Last month I went on a 10-day trip to Asia (Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong). I wanted to test whether it was possible to have only a carry-on backpack with me instead of a suitcase, in order to minimize hassle and airport delays.
I've been using for a few years now a backpack that also has wheels, so that I can either have it on my back or wheel it around. It has worked beautifully.
For this trip, here are the items I carried inside that backpack:
Electric Toothbrush (no need for toothpaste – abrasion is enough to clean the teeth)
Electric Shaver (so that is passes through airport security)
Bath sponge (can't shower without one)
Plastic bag (for dirty laundry)
Pen
Sunglasses
Printed book (you know, for reading)
Mini-backpack (ultralight, holds the camera and basic gear throughout the day)
iPhone 5 + USB charger + cable
iPhone 4 + cable (backup phone as I regularly use sim cards from 3 countries)
iPad + USB charger + cable
MacBook Air 13” + charger
2x Headphones (earpods for walking + sound isolating, to help with aircraft noise)
Fitbit + charging cable
iPhone 5 case battery + its USB charger + cable (holds an extra iPhone charge and gets me through the day)
External USB battery + its charger + cable (holds 5 iPhone charges or 1 iPad charge, great for long flights, airports, and usage throughout the day)
dSLR Camera (Canon 500D) + remote shooting cable
3 camera batteries + charger
2 lenses (10-22mm & 18-55mm) + polarizer
Gorillapod (amazing mini tripod that grabs anywhere but can be folded for travel)
4-socket power strip + adapter (so that I only need a single available wall socket and a single adapter to charge all my gear)
5x boxers
5x socks
5x t-shirts
1x short pants
1x long pants
Plus whatever I am wearing at the time.
With this stuff inside the backpack, it weighs 12kg and I have about 4 liters of space left for some gifts to bring back home.
Finally, I will rely on local amenities on my destination. For example, I will buy sunscreen from local shops, and use the hotel facilities to do laundry every 4 days, or iron the clothes.
I've been using for a few years now a backpack that also has wheels, so that I can either have it on my back or wheel it around. It has worked beautifully.
For this trip, here are the items I carried inside that backpack:
Electric Toothbrush (no need for toothpaste – abrasion is enough to clean the teeth)
Electric Shaver (so that is passes through airport security)
Bath sponge (can't shower without one)
Plastic bag (for dirty laundry)
Pen
Sunglasses
Printed book (you know, for reading)
Mini-backpack (ultralight, holds the camera and basic gear throughout the day)
iPhone 5 + USB charger + cable
iPhone 4 + cable (backup phone as I regularly use sim cards from 3 countries)
iPad + USB charger + cable
MacBook Air 13” + charger
2x Headphones (earpods for walking + sound isolating, to help with aircraft noise)
Fitbit + charging cable
iPhone 5 case battery + its USB charger + cable (holds an extra iPhone charge and gets me through the day)
External USB battery + its charger + cable (holds 5 iPhone charges or 1 iPad charge, great for long flights, airports, and usage throughout the day)
dSLR Camera (Canon 500D) + remote shooting cable
3 camera batteries + charger
2 lenses (10-22mm & 18-55mm) + polarizer
Gorillapod (amazing mini tripod that grabs anywhere but can be folded for travel)
4-socket power strip + adapter (so that I only need a single available wall socket and a single adapter to charge all my gear)
5x boxers
5x socks
5x t-shirts
1x short pants
1x long pants
Plus whatever I am wearing at the time.
With this stuff inside the backpack, it weighs 12kg and I have about 4 liters of space left for some gifts to bring back home.
Finally, I will rely on local amenities on my destination. For example, I will buy sunscreen from local shops, and use the hotel facilities to do laundry every 4 days, or iron the clothes.
