by Kate Barba
We’re off! The last day’s checklist was a scramble, but thankfully we had packed 99% of our luggage the week before. A friend requested a rundown of the bags we expect to last us the full year, so here we are! We’ve used this system for a couple trips now and it works well for us.
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Our main bag is the Osprey Porter 46*. It’s juuust small enough to count as a carry-on, though we will check it on most long haul flights where we have a free bag. Each person has one bag that will hold 95% of clothes (7 days), outerwear, and a toiletry kit* (mine* is bigger of course). For details on the clothing list, check out this post I wrote a few weeks ago. Each person also has a compression laundry bag* to promote personal responsibility for their clothing! Before toiletries our main bags weigh in between 16 and 19 pounds (7-9 kilos). The max on our main bag is supposed to be 22 pounds (10 kilos) to maintain carry-on status.
We also each have a 13-15L day pack that will be our “personal item” and hold a computer, chargers, clothing layers, water bottle, mini first aid kit, wallet etc. The kids each have an Osprey Daylite* that can attach to the Porter above. Pete got a similar sized Pacsafe Venturesafe* with more anti-theft tech, like cut proof materials and RFID blocking. I’ve been using my similar Pacsafe Metrosafe* as a purse for months now and it’s been very handy!
Our large North Face duffel* has 45 pounds of everything else. It’s tough, big, and reasonably light on its own, but we do wish the backpack straps were more comfortable and that the waist straps were functional. Anyway, we don’t feel that we can do without it, at least for now! We’ll go into detail on this ”extras” list another time.
- Camera bag
- First aid kit
- Extra toiletries and insect repellant wipes
- Laundry supplies
- Sleep sacs
- Water bottles, including filtering and hydration bladders
- Microfiber towels
- Family mascot and flag
- Overflow clothes (thermal set, down jacket, and flip flops each)
- Pack rain covers and emergency kits
- Cooking supplies
- TRX workout straps
- 2 small lightweight duffels( for potential extras, organizing, and to combine 2 day packs into 1 if we have to pay to check bags.)
That’s it! For full disclosure we are starting with another extra large duffle with sleeping bags for our first camping safari in August. That will go home with relatives right afterwards. We also had soft-sided cat carriers* that worked really well to transport our kitties to their grandparents in North Carolina. Other visitors will bring smaller duffels with re-supplies and specialty gear (lifejackets and snorkels for Greece, snow boots for December), but we won’t keep those either. Like I said before, we’re not minimalists, but we are trying to keep our family as mobile as possible while still comfortable for the year! We’ll let you know how it goes…
*Please note that this article contains links that may earn us a small commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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4 responses to “Bags Around the World!”
Bon Voyage, Barba Family! It’s pretty interesting to see what we actually need vs. what we have in our homes…I’m so impressed with how you packed!
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Happy Trails Barba Family! You all look good and it sounds like you’ve got it covered.
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Loving these posts. Thank you and wondrous journeys!
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Wow!! You all look great! The bags are impressive and I’m sure will work amazingly well. Happy Travels!!
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