How to pack the forever 7-kg bag: A ‘mother packer’s’ ultimate guide

Shortly after checking in a hotel last February when Iran bombed the Middle East, solo traveler Kyla received a call from her airline that she had to board the flight back to the United Kingdom that very moment, making her unable to retrieve her luggage from the hotel. Within minutes from leaving the hotel, missiles hit again, and Kyla’s hotel was among those gutted to the ground. If Kyla had returned to her hotel room to get her luggage, she could have been killed.

Recently, Miss Universe Asia 2024 Chelsea Manalo told me that the luggage she checked in from her Cancun to Los Angeles trip had been opened and its contents scrambled without her permission. Though nothing went missing, she never knew who did it and why it was done.

Indeed, excess luggage could be a problem and add to travel hassles. My obsession for packing more or less only seven kilograms of luggage — or the international-standard minimum hand-carry limit — started when we traveled to the UK during the pandemic. We received advisories that many tubes (London subway) stations would be closed and there were many bags lost or misplaced at London airports as many workers were on strike. So travelers were requested to travel as light as possible as there were possibilities of walking a lot without available transport while carrying one’s baggage.

Thus, even if it was winter in the UK and Northern Ireland, I packed only one seven-kilogram bag for me and each of my three other family members. Since then, I’ve decided to pack only close to seven kilos per person no matter where we go and how long we’re staying in that country — no matter what the season. Because you’ll never know when an emergency comes — such as the missile attacks in the Middle East or the train strikes in UK — and as a traveler, you’d want to be always mobile and agile — especially if you’re traveling with kids, the elderly or someone with special needs.

Actually, we had a checked-in bag in a flight from London to Belfast, and it took an hour for the bag to come out of the conveyor belt since many workers were on strike. We kept praying because we thought we had lost the bag.

Since making it a habit to carry only one carry-on luggage that’s within airline limit, and with no checked-in luggage, I’ve always had more peace of mind while traveling. I no longer worry while waiting for immigration clearance if my luggage was picked up by someone else at the conveyor belt. I’ve been able to deflect a thief’s attempt to run away with my suitcase when I alighted a bullet train in Milan — because the luggage was light, I was able to hold on tightly to it.

Thanks to lighter luggage, it had been easier for our family to hop on and off trains and even take very long, unexpected walks to transport stations, enabling us to also save on time and bucks.

But being practical doesn’t mean we don’t get to enjoy being fashionable during our travels! During a trip to Italy, for instance, I packed all our Guccis, Moschinos, Valentinos, Armanis, Fendis, Dolce & Gabbanas and even Terranovas. In Japan last year, I also packed all our Uniqlos, Jun Takahashis, Yohji Yamamotos and Issey Miyakes — all within the baggage limit.

This year, I’ve packed some Diors, Balmains, Balenciagas and Chanels for a trip to France, and a whole lot of Zaras, Stradivariuses, Bershkas, Mangos, Pull & Bears and Loewes for Spain. For Germany, I’m okay with my Adidases. So you see, you won’t have to compromise style for functionality if you mix and match high-low brands.

If there’s a meal plan that nutritionists curate by counting calories, there’s also a luggage plan that you could design by constantly monitoring your baggage weight months before you travel. Using a weighing scale, here’s how a seven-kilo luggage plan goes:

Hacks to avoid paying for exceeding baggage limit

The ultimate light-packing must-have is a reliable and durable two-in-one backpack and stroller that’s within cabin size — much like what kids bring to school, minus the eye-catching cartoons since you want to blend and not catch thieves’ attention. The trick is to carry the luggage on your back when you’re nearing the check-in counter to weigh your luggage for hand-carry. Showing it as a backpack compels the attendant to green-light it for the cabin. You’d have to carry it again as a backpack when boarding because they do random weighing at the gates when the plane is full. Make sure the wheels and zippers are very durable and won’t break down in the middle of your trips.

Another trick that works is to put your excess luggage in a souvenir bag, since duty-free bags are excluded from the carry-on bag weight limit. For instance, if your carry-on luggage limit is only seven kgs but you feel like your bag exceeds this, immediately move your other stuff into a duty-free bag, which comes with your every souvenir purchase or you can buy at any souvenir shop in tourist sites or at the airport. I, for example, transferred some of my laundry into a souvenir bag and true enough, the check-in counter ignored this and only weighed my carry-on bag. This way, you’d avoid paying for excess luggage, which sometimes costs more than the value of the extra stuff.

The only pair of shoes you’d ever need

A sure way to meet the required luggage limit is to not pack extra footwear. The trick is to just buy one if the one you’re wearing breaks down, or bring only one pair of durable but lightweight running shoes that are universally flexible style-wise.

I’m supposed to bring a pair of white Chanel runners to Europe, but I also packed an Epoxy just in case. I don’t trust luxury sneakers to survive thousands of steps per day. In Japan, I tripped while running after a taxi and even got injured wearing Puma shoes.

So when Hoka released Mach 7, I checked it out, gave it a treadmill test at the brand’s One Ayala Makati store, and I found it very stable even when I ran at high speeds — even if it has elevated platform soles that give extra height. It is very “cloud dancer”— the color of the year. The color and the style are flexible enough to have the shoes match all clothes in my luggage — even dressy evenings in Paris. The Mach 7 is so light on the feet that I almost feel barefooted; even its chunky heel is so light, while its mesh upper gives just the right ventilation — not too warm for a summer stroll; not too cool to make my feet shake in winter.

Only running shoes can withstand all my travel demands, including long and injury-free walks over snow. I once wore winter boots and while I didn’t slip, I had very painful calluses and scratches after long walks, which took a toll on my mobility in the following days.

Though shoelaces are generally not bothersome among running shoes in general, I still hide them so I don’t have to think about them getting untied or untangled in the middle of nowhere.

With shoes being the least of my worries, I could focus on other things like guarding our bags from thieves, keeping an eye on my kids or truly enjoying the views and the moment.

Pack multifunctional clothes and toiletries

Since traveling is for happiness, choose to be happy first before the sacrifice. Pack first your most favorite things, then just edit and revise your choices with lighter ones if they exceed the limit. If possible, choose clothes comfortable enough to sleep in.

A big scarf or poncho can dabble as a quilt or towel. A long skirt can turn into a tube dress. As for toiletries, go for multipurpose skincare makeup like Lucas’ Papaw Ointment, an all-in-one lip and skin moisturizer and insect bite soother. Using a perfumed sunscreen, such as my kids’ favorite Belo Essentials with watermelon scent, does away with carrying another lotion or fragrance.

Instead of bringing different medicines for children and adults, there are the likes of Pelargo for cold and Ming’s Pei Pa Koa for cough, cold and sore throat that are already good for both kids and adults.

In lieu of toiletry kit and packing cubes, I use zip-lock bags to store toiletries, medicines, vitamins and clothes since these reusable bags are more compact and lighter.

Bring only one jacket for summer and only up to two lightweight jackets for other seasons. Of the two jackets, hand-carry the heavier one or wear both jackets while your luggage is being weighed at the check-in counter. Then just put them right into the luggage after weighing. Do the same before boarding just in case they do random weighing again.

I’ve overhead some fellow Filipino travelers would even put some of their other clothes in their pockets and would wear their clothes in several layers during the weighing, but this is too extreme! I normally avoid bringing bulky denim, leather and fur coats. I go instead for lightweight but stylish vegan leather jackets and trench coats that are water-repellent for easy cleaning and for all weather conditions.

The same with gloves — bring only one or two pairs then just repeatedly wipe them clean. You don’t need earmuffs for winter, just bring a hoodie — the hood serves as earmuffs.

Bring stylish but lightweight and easy to mix-and-match clothes that you could layer and re-wear many times. For example, for a winter day one, you could wear three layers of clothes — A, B and C. Then, on second day, wear the same layers but on a different order — B, C, A — so that in pictures, you’d seem to wear different clothes.

Button-down shirts are lighter alternatives to jackets, though you have to layer more and bring in more scarves for extra warmth. Anyway, you could stop to shop for extra clothing should you need something warmer. As Piolo Pascual says, if you could buy it, then don’t bring it.

But I bring instead because the reality is you don’t know if you’d have the chance or time to buy (some stores also might not accept your cards) — especially medicines and vitamins — because these are my tried-and-tested one. Trying something new might mess up with my digestion and give me loose bowel movement (LBM) in a country with scarce public toilets, or worse, might give me severe allergic reactions and land me in a hospital.

An expanding shopper bag like Beyond The Vines’ XL Dumpling Bag or any “eco” bag is another must-have — stash it into your bag at the airport, and then while traveling, unfold it and shoot in there your jacket when it gets warm, water, food, souvenirs and whatnot for easy access and safekeeping while on-the-go. For personal valuables such as wallets and phones, nothing beats an anti-theft messenger bag that you could always position in your front.

My multi-pocket Fendi bag did confuse pickpockets when we rode the subway in Milan! They were able to open the main zipper, but can’t find my valuables because even I find trouble finding them, thanks to the many pockets with hidden zippers. Since the pickpocket had a hard time figuring out the right zipper, I had time to secure my bag and run away from their gang.

Trick to prevent washing while traveling

I find washing clothes during travel cumbersome. As a parent traveling with kids, I’d have to keep myself strong and preserve my energy as much as possible. So instead of washing clothes, I bring instead Lysol and Sanicare Lavender disinfecting wipes, which I wipe over underarm areas, crotches and other dirty parts of the clothes. I spray over alcohol and then perfume over these parts if I’m not yet satisfied. Some Japan hotels also already have disinfecting sprays, which can also be bought at Japanese convenience stores. These are very effective — we could reuse our clothes many times without getting itchy or smelly — as good as washing them in a washer but only with minimum effort! It also saves us from buying new clothes.

Pack some clothes you really wanted to give away anyway

If you have clothes you dislike, or your kids are already outgrowing their clothes, bring these, wear these as inner layers then afterwards, pack them in a bag and label the bag with “for donation” to cue the hotel or Airbnb that those old clothes are already for charity.

Many of the hotels and Airbnbs we stayed in were happy to donate the old clothes we left. At Leeds Castle in England, they even washed the clothes before donating them. At Belfast, a Pinoy hotel employee happily received our donated clothes to be sent out to their family in a Balikbayan box. You can use the extra spaces vacated by excess clothes for other things like pasalubong or souvenirs so you’ll still be able to stick to the luggage limit on your return flight.

Since my doctor advised for me to change my cotton underwear every six months because I have sensitive skin, I bring my old underwear to my travels and dispose them there to loosen my luggage space, instead of buying disposable underwear. So when I come home, I get to buy and use a new set of undies.

Practice makes perfect

Remember that if thieves practice stealing from people, then you too should practice guarding yourself from thieves by not only having the right anti-theft bag but by organizing its contents — by choosing the smallest travel sizes of things for example — then practicing where to keep and how to extract and return your wallets and cellphones in the bag in the least possible time but in the most secure way.

For example, as part of my OOTDs (outfits of the day), I practice in the mirror how to secure my messenger bag and hide its important zippers with my arms even if both my hands are carrying luggage or my children’s hands.

Giving much attention to smart packing long before your travel begins makes your journey enjoyable and hassle-free. Remember that the weights of your bags affect your overall health, energy and mood.