Why Can't You Pack a Bag?

Pack what you will need, not what you might need. Anything you might need you can just buy.

	▲	reg_dunlop 10 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Exactly. Buy local. Support the local economy and blend in.

▲

nayuki 16 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

https://archive.is/27YEq

▲

crooked-v 36 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

From personal experience when I was younger: Spending a month traveling on European trains with a backpack will teach you a whole lot about what you actually need to pack, and what you will want to just leave behind and purchase again locally if you really turn out to need a given item.

For me, the starting point that makes a lot of it way easier is to focus on layering. Anyone who lives in the Bay Area will instantly understand it: you don't build outfits for different weather, you build outfits for all weather that just depend on how many layers you've got on. For example, no cold-weather coats: instead you pack a feather-light and very foldable rain shell, layer it over thin sweaters for cold weather (multiple, if it's cold enough), and wear it directly over a light outfit for warm rainy weather.

▲

all2 12 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

The heaviness of your layering will depend directly upon the environment you will be in. The above is adequate for most temperate climates.

If you plan on being at higher elevations during local fall/winter/spring, your base layer will likely be light (and moisture wicking, please do this), and your first layer will likely need to start heavier than a temperate climate base layer.

Having spent a considerable amount of time in the North Central US during those seasons, the layering strategy is appropriate, but the heavier outer layers are non-negotiable, especially as the average temperature drops below 15F.

	▲	alistairSH 2 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		That's true, but doesn't really negate the principle... the set of layers is just different. If you're heading to that high elevation where it's mostly cold, you probably don't need to bring shorts on the off chance it's 85F one afternoon - you just wear your lightest pants that day. The other things I've found is it's pretty darn easy to wash a few items in the sink while traveling. A 14 day trips doesn't require 14 pairs of socks - 4-5 is plenty, just wash them. Etc. Most people massively overpack. I'm always amazed at the number of people lugging around full size rollers at the train station.

▲

ghaff 10 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

There are certainly circumstances where you need really warm clothes. And hiking (and requirements for dress clothing) complicate thingx as well. But if I'm visiting cities and towns in not surefrigid weather, I can generally handle carry-on with some washing out in sinks and so forth with the right low maintenance clothing.