Guide
How to pack for a trip from your own closet.
Overpacking usually comes from packing pieces instead of outfits. Plan what you’ll wear each day first, then pack only what those outfits need, and let pieces do double duty. It takes ten minutes and saves carrying half a suitcase you never open.
1. List the days and what each one holds
Write down each day of the trip with the main thing you’re doing (travel day, meetings, walking around a city, a dinner out, a hike) and check the forecast for where you’ll be. Those two things, occasion and weather, decide what each day needs.
2. Pick a palette
Choose two base colors for bottoms, layers and shoes, and let tops bring the variety. When every top goes with every bottom, three tops and two bottoms make six outfits instead of three.
3. Plan one outfit per day, reusing pieces
Start with the day that needs the most specific outfit, such as a dinner or a meeting, then build the rest around the pieces it uses. Reuse bottoms, layers and shoes freely; vary tops. Aim for every piece to appear in at least two outfits. Anything that only works once is a candidate to leave at home.
4. Check the count
| Trip | Tops | Bottoms | Layers | Shoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekend (2–3 days) | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1 | 1–2 |
| Long weekend (4–5 days) | 3–4 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| A week (6–8 days) | 4–6 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 2 |
| Two weeks or more | As for a week | As for a week | 1–2 | 2–3 |
5. Pack around the weather
- Mixed forecast: pack one layer that works over everything rather than two coats. The weather guide has a temperature table if you’re unsure what a destination needs.
- Rain likely: one pair of shoes that copes with wet pavements, and a water-resistant outer layer.
- Hot days: breathable fabrics, and one light long-sleeve piece for sun, planes and air conditioning.
6. Wear the bulkiest things to travel
Put the heaviest shoes, warmest layer and thickest bottoms on for the journey. The bag gets lighter and the cabin feels warmer.
Let your closet app do it
If your clothes are already in Cotton, its Plan tab can do steps 3 and 4 for you. Cotton Pro’s trip packing builds a different outfit for each day of the trip from your own closet, reusing pieces so you carry as few as possible, and gives you the list of pieces to pack. The same idea, fewer pieces worn more often, is behind a capsule wardrobe.
Questions
How many outfits should I pack for a week?+
Plan seven outfits, but not seven sets of clothes. Around five tops, two or three bottoms, one layer and two pairs of shoes can make seven different outfits if they share a palette.
How do I pack light for a two-week trip?+
Pack for about a week and plan one laundry stop halfway. Past seven days, more clothes mostly add weight, not options.
What should I wear on the plane or train?+
Your bulkiest pieces: the heaviest shoes, the warmest layer and the thickest bottoms. It frees space in the bag and keeps you warm in air-conditioned cabins.
Is there an app that plans outfits for a trip?+
Cotton Pro does. Give it the days of your trip and it builds a different outfit for each day from your own closet, reusing pieces so the bag stays small, and shows you the packing list.
Pack outfits, not piles.
Cotton for iPhone and iPad. No account, no ads, free up to 25 pieces.