How do you live out of a suitcase? That’s the second-most common question I get as a travel journalist. I’m on the road 365 days a year. And it’s true: I manage to fit almost everything I own into a regulation-size carry-on bag.
I’ve tested countless travel products, but when my readers challenged me to narrow it down to just 10 items that I can’t live without, how could I resist?
(Oh, and if you’re wondering about the most common question — I’ll get to that in a moment.)
Here’s what I carry. But you’ll want to keep reading, because I will explain why these are the ideal travel companions.
- Luggage: Victorinox Spectra 3.0 Frequent Flyer Plus Carry-On and Knack Travel Backpack 45L
- Tracker: Tile Pro
- Headset: Pixel Buds and Sony WF-1000XM5
- Computer: MacBook Air M1
- Phone: Pixel 8 Pro
- Pants: Clothing Arts Pick-Pocket Proof Business Travel Pants
- Shirts: PrAna Crew T-Shirt
- Jacket: Columbia Men’s Watertight II Rain Jacket and Royal Robbins men’s Switchform Insulated Jacket
- Shoes: Olang Logan Cuoio Tex
- Socks: Darn Tough Men’s Hiker Micro Crew Midweight Hiking Sock
I arrived at this list after years — decades, really — of testing and evaluation. Here’s why I carry these items with me on every trip.
Victorinox Spectra 3.0 Frequent Flyer Plus Carry-On ($575) and and Knack Travel Backpack 45L ($235)
The Spectra 3.0 is made with high-performance recycled polycarbonate that can take a beating. And believe me, my carry-on has taken a beating. As I write this, it’s in the cargo hold of a LATAM flight from Quito, Ecuador, to Guayaquil. The luggage handlers will try to destroy it, but they will fail. I have sat on the Spectra, stepped on it, thrown it across the room, down a flight of stairs, and it just looks at me and says, “Is that the best you can do?” (OK, it only talks when I’ve had less than three hours of sleep.)
The Knack Travel Backpack 45L is one of my favorite backpacks of all time. It fits everything you need in an intuitive and practical way. But mostly, I love it because it’s discreet. The luggage police — uh, I mean, the flight attendants — don’t notice when you haul one of these fully loaded backpacks with you on the plane. Mine carries all my electronics, a change of clothes and toiletries, and there’s usually plenty of room left. I love that.
Why I can’t live without them: The Spectra 3.0 has easy-access pockets and an extension system in case you need more room. It’s also highly maneuverable, thanks to a four dual caster wheels. It has a thoughtful design, too, like a front-opening compartment that allows you to add stuff to your bag without having to open it all the way. But mostly, it’s indestructible. The Knack Travel Backpack is so well-designed that you will never want to be without it. Seriously, everything is right where you would expect to find it.
Tile Pro ($43)
The Tile Pro is a Bluetooth tracker that helps me keep tabs on my luggage. It has a range of up to 400 feet and is fairly easy to set up and use. It’s also water-resistant and loud. The loud part is important for when you can’t find it and you need it to tell you where it is. If you use an Android phone, this is the tracker to get, despite its shortcomings. I use a Tile to track all of my bags. It finds my backpack quickly, but it sometimes takes time to locate my carry-on bag, especially when it’s fully packed, and the tracker is wedged between a packing cube filled with clothes and a plastic bag with toiletries.
Why I can’t live without it: Tile is easy to use, and the Tile app is also dead simple. But the network isn’t as extensive as AirTag’s, and the tracker doesn’t always pick up the location when I try to ping it. I recommend using the Tile with a redundant system, like a GPS tracker.
Pixel Buds ($199) and Sony WF-1000XM5 ($249)
I couldn’t choose one headset — I’ll explain why in a minute — so I picked two. Both are wireless earbuds, which I think are better for travel because of their size and versatility. You can sleep with them on longer flights and just use the noise canceling to block engine noise.
The new Google Pixel Buds Pro is a pair of wireless earbuds that plays nicely with an Android phone, especially a Google Pixel, my preferred phone (more on that in a second). The earbuds have active noise cancellation that adapts to your ear and a spatial audio experience that’s pretty immersive. The Sony WF-1000XM5 has a few more bells and whistles, including something called DSEE Extreme that upscales compressed digital music files, and 360 Reality Audio for immersive sound. It is also slightly more comfortable than the Pixel, ideal for ultramarathon flight like Seoul-to-Los Angeles or Doha-to-Perth. I wouldn’t take those without a fully-charged Sony.
Why I can’t live without them: I’ve found that on extremely long trips, switching between the Pixel Buds and the Sony WF-1000XM5 virtually guarantees I’ll be able to listen to music or watch a movie without hearing the screams of an infant the next row over or the roar of air over the fuselage. When it comes to earphones, two is definitely better than one.
MacBook Air ($999)
The Apple MacBook Air is, without a question, the best travel laptop I’ve ever owned. It’s light and sleek and fits easily into my backpack. I’m still using the M1 version, which still offers impressive performance and a reasonable amount of battery life. I also like the crystal-clear retina display, which I can use even in a dimly lit plane cabin on an overnight flight or in a hotel room without adequate lighting.
But here’s a quality you don’t hear people talk about when they discuss laptops: their ruggedness. My MacBook has survived a fall from a desk, a chair, a bed stand, and a bed, and believe it or not, it’s still running like the day I bought it. In other words, while it’s called the MacBook Air, it’s no snowflake.
Why I can’t live without it: This is a feather-light, no-drama computing device — the perfect travel companion. I could go on about its security features and ease of use, but why bother? I can’t wait for the next MacBook Air to come out, and I hope that it’s even lighter and more powerful.
Google Pixel 8 Pro ($999)
The Pixel 8 Pro is more than a phone; it’s also my camera. The phone features a 50-megapixel wide lens, a 48 MP ultra-wide camera, and a 48 MP 5x optical telephoto camera. The camera app also has professional options like shutter speed control, ISO, white balance and manual focus. But the proof is in the pictures, which are absolutely stunning, even when you’re in point-and-shoot mode. The Pro is also a terrific media player, with a clear and bright display (a resolution of 1,344 by 2,992 and up to 2,400 nits of peak brightness). It’s a little heavy, but can still comfortably fit in my pocket.
Why I can’t live without it: The Pixel Pro has a long battery life, is easy to use, and unlike other phones I’ve traveled with, is not finicky. And did I mention the gorgeous pictures it can take? I might have.
Clothing Arts Pick-Pocket Proof Business Travel Pants ($97)
I have tested many travel pants. These are the best. Let’s start with the security features. As the name implies, the Pick-Pocket Proof Business Travel Pants are designed to keep your belongings safe. There are pockets with zippers and pockets within pockets, which allow you to store your ID and cash without having to worry about prying fingers in the Paris Metro. They can even fit my Pixel 8, which I didn’t think was possible.
Why I can’t live without it: The Business Travel pants look like a pair of regular pants, except that they are comfortable and durable. The high-quality material is wrinkle-resistant, lightweight and breathable.
PrAna Crew T-Shirt ($25)
The prAna Crew T-shirt is a terrific all-purpose T-shirt made of a cotton blend. For years, I wore bamboo T-shirts because they were so comfortable, but they wore out quickly, especially in the European washing machines, which really put your laundry through the wringer. The prAna tees are made from organic cotton and recycled polyester that holds up to the rigors of travel but still is comfortable. That’s quite a feat.
Why I can’t live without it: You can take prAna’s T-shirts on the road for more than a year without having to worry about replacing them. You know, no drama. Are you sensing a theme here?
Columbia Men’s Watertight II Rain Jacket ($99) and Royal Robbins Men’s Switchform Insulated Jacket ($199)
Again, I couldn’t select just one jacket, so I present you with two. The Columbia Men’s Watertight II Rain Jacket is my go-to for a light jacket. It’s made of Omni-Tech waterproof fabric that’s stain-resistant, wrinkle-resistant and breathable. It’s my favorite companion in the tropics, when a cloudburst can happen at any time.
The Royal Robbins Switchform Insulated Jacket is for cooler weather. It’s weather-resistant and made from 100% recycled content. But the biggest selling point for me is its comfort. Whoever designed it made sure it didn’t have any of the irritating features in the collar or sleeves that make it scratchy. It’s possible to fall asleep wearing one — in fact, I did that on a late autumn flight from Auckland to Denpasar, Indonesia.
Why I can’t live without them: I can fold both jackets into a small space. The Royal Robbins shrinks to the size of a small carry-on and even doubles as a backpack (although I’ve never used that feature). The Columbia jacket scrunches to the size of a grapefruit.
Olang Logan Cuoio Tex ($162)
I walk more than 20,000 steps a day, and the Olang Logan Cuoio Tex has been the only shoe that has held up to the rigors of all that and more. This hiking boot is no fashion statement, but it gets the job done. I bought a version of this boot in Paris during the summer of 2022. It lasted an entire year. Other shoes wear out within a few months — less if I’m living in a hiking destination like Sedona, Arizona, or Christchurch, New Zealand. Alas, I’ve had some trouble finding Olangs in the United States, so I will be waiting until I get back to Europe to buy my next pair.
And finally, socks. I like the Darn Tough Men’s Hiker Micro Crew Midweight Hiking Sock, a Merino wool sock that keeps my feet blister-free and dry when I’m walking. These socks also last forever, and you can use them in triple-digit temperatures of the Sonoran desert or in the Antarctic. I have tested them in both conditions. By the way, do not wear these on the plane; instead, try a pair of compression socks to keep your feet from swelling up like a balloon. Very uncomfortable.
Why I can’t live without it: Olangs are not the most comfortable shoe (that honor goes to Eccos, but that’s another story). However, the high-density rubber sole refuses to wear out and provides an excellent grip on wet surfaces. It also has an anti-shock insert in the heel. I appreciate the fact that Darn Tough’s come in all kinds of colors, so if you want to make a fashion statement, I can do it there. Also, they do not fall apart.
Living out of a suitcase isn’t easy (even if you have the right suitcase)
When you’re living out of a suitcase, you have to carefully consider every item you pack. You must embrace minimalism, since airlines delight in weighing your luggage and then charging you extra for it — or, in the case of that not-so-friendly Virgin Australia ticket agent in Brisbane a few months ago, telling you that you can’t fly at all. (I repacked and made the flight.)
Cast aside any illusions of being fashionable and embrace the lightness of carrying less. I carry four pairs of identical clothes — black pants, black T-shirts, and black socks. Black goes with everything, and it never goes out of style. I roll them into luggage cubes and carry them on the plane.
But enough about me. You’ve patiently waited for the number one question I get as someone who is on the road 365 days a year.
Here it is: How do you maintain relationships? And by relationships, they usually mean romantic relationships.
That’s an excellent question, but I’m afraid we’re out of time.
