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It was the ultimate packing challenge: traveling for one week in just a 5kg bag! Was I able to pull it off?
In nine years of full-time travel, I hadn’t experienced such limiting baggage restrictions as I did on a one-week trip from London to Playa del Carmen. I got a last minute super budget airfare, so, that basically meant that while I got a great deal on the flight, I had an extremely limited baggage allowance.
Traveling for almost nine years has had a major impact on me in many ways. Read my full story here!
I was only allowed to take five kilograms (about 11 pounds) and one carryon, and that had to include my personal item and anything else I wanted to carry on the flight.
I’m going to show you exactly how I managed to fit my belongings into a 5kg baggage allowance, what was inside this bag, and my travel outfit – which enabled me to use this awesome packing hack!
One Week 5kg Carryon Only
What’s my ultimate hack?
Have you ever heard of those travel jackets that have a million pockets and you can stuff them with a bunch of different things, and that way you can travel luggage free on your flight?
Not all travelers feel comfortable traveling with a jacket like that. It’s a great idea in theory, so I thought, wait a minute – why not take that concept and actually apply it to a jacket I actually like?
Here’s some tips on how to wear a leather jacket!
My solution? My leather jacket!
this is the All Saints Leather Jacket I used to pack heavy items
My leather jacket has various pockets and it occurred to me to use it the exact same way as a “traditional” multi-pocket travel jacket. It’s not a special jacket or anything. It’s just my regular everyday piece. I got it at All Saints, a brand from England, and I absolutely love their stuff.
Truthfully, my jacket was heavy with all my electronics, my makeup, and my liquids. Plus, the material, zippers, and hardware added to the weight. However, it was only temporary as I returned all the items to my carryon once we boarded the flight.
If you’re a blogger or a digital nomad, half of your weight pretty much goes into electronics. My laptop alone weighs 1.35 kg (2.96 pounds), so that leaves me just under 4 kilos left for my personal belongings.
Check out my leather jacket from All Saints here!
my bag weighed 5.1 kg but my jacket had the heaviest items
Important Note About this Packing Strategy
The key to using packing hacks like this to meet strict baggage restrictions is to leave room in your suitcase for everything. You can’t carry all your items in your jacket or pockets throughout a trip!
Once I went through security and boarded the plane, I put all the items inside my bag. I also took a couple of extra Ziploc bags to keep everything organized. That way, I would know what goes in each pocket when I had to fly back.
I wouldn’t recommend packing like this for an extended trip or if you have multiple stops. I was only going for one week and staying in the same place the entire time. So, that was a particular situation where it made sense to use this packing hack.
If it’s your first time traveling or you want to brush up on your travel skills, follow my top 5 packing tips for a one week trip!
What’s Inside My Bag: Jacket
I filmed this video inside of a restaurant at Gatwick airport in London. Watch this short one minute video to see exactly how I managed to fit everything into my favorite jacket and re-pack all the items into my carryon once inside the terminal.
Watch the video on Youtube and subscribe to my channel!
Here you’ll find a full breakdown of all the items I packed on this trip and where I packed them. (Note: the above video did not show the jewelry I packed in the arm pocket or my 3-1-1 liquids bag but I included them in the list below.
The secret to traveling light is to create a functional but minimalist capsule wardrobe. Learn more in my guide!
my liquids bag also fit in the left pocket (not shown in video)
Left Side Pocket:
I put the majority of the heavier, bulkier items in the pocket on the left including my cell phone charger plug, electric toothbrush charger, scuba diving computer, and laptop charger.
Right Top Pocket:
In the right hand pocket I placed the things I wanted easy access to during the flight, including my cell phone charger cord, headphones, and portable phone charger.
Find out the best portable power bank chargers for travel!
Right Side Pocket
I put all my liquids in the right side pocket of my arm. This did not include shower gel, shampoo, or conditioner as I was planning to buy those upon arrival. I packed the other items into these awesome travel containers.
I kept all these items inside the Ziploc bag even when it was inside my pocket, just in case there was any spills. Once I was on the plane, I put those items along with the rest of my toiletries.
Because I was only going for one week and every single ounce counted towards that five kilogram baggage weight restriction, I just took Ziploc bags instead of an actual toiletry bag. I don’t like to use baggies long-term, but for a shorter trip, it was totally fine.
Note: on longer trips, I place liquids into a Ziploc and return them back to my regular toiletry bag once I’ve gone through security. Read this post to help you understand how 3-1-1 liquids rule works!
Arm Pocket:
My jewelry was in my arm pocket and I was a bit hesitant to put it there but because I didn’t want it to break. However, since my jewelry tends to be heavy, there was no way it would work inside my carryon. I should have put it in a mini Ziploc but I made an exception since it was just one flight. This included my:
- necklace
- earrings
Left Side Pocket:
The left side pocket housed all of my makeup. Because makeup can sometimes break and spill, I also kept it in a Ziploc bag. The benefit of this is that you protect your jacket, but you also have your container once you pull it out of the jacket. This included:
- MAC eyeshadow palette
- double-sided EcoTools eyeshadow brush
- Anastasia brow pencil
- MAC eye liner
- travel size lip gloss
- full size powder
- travel size blush brush
- sample MAC mascara
- Nars multiple (in small container)
- MAC concealer
To see exactly what I packed including my clothing, the items in my jacket and what was inside my “5 kilo” carryon, watch the above video!
What’s Inside My Bag: Carryon
I used this JanSport backpack as my carryon. I previously traveled with this bag as my personal item on my long-term travels and I absolutely LOVE IT.
It’s phenomenal, especially if you want something sporty but classic that’s built to last. It’s incredibly spacious but not too big. It has a water-repellent fabric and various compartments for the ultimate in organization.
Check out my minimalist packing list with one bag only!
Exterior Water Bottle Pocket
- Ipanema Sandals (easy to slip-on upon arrival)
Top Pocket (important docs)
- passport
- boarding pass
- small Moleskin notebook
- pen
Wondering how to keep your passport safe while having it easily accessible when you need it? Discover our top safety tips!
Front Pocket Top (daily essentials)
Inside the Backpack
- 11” Macbook Air
- two belts
- dive mask
- heels
- toiletries, including items mentioned previously plus toothbrush head, shower cap, razor
- packing cube with clothing including Vacay caftan, dress, black top, white top, mini skirt, shorts
This is a reasonably small backpack and is not the maximum carryon limit. If I could pack everything in this small bag, then you could do it in a regular size carryon sized bag! You don’t need an oversized bag for the majority of trips.
Packing cubes changed the way I travel. They allowed me to travel carryon only for nine years!
layered Adea long sleeve + Zella leggings over sundress to stay warm on flight
Ultimately, this packing example is extreme. It shows a packing hack that can help you TEMPORARILY with extremely strict baggage restrictions but it definitely shouldn’t be a long-term packing strategy.
And for every single trick in my packing book, read my full course “Stop Overpacking“. I created the STOP OVERPACKING program to teach you my exact packing process. Every secret, every detail, nothing is spared.
Learn more about Stop Overpacking here!
Have you ever had to pack under 5 kilos? What was your strategy? Share in the comments!
For more packing strategies, please read these posts:
- How to Fit Everything in a Carryon (Video Tutorial)
- How to Pack in Less Than 15 Minutes: My 3-Step Strategy
- The Fashionista’s Guide to a Luggage-Free Minimalist Packing List
- 10-Step Guide to Packing One Suitcase for any Trip
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I hope you liked this post on my extreme packing hack. Please share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
Love this video. Hope to avoid anything this extreme but you never know! I always try to pack EVERYTHING in my bag. This way, if I buy clothes or it’s much hotter than expected (& I wear less on a travel day) I don’t have to worry about it. If I can fit everything but my main pair of shoes, I’m happy.
Hi Alex
Thank you for such an awesome video – really helpful.
Daft question – how much underwear did you take? I always seem to overpack these items.
Thank you for your help. Kind regards
Hi Lottie, so pleased you found this video helpful!! ?? For me as a long term traveler, I’ve always traveled with ten. This is why I always pack 10: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/travel-underwear-how-many-should-i-pack-for-my-round-the-world-trip/ Happy travels!
Thank you Alex much appreciated.
I love jackets with lots of pockets for traveling. However, one does need to be careful not to pack the pockets with heavy items if that’s how you will carry them for the entire trip. I learned the hard way how heavy a jacket can become!
Hi Swedie, great point! Any items packed in pockets should only be temporary and then moved back in the in bag 😉
Thanks for the greatness ideas! I already had an anorak jacket in mind to take with me to Europe, but I was starting to worry it was too bulky. But with the weight restrictions and the fact that this jacket has lots of great pockets, I’m excited to see how much I can fit in there!
Hope it works out 🙂
Howdy Alex,
I watched the whole video! For this type of hot weather trip, my tip to pack your Jansport even lighter – wear your bikini on the flight instead of bra + undies. Another tip is switch out the electric toothbrush and charger for travel toothbrush. If you can stand changing deodorant for one trip, try ‘Crystal Essence’ deodorant towelettes – they come in packet …Also, for makeup just take lipstick and chapstick + sunscreen, of course. A suggestion, for your videos, try wearing a headband to keep hair off your face – so you won’t have to keep fidgeting with it… Although the 5K limit is extreme, it gives me a good target to shoot for as I’m a chronic overpacker – tfs!
Thanks for the tips Lulu!
This is an interesting strategy. I once packed for two weeks in just a backpack. I could have definitely used this article then!
Thanks Jaclyn!
Some countries now have banned plastic bags or impose fees per bag. I use ziplock bags a lot and even take extras for wet items or other. Do you know if the rules banning and/or fees per plastic bag applies to ziplock bags as well?
Hi Jo, haven’t heard this rule. I can’t imagine it would apply to a Zplock as many airports require you to use one
Jo, a number of Australian states have plastic bag restrictions but they only apply when purchasing food and clothing, not for personal use.
This was such a timely post for me, planning to go to Paris again in March and my goal is to pack super light with a carry on only. Thanks for the great information!
Perfect! Hope you have a wonderful trip 🙂
Great hack , but if you don’t need the jacket you can use a cargo vest to keep it light.?
Good idea Lisa!
Love your blog and packing tips. Ready to go on vacation!!
Thanks Cheryl!
This is so so smart. I have a leather jacket with many pockets too, I have never thought of it as a way to lighten my carry on luggage load. It seems so logical when you think about it!
Thanks Peta!
Great tips! I love using ziplock bags in packing too. In my big bag I put jewelry in small ziplocks and then corral all those bags in a gallon size ziplock bag. Pressing the extra air out really helps save space.
They’re so versatile, I always pack a few extra 😉
Saving this for later!!
Glad you like it!
I follow your advise for 2 years now.
Although I am not quite where I want to be (or travel lighter then before) I am getting close! Yes, I read what you suggest to pack. But then I pack one or two more items. And then I don’t wear those?.
Love your emails and posts A LOT!
NOW I will check out which light weight carryon you prefer.
Thank you for the wonderful tips!
Haha, it’s difficult not to add one or two items when you have extra space in your bag 😉 I like to save it for shopping opportunities. Thank you for being a valued reader!
Thank you for this! I love the idea of using your jacket that you already own!
Thanks Bridget!
TFG completely changed the way I pack for travel. I’ve learned so much and simplified my packing and somehow in the process, I look and feel more polished and put together.
That’s incredible Nicole! Great job 🙂
These weight limits are ridiculous. I am 150 lbs, but my bag needs to weigh as much as someone who weighs 300 lbs? How does that make any sense at all?
That’s a very good point, Rachel. I can’t even imagine what new rules the airlines will come up with next.