On a recent trip to Marrakech. I had a connection in Paris with a change of airports from Charles de Gaulle to Orly. Turns out there was a transit strike in Paris which created massive traffic so my luggage couldn’t be transported to meet my connection. Bottom line: It took 5 days for me to eventually receive my luggage. I had NO clothes (except what I had on). I spent five days wearing this….
Sexy isn’t it? I swore to the Jet Set Gods above (you know David Beckham, Giselle Bundchen, Naomi Campbell) that I would never check another bag again- unless I was moving furniture. So, how was I going to pull this off?
I decided to go to the oracle. I consulted with my man Tim Ferriss. He wrote an excellent post about it. I got a lot of great ideas from him but… it was a little too back packer for my taste. So, I modified it a bit. I have since been asked to post my packing checklist. So here goes….
I have two checklists. One for my electronics and the other for clothing.
My equipment:
1. A Tumi Ducati Carry On (for clothing and personal products).
2. A Tumi Duffel Carry On Bag (for electronics).
BTW: Kim recently wrote a great post on: Why I will never cheat on my Tumi.
Checklist 1: Electronics
*All my gadgets fit comfortably in this bag and are easily removed in flight.
1. Nikon DSLR camera (This is a great higher end digital camera that allows a lot of photography options).
2. Panasonic HD Video camera (This is a fantastic inexpensive HD camera that works perfectly with Apple).
3. Sony Cyber Shot digital camera (You can easily stick it in your pocket when you go out at night).
4. iPhone 16 gig (I never turn it on when traveling abroad-I use Skype- I just cant seem to leave it home).
5. Skype Phone (Fantastic wired phone with a USB plug that allows me to make Skype calls on a handheld).
6. Amazon Kindle (Holds 400 books in the size of one paperback-looks and feels like an actual book).
7. Apple Lap Top (I use the black macbook- has stood up well all around the world.)
8. Ipod Classic (160 gig- holds more movies, tv shows, and music for the plane that I would ever need).
9. Skull Candy Headphones (Affordable great noise canceling headphones. I like them better than my Bose).
10. Extra Lap top Batteries (2 laptop batteries pre-charged for movies on a long flight).
11. Telephoto Lens for Nikon (I carry two lenses one for portraits and the other for distance).
12. Polarizing filter (Makes the sky bluer and and the clouds whiter.)
13. Dual Headset Connector (A little adapter that allows Kim and I to share a headphone jack).
14. Laptop to Ipod Connector (Allows me to connect my ipod to my laptop to watch movies on the plane).
15. Quarters- (I bring a few quarters to pull the back cover off my macbook to replace the battery).
Checklist 2: Clothing
*Note: The goal here is to have beach, daytime and nightlife outfits that could be rotated and intermixed with each other. I’m also willing to launder on a trip if it’s longer than 7 days. Use this list as more of a template to plug your own outfits into. The point here is to pre-select your outfits so you don’t bring the kitchen sink with you.
Outfit 1
Short sleeve Grey Shirt
Levi’s Capital E from Barney’s Co-op
Brown belt
Rosary necklace
White Aldo shoes
Outfit 2
Same as #1 except: Exchange shirt with green Guess shirt
Outfit 3
Same as #1 except: Exchange shirt with white Destination Unknown Guess shirt
Outfit 4
Same as #1 except: Exchange shirt with red Salvage Blue Genes shirt
Outfit 5
Same as #1 except: Exchange shirt with white Club Monoco linen shirt
Outfit 6
Same as #1 except: Linen long sleeve
And grey Club Monoco jeans
OutfIt 7
Light Blue New Ribbed Lacoste shirt
Blue AX shorts
Outfit 8
Black Lacoste Shirt
Tan AX shorts
Outfit 9
Pink linen shirt
Grey crepe slacks
SWIM
Penguin blue trunks
Ralph Lauren trunks
White linen shirt
Grey barney t-shirt
DAY SHORTS NON BEACH
White AX shorts
Grey AX t shirt
Flip flops
Yes this ALL does fit into two bags- realize that most of these outfit changes are just a shirt swap.
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For those who have been asking…. P90X continues to kick my butt and I’m loving it!
I have always wanted to make the jump to the “Carry on only” Jet Set rule. I know see it is possible to still have all of life’s luxuries AND not risk losing it all. Thanks! Great Blog! Darren
I never thought it would be possible to pack weeks of clothes into a carry on! It also gives me an idea as to what to pack and how many outfits I can come up with just by mixing and matching (I just have to add in there skin care and make up and some hair products :) Thanks for the post, it’s awesome!
Great list, Rob. I’ll definitely be referring back to this!
I’ll give it a go. I’ll be in Paris for 4 weeks, worst case, if needed I’ll buy more clothes when I’m there.
Interesting! I just bought a new carry-on luggage and I have to pack for 3 weeks in Greece! Great post :)
Hey guys. Long time fan of the site. This is a great article as usual. I actually read it when you 1st posted it last year and I came back for a review since I’m taking a trip soon. In my mind it seems a little harder for women to pack so lightly. I would love to see an article from Kim on what she packs for carry on only items. Thanks & keep up the good work. Excited for the launch.