Roaming Down Under

Travelling light with bulky winter clothing

Options for single carry-on bag travel when you need bulky clothing at your destination

Like many others I've discovered the joys of travelling light, using just a small bag which qualifies as airline carry-on luggage. But what happens if you want to go somewhere cold? Is it possible to enjoy the freedom of a carry-on bag yet have bulky warm clothing to cope with freezing conditions at your destination? That was the challenge I've faced when visiting Tasmania in winter. Here are two ways I've successfully dealt with the contradiction of small luggage and a big pile of cold-weather gear.

The bulky clothing I'm referring to includes:

I was wanting to conform to carry-on luggage restrictions of a single 105cm bag (19 x 13 x 9 inches) weighing up to 7kg (15.4 lb) plus one personal item. The above clothing may not be a huge list, but when piled up loosely it filled most of a suitable carry-on bag. There was little room left for all the other stuff needed for three or four weeks of travel.

Why did I need all that? Because my winter trips to Tasmania, which include the central plateau, involve:

Naturally I turned to the internet, and found some very useful websites with great tips on one-bag travel. As helpful as they are, most were written for an audience travelling in mild climates or in summer, staying in hotels, and doing typical sightseeing. They address challenges like keeping a smart shirt uncreased and rinsing clothes in hotel rooms, but say little about budget travel in winter with bulky blizzard-proof hiking clothes. The sort of gear I needed to take didn't appear compatible with one-bag travel.

Bulky winter clothing beside a slightly undersized carry-on bag

BEFORE: Bulky winter clothing beside a slightly undersized carry-on bag

Eventually I settled on one method for one trip, and an alternative for a subsequent trip. I'm sure they're not the only ways around a winter packing dilemma, and they won't suit everyone, but they have worked for me.

1. Compression sack

A compression sack is a small bag made of thin nylon-like material, normally used to store a sleeping bag. What makes it very useful are straps on the outside which enable it to be compressed ... very tightly.

I folded all the warm clothing listed above, stacked it in a rectangular pile inside the compression sack, then pulled the straps very tightly to squash it into a small, dense package. Then I sat on it. Under the hefty mass of my posterior the package became even smaller, and the straps kept it that way. After compression, the clothes which earlier filled most of the carry-on bag now ended up fitting neatly into one end of it, as shown in the photos.

Bulky clothing compressed very tightly inside a compression sack

AFTER: Bulky clothing compressed very tightly inside a compression sack

The main advantage of this method was that I had all my stuff with me at all times. Also there was nothing to organise, and unlike the postal method below, no cost.

The disadvantage was that taking everything with me made it harder to keep the weight of the bag down. It ended up weighing nearly 8kg, but by carrying a few heavier items in my pockets while flying - camera, phone, iPad mini, batteries - I got the bag nearer to 7kg and would have passed a bag weight check. It allowed me to travel by air with winter clothing and without checked luggage, but I felt there could be a better way. This led me to try ...

2. Posting gear ahead

My next winter trip to Tasmania included time in Melbourne on the way across, and a stop in Sydney on the way back. I only needed the bulky warm gear while in Tasmania, and didn't fancy carrying it with me for all the other parts of the trip. It made sense to pack the gear for Tasmania into a small parcel and post it directly to where I would be needing it, then post it home when I no longer needed it.

I used an Australia Post "Prepaid Parcel Post satchel", a large rugged plastic envelope allowing up to 3kg or 5kg of stuff to be posted within Australia quite economically. I squeezed in most of the items listed earlier (minus the thermals and jumper which wouldn't fit), and added some small but dense items such as the maps and camping guide that wouldn't be needed outside of Tasmania.

An Australia Post 3kg prepaid parcel post satchel

The 1.5kg of stuff I posted across enabled my main bag to weigh less than 7kg and meet carry-on restrictions. This small weight saving also meant the difference between an overweight and bursting-at-the-seams day pack and one which was very easy to manage, and a joy to travel with. I posted it to my first Tasmanian destination two weeks ahead of time - one week for postage plus an extra week in case of delay.

Mail in Australia can usually be addressed in the format "Joe Bloggs, Care of post office, Smithtown 1234", then collected in person if you have ID to show that you're the recipient. It's not a bad idea to contact a suitable post office directly - to confirm they offer this service, verify their opening hours, and check how long they will keep items awaiting collection.

Is it safe, you may ask, to send your travel gear through the mail? Nobody could guarantee anything 100%, but in over 30 years of sending mail in Australia, nothing I've sent has ever gone missing. That includes a lot of parcels containing camping gear or ski boots. As long as it is addressed correctly and clearly, I would trust a postal service with my mail more than I would trust an airline with checked luggage.

As for the cost, sending up to 5kg in a large prepaid satchel costs $16.10 (2021 prices), with small price variations for other size satchels or using your own packaging. An extra $4.30 for registered mail provides receipts, tracking, and some compensation for loss. This is for within Australia only: I haven't yet tried doing this for overseas travel.

For the convenience, and making carry-on travel possible with winter clothing, I think this is very reasonable. Especially when you consider that on the cheapest flights, a carry-on-only fare may be $10 or $12 cheaper per flight segment than a fare which includes checked-in luggage. Air-fare savings can offset the postage costs, or even make posting gear work out slightly cheaper.

Conclusion

Having tried the use of a compression sack and the sending of gear by mail, I can answer my original question with a yes. It IS possible to enjoy the freedom of a light-weight carry-on bag and still have bulky warm clothing at your destination. At least it has been for me and my requirements, where some of my gear has only been needed at the destination but not while going to and from. I now use a mail bag for most interstate winter trips, and enjoy the liberating pleasure of travelling with a small load and yet still having with me everything I really need ... when I need it.

More information

One Bag - 'the art and science of travelling light', well organised information on just about all aspects of lightweight business and leisure travel - great place to start
Australia Post - prepaid parcel post satchels