No matter where in the world you are going, and no matter for how long you should follow the 10 of essentials rule. This is a piece of advice you can follow so that you suitcase doesn’t look like this before your next flight.

Essentially the rule is simple to follow, only carry at most, 10 of the essential clothing items. This gives you enough for a back up in case you lose bladder control, and enough cushion to wash your stuff so you’ve always got clean items queued up.

Essential Clothing Items

  • Underwear – this is a given and you can always hear your mom’s voice in your head when you are packing, “don’t forget to pack your underwear!” You only need 10 pair at most (10 bras too for you ladies and trannies). Even if you soil yourself it will probably be only twice a day.
  • Socks – let them stink, they mostly stay in your shoes if you are out and about anyway. Make sure not to pack any with holes in case you are visiting a mosque, Japanese home, or somewhere else you’ll need to take your shoes off – especially if you are the World Bank President.
  • T-Shirts and Sweaters – yes both are combined and always wear them in pairs. Not wearing layers causes excessive sweating and you can remove the sweater when you start to get hot. This is better than getting your sweater sweaty and stinky. By keeping the perspiration under layer #1 you won’t smell so bad. Besides most of the world has a higher tolerance for body odor than Americans.
  • Shoes – are big space hogs in your suitcase. Your main pair should be shoes you can walk in for at least 8 hours. It might seen like a long time but you’ll need to be comfortable and you’ll be on your feet. If you bring a second pair, make them sports shoes for backup to the first. If you need a third pair go formal. Make sure to use the space efficiently and pack your clean socks inside and shoes in your suitcase.
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As for pants you’ll only need 3 pair. One to travel with, the other once you get to your destination and the last a formal one.

This idea may seem Spartan, but it’s well worth it to travel light and it can be difficult to estimate how much you’ll need if you are gone for a longer vacation. Usually we stress about how much of everything we’ll need. At most you’ll need 10 of the essentials – trust me. 3 pairs of pants and your toiletries will get you more suitcase room and less headache if you’ll be gone for a week or more.

Too little, too much? I’m curious if (woman especially) agree.