Carry-on only packing list: how to fit it in one bag

To fit a week into one carry-on, choose the bag first and treat its size as the limit: about four tops, two bottoms, five pairs of underwear and socks, one layer and one extra pair of shoes, with everything liquid in one quart-size bag. Wear the bulkiest items on the plane.

This is for a week or so by air, with US airport security in mind. Your airline sets the size and weight of the bag, and some fares allow only a personal item, so read that page before you buy the bag or pack it.

Example: a week in one bag

An illustration for one adult, mild weather, with one wash midweek. The counts are ours, not a rule. The bag decides what fits, and the count follows it.

The moment to avoid

You're at the airport counter and the bag is 3 pounds over. Every item in it seemed necessary at home. The fix is to decide the limit before you pack, not at the scale, and to weigh the packed bag on a bathroom scale the night before.

The order

Bag first. If you write the list first, you'll spend the evening making it fit.

1. Read the airline's page

   Find the carry-on size and weight for your fare, and whether your fare includes one at all. Some cheaper fares include only a small personal item.

2. Choose the bag

   Pick the bag you'll carry, and treat its size as the limit for everything else.

3. Write the list

   Start with documents, bank card, phone and charger and medication. Then clothes for the days, not for the possibilities.

4. Pack to the list

   Pack what's written and nothing else. If it isn't written down, it stays home.

5. Weigh the bag

   Weigh it at home against the airline's number. Take out one thing if you're close.

Liquids: the rule that catches people

Your bag is not the only thing security cares about. TSA allows liquids, gels, creams and pastes in a carry-on only in containers of 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less, all in one quart-size bag, one bag per passenger. A full-size shampoo will be taken at the checkpoint. Larger amounts of prescriptions and other medically necessary liquids are allowed in reasonable quantities, and you tell the officer about them. A solid bar of soap or shampoo, or a small refillable bottle bought at the destination, gets around most of it.

Ways to make it fit

What stays in reach, in case the bag gets checked

Gate agents sometimes ask passengers to check a bag on a full flight. Have one small pouch you can pull out first.

What can go wrong

• Packing for the possibilities. Every what-if adds a pound.
• Buying a bag before reading the airline page. Sizes differ, and a bag that fits one airline may not fit another.
• Assuming the personal item is free. Some fares count it separately, and some only allow it. Check your own fare.
• Putting valuables in a bag you may end up checking. Move them to the pouch first.
• Forgetting the trip's own needs. If it's cold, layers weigh more than sun clothes, so the count drops.

Before you close it

The night before, put the bag on the scale and go through the night-before checklist. For a longer, per-person list, see packing list for a week away. If it's your first flight abroad, the first international trip checklist covers what no bag can fix.

What the Companion does with this

Travel Companion has a Carry-on only starting list, described as one bag, nothing checked. It's short: three items for each traveler and nothing shared, so it works as a base you add to, not a full list. You choose it, press the button, and edit or remove anything, then check items off and save the list as a PDF with check boxes. It doesn't know your airline's size or weight limits, so that check stays with you. See the Travel Companion page.

Questions people ask