7kg feels impossible

Where are you going, and when?

How much does your bag weigh empty? Some so-called "lightweight" bags weigh 3 kg before you put anything in them.

Unless you're going to wear a traveler's-special garment of some sort with 27 pockets you can stuff, I think 7 kg is nearly impossible for more than a long weekend--and even then you'd probably need a reliable weather forecast. (I note that you didn't mention a rain jacket or a warm layer.)

That said, I start my summer-long trips with a total of just 4 tops and 3 bottoms as outer clothing. If I took a dress, I'd remove one top and one bottom from the list. Sometimes I buy an additional blouse or two along the way if I see something cheap that looks good for travel, but frankly the extra garments are a pain to unpack, repack, dip in water and hang to reduce wrinkles every time I change hotels. Plus there are only rarely enough hangers in the budget rooms I stay in to handle more than three garments, so I have to travel with 2 inflatable and 2 folding hangers.

I only take the pair of comfy walking shoes on my feet.

Packing ultra-light can be a stressor of its own.

So I don’t bother—problem solved.

Where are you going and with what airline?

Most European carriers are 8 kg.

Some have been known to use a kitchen scale and weigh every item. This will let you know which items are problematic.

I’ve only been to Italy twice and did carryon/backpack. I hate it. I’m getting ready to leave for France in 3 days and my bags are stuffed! I think it’s harder for women. If I wasn’t afraid of the airlines losing my luggage I’d use a little larger bag…say 24/26”, and Check it. I’m so much happier when I use that for continental nonstop flights. My bag came out to 21 lbs. stuffed..

The clothing only takes about half my space. It’s all the other items. Good luck! Sorry I don’t have any recommendations, but just letting you know I feel your pain. How much does you bag weigh?

7 kg feels needlessly harsh; I've never seen such a low limit (never saw below 8 kg). An empty carry-on suitcase alone is over 2 kg to start with. Add 1 kg, and you should be able to pack toiletries and lightweight shoes.
This being said, 5 bottoms feels like a lot for 1 week. You can probably manage with 3 including the skirt, since you'll be wearing one bottom as well (leggings, I assume).

(and sorry to ask this but... if your scales are in pounds, have you checked the conversion math?)

Just check a bag. It isn’t worth the stress.

I check my carry-on sized bag and take a day pack with 3 pairs of socks and underwear, a change of clothes, electronics, and meds. I could probably go for a week on that (with some strategic purchases) if my bag were lost.

For one week, I’d cut your items in half. Looks like you have almost one complete outfit per day.

For any trip longer than a week or so, I take (counting what I wear,) 4 tops, 3 bottoms (slacks), 2 pairs of shoes, 2 bras, 4 panties, 3 pairs of socks, one cardigan, one waterproofed windbreaker, a scarf, and a light cotton jacket.

Add in toiletries, supplements, charging cables, and a few little odds and ends, and my loaded backpack weighed about 12 lbs., so under 6 kilos.

My tablet, keyboard, journal, folder with all our paperwork, my small daybag, and assorted miscellania go in my personal item, a small canvas shoulder bag. I think it weighed about 5 lbs. this trip.

If weight were an issue, I would eliminate one top, one jacket or sweater, one set of socks and undies, and the keyboard.

It is doable, but as others have suggested, there’s no need to get down to 7 kilos. Take what you want, relax, and have a great trip.

I'm wondering as well what airline you're flying.

That said, if your October trip is only for a week, I think you're taking too many clothes. As I recall, most of your trip centers around Rome/Vatican so kill the shorts (which you've already done), and cut your shirts down to 3, all of which can be washed in the sink and drip-dried over night. Personally, I'd kill the dresses/skirt too or just take 1 - again, a sink wash/drip dry fabric - plus the leggings, 1 extra pair of shoes and undies. Wear your heaviest and/or additional items on the plane.

Are you allowed to take a personal item in addition to your carryon backpack?

As someone earlier mentioned, what your backpack weighs before you even stuff it may be one of your issues? But if the task is making you crazy, yep, just check the bag! :O)

I flew to Berlin from the US. I had a carry-on bag that weighed at least 25 lbs. I wasn't worry for my flight in the US. We went from CA to Denver, then Denver to Munich. I thought for sure they would take my bag from Munich to Berlin. They didn't even weigh it. People were bringing on bags much bigger than mine. I didn't see any scales. I don't know if that was the norm or what. I do read that the budget airlines in Europe are more strict.

If I’m doing carry on only, for 1 week I’d take 1 pair shorts, 1 pair leggings and 1 pair jeans to travel in. 7 T-shirts - put a clean one on each night after showering and then wear the next day. 7 pants, 2 socks, shorts pjs, 1 pair sandals. Wear sweater and/or light jacket on the plane. Very minimal toiletries - small shampoo and conditioner, deodorant and a little bit of makeup. This will fit in the EasyJet underseat (ie free) luggage allowance.

If the weather is hotter then travel in leggings, no jeans and pack an extra pair of shorts and 1 nicer top to wear with them at night if going somewhere decent.

As many have mentioned, double-check the weight requirements. Are you sure the 7 kg is for carry on, or is that for a "personal item" or under-seat bag? What airline? My carry-on (an old Ricardo spinner) weighs about 6.5 lbs and I try to keep the total weight at 20 lbs or less (no more than 21 lbs). That gives me approx 13 lbs of packing; I have yet to exceed any weight limits other than the European regionals (RyanAir, etc) but then I just pay up and check the bag.

What you have packed for a week is more than I generally pack for 21 days. You have 7 shirts, 2 leggings, 3 shorts, 5 undies, 2 dresses - no mention of socks, sweaters, rain jacket. Depending on weather, and what you are traveling for, I think you can cut that list in half. It's hard, for sure! And difficult to drop our mindset that we need to wash things after each wearing. Or have a different outfit for each day.

My favorite story to illustrate how much people DON'T notice what you are wearing is when I was on a 16-day small ship cruise. I like to wear scarves and had packed 2 - and people asked me every day if my scarf was new and did I buy it in whatever town we had been in. So.

If you want to get under the 7kg limit one option is to get a jacket from Scott-e-vest. These jackets have 20+ pockets with zippers that are designed just for travel. I've used one just for the reasons that you have mentioned, put your heaviest items in the jacket and wear it onto the plane and your home free, do not carry it on your arm, actually wear it and they will not question you about it! 7 kg is killer a weight to get under.

This is what I packed for a 2.5 week trip to Northern Italy (Milan, Turin and Lago Maggiore) which included a wedding, biking and hiking.

1 cocktail dress for the wedding - 1 dress for pre-wedding activities and dinners - 1 sundress/pool coverup – Nightshirt - 4 undies - 2 bras - 3 pair no show socks - 2 pair ankle high hiking socks - dress sandals – Birkenstocks - 1 black Ex Officio hiking pants - 2 Columbia hiking skorts - 3 silk/silk blend tank tops - 2 short sleeve t-shirts - 1 long sleeve button up shirt/sun shirt - 2 belts - 2 electrical adaptors - several zip lock bags in different sizes - Pashmina scarf - nylon cross-body purse – hooded REI Goretex lined raincoat - cashmere cardigan - sun hat - coin purse - money belt - packable 30 liter duffel - swim suit - solid shampoo and conditioner - makeup remover - sunglasses.
Total weight of the Osprey backpack was 7.3 kg.

The Kanken laptop bag had my phone, mini-iPad, toiletries, charging chords, noise cancelling headphones, cash, cards and documents. I didn’t weigh it but my guess would be about 5 kg.

If I took out one pair of shoes I would have been very close to 7 kg. Take out the long sleeve shirt and or the sweater as well and I would have been easily under.

Full packing report is here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/northern-italy-packing-report

Wow, thanks everyone! So I will fill in some of the gaps and answer some of the questions everyone had.

I am traveling to Italy in 2 weeks. My airline is SAS. I am taking only seasonally appropriate items, no "just in case" things. I will wear jeans and a sweatshirt onto the plane, so I will have those as my just in case items. I'm also planning on bringing a light jacket, but it's very light, so I just figured I would throw it in my bag at the end.

My luggage is 7.25 lbs/3.25 kg. It's not the very lightest that I found, but it was amongst the lightest, and I wanted hardside, and I also wanted lockable for security reasons. So...considering the parameters I was wanting, this one was the lightest one that fit the bill in my budget.

Side note- not to go off on a tangent. My sister and I went on a trip a few months ago, and we shared a carry on (domestic, so weight was much more lenient). The weight limit was 40 lbs, and the luggage itself weighed 7 lbs. That gave us each 16ish lbs in the luggage. So, I really thought with that experience, this wouldn't be a problem at all. Although that trip was a bit shorter, I also packed some much heavier items. So, essentially, I would just have to cut my packing from that trip by 3 lbs, and I should be good. That's what I expected anyway.

My first pass was 20 lbs/9 kg. After I took my bottoms cube out, it came to 17 lbs/7.7 kg.

Someone had asked about the scale, and the scale is in both lbs and kilos, so...even IF I (or more like Google) got the math wrong, the scale shows it in both measurements.

Someone also mentioned 5 bottoms being a lot. Here's where I land on that: I have one pair of shorts that will go with several of my tops, very multipurpose, which is why I packed it. I have a pair of bike shorts, which I will be using under my skirt/dress, but it can also be used generally too. Again, multipurpose. I have a pair of Under Armour shorts, super super light, the lightest pair I own, which will primarily be used for sleeping, although I could use them in a pinch. (And I am now realizing I didn't pack any tops to sleep in so...guess I'll just wear whatever I have on at the time) Then, I have the two pairs of leggings, which aren't really heavy, but I may wear one under my jeans on the plane if I have to. And, as mentioned above, the bottoms only comprised 1.3 kg, so I don't think they are the problematic part of the equation.

As far as having almost one complete outfit per day...well...yes. But, you see, I typically wear 2-3 outfits a day. So, having even 1 outfit per day is already a massive downsizing for me. And, I know with me being out and about, doing a ton of walking, the hot sun...I am going to want to change clothes. I just know it.

Yes, I am allowed a backpack. Which I can use if need be. I was just hoping to keep it as clean and clear so that I have everything available during my journey as possible.

Update: so I took out 4 items of clothing. I was able to get the skirt and dress into small packing cubes which fit in my backpack nicely. I took out leggings, as I will likely wear them on the way. I also took out a shirt. I consolidated all the clothing into one packing cube. It didn't move the needle much. I am now at 15 lbs/6.8 kg.

I just gained you a kilogram (2.2 pounds). SAS carry-on weight limit from their web site is 8 kg (as we all expected).

For what it is worth, my wife and I have taken six round trips (all at least 2 weeks) on Lufthansa with their 8kg limit. Two RS convertibles, we planned a laundry day in the middle, we even took two pairs of shoes. Never an issue, and never weighed as the gate attendants saw them on our backs. Once--and only once--a gate attendant, it was for a transfer to Croatia Air in Frankfurt, stopped her because as she is only 5'1" the bag looked too big on her. Not even weight issue--just size. I stopped-I was already through, turned back, and offered us to switch bags since these were clearly the same size and it was fine o n me. And off we went.

It's not clear what's going in the backpack nor if there is a weight limit for it. (I was stymied on Icelandic Air by the personal item's dimensions- no way for my usual overflow in there.)
Presumably you'll put all the non- clothes items in it?
I have been through this several times, back and forth with the luggage scale and deliberations. It is very stressful and can also take away some of the fun anticipation. (BTW I watched a couple of those influencer packing videos- it was small bathing suits and teensy sundresses :) stuffed in a purse!)
If you know for your comfort you need to change clothes at least once a day, the re- wearing strategy (that's what I do ) is likely not going to work for you, unless you sink wash daily and stuff has time to dry overnight, if you are on the move.
There might not be time for this trip. But merino wool is a game changer, including very lightweight tees, for your next trip.
You've done a masterful job with a bag that heavy, empty! Have a fantastic and safe trip!

My first reaction to your packing list is that you are bringing too many clothes for 1 week. In 2 weeks, I’m leaving for a 3-week trip throughout Spain, South of France and Italy; 14 days will be on a cruise ship with 2 formal nights. I’m bringing 1 pair sneakers, 1 black leather sandals, 1 dressy ballet flats, flip flops. 2 black pants ( 1 water resistant cargo and 1 dressier), 1 black legging or yoga pants (leisure and plane), 2 dresses and a black jumpsuit that can go sleeveless or with a T-shirt. Two jackets (dressy white blazer and black moto jacket), 1 grey cashmere cardigan, black rain jacket. May bring lightweight down vest/stuff sack if weather report indicates it might be cooler. Black swimsuit and caftan (coverup). Black, grey, white scarf. (There’s a color pattern here). I’m getting too detailed! 2 lightweight long sleeve SPF shirts (Eddie Bauer), 3 short sleeve T’s, 2 white, 1 black and white stripe and dressy black silk tunic for evening. Two camis for bed. I’m counting on slippers and robe on ship and I can wear flip flops in hotels with leggings, cami and cardigan in lieu of robe and pjs. 2-3 bras, 2 nude, 1 black (maybe), 5-6 pairs socks and 5-6 pairs undies. Plan on doing laundry once or twice.

I think I could get all this into a carryon for under 20 Lbs, but I may check because of all the liquids I’d like to bring. Hey, everyone has their personal preferences. As far as women having more difficulty with packing their needs, I have to share my opinion that my husband has a bigger challenge because he has to figure out how to get a pair of larger size dress shoes and a blazer in his carryon. Even if we check, we never take anything more than one carryon plus 1 personal item each.

The other thing you can do, if SAS doesn't include the Personsl item weight, is fabric only in the carryon and everything else in the personal item.

Larry.....thanks but....I was actually estimating on 17 lbs anyway. So...I had the kg wrong but in poundage, I was on the right track. But, yes, thank you for the correction!

Yeah...from what I have read, weight limit isn't hugely enforced, unless it is clearly obvious the luggage is bursting at the seams. So, on one hand, I'm not gravely concerned about it. But, I am also the kind of person that thinks...knowing my luck, ya know? Haha. So, in that sense...I'm preparing myself for the worst.

It's not impossible, but does require making choices and setting priorities. Example: neutral colors that can be easily combined. Wear one pair of black pants and take a 2nd pair. Buy shampoo at destination if necessary. Take smallest of toiletries in a 3-1-1 kit - Ziplock bag. Or, use hotel issued toiletries. Leave out cosmetics or reduce to minimum. Place in a light weight zip-lock or similar. Minimize number of packing cubes (one large instead of 2 medium). Reduce, reduce, reduce. When I look at your list for 1 week - you will be wearing your first day outfit. So, you need clothes for 6 more days. 1 pair of leggings, 1 pair of shorts, 1 dress or skirt - leave out the other dress or skirt. Sometimes, it takes several go arounds to get your bag right the first time you try minimal packing.

When I went to NYC for 6 nights - I wore one pair of black pants and took only a second pair of black pants - no dress, no skirt, no shorts, no leggings. I wore walking sandals to eliminate socks. I brought fresh shirts (some casual, one dress top). No cosmetics. Bought shampoo at destination. Fresh daily undies. About 2 extra bras. Lightweight backpack. RS packable cylinder shape duffel for dirty laundry. Fleece zip-up vest. One t-shirt as a night shirt. Not much else, beyond some flight comforts like hand sanitizer, tissue packets, small boo-boo kit. That's about it. (I may be forgetting a couple of things.)

Update: I put the heavier items in a compression cube into my backpack. Not ideal but it is what it is.

I weighed each and every item of clothing. Most of my shirts were very light, around 3 ounces each. (Bear in mind, I'm a big girl, so I likely have more fabric per item than other people may) If an item was 6 ounces or more, I put them in the compression bag to go in the backpack.

I then packed my jacket, the shoes I will be taking with me, a poncho, and a drawstring packpack for day trips. I'm now at 16 lbs.

I plan to pack a pair of sandals in my backpack, so I can wear sneakers on the plane and switch them out when I board. Other things left to pack: My liquid toiletries bag will be in my backpack for easy access. I intend to pack most chargers in my carry on if possible. I will likely keep my laptop and phone chargers in my backpack for the long flight. Obviously, wallet, passport, etc will be in the backpack. I can't really think of anything else that would absolutely need to pack in the carry on suitcase. Maybe some makeup. I already have mascara, lip gloss, etc packed in my liquid bag, so it would just be powder. Hairbrush and comb, hair things, toothbrush.

Anything I am forgetting? Anything you think I should shuffle around?

Whenever you have two nights in the same location, wash underwear. shirt and shorts. Buy 2 foldable hangers for the shirts.
Practice sink washing at home to make sure the items will dry quickly. October may be too cold for shorts-I was in Italy in October in 2019 and never wished I had brought shorts.
I have traveled with only the shoes on my feet, as acraven suggests. However, after the sole on one of my hiking boots tore up while on a trail(fortunately not on a trip), I decided that was risky-if the shoes on your feet unexpectedly tear up or even get a blister when they've never given you one before, you're in trouble. So I do now bite the bullet and pack another pair of walking shoes. Weigh them and wear the heaviest ones on the plane.

I noticed your post about your luggage weighing 7.25 lb.s. While not a bad weight for a suitcase - many suitcases range from 5.5 lb.s - 8 lb.s; yours is leaning on the heavier side and using about 1-2 lb.s of packing weight. I still think you can do this by reducing your clothes. Lose the jeans - two pair of polyester lightweight pants (wear one on first travel day) or 1 pant and 1 skirt. Sleep naked - Yikes!

Haha, is the yikes about me sleeping naked? If so, I agree.

As far as the jeans, I haven't decided on those yet. But, I was planning on wearing them on the plane, so...it wasn't really affecting my packing. But...I am still on the fence on whether to bring them or not.

I’m with Laura on this one. Just check your bag. I do not understand stressing and packing and repacking over and over just to avoid checking a bag. I’ve been traveling for decades, and I’ve only lost a bag once, and that was on a domestic flight.

You can always take precautions by putting an AirTag inside your checked bag, and making sure you have a change or two of clothing in your personal bag. But I just couldn’t take the stress of trying to get everything down to a certain amount.

Mardy- it's more the 80 euro (each way) price that I am struggling with....more so than worrying about losing it.

Hi, I’m glancing through your comments to see how I can help. You’re weighing each item separately which is great to select the lightest one. Your empty suitcase is heavy itself, but that’s what it is.

You like to change clothes during the day. Not a problem; I usually switch into something nicer if I’m eating in a restaurant and definitely when going to a music concert or activity at night.

Think about how soon you can replenish each dirty item during your trip, and that will tell you how many to bring. I wash items each evening in the sink that will be dry the next morning or afternoon, so I can easily get by with just a few outfits, plus something for evening. Even traveling for a month in June (and it was hot in Croatia!), I had 3 dresses, a pair of quick-dry black pants, and three shirts, and I didn’t need anything extra. If you’re moving locations, no one will know you wore the same outfits in the last city.

Some items I’m seeing:

• Laptop - is this needed for work? Otherwise, I would leave it home. Just use your phone.
• I wear my jacket on the plane because it’s usually cold, so that would be out of your suitcase.
• Can your jacket eliminate your need for a poncho?
• Unless you’re hiking, you shouldn’t need a drawstring pack, also. I only carry my crossbody purse in large & small towns in Italy & Europe in general.

Hope that helps!

Update: just reread the original post. If this is just for a week of clothes, pack two dresses, two bottoms, and three tops. Save your extra room for souvenirs, and have a great time!

Mardy- it's more the 80 euro (each way) price that I am struggling with....more so than worrying about losing it.

Well, that makes sense then. I'd be maneuvering, too, to save €80. :-)

As far as the laptop-eh. I am a bit of a luddite. I will say semi-luddite. I am an older millennial, so...I am fairly comfortable with a smart phone, but when it comes to most things, I still prefer the laptop. I find email on my phone difficult. I can check it pretty well, but if I have to send an email, it's a hassle. That said, my backpack has a specific laptop pocket, so it should be fine.

The jacket itself is very lightweight. If I have to and it comes to it, I will probably remove it and stuff it in my backpack. I am wearing a sweatshirt on the plane, so seems weird to wear a lightweight jacket over a sweatshirt. But....if I am able to keep it in my bag, I probably will. No hood on the jacket, and I am not sure how well it would hold up in wet weather. So, I doubt it would replace the poncho. But, I think I may switch out my already used poncho for an unused one in a bag. Not that it would make a lot of room weight-wise, but the unused one is flat and takes up no room, and is small enough to fit in any little pocket.

I actually am not bringing a purse, hence the drawstring bag. I will bring my wallet, and likely a fanny pack (that would go under the clothes). Most of the time, I will just go out with whatever I can keep on me in the fanny pack; but if there is a day that I need to bring a change of clothes, or a beach day on capri, that would be the purpose of the bag in those cases....that way I don't have to lug my big travel backpack just for a change of clothes.

About the sweatshirt--is it going to work with anything else you're taking? I get cold on planes, too. I use a light fleece jacket that can go over everything I pack on cool days.

I never bring jeans on a trip to Europe, but if you’re only going for a week, they might work. They’re heavy and forget about being able to wash them, though. I traveled for a couple weeks to England and the south of France with my sister, brother-in-law and nephew. The guys wore jeans. I had to stifle my laugh when I saw they’d washed them and hung them to dry in rainy London after only 3 days. I think they had to wear damp jeans that day. My sister ended up sending them out to be laundered for an exorbitant amount of money in Arles a week later. I understand that jeans are extremely popular these days and a virtual requirement in most people’s wardrobe, but I think they’re too uncomfortable to wear while sitting for a long time and impractical for travel.

I always bring/wear on the plane a lightweight hooded rain jacket. I’m from Seattle so I never carry an umbrella, LOL.

Regarding the laptop. I solved my neo-ludditeness by getting a mini-iPad. Not a cheap solution, and maybe too late for this upcoming trip but something to consider for a future gift giving occasion.

I have a different view on jeans than most folks do, I suppose. I find that jeans, while they do take up more space than other types of pants, can be worn for even up to four days and not be "too" dirty. The ounce per wear ratio is lower for my jeans (especially lighter weight jeans) than for thinner slacks. For the trip to Europe that I just got back from a few days ago, I wore a pair of jeans on the plane and packed another thinner pair of jeans, as well as two pairs of lightweight Eddie Bauer slacks. For some thinner pants, it seems they need much more frequent washing than the jeans do and while I can and have washed them in the sink previously, it isn't ideal for me. I also carry a small amount of Febreeze for fabrics with me and use that just to freshen things up a bit if needed.

Rohan makes jeans that I have successfully sink washed. They dry much faster than many pants.

I'm on "Team Jeans" as well. I usually wear Gloria Vanderbilt Amandas and some of the colors have poly in them but even the colors that don't will dry overnight in most locations. In rainy Orkney they dried overnight with the help of a heated towel rack. I always sink wash them.

However....going to Italy in early October, I'm not very heat tolerant so jeans would be too hot for me. I went for 3 weeks last October (actually arrived the last of Sept) and it was still very hot in Rome by mid-month.

I'll add that I do understand it's too late at this point to do anything about your suitcase so I'm glad you've weighed every item. I went with the lightest suitcase I could find that I felt would work for my needs last October. I got a terribly overpriced Osprey Ozone 2 wheel international sized case that weighs in at 4.5# With that as my starting point my suitcase was 16.1# when I left the house so you are doing quite well with your heavier luggage.

I'd also question the sweatshirt but at this point you may have to go with it. I usually take a LS dri fit quarter zip that I can also stuff in my purse or day pack if I need to.

Keep notes on what works and what doesn't so you will have a basis for next time.

Posted by melmay14 OP

As far as having almost one complete outfit per day...well...yes. But,
you see, I typically wear 2-3 outfits a day. So, having even 1 outfit
per day is already a massive downsizing for me. And, I know with me
being out and about, doing a ton of walking, the hot sun...I am going
to want to change clothes. I just know it.

I totally understand wanting to shower and change after a day in the heat. You feel stinky, sweaty and greasy. Nice to shower and change into a clean shirt for the evening meal and activities.

But an option that I have used and I've read others on this forum recommend is to shower and change into another top, then wear that same top for tomorrow's outing.

Where I have trouble is when I've sprayed my clothes with insect repellent and spent the day in mosquito/chigger/buggy places. I prefer to return to the room right after, take a shower to hopefully rid myself of any chiggers and I put those clothes in a separate plastic bag and keep it away from all my other clothes. My legs are where the chiggers usually show up, so that cuts down on being able to re-wear a pair of pants. These are domestic trips and I'm staying in one location, so no fear of contaminating my clean clothes by having to re-pack and move before laundering.

I'm into family history. So many of my trips include excursions to out of the way cemeteries and such.

As others have mentioned there is no shame in checking a bag--it's a vacation. It's not a test. However, if you do decide to do carry-on weigh each item of clothing as well as shoes and of course your empty luggage. I have found cotton shirts are surprisingly heavy compared with synthetic blends and hiking shirts from REI or Athleta. Also, you can wear several layers on the plane since they weigh the luggage not the passenger. You can put a jacket, an extra pair of shoes and electronics in your personal item which they won't weigh either. I have a fold up bag for just that purpose. It's very lightweight and cost 20.00 on Amazon. On my last trip which was a hiking trip (so nothing fancy), I wore, a tank top, a long sleeve hiking shirt over that, a sweater, jeans with leggings under them plus a scarf. If it seems like way too many layers once you are on the plane you can go to the bathroom and take off a few items. I am always freezing on planes so I was nice and warm. I put my lightest weight windbreaker/jacket in my personal item. My 21 inch bag weighed in at just under 8kg which was the allowance for Lufthansa in 2022.

So, in regards to jeans- I am actually doing a horseback ride when I am there. And while I know it CAN be done in leggings, I also know that unless I spring for a pricy pair of riding tights, jeans are preferable to leggings. And definitely shorts.

So, that's my reason for wearing the jeans on the plane. I probably won't get a ton of use out of them. But, for that one particular activity...I feel like I need to have them.

Well, having a specific activity related to needing jeans makes sense. Do you normally ride in jeans at home? Just asking - I don't ride but have a friend who does and she always said the jeans....um....chafed. If you don't ride and others here who do chime in with advice (such as Horsewoofie because we KNOW she rides, lol!!) go with their thoughts over mine!

Yes, when I ride, which isn't a lot, I ride in jeans. That's what's always been advised to me.

The first choice is special riding pants/tights, of course. But, if you don't have that, I have always been told jeans is the way to go.

Now granted, I usually do trail rides, which is what this is, and jeans are considered to be more durable, and also better protection from any weeds or brush or branches that might come along. Or bug bites.

Oh good!!! I am glad you are experienced and have worn jeans before!

In addition to the 8kg carry-on bag on SAS, you can bring a 40cm x 30cm x 15cm bag which does not appear to have a weight limit. We were in the same situation with Lufthansa last year and I stuffed all my heavy electronics, liquids wnd toiletries into a sackpack which ended up weighing about 5 lbs.

I have a hard time believing someone can pack 12 shirts and 6 pants and stay under 7 kg.

I’d suggest 6 shirts max, 3 pairs of pants max (one of which is your riding pants). You’ll wear the heavy items in transit. Maybe take one dress. Maybe take 5 pairs of undies and 2 bras. Sink wash as needed.

Every single item of clothing will add up, so it does matter.

Shirts and pants need to be thin and light. Add a filament weight long underwear top as needed.

Hey OP, wonder if you're leaving today (?) but just wanted to say I haven't seen any scales flying SAS the past 2 RT since Easter, so you're probably going to be just fine! If you have some sort of lightweight jacket, I would leave that sweatshirt behind, useless for wind or rain. Let us know how your packing works out.

I think 7 kg is nearly impossible for more than a long weekend

Bingo

I pack almost the same way for a long weekend as I do for three weeks. I pack two sets of underwear (wear another set), four golf type knit shirts (wear another), and two pairs of slacks (wear another).

For a long weekend, the underwear would probably be cotton, since I would bring it home dirty, and I would only need to pack two shirts. For longer trips I have accumulated a set of travel clothes (cotton/polyester blend underwear and shirts that easily dry overnight).

I think Rick once remarked that he packs the same for three (?) days as he does for the summer.

There's no way I want to carry around enough clean clothes for a two or three week vacation. Sink washing a few pieces of clothing each night is a small price to pay for the freedom an 11# (5 kg) pack gives me.