How to Pack a Carry-On

Step 1: Check your airline's carry-on size and weight limit

Look up the exact dimensions and any weight cap for your fare before choosing a bag, since low-cost carriers often set stricter limits than full-service ones. Measure the bag including wheels and handles, then set it aside as the only container you are allowed to fill.

Step 2: Lay out everything before anything goes in the bag

Put every candidate item on a bed in one layer, grouped into clothes, toiletries, electronics, and documents, so you can see the total volume at once. Remove roughly a third before packing, because the pile that looks reasonable on a bed almost never fits the same bag once it is compressed.

Step 3: Build outfits around two matching colors

Pick one base color for bottoms and one accent that works with it, then choose tops that pair with every bottom you packed. Aim for one outfit per day plus one spare, and skip single-use items, since a piece that only matches one thing effectively costs double its space.

Step 4: Roll soft clothes and pack them into cubes

Roll t-shirts, knitwear, and trousers into tight cylinders, then stand them upright in packing cubes so you can see every item at a glance. Fold only structured pieces like a blazer, and place those flat on top, because rolling them would create hard creases that are difficult to fix.

Step 5: Fit all liquids into one quart-sized clear bag

Decant shampoo, lotion, and toothpaste into containers of 3.4 oz or 100 ml or less, then place every one of them in a single quart-sized clear resealable bag. Keep that bag near the top of your carry-on, since it has to come out separately at the security checkpoint.

Step 6: Keep lithium batteries and devices in the cabin

Pack your phone, laptop, tablet, spare lithium batteries, and power banks in the carry-on rather than checked luggage, and cover exposed terminals so they cannot touch coins or keys. Put them in one small pouch, which keeps them together when you need to place electronics in a separate bin.

Step 7: Put security-friendly items in the top layer

Place the clear liquids bag, the electronics pouch, and your ID and boarding pass in an outside pocket or directly under the lid. Build the bag with heavy shoes and cubes at the bottom and these quick-access items on top, so you can reach them without unpacking in line.

Step 8: Weigh the packed bag and repack before leaving

Close the bag, lift it with a luggage scale, and compare the reading with the limit you checked in step one, then try fitting it in a sizer if you have one. If it is over, remove the heaviest single item rather than several small ones, and reweigh once more.

Keep going: How to Declutter Your Home uses the same step-by-step format and is a good next read. More checklists live in the Travel & Outdoors category.