Can it be done? Advice needed for a 5kg carryon

[DeBru]

My daughter is taking a solo trip to China and hoping to one bag it. One leg of her trip is on Shandong Airlines which appears to have a 5 kg weight limit for carry on bags. She can get everything into a Brain Bag with plenty of room to spare, but it’s weighing in at about 7 kg. Any suggestions besides editing what she’s bringing so it will fit in a S25?

[aedifica]

Maybe she should try Lighterpack to help her prioritize what items are worth their weight? https://lighterpack.com Rather than repeat myself, I'll quote what I said about it in another thread recently:

...I found it much easier to cut down on what I was carrying when I could see how much it weighed in relation to other items. It takes some extra time the first time you use it, but it saves the items you entered for previous trips so you don't have to look up their weights the next time. After I had entered all the weights I found myself naturally making choices like "item X is heavier than anything else, but I really need to bring it with me, so I'll take out items Y and Z to make up for it."

Good luck! That sounds like a great trip.

[DeBru]

Thank you this will be perfect! My girl has loved a list since before she could write a list, this will be right up her alley.

[Rei]

Hi,

https://herpackinglist.com/how-to-pa...-packing-list/ (16L + purse)
https://herpackinglist.com/how-to-tr...personal-item/ (personal item only)
https://herpackinglist.com/ultralight-packing-list/ (12L handbag)

may it inspire her



BTW, for my one month trip in South-East Asia, I planed/estimated a S25 arround 6.6kg including : frame and padded hip belt + A5 notepad & guide book! (mirrorless camera will be in my purse as personal item, so I don't count it)
So either cut on them or bring a lighter bag should make 5kg doable

[bijoux]

Hi Debru. Will your daughter be wearing/taking a jacket on the plane? My jacket for the plane always has a pocket with toiletries in the 1 quart bag. Toiletries take up so much weight! It's easy to pull out of the jacket for passing security, instead of fiddling with the Aeronaut.

then I put the whole bag inside end pocket when sitting at the gate

[Grandcache]

Check out the Scottee clothing. I love my vest and there are a variety of other options...
https://www.scottevest.com/

[runningtravels]

If her S25 is halcyon I'd 100% switch to that. The BB is almost a full pound heavier. Otherwise, I agree with comparing the weight of the items she's taking and then evaluating them.

[ClicketySnap]

Also keep in mind that backpacks that don’t look full are rarely weighed, especially if you check in online before getting to the airport. They assume it will be able to fit into tighter spaces in the overhead bins.

That having been said, I would probably try to fit everything in the smaller S25. It will help limit what she can pack which will help cut down on the weight.
Also consider packing one of those tiny packable shopping bags to use as a just in case personal item in the event of the bag getting gate checked if it is weighed.


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[AlaskaGirl]

Greetings,
For packing ideas, I like One Bag. https://www.onebag.com

The other thing that might be helpful is to share your daughters packing list her. You would likely get several helpful suggestions. elisa

[Canonsue]

I use only my S19 for longer trips or if I need a laptop, I will also carry my Daylight Briefcase. I think one of the tricks is to have only a single pair of shoes that will do everything.

[carrot]

5kg is a really tough mark to hit. In ultralight (backcountry, self-supported) backpacking circles, that's the gold standard for a super ultra light pack and it requires a lot of sacrifice / gram-cutting.

I haven't weighed my S19 when I take trips with it but I can guarantee with a camera, a few lenses, and my clothes that I'm much closer to 7kg than 5kg. I once had to trim down my Pilot to 7kg (15lbs for Americans) and with a 6lb/2.7kg laptop and charger it was real tough.

If your daughter is committed to onebag at 5kg, it takes drastic measures.

Electronics should be the first to go. They are heavy and require chargers. A larger phone obviates the need to carry a tablet. A high-end phone camera can take the place of a dedicated camera. A pair of headphones can be replaced with a pair of earbuds. Finally, many modern USB charging bricks are capable of 110V-220V and 50-60Hz which means all you need is a tiny prong adapter instead of a full-sized travel power adapter.

The second to go should be bulky clothing. It's totally possible to travel stylish and light, but it requires careful consideration of layers and clothing pairings and if warmth is needed, should be top-quality ultra-light down such as Patagonia and Mont-Bell. Nobody will notice or care if you wear the same outfit many times, just air them out and wash as frequently as you are able.

Third, liquids. Most people overpack these. The maximum carry-on liquid size is 100mL or 3.4oz. That's more than most people can use in a two or three-week trip. I repack all my liquids into 0.5oz/15mL, 1oz/30mL, and 2oz/60mL containers. My 3DOC travels about half-full or less, with room for a travel toothbrush and a handful of pills. When I travel with my SO we share a 3DOC!

Fourth, ditch organizer pouches. Organizer pouches encourage "just one more thing." Carry all your small items in just ONE organizer pouch. Pens, pocket notebook, chapstick, phone cable, wall wart, pack of tissues, deck of cards, they can all fit in one pouch.

[thomamas]

I love my Brain Bag, and it’s my usual travel bag. I plan on 7-10 kg, and my bag hasn’t been weighed in years.

But if I were aiming for 5 kg, I wouldn’t use it. The bag alone uses more than a quarter of the allowance. An S25 is half a kg lighter, and you can get a 20 L ultralight daypack that weighs less than 100g.

[imperator]

many modern USB charging bricks are capable of 110V-220V and 50-60Hz which means all you need is a tiny prong adapter instead of a full-sized travel power adapter.

Skip buying an overseas adapter for your USB box and and just buy a native USB box over there, probably cheaper too. The plane will certainly have a USB plug for keeping topped off in-transit, just need a cable.

Third, liquids. Most people overpack these.

Indeed. For a longer trip, just buy travel-size at the destination, makes for an interesting trip. For the first 2 or 3 days, a Clear Pouch with a few contact cases full of necessities is more than enough.

[DeBru]

Ok we are down to 6.2 lbs with a possible solution...
An under filled Brain bag with a small Yeoman duffle as a packing cube, TSA locked filled with approximately 2 kg of stuff. It can be pulled out of the back compartment and checked if her bag gets weighed.

Wearing:
Jeans
Merino T-shirt
Chambray button down
Scott eVest (thanks @Grandcache!)
Compression socks
North face fleece jacket
Trainers

Packed:
iPhone and battery pack plus wallet in a TC, charging cord, adapter (might lose this if we edit more)
Meds
Extremely minimal toiletries (for a 20 year old with sensitive skin) in a 311 bag
Travel towel and turtl pillow
Travel sized Hairbrush

Jeggings
Merino joggers
4 short sleeve merino or technical t shirts
Long sleeve merino shirt
6 pairs undies
Bra
6 pairs socks
Dressy merino cardigan
Scarf
Vans

[carrot]

Ok we are down to 6.2 lbs with a possible solution...
An under filled Brain bag with a small Yeoman duffle as a packing cube, TSA locked filled with approximately 2 kg of stuff. It can be pulled out of the back compartment and checked if her bag gets weighed.

Just putting it out there... as nice as the Yeoman duffel is it’s 1lb 2oz or 0.5kg... as a just-in-case item that’s almost 20% of your total packed weight of 6.2lbs...

Much less durable but also much less heavy (and still very well made) are the Sea to Summit Ultra Sil duffel or day pack. Sub 3oz. But you won’t need it.

The packing list at 6.2lbs/2.8kg well light enough for the 11lbs/2.8kg limit. Just don’t overdo it on souvenirs!


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