How to Pack for Two Weeks in a Backpack

It was July 2011. At the tender age of 18, I was preparing for my first international adventure — a two-and-a-half week trip to Germany to visit my then-boyfriend. Never having packed for something like this, and obviously wanting to impress my boyfriend, I packed almost everything I owned. I rolled up to the luggage counter to check my gigantic suitcase, tipping the scales at just barely under the 50-lb limit. Sigh of relief.

As the years passed, I continued to follow this same, pack-more-than-you-could-possibly-ever-need model every time I took a trip to Europe. But when I took my first solo trip in 2016, I decided to change my tactics. Knowing I would be constantly on the move, traveling around the country without staying in one place for long, it didn’t seem very appealing to lug that 50-lb rollerbag around with me.

So how did I, the former serial overpacker, manage to pack for two weeks in a backpack (and still have room for souvenirs)? Here are a few of my best tips.

1. Choose the right backpack

During my former life as a traveling tech consultant, I would typically pack a regular backpack. I would use it to carry my laptop and for shorter trips when I also bring a rolling carry-on bag. That being said, it’s not the right kind of backpack to take on a long trip. Its layout isn’t effective enough, and it’s also much too small.

I actually borrowed the backpack I took on my Spain trip from my roommate at the time: the REI Lookout 40, which was a hiking backpack with a steel frame and a capacity of 40L. It had lots of pockets and even a zippered compartment from the bottom to conveniently access the inside of the pack. All of these features made it great for travel — you’ll never have to unpack the entire bag just to find one item.

REI has discontinued that particular model, but there are plenty of similar options out there — like this Osprey bag! Or, check out this list of 25 of the best backpacks out there. I eventually ended up buying a similar REI bag of my own, and it’s served me well for the last six years. 🙂

Don’t want to shell out for a new bag? Ask around — there’s a good chance at least one of your friends or co-workers has a hiking backpack they’ll let you borrow. Just make sure to return it in great condition, preferably with a little postcard thank-you note inside.

2. Keep it simple

Do I wish I could bring my entire wardrobe on the trip to make sure I’m looking my best for photos? Of course. Is that realistic? Unfortunately not. The good news is that it’s not necessary, even if you only pack for two weeks in a backpack — if you bring the right items, you can almost seem like you’re wearing an endless number of different outfits.

My college best friend gave me this idea, and I employed this strategy for the first time on my Spain trip: choose a color palette for your clothing. Instead of bringing shirts of every color, pick a few different colors that work well together, and you can easily mix-and-match. For Spain, I chose black, white, brown, blue, and burgundy. I brought 3 pairs of pants, 5 shirts, 2 scarves, a cardigan, and a jacket. That was all I needed. I could wear every shirt, with every scarf, with every pair of pants.

3. Minimize liquids

Whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad, all liquids must be limited to 3.4 oz (100mL) containers and placed inside a clear, 1-quart-sized bag. Depending on how many liquids you use on a daily or weekly basis, it may be difficult to fit everything in this small bag. Such is the case for me; as a girl with naturally curly hair, I probably use more hair products than the average person. They’re a packing priority, so I had to think about other liquids I was willing to go without.

I decided to find alternatives. Instead of a small bottle of makeup remover and cotton balls, I opted for Neutrogena face wipes. Instead of body wash, a bar of soap. Instead of bug spray, mosquito repellent bracelets. For when I know I’ll need to do some laundry, solid laundry soap sheets or laundry tablets. These help me cut down on liquids for my 3-1-1 bag.

Also, I’ve recently fallen in love with Kitsch shampoo and conditioner bars. Here are some of my other favorite packing essentials.

4. Compartmentalize

Though your backpack hopefully has lots of pockets, it’s easy to feel unorganized when you pack for two weeks in a backpack. For this reason, you’ll probably want to come up with a system to stay on top of it all.

Here’s mine: I used to have a makeup box subscription, so I would receive a small makeup bag with products each month. After two years, I had so many of those bags floating around, and I found a great way to put them to use. I pick a couple of my favorites and designate them categories: “Shower stuff,” “Hair accessories,” “Electronics/chargers.” Sometimes I even stick a piece of scotch tape on the outside and write the label in Sharpie to help me remember which is which. This way, instead of loose items floating around my backpack, I have smaller bags that I can easily grab and find what I’m looking for.

5. Bring an extra bag

You may have gathered by now that I love souvenirs. Here’s how I ensure that, even if my backpack is packed to the brim, I have plenty of room for any purchases I make on the trip. Bring a fabric bag that folds or scrunches up really small, and shove it into any available space in your backpack. Forget about it for the majority of your trip, but remember where you put it.

Save most of your shopping until your final days so you don’t have to carry everything around with you. But when it’s finally time, get out this other bag and put all your souvenirs in it. You’ll still be able to fly without checking a bag — use the backpack as your carry-on and, as long as it fits in front of the seat in front of you, your souvenir bag as your personal item. This also helps you ensure nothing fragile is broken or damaged during the flight.

 

These five tips for how to pack for two weeks in a backpack have served me well for many years. In fact, I’ve even been able to use these same tips to help me pack for even longer trips (like two months) backpack!

How would you pack for two weeks in a backpack? Have you ever tried any of my packing tips? Leave me a comment!

-Cathy

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Originally Published on November 7, 2017.