wolf Circus)
  • Silk headscarf (from Tory Burch, old season)
  • Raffia bag (vintage)
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