Packing light: 9 days in 1 backpack - Business travel/ Winter holiday trip

I seem to always make a mistake when packing for travel. Usually, this mistake is overpacking certain items. And who wouldn't? Packing light seems even harder for a variety of dress codes and weather.

My most recent trip was 9 days long. The first 5 days involved work-travel while the last 4 days were social. My travel bag is my new 24-liter backpack. I chose this backpack because it has a good pocket for my laptop and a bit of extra room to stash outerwear. 

My aim was to be as productive as possible, stay appropriately dressed, warm, and happy during my trip. Who wouldn’t want that? Here is how I planned my minimalist travel capsule wardrobe:

Packing Light – 5 Days in Baltimore, MD, 4 days in downstate Illinois over the winter holidays

Step # 1 – Look at the weather and agenda

Part 1 – Business trip – Cloud/sun at 65/35F

Office work, meal time at the hotel's restaurant, walking and exploring.

The first 5 days of the trip involved non-stop work, with some meal breaks when possible, and dinner sometimes in the nearby neighborhoods. The hope was to be able to explore the beautiful Baltimore and some of the great cuisines that it has to offer (let me know if you would like a later post about Baltimore’s non-touristy eateries). My longest work days were when the office was mostly empty, so I could get away with more casual outfits on those couple of days.

Part 2 - Holiday travel – Cloud/rain at 40/31F

Time at home with family, dressier events with friends and neighbors, nature walk, night out in town

The second part of the trip took place in rural Illinois, downstate. This part of the trip included down time with family, events with friends and neighbors, and going into town to meet with friends.

Weather + Agenda = Dress code

My dress code was business casual, casual, and laid back dressy. The materials for my clothes are silk, cashmere, cotton flannel, cotton velvet, leather, fleece, and down-filled synthetic.

Step # 2 – Develop a color palette

Main colors: Black, beige, and blue. Accent colors: Yellow, gold, and red

I have to thank the capsule wardrobe community for this savvy piece of advice. I also learned this from thrift shopping, where clothes are sorted by color. Each time I thrift, I come out with what looks like a put-together mini capsule wardrobe.

Packing List

A) Tops

1.       Turtleneck cashmere sweater – Camel/Beige

2.       Long sleeve print silk blouse – Navy blue and white

3.       Short sleeve silk blouse – Black

4.       Short sleeve silk/suede blouse – Camel/Beige

5.       Long Sleeve Flannel button-down shirt

B) Bottoms

1.       Slouchy jeans – Light blue

2.       Cropped Velvet Pants – Black

C) Underlayer

1.       Merino wool top (doubles as pajama top)

2.       Fleece lined workout tights (doubles as pajama bottom)

3.       Underwear – Black, and beige

4.       Wool socks – 2 pairs black, 1 pair navy

D) Accessories

1.       Brown/gold sunglasses

2.       Large square silk scarf – Navy blue/ yellow

3.       Small square floral print wool scarf – Beige/ pink/ blue

4.       Gold earrings

5.       Silver Necklace

E) Outerwear

1.       Puffer vest – Black

2.       Puffer jacket – Navy blue

3.       1 pair fleece plaid gloves – Red/black

4.       Medium oblong cashmere scarf – Gray

F) Shoes

1.       Pointed toe oxfords – Black

G) Toiletry bag (forthcoming post about minimalist toiletry/make-up packing)

H) Electronic devices and chargers 

I) Other

1.       Reusable shopping bags

2.       Reusable spoon

3.       Travel mug

4.       Assortment of tea bags

J)        Travel bag: Medium backpack (24 Liters)

The travel bag was a "Little America Houndstooth 24L Backpack", but any medium size backpack will do.