How I Packed For Tahiti In A 21-Inch Bag

When I first found out we were going to Tahiti (click here for that info!), it seemed like a million years away, but the time has come! We are HERE – squeal! After doing a good bit of research, I realized we were going to be on some tiny planes going island-to-island in the coming days, so I wanted to pack in the most compact way possible. See also: carry on only for this chronic over-packer.

Initially I was really nervous about fitting 8 days worth of clothing into a carry on, but after a quick assessment of what I want to pack and a little help from my new Genius Pack – I feel majorly confident. This post was alternately titled “Confessions Of An Over Packer: A Memoir On Regarding Carry On Luggage”. Somehow that was too long, so here we go…How I Packed For Tahiti In A 21-Inch Bag!Carry-On Bag | c/o Genius Pack

How I Packed For Tahiti

I know that the majority of our trip is going to be spent in the sun or in the water, so packing a lot of “real” clothes didn’t make a lot of sense to me. That said, we do plan on exploring a bit here and it’s also their rainy season, so I wanted options in case of gloomy weather.

In all I have:

6 bathing suits (no regrets on this one – it’s what I’ll be wearing every day!)

2 swimsuit cover-ups

8 pairs of undies, 3 bras

5 pairs of socks (I plan on working out most days)

5 workout outfits (shorts/tanks/sports bras)

3 pairs of shorts

6 tops/tanks

5 dresses

2 jumpsuits

1 pair of pants

3 pairs of shoes

1 GoPro

1 Mavic Pro drone

1 Nikon

2 books

1 box of RX Bars

Toiletry Bag

Makeup + haircare tools

A hat

Various electronics cords + a computer

A peek inside my toiletry bag here: Traveling Toiletry Bag Must Haves

People – COLOR ME AMAZED, BUT I STILL HAVE ROOM TO SPARE! I rolled all of my underwear for the pouch, and slid the bras in on top. I rolled all my swimsuit bottoms together and then stacked the tops beside them. The workout outfits were the trickiest, because they seemed to take up the most room. I rolled all the tops and shorts, even though I initially thought that stacking them would be the most efficient space-wise. Not so! The cover-ups, shorts and tops also got rolled and then when I was finished, I laid the pants and a pair of jean shorts flat on top before zippering off that side.

I’ll be honest – it felt really good rolling up to the airport without looking like a scene straight out of The Beverly Hillbillies (Clampett car, anyone?!) and I have every single thing I wanted to take. Thanks to that that handy checklist printed on every Genius Pack suitcase, I didn’t forget anything I needed either (including a last-minute headphone grab)…whew! Sometimes when I go on vacation I always have this “well what if I get cold/hot/want to dress up/want to do my hair…when the reality is that I never have those thoughts and usually whatever I pack is more than enough. Knowing I had to fit every single thing I brought into one bag was a fun challenge for me in way and Dane got a real kick out of seeing me sweat it out a little bit. He has always been a carry-on only kind of guy, so avoiding the circus of baggage claim makes him giddy on a level that I’m incapable of putting into words. I think he may have said the words “See – isn’t this much easier?”

I don’t want to speak too soon, but I may have turned over a new leaf. Though I’ll be perfectly honest in saying that I do miss the full-size conditioner I usually travel with (my hair likes what it likes, okay?) When you go on vacation do you carry on or check your bag?

If you enjoyed this post, you might like:

Tahiti Part 1 

Tahiti Part 2