How To Pack a Personal Item | Organizing Your Under Seat Bag & Travel Essentials

Whether you’re keeping in-flight essentials close by or taking a trip using nothing but a personal item bag, we’re here to help you pack.

0:00 - Intro
1:00 - Choose Your Bag
4:18 - Lay It All Out
5:30 - Organize
6:20 - Compartmentalize
7:55 - Pack It Up
9:13 - Practice Your Trip

Personal items may be small, but they’re a mighty travel companion. Keep your travel essentials in a small sling or load a small backpack with everything you need for a long weekend out of town for minimalist travel. In this video, we’ll share some tips on what to look for when choosing your personal item and how to pack it efficiently for your next trip. Say goodbye to the days of elbowing your airplane seatmate while sifting around for your packable jacket or e-reader. With these tips, you’ll be packing your under seat bag like a pro.

#TravelEssentials #PersonalItemBag #MinimalistTravel

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[Mistardmuster]

I ended up taking my Kanken on a trip to Ohio in February. I had it stuffed to the gills with my essential items, including an extra pair of boots since I was wearing light shoes and it was blizzarding there. Boyfriend thought I was being paranoid and only brought his wallet and a book so I put some of his stuff in there too. The airline ended up losing our luggage. Moral of the story, buy a Kanken and ignore your boyfriend.

[malariebrakefield]

Great video! It would also be nice to see it from a female point of view since purses usually get left out of the conversation, although I guess it could sometimes be a substitute for the sling bag. As someone who likes ALL THE BAGS it's hard for me to choose proper steps and not over pack. When I travel, a purse is always something extra I pack into the day pack... a bag in a bag. Anybody else?

[matthewjennings]

I learned a trick with the Kanken Backpack my most recent flight. I wore a thick jacket so that I wouldn't need to pack it, but then found myself getting overheated in some parts of the airport. I rolled my jacket tight and put it ontop of my bag and then was just barely able to clip the hand straps over it. For extra security I then put my hero clip carabiner over the handles in case it came undone.
Obviously this is a very specific use-case, but it was extremely useful in the moment to not have one more thing to carry by hand.

[SheriWinston]

I use a lightweight purse organizer and pack all the things I might need on the plane in it. Book, tablet, phone, Lip balm, earphones or ear buds, snacks, meds, etc in it. I love that it has both a large compartment in the middle as well as many small compartments on both sides so I can organize all my little stuff. I have a hero clip as well as an extra carabiner hooked on. I take the whole thing out of my personal item bag when I'm getting settled into my seat. I hang this from the seat in front of meme. I also clip my water bottle onto it or hook a carabiner over the edge of the tray table hinge. Everything I need is right there and I don't have to bend over and rummage around in my personal item. Before leaving the plane I slide the whole thing right back inside my personal item.

[WanderThisWay]

No matter how many times I pack a personal bag, I always love watching videos to see if anyone does the same as I do, or if there's any new tricks of the trade I can pick up. Another great video from you guys. Cheers.

[autumnrose_tv]

I use my 17” kånken as my main bag and my kånken sling for the things I need easy access to

I usually pack 2 jeans, 3 shirts, 7 underwear and 7 socks for a week. I usually hand wash my travel leggings so I can use them for travelling on the way home

[theranman]

I highly recommend downloading books, audiobooks, music, and/or movies orto your phone before traveling. Not all airlines have inflight entertainment and the ones that do can’t guarantee that it’ll be working during the flight. Also, your phone is something that you will be bringing anyway so it’s not an additional item. Make sure to bring a portable charger also. I’m a flight attendant and it happens rarely on my airline but it does happen that our inflight entertainment doesn’t work or the charger at your seat may be down for that flight.

[PaulHo]

Just a tip: wear the sling as a fanny, people are much less likely to question it or think twice since it comes off more as a belt than another gear hauler. Once last the gate, throw that sucker back over your shoulder for your headphones, wipes and snacks.

[itsallasimulationman]

Leave room (or bring a second, packable bag) for souvenirs, etc.! Don't forget: you can mail yourself items that won't fit!

[uytuyt]

I use variously coloured and sized transparent zip-lock bags. The contents of each bag can be quickly viewed, and the different colours can also be used to identify contents. Need tech items, grab the green bag. Toiletries, the blue bag, etc.

[ThexImperfectionist]

Love the video concept! As a caution to those who like the personal item + mini sling combo, I have had issues a coupqle of times when I have had "2 bags" without paying for an overhead carryon. I tried explaining that I was not putting anything in the overhead bin (the smaller bag/oversized wallet would either stay on my person or go under the seat with the personal item bag) but they still made me attempt to stuff the smaller sling inside the personal item bag until I was actually in my seat. 🤷‍♀️

[jetv]

One time my back pack didn’t pass the fit test, nurse cratchet got me, ,, it had swollen too large for the trip home with Purchases.
I took stuff out right there at the gate during boarding, and started layering it in my body . Lol
Got on the flight sat down and started peeling them back off and stuffing into the sack .

[michaeltuskey]

One of my favorite hacks is to save any small-sized packaging materials, like small baggies, tins, boxes, etc. and use them to organize smaller items. I think organization for smaller items is often overlooked but is super helpful in keeping a bag neat and organized, especially in personal items, and it's a great way to save money! I also love having some rubber bands and binder clips on hand (in a mini baggie, using my last hack haha); they take up very little space I find them useful for keeping cords straight (especially earbuds!), holding cash or credit cards, and other odds and ends.

[stephclarke]

Just finished up 2 one bag travel trips to avoid carry on fees. Staying with friends and being able to do a load of laundry half way through each trip has saved weight and cash! My backpack was a freebie from HP (yeah, the printer company) but it’s the perfect size for a budget airline personal item size.

[hilmir]

as a minimalist traveller, I steer clear from top loading packs. these include cinched, drawpulled, roll-down, flapped designs. they make accessing items a hassle, and also packing without having full directional access to the space can be very frustrating and challenging. look for packs that zip and open up fully like a luggage.

[rowanford]

i use a 25 L tom bihn bag and i love it. never had a problem fitting it under the seat as a personal item in any flight and its designed to fit around and balance a 32oz water bottle which i love bc they are heavy and alway having them in a side pocket always throws the balance off

[raestera]

For my super efficient folks out there who can pack for an endless trip in your underseat personal item bag, extreme kudos to you! I'm getting there

[strawberryemery]

A small stuff sack filled with the things I need while in my seat, like chapstick, lotion, a pen, and Kleenex, with a carabiner to attach to the back of the seat in front of me, holds them within easy reach so I don’t need to bend down

[Gezzaxx]

I like to use a backpack designed to carry a skateboard. The straps are super helpful for carrying bulky jackets etc

[joemzd]

The Topo Designs accessory bags have been the perfect solution for me to store tech and slide it into that area of the bottom of the outer pocket of my bag. That area was an awkwardly shaped empty black hole till now. I would suggest going for the nylon versions rather than the canvas (which I went for) so it slides in and out easier. Tip: they have stores at the Denver Airport and sometimes have their products on sale.