Packing for a year is not the same as packing for a holiday. A holiday bag is a wish list; a year-long bag is a system. Everything in it has to earn its space, dry quickly, and survive being worn far more often than you would ever ask of it at home. Get the system right and a year of moving between hostels, flats, trains and friends' sofas feels light. Get it wrong and you will be paying to carry dead weight through three continents.
This is the checklist I would hand to anyone building a one-bag setup from scratch. Treat it as a starting point, not scripture. Your climate, work and tolerance for laundry will change the numbers.
Start with the bag, not the wardrobe
Choose the bag before you choose anything that goes in it, because the bag sets the limit. A clamshell-style carry-on of around 35 to 45 litres suits most people, and it opens flat so you can find things without unpacking the whole thing onto a hostel bed. Check the shoulder straps and hip belt properly loaded, not empty. If you cannot comfortably carry it for twenty minutes on a hot day, you have bought the wrong bag.
Weigh it packed before you fly. Airlines vary endlessly on cabin weight limits, so check the rules for every carrier you plan to use rather than assuming your usual one applies.
Clothing: build layers, not outfits
The goal is a small set of clothes that all work together in any combination. Pick two or three colours and one neutral, then stop. Fast-drying merino or synthetic fabrics beat cotton for anything worn against the skin, because they can be washed in a sink, wrung out and worn the next morning.
A workable year-round wardrobe looks roughly like this:
- Three or four t-shirts
- Two long-sleeve tops for layering
- One warm midlayer, such as a fleece or light down jacket
- One waterproof shell with a hood, sized to fit over the midlayer
- Five to seven pairs of underwear and socks, merino where possible
- Two pairs of trousers: one smart enough for a nice dinner, one stretchy and hard-wearing
- Shorts, a skirt or a dress, depending on what you wear
- One swimsuit
- A hat, a buff and thin gloves for cold snaps
- One pair of shoes on your feet, one lighter pair packed
Add one smarter shirt or top if you have work meetings or family events ahead. Cold climates need more insulation, not more trousers; buy a proper thermal base layer when you arrive rather than hauling it through Southeast Asia.
Tech you will actually use
Most people carry more tech than they need and fewer cables than they want. Think about what you genuinely do every day, then strip back to that.
- Phone, plus a spare charging cable
- Laptop or tablet, with its charger
- Universal adaptor and a small multi-socket extension lead, which turns one foreign socket into several usable ones
- Power bank, carried in hand luggage where rules require it
- E-reader, if you read a lot
- Headphones, ideally noise-cancelling for long journeys
- A small pouch for cables, adaptors and memory cards
That extension lead is the single most appreciated item in most long-term bags. Shared kitchens and hostel dorms rarely have enough sockets, and having four outlets in one place keeps your gear charged without a nightly hunt.
Toiletries and the small things
Decant everything into containers under 100ml and buy refills locally. Solid shampoo bars, soap and deodorant save space, weigh almost nothing and rarely leak. Beyond the obvious, pack sunscreen, a nail file, tweezers, a few painkillers, a small roll of duct tape and a sewing kit with two needles and dark thread.
If you take regular medication, sort it out well before you leave. Carry a copy of your prescription, keep medicines in their original packaging, and check the rules for every country you are visiting. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist about supply limits and how to restock abroad, since rules differ and some medicines are restricted.
One small thing from home is worth packing. A photo, a stone, a worn jumper. Nostalgia weighs less than regret.
What most nomads wish they had left behind
Ask anyone who has been on the road for six months and they will name the same regrets. Formal wear for an imagined occasion. Three pairs of shoes. A full-size hairdryer. Paper guidebooks. The "just in case" pile, which in practice means clothes that never leave the bag.
Be ruthless with anything that needs ironing, dry cleaning or special detergent. Be equally careful with heavy electronics you only use occasionally; a lighter laptop you enjoy using daily beats a powerful one you resent carrying. And if you are not sure about an item, put it in a maybe pile at home and see whether you miss it during your first month. Post it to yourself later if you do.
The printable checklist
- Bag chosen, packed weight checked against your airlines' limits
- Clothing layers complete, all items coordinating, all fast-drying
- Shoes: one worn, one packed, both already broken in
- Tech and cables tested, adaptor and extension lead included
- Toiletries decanted, solids favoured, prescription copies carried
- Documents: passport, visas, insurance, copies stored offline and in the cloud
- Nothing packed that you have not worn or used in the past month
Living out of it
A one-bag setup is a habit, not a packing day. Keep a "one in, one out" rule so the bag never quietly grows. Wash small items in the sink every few days rather than saving a giant laundry session. Do a test trip with the finished bag: a weekend away, travelling only by public transport, will tell you more than any list.
Then review at month three. By then you will know exactly which jumper you have not worn and which cable you have used twice. Take those out, and the bag gets lighter for the rest of the year. For anything to do with visas, tax residency, insurance or medication, check with a qualified professional before you rely on it.
Photo: Craig Adderley / Pexels
