How does he do it?
I usually travel with just the comfortable sneakers on my feet, which I wear throughout my trip. If I know I will do a lot of walking, I throw my spare sneakers in my checked bag.
Brute force! 
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I’m usually pretty good at packing for trips that I fly to. I’ve packed in carry ons and a backpack
My recent addition of a CPAP has put everything in chaos as far as packing. It’s huge!
On our cruise last year, I decided to pack a big bag. Why not, we had luggage assistance everywhere we went. I see all these other people with huge suitcases. So I packed it all. It was 3 weeks so I wanted to have enough toiletries. I’m not thrilled at using Google Translate to find things when I could be sipping cappuccino and eating croissants!
I have to admit that it was too many clothes. I liked having options and I wore what I brought. We also had 2 distinct weather patterns. Warm on the first part, cold on the second.
Could I have brought less? Of course! Can I when I need to? Absolutely! Would I pack so much again? Probably not. Although I liked having options, I think my sweet spot would have been a larger carry on and a personal bag. Probably carry that stupid CPAP separate. My husband wants everything together in one bag but it’s not that practical with my new addition.
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I will caution against taking only one pair of sneakers/ comfortable walking shoes. On a trip to Spain and Portugal a few years ago we had several rainy days. Some of our fellow travelers ended up having to wear wet shoes to walk around in as they only brought one pair.
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I try to only WEAR the footwear I will be bringing. If I really want, I MAY pack one extra pair of dressier footwear. My sister brings waterproof foot covers that have grip so her shoes don’t get soaked. She really swears by them. I MAY bring that and not bother with 2nd pair of footwear. Using towels and hair dryer and/or heater to help dry footwear works pretty well, I have had footwear get soaked before.
I agree that it is important to evaluate after each trip what was worn/used and essential and what you could have done without and be ruthless to cull extras from your packing. I get VERY cold so I need to pack layers otherwise I’m miserable, even if temps only dip to 60 degrees (I’m used to living in 70s and above—I get hives when too cold or too hot.
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Here is Wirecutter’s favorite. I was thinking of this as a birthday gift for my son. He still uses a bag of similar size that’s designed to wear as a backpack and doesn’t have wheels.
Does anyone have preferences between soft sided and hard case carry-ons?
I love packing cubes as much for use in hotels as in my luggage. It makes it so easy to repack.
I used to overpack because I didn’t want to do laundry on vacation. I’ve come to realize doing laundry once a week is easier than dealing with too much stuff. I try to pack stuff that can all be washed together without special care. And on my most recent trip, I learned laundry pods don’t dissolve in cold water wash 
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To me shoes are such an important wearable and finding one that works best for your feet so individualized that I would never choose to rely on one pair - especially in a place where shopping may not be ideal.
I can get by with a sweater that is too large or panties that are a little tight or a jacket that is not as warm as I’d like - but shoes on my feet? I am likely to be very active on whatever trip I take and I want my walkable garment to feel like HOME.
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Soft sided all the way here. They are more squishable and can fit better into tighter spaces. And two wheels only, because four wheels take away packing space. That said, if one needs to transport breakables like photo gear etc., hard sided luggage works better.
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I have a Travelpro but the hard sided version. I love it! I found mine at Nordstrom Rack for $125.
If you don’t mind spending, my H swears by his Briggs and Riley bag. The mechanism for the retractable handle is outside the bag so there is more room inside and the compression mechanism is great. He has the international travel size and it’s crazy how much he can fit inside.
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My son does a lot of international conferences so that might be the way to go. I’m afraid to look at the price 
Don’t! I always dread standing behind someone with a backpack sticking out a foot or more. They’re often unaware of how tight airport boarding areas are, and every slight turn turns that backpack into a weapon.
On the other hand, I found a pair of very comfortable, light weight waterproof Hoka walking sneakers and so glad I don’t have to bring my Merrell Moab instead.
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Costco has a relationship with Briggs & Riley so some of their luggage have reduced prices if you click on the link on the Costco website or app. It might make it somewhat less expensive. We got the older 2-wheeled roller Briggs & Riley suitcases a long time ago when Costco locally had them on clearance for $139-189. They have been very durable and still look pretty new, even though they’ve been on a lot of trips. The 2-wheeled ones are more durable than spinners because the wheels don’t snap off.
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Plus the wheels and the bottom of that suitcase/pack can get gross, so no thanks to them touching the clothes on my back!
We aren’t strong enough to carry our luggage on our backs—we need to conserve our ligaments, tendons and other body parts. We have always found wheels to work well for us, but admire folks who can travel w/o wheels.
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My favorite roller carryon luggage for almost 8 yr now has been this R2D2 American Tourister suitcase ($149). 6.72 lb, 19.25"L x 13.5"W x 9.75"H, can hold 41.5 liters of stuff in it. Just very recently, after 8 yr, it’s getting harder to maneuver it and turn it while wheeling it through an airport…so I’m going to replace it later this year, I think. I love this suitcase.
I’ve also been eye’ing the Biaggi runway hardside hybrid carry on bag as a possible replacement. Weights 5.9 lb, holds 36.7 liters when not expanded (48.1 L when expanded). Dimensions are 22"x14"x8" (expands to 22"x14"x10.5"). BUT I think I’d prefer something that’s <22" in length.
The price on it is pretty good right now, though. Tempting. Earlier this year, I bought Biaggi’s ‘runway hybrid expandable underseater’ and used it for a 4-day trip along with a Nomad Lane Bento Bag.
I’ve also done 3-day trips with just a Nomad Lane Bento Bag and my purse. The bento bag is so awesome. But if you don’t want to pay the bento bag price, Aly Smalls did a comparison just recently of that bag ($298) vs the Quince Voyager Travel Bag ($128).
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Somebody upthread asked about compression packing cubes…I think the question was whether others were referring to the bags where you attach a vacuum hose to it and suck out the extra air out of the bag.
The answer in our household is no. We don’t use those. Spousal Unit likes these compression packing cubes by Tripped. They do NOT require access to a vacuum. Basically, the compression cube has an extra zipper on it that’s used to squeeze the contents so they’re flatter. Doesn’t achieve nearly the same amount of compression as the vacuum-out-the-air bags do, but they work really well for our purposes.
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Wow - quite a difference. The Global Baseline is $440 at Costco Next versus $599 at the Briggs-Riley site. The Expandable isn’t available at Costco and is $730 at B-R.
Edit : I was wrong. They do have an Expandable at Costco for $400. I think it might be a bit different than the $730 one, but not sure.
4 weeks away. 2 on a sailboat, 2 on land. My wardrobe (plus 5 pairs of undies and 2 bras), one bathing suit, one lightweight pjs, and a long sarong (which is multi-use) one pair of sneakers one pair of sandals and one pair of swim booties - I don’t wear makeup, but I pack 4 of every possible medical item I might ever need, from Imodium to ibuprofen & 4 sizes of bandaids - that gives me plenty to start and time to find more if needed - a small moisturizer, sunscreen, and hand sanitizer, mini shampoo & conditioner (because my hair likes what it’s used to), a tiny crystal deodorant, a bar of soap & 2 “washcloths” (made by cutting a bandanna in 1/2 because they dry much quicker than even microfiber) some mini pads, and I’m done. Everything fits into their own packing cube for organization. And it all goes in a 22” hard sided, 4 wheeled carry on. Backpack holds my iPad, headphones & one additional outfit so I can change at the end of a long flight. And leaves a bit of space for anything I might pick up along the way.
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Love the bandana idea!
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