Packing light for vacation is just a good habit to get into. It can save you money on baggage fees, it’s a lot lighter to carry around, and there’s less risk of losing your belongings. But the best reason of all for packing light!? You have room to bring back travel souvenirs!
Those are at least the reasons why I started packing lighter and lighter. So over the years I’ve come up with a few accessories for travel to pack even less, and here they are!
Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!
Top 10 Travel Gadgets For Packing Light
These are my top 10 travel essentials for packing light on vacation. I also have a list for my top 10 travel essentials you might be interested in.
And, so that you don’t forget a thing when packing for your next vacation, be sure to check out my printable packing guide.
1. Laundry Detergent Sheets
One of the easiest ways to pack light on vacation is just to bring less clothes and wash them while you’re away.
Of course, this is easier said than done… until the laundry detergent sheets came around.
I think it’s meant to be used in the washing machine, but I actually rip off a small piece and wash one item in the sink when I need to.
It really saves you when you’re in a pinch!
P.S. You can combine it with a Scrubba Wash Bag (see it on Amazon) as your portable and personal washing bag.
2. Invest In Light & Quick-Dry Clothes (Even Your Socks!)
Stay away from cotton when wanting to travel light!
The best clothes you can travel with are light materials like nylon, polyester, merino wool or a blend of them all.
As a general rule of thumb, you can look at exercise clothing. I love Lululemon for trendy quick drying travel outfits, Lole, or even the MEC.
Not only do these materials pack up really small, but you can get a few wears out of them. On top of that, if you need to wash them they dry A LOT quicker than cotton.
And yes, you’ll want to get everything in these materials, even down to your socks (Seriously! I love these merino wool socks from MEC).
3. Swap Your Laptop For A Mini Tablet – Travel Electronics
Stop bringing your laptop with you when you travel (if you don’t need to!).
Although laptops these days a lot smaller and lighter than they used to be, they still add quite a bit of weight and space to your bag. Plus, how much are you actually using it…or want to be using it while you’re away!?
Instead bring a mini tablet with a keyboard as your all in one travel electronic.
You can use it as a mini computer if you need to. And it also doubles as an e-reader (or book) and movie player. Pre-download all your books and movies on it to use it offline… P.S. see my top captivating books to read while traveling!
My tablet of choice is the IPad Mini with the Logitech keyboard (I don’t think they make this keyboard anymore though, but there are similar ones on Amazon…).
4. Swap your Book for an E-Reader
A book, to me, is such a travel essential but it can take up quite a bit of room. Not to mention if you finish your book on vacation and then have to buy a second one.
An e-reader is the answer to all these problems. You can bring as many books as you want in just one small, lightweight device.
My e-reader of choice is the Kobo Libra Colour, so I can also read graphic novels on there.
5. Down Filled Puffer Jacket
If there’s one travel gear to rule them all it’s a down filled puffer jacket (like this one on Amazon).
This automatically comes with my on every trip for it’s ability to pack up super small and keep me warm.
You can end up with a cold front when you least expect it. It’s always good to have jacket in your back pocket.
A puffer jacket packs up into itself, and you could even use it as a pillow on the plane or in the car.
It’s really a no brainer to bring it everywhere with you!
6. Transfer Liquids (& Pills) To Smaller Containers
This is must have packing light accessory – leak proof liquid tubes (like these on Amazon). I never travel with full bottles, that is a huge waste of space and leaking hazard! I’ll transfer most liquids I travel with, like my face wash, shampoo, conditioner… etc.
I’ve also started transferring my pills to one container.
Depending on how long you’re travelling for, you might be able to get away with a small container like this one on Amazon. Or you might have to transfer to something larger (but it’s still smaller than a bunch of pill containers!)
7. Buy Travel Size Toiletries – Travel Gear
You can’t always transfer everything to smaller travel friendly containers, but you might be able to buy the travel size version instead.
Tiny travel size toiletries are a HUGE space safer when I’m trying to packing light. I have everything from mini deodorant, hair brush, toothpaste, mouthwash…etc.
If it exists in a smaller format, I have it!
8. A Collapsible Water Bottle To Travel Light
There’s no denying that water bottles are a necessary travel gear these days. But water bottles are also heavy, and take up a lot of space when they aren’t being used.
So packable water bottles are a must when travelling light! So I travel with a collapsible water bottle!
I had the Nomader collapsible water bottle, but they don’t seem to sell it anymore. This water bottle from TakeToday is very similar though.
9. Pack Less In A Carry On Suitcase
The easiest way to packing light on vacation is to pack in a smaller bag – like a carryon suitcase.
Packing in a carryon will limit how much you can bring. And you’ll be amazed by how much less you actually need and it will become easier and easier to pack less over time.
My carryon of choice is the Travelpro Maxlite 5 Rollaboard, you can read my full review or see it on Amazon.
10. Pack More In Less: Compression Packing Cubes
I won’t lie, it’s hard to fit everything in a smaller space. So to help, invest in some compression packing cubes. These will compress all your clothes to be much smaller and more compact.
I try to have one packing cube per category. So I’ll only have one packing cube for shirts, one for bottoms… etc.
You can also get a compression sack for your dirty laundry, this way it’s separate but still compressed. See them on Amazon.
Have A Safety Net: Packable Duffel Bag For Packing Light
And just in case I can’t fit everything on the way back, I always pack a packable duffel bag.
You can start your trip packing way less, but then if you happen to buy one too many souvenirs, no problem! You have an extra bag for it!
I use the Osprey ultralight stuff duffel but they don’t make it anymore, this one from WANDF looks very similar and has good reviews.
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Read More Related Posts
- My Top 11 Travel Essentials I Never Leave Home Without
- Travelpro Maxlite 5 Review: Why Travelpro Is The Best Suitcase Brand
- How To Plan Your Vacation In 9 Simple Steps
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Last update on 2025-06-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API