The joy of packing light

29 May 2025

I travel probably six to ten times a year and it’s been more than a decade since I’ve used a suitcase larger than a carry-on. But I always check that carry-on because I haven’t felt tall or strong enough to lift my suitcase into the overhead bin.

Southwest was my airline of choice: it didn’t charge to check a bag and I loved its open-seating policy. But, as you may know, that ended yesterday. I’m not keen on paying to check a bag, so I’m going to be carrying mine on.

I had set a goal with my trainer of being able to easily hoist my bag into the overhead bin, but I decided to take a shortcut to sidestep the issue. I bought an even smaller suitcase, the Bagsmart Under-Seat Carry-On. I paid only about $65 for it and I’ve been very pleased with it.

I’ve taken three trips since buying the bag in March. One involved airplane and train. One was a round-trip Southwest flight and I recently flew to Charlottesville on a pair of Delta flights that were on smaller planes.

This little suitcase was a champ! On the three Southwest flights I took, I was able to place both the suitcase and my purse under the seat in front of me. (I had to sit in a window seat, though; the space under the aisle seat is smaller.) On the Delta flights the bag wouldn’t fit under the seat, but the overhead compartments were so small that all normal-sized carry-on bags had to be gate checked. And the bins were low enough in this small plane (and my suitcase light enough) that I had no difficulty putting my suitcase in the overhead compartment.

I was able to breeze past people who were waiting for their gate-checked bags in the jet bridge. In addition, it was so nice to not have to take time to check my bag (on either end of a flight). I’m a carry-on convert!

The latter two of my trips were four days and three nights. I had plenty of room in my 18” × 13.5” × 8” suitcase for what I packed, which was two dresses, a pair of shoes and a pair of slippers, pajamas and, of course, toiletries. I also took a charging station for my devices and a few extra cords. I packed my laptop, Bullet Journal and pens, in the outer pockets of this little workhorse of a suitcase. (I brought an iPad rather than my laptop on my most recent trip which made my suitcase even lighter.)

The key to my ability to pack light was wearing a lot of layers on travel days, including a warm cardigan that I could pair with any of the items in my suitcase. I’m always cold on a plane, so many layers works well for me. I wear merino wool exclusively and don’t require much variety. (I once wore the same dress for 100 days in a row.)

I find that making the decisions about what to each day before I go on a trip is easier than having a large selection from which to choose while I’m on a trip. I know not everyone is wired like me, but the benefits to traveling light make it worth a try!

Tagged with: packing, simplicity, travel