Planning what to bring on a Round-the-World (RTW) trip is daunting.

When we first dreamed of traveling the world, we thought that limiting ourselves to a carry-on size bag for each person’s clothes would suffice.  We anticipated bringing all our gear onto the plane, but that wasn’t realistic as people fight for every square inch of overhead bin space.  So, we don’t actually take our “carry-on” bags onto planes. Instead, we have checked them every time.  Nine months into the trip and we still haven’t lost a bag in transit! We have become ardent believers in checking our baggage.

Before we started our trip we had to add two large suitcases for “family gear” such as medications, jackets, hats, books, etc.

The girls and I do each have a carry-on size bag for our personal gear. This was important because we have to fit six of us into rental vans with all our gear, so we couldn’t all take a full-size suitcase.

I wanted to have flexibility and capacity with my carry-on size bag so I choose the Aeronaut 45 by Tom Bihn.  Here is a link to their website:

Aeronaut 45

It has one of the largest capacities of all carry-on size bags and the soft sides easily allow it to mold to overhead bins and truck spaces alike.  For a soft-sided model it is built like a tank.  Super thick ballistic nylon and oversize zippers have stood the test of time.  Tom Bihn added lockable zippers to their newest Aeronaut, but I can still lock each compartment using the holes in the zipper pulls.

I never used the built in backpack straps, nor did I ever miss having a wheeled roller bag.  When I moved the Aeronaut, it was often sitting on top of a full-size four wheel roller bag, so it was relatively easy to move in that configuration.

I loved the organizational design of the Aeronaut.  On the left side pocket I kept two pairs of shoes, on the right side pocket I kept my shavers and toiletries, and in the middle compartment all my clothes.  I’ll detail those items below.

Shoes

Shoes are perhaps the single greatest thing I agonized over before the trip.  I’m never satisfied that I have the “right” shoes for every situation.  My everyday shoes are a pair of waterproof Colombia low hiking shoes.  I started the trip out with a pair of New Balance hikers but the soles came apart so I had to opt for the Colombia shoes later in the trip.  Waterproof shoes are great for rain but don’t breathe in hot weather, so I needed a few other options.

I’ve had my Keens water sandals for over 10 years.  After this trip I’ll probably be forced to throw them away — either because the stitching falls apart, or because they smell so bad I won’t be able to stand them any more.  They have been ideal for all day walking in hot weather, wearing into the water, or even public shower areas.

I also needed another pair of shoes that I could relax in, wear out to dinner, or even use as slippers.  I went with the minimalistic Crocs shoes.  Their styling certainly isn’t for everyone, but their Crocs insole is so comfortable that it makes it worth it.  While they would never be comfortable for a longer walk in the city, they are perfect for wearing around hotels and even out for a meal in town.

I love that I found Tom Bihn bags that perfectly fit the Aeronaut 45 side compartments so I can easily stuff two pairs of shoes (typically the Keens and Crocs) into one side compartment.

Toiletries

My other side compartment in my Tom Bihn bag is for toiletry essentials: Shavers, deodorant, liquid hair wax, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrush and other assorted toiletries.

While not shown in this post, I also keep extra batteries and a full-size Leatherman Wave in these bags.

Clothes

We have had to change out some clothes several times on the trip, but the essentials are the same.  Some clothes I’ve purchased on the road for warmth.  As we head into South America I’m bringing more bug-repellent clothes than I did at the beginning of our trip.  That was an investment, but it will certainly help keep the bugs and the diseases they carry away. No matter the slight variations of clothes I have for each region of the world, I always pack them in the same way.

The main compartment of the Aeronaut 45 can fit three medium size eBags packing cubes.  I went with a bright contrasting orange color for these internal organization bags. Everyone in our family has their own color of eBags packing cubes — they are absolutely vital for successful long-term travel!  https://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/medium-packing-cubes-3pc-set/48439?productid=10205322

In my three packing cubes, one is for shirts, one is for pants and one is for socks/underwear/t-shirts.

 

Here are a few other details for a few of my favorite travel clothes:

Thunderbolt pants are simply the best pair of pants I have ever worn.  Here is the link:

Pants

While not inexpensive, they are comfortable and durable.  I travel with the Original Mark II Jeans and a pair of all black.  They can certainly be dressed up or dressed down for any occasion.  They are not waterproof, but most liquids just bead off them.  The four-way stretch makes them idea for long days of travel.

Undershirts

You could certainly wear these as a regular T-shirt, but I tend to wear these as undershirts.  Here is a link to their black v-neck.

Responsive V Neck – Black

They protect my more expensive shirts and are supremely comfortable.  The slight v-neck makes sure they don’t feel too tight, the stretch fabric really moves with you, and the built in “coffee-infused” fibers really do seems to cut down on “travel stink.”  Oh, and they dry overnight!

We (most unfortunately) do not have any relationship with any of the companies listed. If we relied on this blog to produce income for us, they would be some of the very first companies we would approach. Nevertheless, we have used their products over 10 months of world travel in a wide variety of climates and found them to have been very solid investments in travel gear.