Calpak Large Compression Packing Cubes
Cadence The You Capsule and Parcel Set
Calpak Ambeur Carry-On Luggage
Quince European Linen Button- Front Dress
Abercrombie & Fitch Mid- Rise Linen-Blend Mini Skort

It minimizes wrinkles, too.

Calpak Large Compression Packing Cubes, Cadence The You Capsule and Parcel Set, Calpak Ambeur Carry-On Luggage, Quince European Linen Button- Front Dress, Abercrombie & Fitch Mid- Rise Linen-Blend Mini Skort

Packing light is not something that comes to me naturally. I spent most of my life thinking people who only traveled with carry-ons were chumps. A few things contributed to the change in my mindset.

First, it’s become less common for checked bags to be included in your airfare. Second, I’ve been traumatized by too many lost or delayed suitcases. Third, wheeling large checked luggage across cobblestoned European streets is #humbling. As such, I’ve now taken a dozen trips as a carry-on-only girl, so I have finally perfected the art. The key is not to pack less, but to pack smart, i.e., having an arsenal of Calpak Compression Packing Cubes that fit 26-plus pieces of clothing.

The Calpak Packing Cubes come in three sizes: small, medium, and large, all available in 18 colors and patterns. I use four large packing cubes to put clothes in my Calpak Ambeur Carry-On and nine beauty products in a Cadence dopp kit, and two pairs of shoes.

Calpak Large Compression Packing Cubes

The packing cubes come in sets of two (making them $26 apiece), each equipped with two different zippers: one that closes the pouch, and another that shrinks or expands its size. If you have a lot of bits and bobs, the small or medium might better suit you, but the large ones are great for packing clothes, while also preventing excessive wrinkling.

Before packing, I lay my clothes out flat, folding them with as few creases as possible; even when compressed, they come out of my suitcase in the same condition they went in. This allows me to, very neatly, pack 26 pieces of clothing in a carry-on at once. I have so many options, in fact, that during a nearly three week-long Italy trip, I didn’t do laundry once—some items actually went unworn.

Cadence The You Capsule and Parcel Set

I’d be remiss to not mention my other packing marvel, Cadence’s capsules and dopp kit. Cadence’s capsules come together to make a honeycomb-shaped modular system. Thanks to a variety of extenders and add-ons, they carry anywhere from 17 ml to 81 ml. It allowed me to pack sunscreen, face wash, two serums, moisturizer, body lotion, conditioner, and two leave-in conditioners.

Head to Calpak to shop my must-have Compression Packing Cubes, then get your toiletries sorted at Cadence. Check out more of what I packed for my Italian getaway, below.