I never understood how anyone could pack for a week-long trip in one of those small carry-on bags. I thought it was impossible. Well, it’s not. I just did it. I really had to limit myself to get down to the these items.

From top to bottom, left to right:

1. Toiletries
2. Three pair of jeans
3. Two polo shirts
4. A long sleeve shirt made of long john type material
5. Long sleeve t-shirt
6. Two t-shirts
7. Pair of shorts and a comfy t-shirt for sleeping
8. Six pair of underwear
9. Six pair of socks
10. Two pair of shoes
11. Zip-up hoodie
12. North Face jacket

Here you can see everything in the carry-on except the items I’ll wear. I placed the hoodie and the toiletries on top of everything else when I closed the suitcase.

This is the first time I’ve rolled my clothes (I forgot to roll the hoodie though). It actually works. If I had tried to pack those items my normally it wouldn’t have fit. I even had spare room. I really could have cut a few of the items off the list if it had been a tight fit. I also have room in my laptop bag in case I think of something I missed or if I want to bring something home from the trip.

My old packing style would have been to take everything I could fit into a large suitcase. I’m looking forward to not checking a bag this time around. Sure, I’ll have to do a little laundry mid-week, but I can do that while I’m working.

San Francisco here I come.