How I Packed for a 6-Week Backpacking Trip to Europe (pt 1)

A comprehensive guide on how to pack smartly and still look cute when you're tight on space.

Apr 21, 2024

In the spring of 2023, I had the privilege of going on an incredible 6-week trip to Europe in celebration of completing my undergraduate degree in engineering.

After mapping out our 8-country, 35-city adventure, my best friend and I decided that we wanted to cut down on baggage costs and prioritize ease of mobility by travelling with backpacks, instead of suitcases.

As someone passionate about fashion but also dressing practically, this was an exciting challenge. With careful thought and planning, I crafted a “capsule” wardrobe that sufficiently prepared me for the trip and has forever shaped the way I pack and build my wardrobe today.

In Part 1 of this article, we’ll go over how to research your needs, pick your bag, and build your cute-but-functional European backpacking “capsule” wardrobe.

Initial Research

What worked for my trip may not work for yours. There’s lots of initial research to ensure you optimize your packing list. Here are some ideas for where to start:

Look up the historical weather averages for each city.
- Find the historical weather average of each city you plan to travel to (on a per month basis).
- Identify what kind of precipitation you are subject to. Rain? Snow? How much?
- Note: You can always dress down but it sucks when you are left cold or wet without backup options. It is unrealistic to assume you will have gorgeous weather the whole time.
Understand what kinds of activities you expect to do.
- Will you be going to the beach? Hiking? Swimming? Walking? Boating?
- Think about how you will be spending your time. You want to scale the number of items you have for each type of activity accordingly.
  - E.g. Don’t pack 8 bikinis if you are realistically swimming only 10% of the days. Don’t pack 4 athletic sets if you are only hiking twice. Be rational.
Create a mood board!
- Determine what aesthetic you want to mimic in each location.
  - E.g. In Greece, want white linens. In Switzerland, want athleisure.
- Create a Pinterest board and start pinning outfits that match your style and what you already have in your closet. Use a location-based search (“Greece aesthetic”) or something general (“European summer aesthetic”).
- Find common trends in the images you have saved.

Now you should have at least a vague idea of what clothes and items you want to bring. Let’s start to pack!

Bags

THE Backpack

First of all, why backpack? Although it is very tempting to travel with a suitcase, there are many reasons why a backpack is optimal for Europe:

The roads are not usually paved.
You will have to walk a lot.
There are usually no elevators.
European budget airlines have tiny baggage allowances.

How do you decide on which backpack?

Look up the baggage requirements (size and weight) of every flight you have booked, most are commonly smaller than the airlines in North America!
- Note: If you’re mostly travelling by train, you could probably get away with using a larger bag. (Caveat - the bigger the bag, the heavier it can get).

My backpack: The women’s Osprey Fairview 55 Travel Pack!

This is the first legit travel backpack I’ve owned, so I don’t have anything else to benchmark it against. For my trip, I thought it was amazing and would highly recommend it. I loved it for many reasons:

Ergonomic for women!
Great waist and chest straps to alleviate lower back pain.
Good ventilation and robust design.
2 piece set - the 15L daypack was perfect for day trips and hiking!

Personal Bags

In addition to my main backpack, I brought three other types of bags:

Daily cross-body bag (Aritzia Moon Bag - similar to Baggu Cresent Bag or Uniqlo Bag)
Black fanny pack (Lululemon)
Tote bag (Any canvas tote will do)

Tip: You want them to be foldable and machine washable.

Clothing

Now that we know how much space we are limited to with your backpack, let’s pick the clothes. Remember to develop some sort of colour scheme. Your goal is to maximize the number of pieces that can work well together.

My Overall Palette: Black and white basics, denim bottoms, blue-ish accent colours.

Important Criteria to Consider:

Easily machine washable (prepare to do mixed loads).
Comfortable and breathable (no room for things that don’t feel good)!
Hard to wrinkle (you will not want to be ironing or steaming).
Hard to stain (avoid white or prepare to face the consequences)!
Quick dry or sweat-repelling fabrics (common to hang-dry in Europe).

Tip: Although it’s tempting, don’t bring your nicest, most expensive stuff! Be prepared for things to get a bit messy and to have to wear things a couple of times in a row between laundry opportunities.

Tops

In total, I brought 16 tops. Here is the breakdown:

Tanks

White tank (TNA)
White tank with built-in bra (Uniqlo)
Sleep tank (Skims)
Black athletic tank (Lululemon)
Black tank (Sunday Best)

T-shirts

White baby tee (Brandy Melville)
Black baby tee (Sunday Best)

“Cute“ Tops

White tie top (Zara)
White button-up tee (Brandy Melville)
Navy tie top (Brandy Melville)
Black button-up vest
Purple tube top (Brandy Melville)

Long Sleeves

Black turtleneck (Garage)
White long-sleeve (TNA)

Button-Ups

Blue pin-stripped blouse (Kith)
White blouse (Wilfred)

Bottoms

In total, I brought 9 bottoms. Here is the breakdown:

Shorts

2 Black bike shorts (Lululemon, TNA)
Cotton shorts (Uniqlo)
Denim shorts (Denim Forum)
Sleep shorts (Kith)

Pants

Loose jeans (Levi’s)
Yoga pants (Lululemon)
Athletic track pants (TNA)
Black trousers (Wilfred)

Dresses/Skirts

I brought 3 dresses and 1 skirt:

White midi dress (Sunday Best)
Blue mini summer dress (Brandy Melville)
Black swim cover-up (Wilfred)
White long linen skirt (Wilfred)

Jackets/Sweaters

This is when the weather research comes in handy! I brought 4 jackets/sweaters:

Rain jacket (Uniqlo)
Athletic zip-up (Lululemon)
Grey crew neck (Aime Leon Dore)
Thin down puffer (TNA)

Intimates

Remember you will be able to do laundry:

12 pairs of underwear
9 pairs of socks
2 bras (TNA, Skims)
2 sports bras (Nike, Alo)

Swim

It is tempting to bring a lot, but the space adds up quickly. I brought 3 swimsuits:

1 white triangle bikini (One One Swimwear)
1 black one-piece (Lucia Swim)
1 black triangle bikini (437)

Shoes

Shoes are a huge real estate eater so you have to be extra conscious to maximize your available functionality. Avoid anything with a structured vertical height that will make it hard to pack. Prepare to be caught in the rain, have to run to catch a train, and of course, walk all-day-every-day. Prioritize comfort over everything here.

Bare Minimum: 1 comfortable closed-toe functional shoe + 1 waterproof sandal

Black sneakers (Adidas)
- For extra variation.
White sneakers (Asics)
- For travel days, hikes, and a couple of runs.
White sandal (Birkenstock)
- For beach days, lake days, hot days, and casual outings.

Tip: Spray your shoes with a water-resistant protectant to minimize potential damage. Stuff the insides of your shoes with rolled-up socks to save even more space!

Accessories

Accessories are a sneaky way of adding diversity to your outfits, without taking up much space in your bag. Consider packing things like a hat, some scarves/bandanas, sunglasses, and an assortment of jewellery.

How to fit it all in???

Now you might be thinking that this is all a lot for a backpack. It is, but we have the magic of… packing cubes.

This is an essential item when backpacking. It restores order in the chaos that is your bag - by helping you remember where items live and being able to do a simple mental checklist if you have everything.

I would recommend writing down a list of your items and chunking up your cubes into different categories of clothing (e.g. pants/sweaters/skirts, underwear/socks/bras, button-ups/dresses, etc). I used the Away Insider Packing Cubes in a set of 4, which was perfect for my Osprey backpack.

Lessons Learned

Overall, I was very happy with the clothes I brought and the outfits I was able to create. Our trip spanned over a 30°C range and my choices allowed me to be prepared for pretty much all the weather conditions we faced. Here are some of the lessons I learned from my experience:

Laundry
- Many Airbnb’s in Europe don’t have dryers (this is part of their culture), so make sure there’s enough time for things to air dry before you have to leave.
- Be okay with not having access to said items as they dry.
- Do laundry whenever you can.
Clothing fatigue
- I did get a bit bored with my options at some points but don’t forget you can always spice it up. Consider borrowing stuff from friends, switching up your hairstyles, or shopping for some small accessories that will add variety!
Temperature
- Especially if you are travelling in the spring, don’t underestimate how chilly it gets in the evenings. Always bring a cover-up wherever you go.
Dress codes
- If you plan on visiting any places of worship, be prepared to cover your knees and shoulders.
Paradox of choice
- It was refreshing to know that I had a space restriction in my bag that inhibited me from indulging in shopping. It allowed me to appreciate the places for what they were and not focus on obtaining material goods. (Inherently helped save money!)
- By having a “capsule” wardrobe, it was easy to get dressed every morning and allowed me to focus on the day ahead feeling confident.

Time to see the clothes in action! Here are some pictures from my trip and how I styled the items I brought.

Don’t forget, there is still more to pack! Part 2 of this article will go over the other practical items you should pack (toiletries, electronics, miscellaneous useful items).