Friday
Feb292008
February 29, 2008 Readers respond: How light can you go?
Are you really a light traveler, or - should I ask - are you a really light traveler? Tell us how light you can go for a trip of four nights or more. I’ll go first: just over 10 pounds (including day bag/personal item) for five nights, trans-Atlantic to Europe. And this summer I did sub 15 pounds for 11 days in England and Scotland - including day bag/personal item. I don’t know if I’ll ever beat Tim Ferriss’s 10-pound kit which includes a computer. I’ve resolved not to buy another laptop until I can afford a featherweight (three pounds our less).How to weigh? Well, you can step on the bathroom scales with and without your bag. Even better is a luggage scale (above). Mine came from Target. It actually has a tape measure built in.
Reader Comments (4)
i have been going under 40 pounds for 9 months now, in the US, Canada, and Southeast Asia. that includes a computer and work clothes. i am a touring technical director for stage shows.
I have not weighed my bag lately but I think that for most recent trips it is probably in the 20-25 pound range.
This includes the standard issue work cinder block Dell laptop. Also, suits start to add up quickly. If I were just going for fun I would be much lighter (no computer and no suits).
22 pounds is a great mark to shoot for since that's the carryon limit for many international (non-US) airlines. It's do-able for most of us. Going with a three-pound pack or shoulder bag as opposed to a 7-12 pound rolling case is the quickest way to save several pounds. And the fact that you must carry these bags every step of the way is further inducement to lightness.
I like that the lighter the bag, the more stuff you can bring. I think the heaviest single item (aside from the darn laptop) in my bag is a spare pair of dress shoes. Probably at least two pounds right there (may have to get that Target luggage scale). I know that lots of people prefer to bring one pair of multitaskers, but I just have a thing about rotating my shoes. Several weeks ago, I packed my suitcase for a typical 1-2 week trip and took the thing to work with a demo in our conference room. My co-workers were amazed at how much junk in the bag, while still maintaining a minimum of excess items. That one was probably around the 22 lb mark. As you mention elsewhere, the advantage of business travel, carrying suits notwithstanding, is that you usually are staying in a hotel with somewhat reliable laundry service, which helps to keep down the number of garments to bring.
PS-I enjoy the reviews of different bags on here. For the past few months I have been using the E-bag (Weekender, I think) that was around $50 or so. It is a great bag, and whatever extra use I can get out of it while I mull over the choices for next bag is just gravy.
PPS-Also, while on the subject of Target's luggage scale: They have a neoprene lap top sleeve that I like to use. It's about $15 and can be used as a small stand alone computer bag. Not as fancy as some of the other products, but it works if you don't need heavy duty protection or capacity.