How to travel only with a small 10 liter backpack

Is it possible to travel only with a 20 liter backpack?

The answer to this question is a clear Yes.

I usually travel with a 20 liter backpack, but because I started to get comfortable with that bag size, I started asking myself the question: Is it possible to travel with a smaller bag? like a 10 liter backpack? and would that be comfortable or just a proof of concept?

So, I decided to pack a 10 liter backpack that would allow me to travel indefinitely and see if I could make it work.

This is key when we travel in low-cost airlines. You'll be able to go into any airline with such a small bag.

 

The Bag

I picked a very cheap backpack that anyone can buy: a €4 Decathlon 10 liter backpack.

The bag form is not optimal, but cost-benefit is almost perfect. There are no bells and whistles in this bag, just a very simple backpack with no pockets inside.

Source: 10 liter backpack decathlon website

How to make 10 liter backpack viable for a long travel?

I explained my technique to travel only with a small bag here, and mentioned that there are 3 main aspects to achieve this:

 

1. Do laundry

To travel with a small bag, we will only be able to fit a few clothes inside the backpack, so the only way to make this work is to wash the clothes we take every night.

I usually take advantage of showering every night and wash my clothes then.

Firstly, before my shower, I put my clothes in the hotel sink with a little bit of soap at let them rest (you can buy proper soap, or you can just be lazy and use the body wash or shampoo that the hotels provide).

After a few minutes, I just go and take a shower and bring my wet clothes to rinse them properly while I shower. 

The manual input in this daily process takes no more than 5 minutes.

 

2. Pick clothes with in similar color palettes

Again, since we're not taking a lot of clothes, whatever we take must make sense together, to allow us to match every clothing piece between themselves.

Packing clothes within the same colors, allows us to pair every clothing piece with each other. 

For example, 1 pair of blue jeans and 1 pair of beige shorts, and 3 t-shirts (1 white, 1 black and 1 gray), gives us a total of 6 different outfits. Meaning, you will only repeat the same exact outfit in the 7th trip day.

3. Adjust to weather forecast

Check the weather forecast before you go and adjust your outfits to it.

Taking only a hand full of pieces means they must be very effective to keep you warm or cold and to make you not stand out in the local crowd.

If you're going to somewhere hot, t-shirts should be perfect since they don't take a lot of space in such a small bag.

If the trip is to some place cold, the secret is to layer clothes: 

• 1 warm jacket (which you'll wear the entire time, so no need to be put inside the bag - no space taken)

• 1 or 2 external layers (sweaters, fleeces, wool v-neck knits, etc.,). You can wear these pieces with the t-shirt underneath (consider long sleeved ones if it is really cold)

• If you take your t-shirts as base layers, you'll just need to wash them, while the remaining clothes will probably still not smell

 

Which clothes should I pack inside a small 10 liter backpack?

To take only a hand full of clothing pieces, it is essential that we pick our clothes very well, considering the 3 topics I've just described.

My packing list to travel only with a 10 liter backpack is the following:

• 3 pairs of underwear
• 3 pairs of socks
• 3 t-shirts or polos
  
• 1 pair of shorts or trousers
• 1 warmer sweatshirt
• small toiletries bag with just essentials (deodorant, toothbrush and paste and, my companion, an electric razor, and my smartphone charger)
  

This is complemented with the clothes you wear while you travel (on the plane or any other transport), since it gives you an extra outfit. I usually have these items on me:

• 1 pair of underwear
• 1 pair of socks
• 1 t-shirt or polo
• 1 warmer sweatshirt
• 1 pair of shoes
• 1 jacket if needed
  

We could probably fit other things inside the bag like a pair of flip flop sandals or a small book, but let's consider these as non-essential items.

When picking clothes, one important aspect to consider is that the thinner the fabrics, the more you'll be able to put inside the bag. If you pick 3 polyester t-shirts you'll be able to maximize the space inside the bag.

How should I pack my clothes inside a small 10 liter backpack?

The technique I use the most when I really need to save space inside my bag is to bundle clothes together and then roll them. If you keep 2 or 3 pieces together in one roll it really maximizes space.

This works very well with t-shirts or underwear.

Another option is to bundle and roll together daily clothing changes. For example, a t-shirt with socks and underwear in just one roll. This works well too.

I prepared a video where I explain in detail how I put everything inside my bag:

 

And this is it. Just put everything inside, grab your bag and go. This will work fine!

Conclusion

It is totally possible to comfortably travel with only a 10 liter backpack. This might even be how you can travel in low-cost airlines without paying any fees.

There are 3 steps to take to ensure success to travel only with a 10 liter backpack:

1. Do laundry

2. Pick clothes with in similar color palettes

3. Adjust clothes to the weather forecast.

Select only a hand full of pieces to put inside the 10 liter backpack. I usually pick: 3 pairs of socks and underwear, 3 t-shirts, 1 pair of trousers or shorts, 1 sweatshirt, and a toiletry bag with just the essentials.

To pack it properly inside the bag, bundle clothing pieces together and roll them to maximize space.

Hope this works for you as well as it has worked for me.

Wish you an excellent travel!