Packing a week into one bag

The trick to packing light is not folding technique. It is accepting that you will wear the same three things and that nobody will notice.

The list

• Two shirts or knits in neutral tones that work with everything
• One pair of trousers that can pass at dinner
• One outer layer — a wool coat in winter, a field jacket otherwise
• Underwear and socks for four days, plus a wash bag
• One pair of shoes worn, one packed flat

That is a week, provided you wash a load at day four. Hotel sinks and a travel detergent sheet handle it.

Why the bag matters

A structured tote holds its shape when half empty, which means clothes do not slump into a pile. A soft hobo compresses into an overhead bin. If you are checking nothing, take the structured one — the shape is doing work for you.

What we stopped bringing

• A second bag. One bag, used for the flight and for dinner.
• Bulkier shoes. Two pairs maximum, both flat.
• Anything “just in case”. If you have not worn it in six months at home, you will not wear it abroad.

The one concession

A folded cashmere scarf. It weighs nothing, doubles as a pillow on the plane and turns a plain outfit into something that looks deliberate.