Hi friends!

Heading to Rome for the first time at the end of May, and I’d really appreciate any tips or pointers.

I’ve been looking for a nice linen T-shirt, but since I’m petite, everything I've found so far is too long on me. I’m hoping I can get away with the cotton tees and tank tops I’ve already packed instead. My linen dress was meant to be my “no shorts” solution, but I’m debating it since a lot of people seem to pack shorts for Rome. I’m not a huge shorts person and don’t think I’d get much use out of them beyond this trip. I'd like linen but long term wise I think denim would suit me better.

Without further ado:

Bags

• Crossbody bag (white/cream)

Shoes

• Brooks sneakers (white)
• Sandals (white/cream)

Tops

• Cotton white t-shirt (white)
• Cotton white tank top (white)
• Cotton black tank top (black)
• Polyester patterned cap sleeve top (black & white)

Bottoms

• Linen pants (black)
• Linen midi skirt (dark blue)

Dresses

• Linen dress (black)

Layering Pieces & Accessories

• Linen button-up (white)
• Silk scarf (light green)

As mentioned in a previous post, I have spent the last 10+ years traveling with the Tom Bihn Aeronaut. I love this bag but man, it's heavy, especially now that I am Old.

Enter the new challengers: Osprey Daylite 35L and the Fairview 40.

Image 1: Everything I would like to put in my bag. This is not practical, you don't have to tell me.

• Passport pouch
• 4 packing cubes: underwear (7 underwear, 4 socks, 2 bras); bathing suits (2) & athletic wear (top & shorts); shirts (5) and sweaters (2); pants, skirt, shorts, and PJs (1 each)
• Toiletry bag
• Green pouch (meds, first aid kit, jewelry, eye mask, etc.)
• Electronics
• Sunglasses
• iPad
• Headphones
• Mesh laundry bag
• Tevas
• Purse
• Day pack
• Cards
• TRTL neck pillow
• Water bottle
• Playing cards
• Towel

Image 2: The bags all packed, with anything I couldn't fit off to the side.

Top left: Tom Bihn Aeronaut 45, with everything in it and room to spare. Total weight: 10.0 kg

Top right: Tom Bihn Aeronaut 30, no towel or purse (purse contains passport pouch, iPad, headphones, water bottle, playing cards). A30 weight: 8.65 kg, purse weight: 1.65 kg

Bottom left: Osprey Fairview, no water bottle or neck pillow. Bag weight: 10.4 kg

Bottom right: Osprey Daylite, no towel, green pouch, or purse (containing the same stuff as in the A30 picture, except the water bottle). Green pouch items were relocated to the mesh pocket. Bag weight: 7.85 kg, purse weight: 1.3 kg

Image 3: Bags open. Clockwise from top left: Aeronaut 45, Aeronautics 30, Daylite, Fairview

Image 4: Me wearing the bags. Clockwise from top left: Aeronaut 45, Aeronautics 30, Daylite, Fairview

Verdict: The Aeronauts are absolutely superior bags when it comes to packing and living out of them. There’s so little unpacking and repacking; everything is just right there when you want it. Unfortunately, when fully packed the A45 feels like it weighs ten thousand pounds. It just haaaangs off my shoulders, even with the hip belt (the Aeronaut hip belt is a scam, don’t do it). That’s rough for 10 kg.

The A30 sits higher and is a much more comfortable carry (to a degree not justified by the ~1.3 kg weight difference), but necessitates carrying the purse and its contents separately — not necessarily a HUGE deal, but sometimes inconvenient, especially on days when the big bag is left in a locker somewhere. I also have to stuff my Tevas in the backpack strap pocket.

I can’t think of a real use case for the Daylite for me, to be honest. The outer pockets are useless if the bag is fully packed. It’s shaped weird. It is cute, though, and would probably pass as a personal item. If I didn’t already have the A30 I’d probably keep this, but I do, so this one’s going back. Big plus: water bottle holder! Also super lightweight — I got this close to the increasingly common 7 kg weight limit, despite being a massive overpacker.

The Fairview is unfortunately so comfortable and so stupid looking. This bag was the heaviest, but it felt the same as carrying my regular work bag, which feels like black magic. I hate the way this bag looks, and I’m not wild about the way it packs, but it does hold a lot of stuff and I feel like I could walk for miles while wearing it. I also wish it had a spot for a water bottle, but I’ve lived without that for a long time. Could probably put the TRTL in those exterior straps. I guess I’m keeping it? But with, like, a little resentment. I just hate the aesthetics.

I'll be traveling to Italy in late June and I'm excited but so nervous! This is my first trip overseas and I'm a recovering overpacker, so I want to make sure that I keep it light and intentional.

We'll be in Rome for five days and then at a yoga retreat in southern Italy for five days. This will include a lot of beach and pool time, so wanted to account for that.

I'm waiting for my Allpa Mini 20L to arrive and hoping this all will fit (plus toiletries and miscellaneous items)

In my everyday life I keep my fashion pretty minimal but with some fun pieces, so I wanted to pack clothing that I actually wear and feel good in. Everything can also mix and match. I plan to wear my sports bras with my normal clothing too and some can even pass as cropped tops if styled well.

Any advice is welcome! I'm debating if I can get away with just one pair of shoes and not bring the Birkenstocks since they are so bulky. I also wonder if I'll need another bag, since I worry the striped sage Baggu is too casual or may clash with my gingham dress (probably overthinking it)

Page 1:

Dresses/jumpsuits (top left)

• Green gingham dress
• Black linen dress
• Black linen jumpsuit

Tops (top right)

• Green cotton tank top
• Black cotton tank top
• Black ribbed adjustable tank top

Pants (left)

• Cream cotton pants
• Green cotton pants
• Black linen pants

Layering pieces (right)

• Green cotton button down
• White cotton poncho

Shoes (left)

• Tan Tevas
• Brown leather Birkenstocks

Accessories (right)

• Tan foldable bucket hat
• White tomato-embroidered baseball cap
• Tortoiseshell sunglasses
• Stripped sage green Baggu (size small)

Page 2:

Activewear (left)

• Black sports bra
• Green sports bra
• Black and white bra and short set
• Black shorts

Intimates (middle)

• White bralette
• 12-14 pairs of neutral underwear

Swimwear (right)

• Green floral bikini
• Zebra one piece
• Knit coverup

Feedback needed

TIA for the feedback on my outfit plan, and for accepting me for already planning even though I'm ~2 months out to my trip 😂 I've been to Japan in the summer before, and I've one-bagged for other trips, so I am pretty pleased with these looks.

Still, I'm interested in paring down if possible. However, part of me also wants to bring additional accessories (such as stud belt or chain necklaces or cool tights) for underground events. Let me know what y'all think.

Pieces (page 1)

• Bottoms [top left]
  • Reversible wrap dress (floral print)
  • Long skirt (floral print)
  • Skort
  • Shorts
  • Athletic booty shorts
  • Note: 5 undies not pictured
• Tops [top right]
  • T-shirt (white)
  • T-shirt (black)
  • Airism bra tank top
  • Mesh hollow out crop top
  • Cardigan
  • Crop top length sports bras
• Shoes [bottom left]
  • Three pairs of socks (white, black compression, black & white strawberry design)
  • Teva Tirratraveler sandals
  • Brooks running shoes
• Accessories [bottom right]
  • Scrunchie
  • Sunglasses
  • Twice bandana
  • Totoro purse plush (serving as my wallet)
  • Trader Joe's tote (serving as a shopping bag and a "packing cube")
  • Baggu (serving as a lighter day bag and another "packing cube")
  • Dodgers cap (black)
  • Backpack

Japan outfits (page 2-4):

• 4 outfits per page that I hoped to mix up enough so that I do not repeat most days.
• Each day is numbered, but I left out the final few days. I predict I will also buy a dress or top while I'm there too.
• Activities labeled and included are: sumo, dinners at nice restaurants, raves and clubs, hiking, sightseeing, shopping, etc.

Fits (page 5):

• For my extra days or when I don't like a look, I have alternative options.
• Options to go with my long skirt
  • Cardigan + bra
  • Tank top + mesh top
  • White shirt + tank top
• Options to go with the white shorts or black skort
  • White shirt or black shirt or tank top
  • Cardigan or mesh top
• Options to go with the reversible dress
  • White shirt or cardigan or tank top
  • Bra + undershorts
• Plane outfit
  • Cardigan
  • Black shirt
  • Bra
  • Skort
  • Long skirt
  • Bandana
  • Cap
  • Scrunchie
  • Compression socks
  • Running shoes

I planned everything on Canva and a spreadsheet.

This post is a long time coming but considering folks are likely trying to plan their own packing for a summer Euro trip, I thought I'd share my capsule wardrobe from my 22 day solo trip to Europe end of May to mid June, 2024.

I had a month off in between ending a job and beginning a new one, so I spontaneously booked a direct flight (travelling from Canada) to and from Rome. I only had my accommodations booked for Rome and Venice and a rough plan when I left, but I ended up visiting the Vatican, Ljubljana, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest as well. I took mostly trains, some buses, and one flight (from Budapest back to Rome to fly home). I booked as I went and never had any issues finding nice hotels or doing and seeing everything I wanted to, including things people warn you must pre-book far in advance for (ex. Vatican). Experiences may vary as I believe tourism in Western Europe is much busier than even 2 years ago.

I'm a dedicated onebagger, and used my trusty 35L Cotopaxi, but knew I wanted to look put together with a small but functional and versatile wardrobe. I settled on a capsule wardrobe of black, cream, white and denim. These are all clothes I already owned and were part of my regular summer wardrobe. Pic 1 is my base clothing, pics 2, 3 and 4 are some examples of how put outfits together. (I looked through my pictures to remember some outfits)

Picture 1:

Tops:

• black/white crochet top - thrifted
• black/white striped vneck sweater vest/tank - Simons
• white cropped ribbed tank (built in bra) - Uniqlo
• black vneck cropped tank (tech material, built in bra) - Uniqlo
• white square neck tank - Old Navy
• black boxy tee (quick dry) - Old Navy
• black/white stripped boxy tee - ?
• cream short sleeve linen blouse - Simons

Bottoms:

• denim square neck midi dress - Old Navy
• cream/oatmeal linen pants - Banana Republic
• black/cream patterned midi skirt - Simons
• black kick flare yoga pants - ?
• black flowy trousers (quick dry very airy) - ?

Layers:

• denim jacket - ?
• black fine merino vneck cardigan - Banana Republic
• cream ribbed cropped cardigan - Uniqlo

Shoes:

• black leather sandals (with sneaker-like sole) - from a boutique store but I think they are Ateliers
• white low profile leather sneakers - OluKia (these are technically golf shoes but great for walking)

Lounge/PJs:

• black merino cami - Icebreaker
• grey yoga/lounge pants - Lole (very thin and quick dry)
• purple round mini should bag - Uniqlo

Other: (not shown)

• 2 silk scarves: one bigger, one smaller. I used these in my hair as a headband or kerchief, as a neck tie, a shawl in the evenings etc
• jewelry! I wear earrings everyday (several piercings) and love bracelets. They really bring a simple outfit together
• black baseball hat (shown in running outfits)
• bathing suit
• sunglasses
• foldable tote
• mini travel umbrella
• undies (icebreaker merino thongs, one sports bra, one wireless bra, a couple no-show merino socks)
• tech: adapter, kobo, ipad, airpods, various chargers
• toiletries: I decanted all my regular skincare, use solid shampoo and minimized my makeup routine. I have curly hair but when I travel I wear it mostly up so I can bring less product
• First aid/meds: I have a teeny tiny zip pouch to bring some nice to have items like latex-free bandaids (allergy), gravol for motion sickness, a couple tablets of over-the-counter meds (tummy stuff, pain relivers etc) that can hold me over before finding a pharmacy

I did sink laundry frequently with my fastest drying items and went to the laundromat once (maybe twice, I can't recall clearly) to wash everything. I left a dedicated raincoat at home in favour of an small umbrella. There were items that did double duty such as the black boxy tee and black vneck tank (for runs/workouts and daily wear) that were very valuable. Disclaimer: The light colours were not an issue. I find my clothes don't get stained or messy easily, sink washing works well for me as does airing out/using a clothing spray as I'm not a very sweaty person, even in summer.

Overall, I was very satisfied with what I packed - I used everything and didn't feel like anything was missing. I wasn't too hot or too cold and was pleased with the overall aesthetic. Bratislava was a little rainy and cooler, but layering kept me comfortable and the umbrella kept me dry. Heros were the black flowy pants because they were extremely light weight but look like more elevated trousers, the linen blouse as a great layering piece, any double duty items, and the black leather sandals that look like dressier shoes but felt like clouds. If I were planning another similar trip, I wouldn't hesitate to pack almost exactly what I have here, expect for maybe swapping out one white tank for a denim shell tank, a looser silhouette denim jacket and a black/white gingham Uniqlo bag for the purple. But as they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Hey all!

I posted a while ago about my trip that I've started, so I wanted to give an update! Thanks again to everyone who gave me advice before!

I started with a cruise from the Caribbean to Europe in March, and have been travellng Europe via train for about a month and a half. I have mostly been staying in hostels. I started in southern Europe, and am now in central Europe.

My previous posts were about clothes and shoes, but I'll go over everything else a little too. I ended up taking slightly different things than I planned on in the post, but hopefully I cover it all enough for it to make sense!

Images, more detail below

1. Clothes
2. All the stuff that goes in the bag
3. The bag, nearly fully packed with sandal for scale

Goals for my one bag - achieved!:

Hands free: Other than occasional giant bags of pastries taken onto trains, success!

Nothing strapped to outside of bag: I hate having stuff strapped on the outside, so this was my huge for me.

Pouches for all things: I wanted everything to have a place/pouch. I don't normally travel this way but I figured I'd lose my mind over months if my stuff was that disorganized. It's been good!

Fits on trains: Has fit in the overhead on every train except for local ones that didn't fit anyone's bag. Not taking any planes, so it doesn't matter if it's carry-on size.

Bag:

Got an old Gregory Jade 60 barely used, because it's my favorite backpacking bag and I knew I'd be happy walking with it for ages around cities. It's been (nearly) perfect!

It's more space than I need, but I usually take it up because I haphazardly shove in packing cubes.

Not relevant for this trip, but also when packed correctly, it can be carryon size. The frame is not very long.

... the waterproof lining did delaminate and I had to clean it all out. I have no regrets, but warning if you buy older bags!

Cubes/Sacks/Stuff in Gregory Jade 60:

- Clothes (3 pants, 2 blouses, 1 sun shirt, 1 sun hoodie, 1 short, 1 short that is also for swim, 2 merino wool tees, 1 long sleeve merino shirt, 1 dress)

- Sleep Cube (eye mask, hug sleep pod, sleep hat)

- Misc Cube (extra glasses, hangers, physical therapy stuff, instant coffee, cap, hostel lock, contacts, money belt)

- Socks/underwear/bras (3 pairs medical socks, 2 pairs socks, 2 merino bras - the REI bralettes, they're awesome, 1 sports bra, crop top, lots of Metarino underwear, bathing suit top)

- Cold weather cube (Puffy jacket, cold weather leggings, hat, rain jacket)

- Tech sack: Hair clippers, Xbox controller for gaming on laptop, cords, charger brick

- Meds (Too many, fml, repackaged as much as possible but still a lot :( )

- Toiletry bag: Night cream, day serum, bar of soap in matador soap bag, nail clippers, tooth brush, tooth paste, medical ointments, travel mascara, eyebrow pencil

- Extra sacks (2) (good for clothes that are not clean but mostly clean but I don't want them with my totally clean clothes)

- Packable tote (good for when I go exploring and throw all my stuff into it, also works as bag for very long train rides). I have the Vimapo underseat carryon off Amazon.

- Sun hat (has a strap - it has been SO WINDY so it has been helpful!)

- Laptop w/ drawing pad

- Pacsafe Vibe 100 Hip Pack (holds wind shirt)

Current shoes:

- Merrel Moabs, not GoreTex (ended up with a cute color after all!)

- Keen Elle Luxe Cross sandals

- Croc Slides

- Shower flip flops (purchased on trip)

Purchased:

- I pretty much immediately regretted not bringing my Patagonia Houdini. (edit: I have now bought another one 🎉) So I bought a wind shirt in France to make up for it, somehow it's already ripped. Sometimes I get chilly when I'm out and about, and unlike a full rain coat it would've fit in my fanny pack.

- I bought a pair of super cheap flip-flops at Decathlon, because I walk around the hostel so much in my Crocs and it's annoying having them wet.

- Trekking pole. Helpful for stairs, hikes, getting off trains, etc.

- Just got a folk art bandana. Functional souvenir!

Left for free at hostels/ditched:

- One of my t-shirts (it was ugly and I wasn't wearing it, I bought it for another trip)

- My sweater (... turns out since I'm from a very cold place I am, in fact, barely ever cold).

- Linen dress (I ripped it anyway, it was super cheap and mainly for the cruise)

Wish I had brought:

- I love my little packable hangers, and pretty much whenever I can hang them I wish I had extras. It's nice to air things out, and I hang up some of my clothes. I brought two, and have wished I had 3 pretty much every time I use them.

- Bring my Patagona Houdini (see above). Want. So. Badly. edit: finally found one today! 🎉

- ... a surprising amount of hostels have not had cutlery. Nice ones! Between that and how much I'm on a train and like yogurt, I should've brought a camping spoon. Maybe I'll grab one at Decathlon....

Things I'd not bring again:

- I'm sure I will eventually be happy to have a rain coat, but I have literally never needed it. I didn't have a plan of where I'd go after Barcelona, so I could've needed it if I had gone north.

- I decanted my face serum into little jars. and unsurprisingly ran out after about a month, so I ended up just buying the glass bottle at Sephora in France. It weighs more, but it's less likely to get contaminated AND won't leak. Decanting it was never worth the effort.

- Similarly, I should've just brought regular sized toothpaste, the travel ones were gone pretty quick.

- I tried alcohol spray to make things smell less and as far as I can tell it did not help (I used watered down isopropyl, but that's about the same). Also my spray bottle started leaking even though it didn't when I tested it. Ditched the bottle.

Things I love:

- I would lose my mind without my Croc slides! After a day of walking, or just in the morning at the hostel, I pretty much live in them when I'm not out. I wear them on long trains. They take up space. I love them. Zero regrets.

- My packable hangers. Seriously awesome.

- The Keen Sandals I got are so cute. So comfy. I could walk all day around a city in them, and I have!

- My Pacsafe waist pack! This thing is awesome! I keep it all clipped up MOSTLY to make sure I don't lose all my shit, but also I'm impossible to steal from.

- Both clothing cubes are clean/dirty cubes, which is super useful.

- I got a hard shell passport case off Amazon, it's probably overkill, but it's wateproof AND I can always feel it in my bag to be sure I haven't lost it.

- Having a train travel bag is great, I slip into my crocs when I'm going to be on a train the entire day.

Ending thoughts

There's definitely some things I'd probably not take again and some things I wish I had... but that hasn't affected my trip in any way. I just wanted to be hands free with nothing outside the bag, and that's always the case.

I thought so much about all this before I Ieft, but now that I'm on the trip I barely think about it at all. I'm too busy enjoying the trip! I was really worried about getting everything just right, and I definitely didn't, but it's been awesome anyway. So I'm definitely going to remember that my bigger goals are more important than the details to me when I onebag!

The image shows my current packing list for my 42L Cotopaxi Allpa along with some potential outfits. I’m planning to do laundry once about halfway through the trip. I’m mainly wondering if y’all think this looks okay for the weather, if I should add another t shirt, or if there’s anything obvious I’m missing. Likely will buy a sweater in Paris at some point so I may ditch the grey pullover.

- Tops (2 short sleeve, one long sleeve, one pullover sweater)
- Jackets (one cropped trench, one denim, one cardigan)
- Pants (one medium denim, one black denim, one black pull-on trouser)
- Skirts (one white midi, one green midi)
- Dresses (one black midi, one yellow midi)
- Shoes (white sneakers, blue sneakers, red Mary Janes)

About to leave on a 2.5 week trip to Greece and England so have a couple of climates to pack for!

The photos above show clothing and main accessories only (minus undergarments, socks, and toiletries, laundry kit, etc):

Jackets: one rain jacket and one light brown jacket

Bottoms: 1 pair of linen shorts, 1 pair of jeans, 1 maxi skirt, 1 pair of printed trousers

Tops: 2 linen long sleeved button ups, 1 pullover for the plane and lounging, 1 long sleeved boat neck (for England), 6 tank tops, 1 crop top, 1 T-shirt, 1 cardigan

Swimsuits: 3 for now, might end up with just 2!

Pajamas: 1 set

Accessories: belt, 1 purse, hat, sunglasses, gloves (England), journal, book, jewelry (not shown), watch

Shoes: 2 pair (sandals and tennis shoes)

This is my first time taking a carry on on a trip like this. Please let me know if you have any clothing suggestions for these two climates! I'm a little nervous I'll be too cold in England.

Hey all! Long time lurker, first time poster here!

I'm doing a 5-6 days girls trip in Copenhagen in about 10 days. First time in the Nordics and coming from a place where is currently 34-22C.

Aiming to pack this wardrobe + tablet + phone + chargers + wallet into my TomToc T66 under 7kg. Adding a link since the below description didn't suffice for an image post - https://ibb.co/qMCN5sFS

What I'm carrying:

1. Uniqlo 3D knit - cotton - coral

2. H&M knit top - green - cotton/acrylic

3. Striped knit top/sweater - cotton/acrylic

4. Decathlon mesh knit top - to double up in case of sauna visit with the black swim bottoms (14)

5. Quecha puffer

6, 8, 9. - Columbia Pull On Pants - grey, navy, black - water repellent + UV

7. Levi's straight fit jeans - plan to wear this on the flight to & from. (Flight top undecided)

8. Quecha half cut zip rain parka in navy

11 & 12. Uniqlo Airism bra tops for layering under the knit tops

13. Longline shrug - black - for general lounging at hotel

14. M&S tank tops - 2 - for sleep

15. Decathlon wool socks - grey - 2 pairs, rotate

16. Decathlon white rain repellent shoes - 1 pair

18 & 19. Uniqlo heattech top & leggings for layering

20. Merino gaiter to double up as beanie

I'd really appreciate any feedback + criticism on what I'm missing? More tees? Extra shoes? Flip flop? Scarf/stole?

(Fwiw, I'm carrying check-in luggage, mainly carrying stuff for my girlfriends flying in from other countries)

I'm leaving in 12 hours to solo travel in Scotland for 14 days!

I wanted to get some last minute advice on what I'm bringing.

For my carry on / main bag I'm using the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L. And for my daypack I'm using the Patagonia Terravia Hip Pack 4L.

I've never solo traveled or used a backpack to travel before. I've never stayed in hostels before either. I'm struggling to let go of clothing even though it fits in my bag. I'm both afraid of being too cold and too hot at the same time. I know Scotland is cold. But I run warm?? so im just nervous. Any advice would be appreciated.

Of my 14 days, I'm doing an 8 day intrepid trip that goes around northern Scotland and loops from glasgow to Edinburgh. I'm also front loading my trip with 2 Glasgow days and ending with 5 days in Edinburgh and exploring the city and doing day trips from there.

Image 1: my bags packed

Image 2: What's inside my 4L hippack - passport/wallet, portable charger, toothbrush/toothpaste, nail file/nail clipper, chapstick, pill case, reusable baggu tote, handkerchief, bandaids, earplugs, wireless earphones, sunglasses and reading glasses

Image 3: Open 35L

Image 4: Shirt travel cube. 2 long sleeves 3 short sleeves and one set of pajamas

Image 5: My bar soap, shampoo, conditioner, body/face, and a cleaning cloth

Image 6: Pants cube - 2 pairs of cargos, 1 black legging, 1 denim dress, shorts for under dress

Image 7: other side of my bag. Includes my raincoat, outwear jacket when not raining, travel towel, toiletry bag

Image 8: What's inside my toiletry bag

Image 9: laundry sheets and clothes drying line

Image 10: eye sleeping mask, kindle, charger (will add cable)

Image 11: hostel/shower shoes

Image 12: airplane outfit

Image 13: Shoes on airplane.

Image description edit:

Image 1 - A sudoku grid packing method capsule which includes 3 tops (1 white tube top, 1 light blue linen camisole and 1 black scoop neck cotton tshirt) , 3 bottoms ( 1 pair if jean shorts , 1 pair of black Linen trousers and 1 pair of beige / caramel ankle lenght slacks )and 3 layers (1 bright blue linen button up oxford type shirt, 1 light blue long line blouse, 1 black oversized cropped blouse.

Image 2 - 2 dresses (1 black smock dress and 1 black maxi button down dress with floral print) , Athletic outfit ( black sports tank top with built in bra, black biker shorts and black ballet longsleeve bolero) and 2 Lounging outfits ( black longsleeve cotton shirt, black sleeping shorts, green ribbed lounge pants, and a black cotton t shirt) as well as undergarments ( 2 x skin colored bralettes, 2 black bralettes, 10 black thongs, and 8 pairs of neutral coloured socks).

Image 3 - 2 backpacks (Fjjarlraven 16” backpack and Mat & Nat 12L backpack), 1 purse (Baggu Crescent Medium) , 1 phone bag (fits phone, keys and credit card) , 1 packable shopping bag, packable rain poncho, 2 sunglasses (1 prescription) , flipflops, birkenstock, nike react pegasus trail runners and New Balance 740.

I will be heading to Japan soon and checking out my packing situation. Weather should be upwards of 30c during the days with lots of humidity (similar to temps in my city during the summers - Montreal ).

We will do light hiking, spend a day in an onsen town, and lots of city walking.

Each bags gets nestled into eachother and I only carry on my Alpa and fjallraven , the later only carries my snacks, toiletries and liquids and anything else I need access too on the plane.

I was able to fit most of this wardrobe in my Cotopaxi Alpa 36L last year when I went to europe for 14 days, but I did not end up wearing alot of the outfits as intended, so trying to be strategic!

We should have access to washing at various points, but will make sure to get some done half way through.

I have a few questions for anyone whos traveler to Japan.

- Do people dress up fancy in the evenings when going out to eat ? Our typical travel days look like outings early morning throughout afternoons and then we like to head back to base and wind down and get ready for the evening, so typically Ill wear sportier / casual stuff during the day and casual / fancier during the evenings. This has worked well for me on most of my travels, but does it make sense in Japan? Will I be overdressed ?

- Are most indoor places air conditioned at this time of the year ? Is the subway system an oven like NYC? Would I need a thicker layer for indoors? All my layers are very light shirts , one is linen and the other 2 are basically light cotton / poly chemises.

- I likely dont have enough room for 4 shoes, I prefer the Nikes for walking long distance and hiking, but they can get tight and annoying to take on and off, whereas the NB are so easy to slip on and comfier on the plane.

- Is japan safe enough to carry my phone around in a phone sling purse? Is it unnecessary for this type of travel? I usually wear it with my fancy outfits in the evening but would a casual outfit and baggu crescent be fitting for evenings out?

- Does the Shinkansen consider carryons oversized luggage? Would we need to reserve for that since we also have backpacks as personal bags?

Any other input? What could be paired down? Should I consider leaving room for clothes I may want to buy and risk not having enough available outfits when needed?

Update:

Thanks for all the input, I find it very insightful and will be sharing with my travel group as well!

Here are the tips I received:

- Business / smart casual is the norm and with runners is totally fine
- Most hotels have slippers and Pajamas
- tube tops, low cleavage , exposed shoulders and tight legging shorts may be too immodest, depending where you are, you will get stared at.
- 2 pairs of running shoes wont hurt, 1 pair of good supportive sandals is a good option
- Japan has an unbrella culture, consider buying an umbrella or bringing a rain jacket
- Consider leaving room for shopping, and even buying a tote while there
- Doing laundry is easily accessible
- lighter layers for humidity does best
- Always have extra socks if wearing sandals, as you are expected to take shoes off in most spaces (open toe is not popular among locals)
- A good backpack and sling should suffice
- keep in mind of carrying around passport
- AC is dependant on where you are, layer up but wont need heavier layers
- Local men rarely wear shorts , its seen as juvenile
- Japan is very safe, no issues with phone being on a sling
- Shinkansen wouldn’t consider a 1bag 36L oversized , but double check in case
- Locals are stylish, but not usually “dressy” for ordinary dinners
-Hiking in Miyajima and Kinosaki will be light and casual wear will be just fine (keep in mind of temples at the top)

Changes I will make to my wardrobe:

- Removing: workout top, black long sleeve cotton shirt, small backpack, phone purse, black flip flops, jean shorts, blue strap linen top, white tube top, and poncho.
- Adding: white cotton t shirt , black linen boat neck loose shirt, umbrella

*-*What I need to buy:** white cotton shirt, black linen shirt

- I decided to remove the jean shorts because I really dont feel comfortable in shorts, and prefer to wear dresses in hot heat, so will use my 2 dresses for daily wear with biker shorts underneath.

- I will stick to 2 shirts , 2 pants and 2 layers for my main wardrobe

-I will use my black cotton t-shirt , linen button down and green lounge pants for airplane + lounging in accommodation since we will be with 2 other people, and sleeping shorts for if I get too warm (may switch with a pair that would also be appropriate to wear outside if needed)

-I Chose 2/4 bags based on utility

-I will take both pairs of runners and my sandals, no other reasoning other than I want too :)

-Everything marked with x will be worn on the plane, I had already packed everything from the first wardrobe with a bit of space to spare (in case anyone is curious what fits in a Cotopaxi Alpa 36L + backpack), so now I will forsure have room to spare for shopping.

-I dont want to buy anything just for this trip or anything I already own as thats wasteful. For example , I chose my poncho initially over my umbrella because although my umbrella is compact its taller than a small finicky one, its high quality so I wont be buying another one, but now that there is room in my backpack, it now fits fine. Additionally I wont be purchasing any new shoes for this trip as I only have 2 weeks before I leave and I dont intend on breaking shoes in while traveling or purchasing shoes I dont need.

A few other things to point out specifically for my trip is that I am only staying in 1 hotel out of the 6 accommodations (airbnb, hostels, ryokans and hotels) so I am unsure if I will be provided slippers or pyjamas. I am also unsure if we are checking a bag home for shopping, we would like to but we have a layover on our flight home and we are at the limit for minimum time needed to transfer.

I really appreciate all the feed back , I will update when I return what fared well and how things went! Thanks again!

Updates wardrobe pics: https://imgur.com/a/8D0KcNX

Edit to add: I will take 2 pairs of sunglasses because 1 is prescription and 1 is for when I wear contacts

i had a flight in the middle of my trip with a 10kg max for carry on. i first flew in at 9.5kg but having picked up various trinkets and toiletries along the way, i didn't know what i weighed at that point. using the scale, i was able to figure out the minimum amount of stuff to leave behind so i hit weight perfectly at the airport. ended up not even being weighed by the flight staff lol, but the peace of mind was worth much.