Packing, especially as a girl, can be extremely overwhelming. What makes matters worse is what worked for one trip might not work for the next trip depending on where you are going, the time of year and what you will be doing. Here is my female carry on packing list including what bag I use, what essentials I always bring and what items I wish I left at home!
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Before Packing
Before picking items to pack, I try to think about a few variables such as:
1. Temperature of your destination(s)
Really simple but look up the weather for your trip. Now things can definitely change but it can be especially helpful if it’s somewhere you have never been before. Just looking to see the average temperature both during the day and at night will answer a couple questions for you. It can help decide if you really need the sweater or can forgo it or if two pairs of pants instead of one is necessary.
2. What are you going to be doing?
Again this is nothing ground breaking but try to think about what you know you will be doing during your trip. If you know you’re planning to do a hike make sure you bring something that is easy to move around in but also isn’t limited to just hiking. I find a pair of leggings to be good to do a hike in but are also nice to wear on the plane ride as they are a little warmer. Also if you are taking any flights, ferries or trains during your trip I always find it nice to wear something a little more comfortable during those times.
For our trip to France, we planned on taking a day to go to Monaco. I packed a nice outfit for that day to go inside the Monte Carlo Casino. I would not have ordinarily packed that nice of an outfit except I knew it was on our radar so I could plan ahead.
This is a little bit of a double edged sword because sometimes you don’t know everything you will do before leaving and things like weather can unexpectedly change your plans. But vaguely knowing you want to do a hike, go to the beach one day, etc. can help in knowing some specific pieces that you know you will need.
3. Do all your tops match with your bottoms?
I personally try to make sure that all the tops I’m packing match with all the bottoms I’m bringing. For bottoms that usually includes black leggings, jean shorts, and a pair of regular jeans. So I make sure that all the tops whether it be a tank top, short sleeve shirt or any other type match with all those bottoms.
This can sometimes be a little tricky because your nice black blouse might look a little silly with a pair of leggings. So I try to make this work better by being conscious of the material of the shirts I’m bringing. Shirts for girls are probably the hardest thing to pack because there are so many different kinds and different types of fabrics and each one can be worn for a different situation. I try to bring shirts made of non-cotton blends so they will last longer and are casual enough to be worn for walking around during the day but also to dinner at night.
Travel Truth: The biggest thing, in my opinion, is to just accept the fact that there is no way you can bring, in a carry on, a different outfit for each day. No matter if your trip is 10 days or 100 days you would need a very, very large suitcase to bring that many clothes. Because of the ease of bringing a carry on, I’ve accepted that I just have to rewear clothes. That doesn’t mean wearing the same thing every single day for the whole trip. However, it does mean wearing the same top a couple times maybe with different bottoms. Bringing clothes that are not 100% cotton will make them hold their shape longer and not look worn when you wear them for the 2nd or 3rd time.
Bags and Accessories
The Bag
Kelty Redwing 40 Liter
I chose the Kelty Redwing 40W because it has the support of a traditional hiking backpack which makes it surprising comfortable to wear around for a while. If this is the only bag that you’re bringing make sure it is comfortable enough to carry, whether on your back or on your shoulder. One of the biggest advantages to bringing a carry on is how much easier it is to travel around with. I also find the size to be enough to fit what I need without being way too big for my body.
You can read more about why we both have the Kelty Redwing bags and why we prefer it over other bags!
Kate Spade Crossbody Bag
- I always bring a crossbody bag when traveling for more personal items like my wallet, phone, hand sanitizer and sunglasses. I’ve had this one for a couple years now and like it. The crossbody style makes it feel secure enough on my body for walking through busy cities but still looks like an every day bag.
Packing Accessories
Gonex Packing Cubes
These are a generic brand of packing cubes from Amazon. In our post Are Name Brand Packing Cubes Worth It we compared Eagle Creek packing cubes, one of the most well known brands, and these Gonex brand ones. These were half the price of the name brand packing cubes and work just the same! We would definitely recommend packing cubes in general but definitely think a more generic brand will do the trick!
Packable Daypack
LL Bean Stowaway
- We chose this option because it is packable and extremely lightweight without sacrificing the quality of the backpack. Obviously don’t expect to take this hiking on a two week camping trip but for daily use around a city it is more than sufficient. This bag was the perfect size to use for our coastal path hikes which you can read about here!
Another good option (and slightly cheaper) is the Eddie Bauer Stowaway. We looked into this specific bag but ultimately chose the L.L. Bean bag above because the straps felt a bit more substantial and it had additional padding.
Clothing
Footwear
4 pairs of ankle socks
- If you run out you can easily sink wash the socks and let them dry overnight. I wore these primarily for the plane rides and whenever we did hikes like the Fira to Oia Hike in Greece or the Coastal Pathways in France when I wanted some extra support.
1 Pair of Nike Flex Sneakers
- I’ve had various pairs of Nikes over the years and felt like they held up well. However I recently switched to Allbirds sneakers for a couple different reasons. They are wool and supposed to be able to be washed in a traditional washing machine. They also are soft so they are very light weight and therefore lighter and easier to pack when you’re not wearing them. I personally also find them extremely comfortable to wear!
2 Pairs of Sandals
- 1 pair of sandals to be worn while walking around or with a nicer outfit.
- 1 pair of flip flops to wear to the beach.
Travel Truth: I think I would cut out the second pair of sandals if you bring one pair that can be worn for both situations. A pair of flip flops just for the beach seemed a little unnecessary when I only worn them once.
Bottoms
7 Pairs of Underwear
- I know theres a lot of debate over bringing only a few pairs or bringing enough for the entire duration of the trip. I personally think it’s worth it to bring a couple extra pairs to get you through at least a week. Although washing them every day is doable I think it would get a little annoying.
1 Pair of Cotton Shorts
- I brought 1 pair of flowy, patterned shorts. I personally like these type of shorts because there are so comfortable, pack up so small, and look like a skirt but are actually shorts so they can be worn for a nicer outfit.
- However, because they are a cotton material they wrinkle a lot and while traveling thats just not something you want to worry about. Thats why I wouldn’t bring these material shorts again and instead look for something that holds its shape better.
1 Pair of Jean Shorts
- I find myself wearing these the most because I can wear them with both sandals and sneakers. These and sneakers were the perfect outfit for walking around for hours at Versailles.
1 Pair of Nike Running Shorts
- I actually wear these to sleep in when we travel because they are comfortable but also, in a pinch, can be worn during a travel day or to run out and grab coffee.
Lululemon Wunder Under Leggings
- Bringing at least 1 pair of leggings gives you a comfortable and flexible bottom to wear on travel days or during an athletic day. They also can be worn to sleep if needed or just to wear one day if you feel like being casual. I’ve had these for over 5 years and they’re still going strong.
2 Bathing Suits
- I think it’s totally doable to bring just 1 bathing suit if your plans don’t include many trips that include swimming. But they are pretty small and nothing is worse than putting on a bathing suit wet from the day before.
1 Dress
- I typically bring one dress that could be worn to wear during the day as well as at night. This one is a black, sleeveless swing dress so it could be worn during the day to walk around but then later at night to dinner or watch the sunset. I also choose this one because it can be worn with a regular bra.
3 Rompers
- I brought 3 rompers which now typing it sounds like a lot. One was a short sleeve, casual romper. The second was a tank top romper thats good to wear over a bathing suit to the beach. The last was a long sleeve, dressier romper. As I mentioned earlier the dressier one was solely to wear to a nicer location. If your plans don’t include needing to get that dressed up I would forgo this one.
- Rompers are nice because they look like a dress but being shorts makes them a little more practical.
Tops
2 Bras & 1 Sports Bra
- You’ll notice in all the shirts I list below none of them are strapless. I do that on purpose so I don’t need to pack a strapless bra. Bra’s are kind of big and awkward to pack so if I can leave behind the strapless bra for that one shirt it saves me some room! That’s a personal preference that I’m willing to give up. There are many girls who are rocking the off the shoulder look right now so if that’s your thing you can make it work! Just pick and choose what you know you will wear.
2 Short Sleeve Shirts
- I always bring at least one short sleeve shirt because if you are going somewhere warm, at some point in the trip you are bound to get a little sun burnt. For me it’s always my shoulders so throwing on a shirt with sleeves gives my shoulders some relieve towards the end of the trip.
- I also find these easy to wear with both leggings and shorts. I tend to bring one solid color (either black or white) and one striped to bring some variation.
2 Tank Tops
- I try to make sure one of these can be worn on top of a bathing suit because if you’re anywhere warm you’ll want something that can easily be worn over your bathing suit without having to just be a bathing suit cover up. Again think of things that work for not just one situation
Levi’s Jean Jacket
- I recently brought this on our last trip because there was some cooler weather expected and it can be worn with both a dress and shorts. However, it is very bulky and if only worn a couple times, it takes up a lot of space in a carry on.
Travel Truth: I’m on the fence if I would bring my jean jacket again just because of how big it is to pack in my bag. I think I could very well just stick with the fleece below and while I may not win any fashion awards, I would still be plenty warm.
Full Zip North Face Fleece Zip Up
- I bring this for the flights when it’s freezing cold. I’ll also pull it out for colder nights or if the air conditioning is really strong in the place we’re staying. I like this full zip one because a full zip is easier to get on and off and it also looks more like a jacket than a sweatshirt. Because of that it’s easier to wear over shorts or a dress without it looking really odd.
Electronics
This category just includes the basics to maintain the devices I want to be able to use on a regular basis while traveling.
iPhone
- Not only as a phone but I also use this as my primary camera to take pictures while we’re traveling. I would already be bringing it anyways and with the iCloud I don’t have to worry about losing any of the pictures if something happens to it.
- I use an Otterbox Case not because it’s the prettiest but because I’ve been known to drop my phone a time or two.
Jackery Portable Battery Charger
- We have two of these Jackery portable batteries. We bring the 6000 (smaller one) when heading out for the day because it’s lighter and use the 12000 during long transit days or on flights. The smaller one can easily fit in my crossbody bag for a day out.
Apple Headphones
- I just use these Apple headphones because they work well enough and then if they break or stop working, I’m not too worried about it.
Headphone Splitter
- This is really nice because we always travel together. We learned this the hard way that it is extremely hard to listen or watch something while sharing one pair of headphones.
Apple World Adapters
- You might not need to bring the whole set depending on where you’re going. In addition to the Apple World Adapters we also bring a set of generic adapters as a backup. It’s always better to have more ways to charge things than less.
Toiletries
Packing in just a carry on means only bringing a quart sized bag full of liquids. There are some ways to get around this to still bring the kinds of products you want but generally it can’t be a ton. You will also notice I don’t include shampoo and conditioner. If you’re particular about yours this might not work for you but for us we ditch the shampoo and conditioner. We either use whats provided at the hotel (they always have those little bottles) or if we’re staying at an Airbnb that doesn’t include things like that we go out on our first day and buy a small bottle. Think about what you can’t live without and pack that. The rest you can buy once you’re there or have a need for it.
Toothbrush and Toothbrush Cover
- We recently got these Toothbrush Covers because they are significantly smaller than the ones that cover the whole toothbrush. But the thing that attracted me was the suction cup. In some places there is no spot to put your toothbrush so hanging it on the bathroom mirror alleviates that problem.
Travel Toothpaste
Travel Sunscreen
Deoderant
Contacts & Contact Solution
Hair Product
- I have naturally curly hair so all I need is a little product to make it not so huge and frizzy and I’m good to go. I usually just pick up a travel sized product in the travel section of Target.
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Moisturizer
- I’ve been using this for years and like how it feels like it’s moisturizing without being greasy and that it also has SPF built in.
Neutrogena Naturals Face Wipes
- These come with 25 per pack so for a shorter trip they work great. I like them because they don’t feel so heavy with alcohol like other brands I’ve tried.
Make Up
- This is very basic including a tinted moisturizer (also has SPF in it) and a drugstore blush and mascara.
Miscellaneous
Micro fiber pack towel from REI (Size XL and S)
- These are good if you think you’ll be going to the beach or pool at some point during your trip. Hotels and Airbnb’s don’t generally have beach towels so you’re left with the choice of either bringing your hotel towel (which means later you have no towel to shower) or buy a towel there. This can also double as a blanket, towel for your hair, or whatever else you might need! It’s small, comes with its own case and has many uses.
All packed & ready to go!
This picture below is everything listed above packed and ready to put inside my backpack. I try to organize my clothes into the packing cubes by type of clothing so I only need to open one to look for a shirt.
This female carry on packing list or any others you’ve read might not fit you perfectly so think about what you wear when you’re home and what kinds of clothes you like wearing. A lot of people say don’t bring jeans because they are bulky to travel with and don’t dry quickly but personally I wear jeans all the time so they are something I would like having. Make sure whatever you bring you’re comfortable in and you’ll want to reach for over and over again!
What tips do you have for packing in a carry on?
