So you’ve planned a picturesque winter vacation. Your flights are booked, lift tickets reserved, and dining reservations secured. Whether you’re traveling to St. Moritz to après ski or Aspen to shred some of the best mountains in the US, you’ll need proper clothing and accessories to keep warm on your adventure.
For these types of trips, extra space in your bag is precious, so I asked experts for tips on how to pack light for winter travel. To kick things off, some tough love from Tumi’s creative director Victor Sanz: “Lay everything out that you think you will need and then remove half of it; that will get you closer to where you need to be.”
Ahead, find advice on how to pack light for winter travel—whether your adventure warrants a checked bag or a strategically packed carry-on.
If you’re carrying on…
If you’re strictly carrying on when traveling somewhere chilly, the key is to utilize yourself and your personal item. “If I need to bring a bigger jacket, it’s something that I’ll just wear that day,” says Herschel Supply Co. co-founder Lyndon Cormack. This also extends to items like snow boots, heavy sweaters, or sweatpants. Leave these bulky items out of your suitcase and focus on a few outfit options: “Pack basics that you can style with multiple outfits, and plan to dress them up or down with jewelry,” says Carolina Cordon-Bouzan, co-founder, creative director, and designer of Montserrat New York. “I always pack a white sweater from The Row, a black sweater from Proenza Schouler, blue jeans and black jeans from Frame—those four pieces can make so many different variations of outfits that you can wear during the day or at night.”
If you’d prefer to pack your coat rather than wear it in flight, a packable jacket is key here, like Canada Goose’s Abbott down hoodie. This jacket packs into its own pocket, leaving space for other cold-weather gear you’ll need.
Your personal item will likely have more than just the bare necessities if you’re going to be carrying on only. You’ll need the basics like your wallet, passport (if needed), toiletries, electronics (phone, charger, headphones), and any important medications, plus extras like a change of clothing or a book to read on board—and any spillover that didn’t fit inside your suitcase.
“I have to admit, I really push the limits with my personal item when traveling with a carry-on. Instead of a handbag or backpack, I use a small Calvin Klein duffel bag that has been in my family for years. It’s my sneaky way of basically traveling with two pieces of luggage,” Cordon-Bouzan says. If you do have more than just the basics in your personal item, small packing cubes can help keep things organized.
Away The Insider Packing Cubes
If you’re checking a bag…
You have a little more leeway when you’re checking a bag. In this scenario, you can keep your personal item light rather than overstuff it. “I always have two toiletry kits ready to go: One for carry-ons, including all the appropriate smaller items, and one for longer trips which require check-in, that consist of a full set of goods,” Cormack says. A wallet, ID, hand sanitizer, mask, phone, and charger are really all you’ll need, plus anything specific you want access to during your flight.
