As an ultralight packer, I had become accustomed to traveling with next to nothing on personal trips.
But as I started traveling for work, I began to wonder if I could apply my ultralight philosophy to packing for business travel where I had the additional concern of having to remain professional.
I spent time analyzing what pilots, flight attendants, and frequent business travelers packed, and found that while the standard suitcase or rolling laptop bag for business travel was considerably lighter than the average recreational suitcase, it was not the ultralight pack I desired.
I set out to design my custom, ultralight packing list for business travel, and now I want to share some tips on how to pack light for business travel with you.
My Personal History of Ultralight Packing
I became addicted to ultralight traveling after graduating from college while on a three-month trip around Europe.
I started my journey with the standard backpackers’ backpack – a bright red 62-liter bag that could hold a couple of weeks’ worth of clothes.
I was worried about finding laundromats, having to wash my clothes in the sink, and having the right clothes for the right situations.
After two weeks of lugging the bag up narrow staircases and down the aisles of crowded trains I decided I’d had enough.
I traded in the behemoth for a small day pack, promptly threw away half my possessions, and enjoyed a much more carefree trip without carrying the weight of a ten-year-old child on my back.
As the weeks wore on, I continued to ditch items that I realized were weighing me down. By the end of the trip, I returned home with flip-flops, two shirts, a pair of shorts, underwear, a toothbrush, and a stick of deodorant in my now-almost empty day pack.
From the moment I traded in my big, bright red backpack in I’ve never had any regrets about traveling light and have never looked back.
However, when my job called for me to start traveling, I wondered if there’d be any way I’d be able to pull off my ultralight packing on business trips.
Packing for Business Travel (The Standard Method)
Business travel threw a whole new set of challenges at me as I was determining how to maintain my ultralight packing ideals.
First and foremost – I needed to look professional in the office. No more lightweight wicking shirts, all-purpose shoes, or other standard items on any ultralight traveler’s packing list.
I had to conform to the dress code of a button-up long sleeve shirt, slacks, and dress shoes. Additionally, on a Monday – Thursday travel schedule, I had to have four individual outfits – I wouldn’t be able to get away with repeating shirts while seeing the same people at the office every day.
Finally, I couldn’t smell like an ultralight traveler (I’ll be the first to admit that I sacrifice a little in the scent department while traveling ultralight). With these guidelines in place, I set out to develop my packing strategy.
Looking around the airport on a Monday morning I saw hundreds of business travelers carrying the same piece of luggage: a 20″ roll-aboard suitcase something like this and this.
It’s what most pilots and flight attendants carry and is favored by the majority of weekly business travelers.
It has become the industry standard and with good reason: It’s a small, lightweight bag that fits in all the overhead bins, yet provides plenty of space for clothes, toiletries, etc.
Weekly business travelers are pros at light packing, and if so many people are using these bags, it must be working.
Based on the need to look professional and on the advice of other business travel pros, I decided I’d look into buying a light roll-aboard suitcase and I began designing my packing list. It included:
- 4 dress shirts
- 1 down jacket
- 4 undershirts
- Travel purse
- 4 pairs of slacks
- 4 pairs of socks
- 4 pairs of underwear
- 2 dress belts (black and brown)
- 2 pairs of dress shoes (black and brown)
- 2 casual shirts (for evenings)
- 1 pair of jeans (for evenings)
- Electric toothbrush
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Body soap
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Coffee maker (sometimes I do)
- CO2 detector (optional)
This packing list allowed me to maintain my professionalism while fitting everything I needed into one light roll aboard.
However, after growing accustomed to walking through airports with next to nothing, I knew I could take it one step further: from light to ultralight.
Before I laid down a chunk of cash on a nice suitcase, I wanted to see if I could design an ultralight packing list that would still meet all of my conditions for maintaining professionalism at the office.
How To Pack Light For Business Travel (The Ultralight Way)
In order to travel as light as possible, I challenged myself to do the following:
- Eliminate all unnecessary items
- Minimize, decrease, and consolidate wherever possible
- Identify all redundancies and eliminate duplications
Compared to some of my fellow coworkers, I already had a pretty light suitcase. I didn’t pack any casual clothes for the evenings and I had already minimized my toiletries to fit in the one-quart plastic bag.
I began working my way down the list to determine what was absolutely critical to maintaining my professional appearance.
I decided to keep all four dress shirts because these are the most recognizable item of clothing I had. In order to maintain a neat, professional appearance, I had to maintain variety over the course of four days.
As for the four undershirts, I decided to get rid of them. While I prefer to wear undershirts with my dress shirts, they weren’t critical; I don’t sweat much and I launder my dress shirts frequently, so I figured I could do without this.
I cut the number of slacks I carried in half. Two pairs of slacks, rotated over four days allowed me to vary my appearance and maintain professionalism.
Clean socks and underwear each day were non-negotiable, so I kept four pairs of each. While I could have spent time each night washing these items in the hotel, their added weight was minimal so I traded weight for comfort in this instance.
I like to rotate black and brown belt/shoe combos, but I realized that this was not absolutely critical so I decided to only carry one belt and one pair of shoes. I eliminated the casual clothes realizing I could still go out to dinner or sit in my hotel room in my work clothes.
I cut or consolidated almost all of my toiletries (with the exception of my deodorant), recognizing that while the hotels didn’t carry my preferred brands of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, I could work with what they provided.
Finally, I picked up this toothbrush, which in addition to carrying its own tube of toothpaste in the handle, provided a cap to keep the brush head separate from any nasty elements that may find their way into my bag.
My final packing list now looked like this:
- 4 dress shirts
- 2 pairs of slacks
- 4 pairs of socks
- 4 pairs of underwear
- 1 Dress belt
- 1 pair of dress shoes
- Toothbrush/toothpaste combo
- Deodorant
All this fit comfortably into this bag, which weighed considerably less than any roll aboard and was small and flexible enough to fit into almost any cranny in an overhead bin or even underneath the seat in front of me.
While I could certainly pack lighter for a recreational leisure trip, I was satisfied with the results of my effort and continue to use this packing method whenever I have to hit the road on business.
3 Benefits of Ultralight Business Travel
Maneuverability
Ultralight packing provides decreased weight and increased maneuverability while rushing through the airport to catch a flight.
I can hop out of cabs with my bag in hand, hurry down escalators, and squeeze through closing train doors. I have boarded some flights with just seconds to spare before the boarding doors were closed, and I owe this in part to the reduced weight I was carrying.
Simplicity
As someone who isn’t particularly fashion-forward, ultralight packing reduces the potential shirt/belt/slacks/shoe combinations I can choose from – which to me is great.
Because of the way I pack, I know any shirt goes with any pair of slacks and my belt and shoes will always match. I just need to grab what’s on top and I’m good to go.
Adaptability
On an airplane, my bag can fit just in about any nook or cranny in an overhead bin or even underneath the seat in front of me and I’ve never had to gate check it due to the overhead bins being full.
Drawbacks of Ultralight Business Travel
Flexibility
I lose flexibility with what I can wear in the evenings (no casual clothes, workout clothes, etc). Additionally, I am limited to one pair of shoes and one belt I brought. If they break, I’m stuck with buying new ones.
Unplanned Nights
If problems arise (either work or weather-related) and I end up staying an extra day, I won’t have any reserved clothes to wear. On a rare occasion, this occurs, most hotels offer laundry service.
What Are Your Thoughts?
Even with the loss of flexibility with ultralight packing, I still choose to pack this way because I prefer simplicity and maneuverability.
What do you think? Do you travel light when traveling for business? Would you want to?
