When it comes to packing a suitcase, I try to keep it light. I often struggle between my desire to keep things to a minimum and the what-if-I-need-this mindset. But more often than not, I’ve found, you don’t need that thing. When in doubt, leave it at home. I thought I’d share the contents of my carry-on suitcase from a recent trip to Mexico City in case it’s helpful for anyone else trying to travel light.

Check the Weather

The first thing I do is check the weather. In June, Mexico City has highs of 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, but it cools to the low 60s at night. It also threatened to rain every day. With this in mind, I figure out how many articles of clothing I should pack. My vacation was a week long, with two of the days being travel days. That meant I had five full days of vacation. Of those, four I spent in the city and one I spent at the ruins of Teotihuacan.

Stick to a Color Palette

Next, I pick a color scheme, making sure that all components of my wardrobe can be mixed and matched. In this case, I went with blues. I ended up packing:

• maxi dress
• 2 T-shirts
• button down cotton shirt
• a light jacket
• skirt
• 1 pair of jeans
• 1 pair of joggers for hiking
• 2 pairs of shoes
• a bikini
• a packable hat

Actually, I wore an outfit on the plane (jeans, a shirt, the jacket, a pair of shoes), so I didn’t even pack all of these items into my suitcase.

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Here’s the base of my wardrobe (all my tops and bottoms for every day street wear). I figured that since it wasn’t too hot, I could re-wear everything a few times, so I only packed two shirts. Both my dress and skirt are midi or maxi length, which I love for traveling as they’re appropriate for higher temperatures during the day, but provide some warmth at night. It was perfect for the weather in Mexico City, which cools off substantially in the evenings.

If living in San Francisco has taught me anything, it’s that layering is key. I brought two layering pieces. One was a gauzy cotton button down shirt which I could wear on its own or as a layer over another shirt. I also brought a light jacket with a hood that was helpful for light rain.

Other Must-Haves in Your Suitcase

Lastly there are shoes and active wear items. Since I was going on a hike, I packed hiking pants even though I’d only get one day’s use out of them. But it was important to be comfortable during the hike. I also needed a comfortable pair of shoes for hiking, hence the sneakers. I made sure to bring a pair that weren’t overly running-shoe-looking that I could also wear with my skirt around the city.

Perhaps I could have gotten away with wearing sneakers every day, but that’s not really my style. And what if I were to go out to a nice restaurant for dinner? The oxfords worked nicely, as I could pair them with both jeans and the skirt or dress. They’re fairly comfortable for city walking, though I wouldn’t want to wear them several days in a row.

A packable hat is a must for summer! Mine, from Target, wasn’t even advertised as packable. It’s a cotton hat with wire in it, so I can squish the hat down into my bag but reshape it when I want to wear it.

Also, I believe in always packing a swim suit. Swimming is my main form of exercise and I’m always on the lookout for a pool when I travel. (In this case, I ended up booking an apartment that had a pool in the building.) But even if I didn’t swim for exercise, I’d recommend packing a bathing suit. It takes up little room and is hard to buy on the spot if you find yourself suddenly with access to a pool or hot tub.

Not pictured are my bags. I carried a light backpack on the plane. When I got to Mexico City, I transferred its contents to an Everlane tote bag (the Pocket Tote, reviewed here) I had in my suitcase. I used the tote bag for days when I was in the city and the backpack for the hiking day. (This worked just fine, though it does not stop me from coveting this Lo & Sons convertible bag.)

Also not pictured: a super cheap rain poncho from Daiso, the Japanese dollar store, which I opted to bring instead of an umbrella because it weighed less. I found it to be more practical as it gave me more coverage than an umbrella too.

My Daily Outfits

My daily outfits went something like this:

Saturday – Travel day – jeans, button down shirt, jacket, oxfords
Sunday – Day 1 (city) – dress, button down shirt, oxfords (pictured at the very top of this post)
Monday – Day 2 (hiking ruins) – white T-shirt, joggers, jacket, sneakers
Tuesday – Day 3 (city) – blue T-shirt, skirt, button down shirt, sneakers
Wednesday – Day 4 (city) – dress, button down shirt, oxfords
Thursday – Day 5 (city) – blue T-shirt, skirt, button down shirt, sneakers
Friday – Travel day – jeans, white T-shirt, jacket, sneakers

Every day, I’d hang all my clothes up to give them a chance to air out for a full day or two before I repeated the outfit.

This packing scheme only worked because the temperature was moderate. In hotter climates where I’d be sweating through my shirts, I’d want a clean shirt every day. Or I’d make sure I had access to laundry facilities. Still, in that scenario I’d more or less keep the same number of bottoms, swapping out the jeans for cotton pants.

One more packing tip: I’m a fan of packing cubes. My favorite are from Muji for their simple design, but there are plenty of brands. They keep my suitcase organized and if I want to use the dresser in a hotel, I just transfer the cubes into the dresser.

Hope this has been helpful! What are some of your tips for packing light?