Packing for a trip is about keeping the bag in order and reaching what you need. Packing cubes divide up the clothes, a tech pouch gathers cables, chargers and memory cards, and a toiletry bag keeps the toiletries separate. A travel backpack or duffel takes it all as hand luggage. Check the dimensions against the rules of your airline and whether your laptop fits.
Read more about travel bags & packing
Travel backpack, duffel or weekender
Choosing a travel bag comes down to how you get around. If you change trains and walk a lot, you will want it on your back. If you drive to a cabin, you want a bag that opens wide so you can see everything at once.
| Type | Carried | Packing | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel backpack | On your back, often with a hip belt | Opens like a suitcase, with a laptop sleeve | Flights, trains and trips with many moves |
| Duffel | By the handles or over a shoulder | One big compartment that is easy to fill | Car trips, the gym and weekends |
| Duffel with backpack straps | By the handles or on your back | One big compartment, often expandable | Duffel space with the option of walking further |
| Collapsible duffel | By the handles or on your back | Folds away when not in use | A spare bag for the trip home |
| Weekender and tote | In the hand or over a shoulder | Open and simple | Short trips and everyday use |
A duffel swallows more than it looks like it will, but gets heavy on one shoulder. With backpack straps it also copes with a longer walk from the station.
Packing cubes keep things in order
Packing cubes are zipped fabric bags that divide up what is in your luggage. Clothes in one, underwear in another, gym kit in a third. When you arrive you lift the cubes onto a shelf and the bag is unpacked in half a minute.
There are two kinds. Regular cubes keep their shape and stack well. Compression cubes have a second zip that squeezes the contents as you close it, so the same clothes take less room. Ultralight cubes in thin fabric weigh next to nothing, for anyone counting grams.
A mesh top shows what is inside without opening the cube. It sounds minor. After a week on the road, the mesh is what you miss when it isn't there.
A few more pouches go a long way:
- A shoe pouch keeps soles away from clothes.
- A laundry bag separates dirty from clean on the way home.
- An apparel sleeve for a shirt or jacket cuts down on creases.
Pick cubes that suit the size of your bag. Peak Design, Think Tank and Gomatic make cubes matched to their own travel bags, but they work in most luggage.
Tech pouches for cables and chargers
A tech pouch is a small bag with pockets and loops for the things that otherwise end up in one tangle: chargers, cables, card readers, memory cards, earphones and a power bank. Open it and everything is in view.
For photographers this is the most important small bag of all. A forgotten camera cable or charger can ruin a trip, and with everything in one place you see straight away if something is missing as you pack.
Chargers decide the size. A small pouch takes cables, cards and a phone charger. If a laptop charger and a battery pack are coming too, go bigger. The pouch belongs in your hand luggage, since power banks and loose lithium batteries must not go in checked bags.
The wash bag and things that live apart
A travel wash bag has to cope with leaks. Choose one in water-resistant fabric with a lining you can wipe clean. Mesh pockets let you find a toothbrush without emptying the lot.
At many airports liquids in hand luggage still go in a clear bag at security. A wash bag does not replace that bag, but it keeps the rest of your toiletries together.
Some bundles pair a wash bag and a tech pouch in the same colour. It is an easy way to sort out all the small stuff in one go.
The camera in your travel bag
Plenty of people travel without a dedicated camera bag. The camera rides in a padded camera cube inside the travel backpack or duffel, and everything else is packed around it. Peak Design's travel bags are built to take its camera cubes, and Think Tank makes travel bags in the same line as some of its camera bags.
If a laptop is coming, check which screen size the sleeve is made for. Several of the travel backpacks take a laptop up to 16 inches, while smaller bags often hold only a tablet.
Place the camera cube against your back in a backpack, and on top in a duffel. That is where it gets squeezed least when the bag is put down.
Size and hand luggage
Volume is given in litres and is the easiest way to compare bags. Several travel bags can grow. A duffel may have a zip that opens extra volume, and some travel backpacks have pockets that fold out when needed.
If the bag is going in the cabin, pack to the smaller volume. Expanded, it is often too big for hand luggage, and it is the trip home with souvenirs that tends to get tight. A collapsible duffel at the bottom of the bag solves that.
Airlines set different sizes and weights for hand luggage, and some of our bags are listed as approved for carry-on. Check your airline before you travel all the same.
Frequently asked questions about travel bags & packing
What are packing cubes?
Packing cubes are zipped fabric bags that split up the clothes in your luggage. You pack one cube per type of clothing and lift them out when you arrive. Compression cubes also squeeze the contents so they take less space.
Are packing cubes worth it?
For most people, yes. The bag is quicker to pack and unpack, and you find things without digging. They help most in travel backpacks and duffels with one large compartment.
What goes in a tech pouch?
Chargers, cables, card readers, memory cards, earphones and a power bank: everything that would otherwise sit loose at the bottom of the bag. Keep it in your hand luggage, as power banks must not be checked in.
Is a duffel or a travel backpack better?
A travel backpack is better when you walk a lot and change transport, because the weight sits on your back and hips. A duffel is easier to pack and suits car trips and weekends. A duffel with backpack straps sits in between.
How big can a carry-on bag be?
That is up to the airline, and both size and weight limits vary between them. Check yours before you travel. If the bag has extra volume that folds out, pack it to the smaller size.