Backpack size guidance for adult gap years & how to pack light!

I know, it’s hard to pack your life into a single backpack. But if you’re planning for an adult gap year or a travel sabbatical, packing well could be the difference between a great and miserable trip. Bringing too much on your trip sets you up to lug so much stuff around the world, risking injury and tough words exchanged between you and your travel companion(s).

Don't risk constant arguments with your travel buddy! Pack light!

You need a bag between 35L and 60L. Smaller than that, and you won’t have enough room for the essentials (unless you are truly an incredible minimalist) and larger than that and you will regret it the first moment you pick up your packed bag.

I have a surprise for you though – you actually get to pack two bags. You’ll travel with one big bag (that’s the 35-60L one) and one small day-bag. The day-bag should be a tiny backpack – the size you’re comfortable carrying around every day, and you’ll put your absolute essentials in it during travel days (think: medicine, electronics, water bottle, and copies of critical documents.) On your travel days, you’ll wear this smaller day bag on your front and the larger bag on your back. You’ll look a little silly, but you’ll be in good company! Pretty much everyone on a long-term trip does this. Everyone.

If you’re struggling even with fitting everything into a 60L bag, here are a few tips from a packing pro for how to cut back on what you’re packing:

1. Remember you can buy things abroad. When thinking about what not to bring, cut out things that will be easy to buy abroad – e.g., winter jackets, if you don’t need them right away. So long as you’re not buying Canada Goose, you should be able to find a cheap jacket somewhere (hello thrift shops!) to keep you warm.

2. Lay it all out on the bed. Every single thing you’re going to pack should go in one massive pile so you can look at how ridiculous you’re being thinking you need all that stuff.

3. Leave the things you’d be heartbroken to lose or destroy at home. That includes clothes. Would you be heartbroken if your favorite dress was ruined in the never-ending dust in Africa? Leave it at home, it’s going to be destroyed.

4. Deeply, deeply consider anything bulky. Think you need your amazing camera but have an iPhone? Think hard. Your iPhone will take amazing photos if it’s a more recent model, and that camera is a liability both in terms of weight and price.

If you get sick of carrying things, you’re just going to decide to mail them home or throw them out. Mailing them home will cost several hundred dollars for every few pounds you send. Make the hard decisions now, and save money later by avoiding shipping costs!