How much does your packed bag weigh?

I use a backpack, and if I can keep it under 16 lbs that’s what works best for me. I usually fail in that goal and end up between 17-19 lbs. 20 lbs or more and it gets uncomfortable carrying it on my back. My trips are usually 10-14 days which helps, but is still have to do sink laundry and sometimes hit one laundromat mid trip. Other than the backpack, I might have a big purse with me, but that’s it.

Tom Bihn Tristar Backpack in the light fabric-15 lbs. The advantage of that bag is that it won't hold more and thus exceed my weight requirements. When I use by RS rolling bag, I think it's about 20, which is no problem for trains but difficult for me to lift into the way -over- my -head overhead area in a plane.

My Appenzell weighs in at about 12 -14 lbs. Last year I had it down to 10.5, but that was unusual. I also carry a rather small shoulder bag as my "personal item" on the plane - big enough for a guidebook, file folder with our papers, and whatever we think we'll need on the plane or bus. My DH's backpack, a little smaller than mine, generally weighs in at about 11 pounds, but his "personal item" is heavier than mine. He uses a laptop case for that, about the size of a largish briefcase, but with a shoulder strap.

49.9 pounds. Should I feel bad? Did I kill any whales, in comparison with the empty weight of the airplane? I don't want to spend time "buying anything you could get at home" with my valuable vacation time. I carry what I need for comfort. I also got tired of sitting in Rick-approved laundromats, when I could have been in a museum. In fairness, we don't change hotels more than every three or four nights.

12-18 pounds. We do laundry by hand or at a laundromat (~10 days, with 5 ppl) depending. Our trip are several weeks long.

I did my second test pack yesterday. Everything fit in -- finally after re-evaluating clothes and condensing supplies. RS Rolling Carry-on weighs 22 lbs. Tote weighs 11 lbs. Tote will weigh less as soon as we board the plane and I can take out my small but full purse. I expect weight in both to dwindle a bit during our tour as drugs and supplies are used but the heaviest items are camera, electronics and shoes (no, I'm not packing less shoes because my injured and arthritic feet say so). Ripping apart the RS Italy guidebook into 5 cities saved 1 lb.

Don't know if I could do "the rule of three" packing method that was in one of the videos.

I also don't want to spend travel time shopping for various toiletries after we arrive. Last year I forgot to pack Ibuprofen and quickly found out how expensive it is to buy in a small pharmacy in the Dolomites. But, by the time you pack all that "stuff", the extra weight quickly adds up: pills to relieve the aches and pains from too much hiking, pills to help you poop, pills to take if you're pooping too much, on and on. Need to find the right balance.

We too do a lot of sink washing, but also do a trip to a laundromat about every week.

If I manage carry-on size it's about 22#, my slightly larger bag that gets checked is usually around 27# packed and coming home has been as much as 40#--I like to bring stuff home, what can I say?! I do sink washing, bring 1 spare pair of shoes and generally don't bring stuff I don't end up using.

My carry on bag will weigh about 22 lbs., the maximum allowed by many budget airlines for carryon.
Sometimes airlines weigh'em, and sometimes they don't.
I was checked for weight once by Norwegian Air Shuttle, and I offloaded some clothing into my wife's bag. I felt they were using me to make a statement to the other passengers in line. The legacy carriers seem to be more lenient on weight.
Another time, we were lining up to go on the plane and they put my 21" roller in the rack--with wheels it was 1" too large. They had already let half the passengers on with "heavy" and "large" carry on bags. They were making an example of me again.
Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.. I paid $50 to check my 1" oversize bag.

It depends on the trip. But usually a single bag between 6.5-8 kg (13-17 lb). If I take two bags the total weight is still no more than 8 kg.

I wash my clothes when I go in the shower so I don’t have to spend my vacation in laundromats. Sometimes I’ll send my clothes out.

I also don’t spend my time shopping for supplies. I have allergies so bring all of my toiletries with me (mostly in solid form).

My longest trip was 6 weeks on a combination trip that involved mountain trekking, jungle trekking, and a cruise. I stayed under 8 kg total.

the extra weight quickly adds up: pills to relieve the aches and pains from too much hiking, pills to help you poop, pills to take if you're pooping too much, on and on. Need to find the right balance.

Blister packs. One sheet of each kind, max. Except for pain pills. Then bring a tube.

The beauty of blister packs is that the drug is still there even if it is pulverized. Just lick it out.

If I am away for only 2 weeks, my husband and I have one checked bag between us, weighing around 15 kilos plus a piece of hand luggage each. His is a camera bag and weighs around 10-12 kilos. Mine is usually around 7-8 kilos. We always hire a car at the arrival airport and tend to stay put in one place.

If we are away for a month, it’s the same hand luggage plus a checked bag of around 20 kilos. Same transport situation. My holidays usually involve a beach at some point, so beach towels and suntan lotions add weight. I try not to wash clothes when away, as I am on holiday. I take slightly less if we stay somewhere with a washing machine.

We always take a laptop, 2 iPads, 2 kindles, binoculars, tripod and 2 mobile phones plus the various chargers and plug converters.

Hi Sue, mine is about 15 pounds. Here’s how I handle some main categories:

Shoes - Keen Rose sandals; other pair (for evenings) is a ballet flat.

Electronics- iPhone and iPad. Tiny Apple shuffle for music for sleeping on planes. I no longer take my noise-cancelling headphones.

Clothes- 4 outfits, raincoat and cardigan and sink wash. For our Switzerland to Rome trip, I just added a long sleeve t-shirt, micro-thermal top, trouser socks and grocery store tights, and I was warm enough during two cold Swiss days. Still wore my Keen sandal.

Purse - a crossbody that is packed in my suitcase.

Misc. - I don’t pack for “what ifs” other than sinus/cold medicine.

You have to consider how much the bag you choose adds to the weight. A roller is going to weigh more because of the wheels and frame parts. I use a RS Classic (backpack) bag that weights about 2 pounds, 3 ozs empty (I guess thats about one kilo). I weighed my packed bag for a trip in February, and it was 13.5 pounds. It was a lot heavier on return.

I’m still a paper person. My reservations - lodging and trains are printed. I like being able to hand the Booking.com reservation printed in their language to them. And, I don’t want any issues with train fines! ; ). But those are thrown away as used.

Each year I have my printed packing list because it’s amazing how each morning before a flight, new items want to come along on vacation- ha!

I think the more you travel, the more you know what you need to take - and what to leave home. We hand-wash in hotels - takes just a few minutes a day. We seldom, if ever, have to shop for supplies. Aspirin in Florence once, and cough medicine when I got sick. Corkscrews, if we can't take ours on the plane.

Counting what I'm wearing, I take 2 pair of shoes, three pair of pants, 4 or 5 tops, one cadigan, a windbreaker, a very light jacket, one skirt, socks and undies. All our supplements and otc medications go into baggies. A tiny cross-body purse for when I don't want to carry a daybag. All that, plus a toiletries kit, goes into my Appenzell. Room to spare, and always under 14 pounds.

The small daybag I take goes into my "personal item," along with maps, papers, guidebook, phrase book, journal, and not much else. A pair of small binoculars, sometimes.

Here is a rather spirited discussion on packing light. There are several tips for reducing weight.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/packing-light-or-really-trying

I also suggest that you google “women’s ultralight packing”

I usually try to stay around 25# for my roll aboard. Last year I was going on 2 back to back tours of different types with different clothing requirements and my 25" checked bag weighed more than 45#. During the trip I was so embarrassed it was so large and heavy and by the end of the trip I was so sick of dealing with a large, heavy bag (even though it was a wheely.) Never before and NEVER AGAIN!

My wheeled 21" bag weighs between 19 and 22 lbs. including paperwork, generally. I can carry this weight up stairs and lift it into overheads, etc. However, I usually check my bag for convenience. Consequently, my personal item will weigh around 7 lbs sometimes, for the items needed 'incase my bag does not arrive timely", which is always has.

I have a 16" wheelie that I've been using for domestic travel, but because I seem to also take my laptop domestically...visiting friends, doing genealogy, etc. and don't bring any other bag, this bag still weighs 17-20lbs, but boy I love this underseat bag, and it has, so far, fit under the seat on planes.

I find discussing weight more beneficial than what to pack. I've pretty much mastered what to pack, and some people find 10 lbs acceptable and others find 40 lbs acceptable. As long as you can carry your luggage when you have to do so, you're good.

Our two longest trips, six weeks each, Spain/ Portugal and SE Asia, our 22” bags each weighed 22.5 lbs. Also had a small backpack each.

Wray - I agree that discussing weight makes more sense than discussing what to pack.

After reading the posts so far, it looks like we're doing good with our 20# bags. My goal is to get it down a few more pounds. When empty, our 21" weighs about six pounds. Got a real good deal on them at Costco about three years ago.

I use the RS classic bag and carry it on. No wheels. My last 5 trips with it, it weighed 18 pounds fully packed with everything I wanted to take.

My very old Eagle Creek backpack suitcase weighs 3 lbs. After it's packed, I'm almost always at 17 lbs.

I find discussing weight more beneficial than what to pack.

The two are interrelated. It’s good to have a target weight. After that, reducing the weight is strongly correlated with what you pack. And not just what you pack but how you pack it (containers etc.)

Wear the heaviest shoes you're taking. I live dangerously-the shoes on my feet are usually the only ones I take.

Thanks to all. Always interesting to read what others do

Winter active travel has us traveling heavier than summer travel.

We (the two of us) can do a winter ski event trip with full size carry-on plus personal bag each plus a checked bag each, within SAS "Go" free baggage allowance (we just got back from a trip to Norway). My carry-on is a basic RS Classic backpack and spouse's is a RS rolling carry-on. We use a SporTube Series 2 hard shell ski case to transport three pairs of cross country skis plus three pairs of ski poles. Our second checked bag is a LL Bean Medium Adventure Rolling Duffle to carry ski waxing gear including a Euro (240volt) iron, ski profile, waxes and accessories. Finish filling out the duffles with winter boots, boot chains, warm up clothing and sports drink powders etc.

I pack my ski boots in my carry-on outbound but pack the ski boots in the checked duffle for our return flight. It's easier to borrow skis than borrow (or rent) ski boots.

Carry-on weights < 17# (RS Classic 2# empty)

SporTube with skis and poles about 30# (12# empty)

LL Bean Rolling Duffle about 30# (7# empty) outbound. Heavier return with added purchases. (Some folks buy an bag to bring back extra purchases).

With my carry-on being a back pack, I can pull the rolling ski box and rlling duffle bag. Spouse still has one hand free pulling her roller.

Summer travel is a lot easier/lighter.

I actually just bought a luggage scale in Mexico (I didn't realize my return flight had a weight limit) so I can answer exactly! My carry on size hard spinner bag (cheap from Target) weighed 9.2kg which is about 20 lbs. This had everything except my purse and camera, which was my personal item. It also included a few souveniers, so I'd guess it was more like 19lbs on the way over. The limit was 10kg, so I was good.

When I have flown on smaller airlines with strict limits, I have used a lighter suitcase and been able to keep it to 15 lbs.

I'll add that what increases weight most isn't clothes (or even shoes, unless you go overboard with many pairs), but the non-clothing items. Books, multiple electronic devices and chargers, a stuffed toiletries case, makeup, reams of paper notes. So when I need to cut weight the first thing I do is look at the other items before worrying about which t-shirt is lighter. I only take 10-12 clothing items (tops, bottoms, dresses - coat, underwear, shoes are separate), so the weight comes with the other items. Dropping a pack of face cleaning wipes in favor of a small bottle of cleanser saved almost a pound on one trip, for example.

Depending on the climate where we're going, between 16 and 20 lbs. This includes everything. We don't carry separate "personal items". We have lightweight daypacks that we carry empty inside our main bags. We use travel packs, not rolling bags. Usually MEI Voyageurs. They are very comfortable to carry with 20 lbs and not a burden at all even on long walks or rough terrain.