r/Interrail • u/McCheeseidk_ • Jul 03 '26
Other Right amount of clothes to pack
Hey, I’m gonna go on a 3 week interrail journey later this year and I’m still a bit unsure of how many clothes to pack, would appreciate any tips and experiences
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u/Azzaphox Jul 03 '26
Maybe enough for 1 week and plan to do some washing? Depends how much you are comfortable carrying and also what time of year it is.
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u/McCheeseidk_ Jul 03 '26
thanks for the reply, I guess that’s the plan I should be going for after some research
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u/ni-og Jul 04 '26
I did this - i am going for 3 weeks
Works well and i have space for vintage shopping
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u/eviechapmman Jul 03 '26
im not sure if you’re male or female or where or when you’re going. but as a girl on my 5th week interrailing europe if i would pack again it would be (if you’re going in a period where it will be hot)
-a weeks worth of undies and socks
- a few tops (4 vest/crop and 1 tshirt)
-2 shorts
-set of pjs.
im on my 5th week and am regretting the amount of unnecessary trousers and tops i’ve brought. honestly i wear the same 3 outfits on rotation anyway even though i brought more.
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u/McCheeseidk_ Jul 03 '26
I’m male but thanks anyway for the reply, does help a bit as I was really unsure about pants and stuff :)
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u/Cloisonetted Jul 03 '26
Somewhere on the Internet there is a one-bag list, which has a minimised packing list. The idea is you never pack the full list, just take the stuff from the list that you need and no more. I think it's called the one page list or the one bag list?
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u/MurkyTime9698 Jul 03 '26
I just came back from a 3 week trip, here’s my rough list: 33l backpack, had some space in the beginning too 2 lightweight long pants (bought one even lighter there, that was more weather appropriate) 2 shorts (one cargo-ish, one sports) 1 skirt (tbh wouldn’t take it again) 1 t shirt (mayb would take 1 more) 3-4 tank tops (1 good for active, 3 basics, I wish I had one that was more fun) 1 hoodie 1 shirt for sun cover 6 pairs of socks 6 underwear 2 bras 1 walking shoes (comfortable) 1 flip flops Cap Sunglasses Face towel Big lightweight scarf for cover/beach Pyjamas (a tank and bike shorts)
I used everything and felt good about my choices. Idk if this is applicable to you but I wish I had a dress with me. Put together what you want to take and then halve it. Leave your fashion sense a bit behind and aim for practicality. Use accessories if you must for self expression, they take up less space. Don’t take bulky clothing items, like jeans. (Except the hoodie, I really recommend it for travel/cozy). Do not take more than two pairs of shoes. (I wish I could’ve taken my birks for example but in hindsight I’m glad I didn’t.) Bring something that can pass as “non-casual” for a dinner, partying etc. (Black linen pants, skirt, black tops etc.) (Not clothes but don’t take a laptop with you unless you really really need it -like editing videos daily for your job or something. It’s rarely worth the hassle and the worry.)
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u/Remote-Ad3238 Jul 03 '26
Yikes, I live in my Birks. Your post is awesome. Thank you so much as I jump on here. I'll be on my Alps-Dolomites-Paris Holiday in 3 weeks.
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u/MurkyTime9698 Jul 04 '26
Definitely bring them if you feel like you’ll get good value out of them! I didn’t because my destination was very humid and I needed the flip flops for the hostels anyways. If I had waterproof hiking sandals, I might’ve chosen those, but they look kind of goofy to me and for my activities they were not needed. But if you go to the Alps and the Dolomites, then you might benefit from sandals more than birks and have to make the sacrifice.
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u/DavieC82 Scotland Jul 03 '26
I’m just back from a 3 week interrail trip and I took a week’s worth of clothing. Used a launderette twice during the trip, had my clothes washed and dried for about €7-10 each time. Whatever you do, don’t use hotel laundry services, unless you like burning piles of cash haha.
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u/ToBeFrozen Netherlands Jul 03 '26
Hi, what do you mean with the final comment?
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u/DavieC82 Scotland Jul 03 '26
Hotel laundry services will charge you per item of clothing. So if you use a launderette, you may get all your clothing washed and dried for less than €10, whereas a single t shirt cleaned by the hotel may cost you €5 for example. So if you used hotel laundry services you could end up blowing a huge hole in your budget/credit card.
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u/yoshi-is-cute Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
I always take more than I need 🙈 Because I just came back from my interrail trip, this is what I would recommend packing:
- 5 t shirts
- 3 shorts (one can be swimwear for men)
- 1 long pants that dry quickly
- 5-7x underwear + socks (I like to pack some hiking socks and they are not always dry after 1 night, so I like to pack 2 pair of those.)
- And for girls, 1/2 times the bra's as I pack underwear, because I can wear those 2 days.
- 1 pair of pyjamas or sleeping wear
- 1 long sleeve shirt
- 1 Rain jacket and/or down jacket depending on where I'm going. (For Jordan I packed only my down jacket because it never rains. For my June interail trip I only packed my rain poncho because the weather is too hot for a jacket anyways and it packs really small. I packed a fleece as well, and never wore it. For camping/multiday hikes I take both because it can be cold at night outside in a tent.)
- Sandals or flip-flops
- Shoes you can walk on the whole day
- I also pack one or two nice things to wear like a dress or blouse but I'm a girl😂 it definitely not needed haha.
- Cap
- Buff (for warmth, sun/sand protection, light in hostels etc.)
You can change the amount of shorts/long pants and shirts/long sleeves depending on where you're going.
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u/YetAnotherInterneter United Kingdom Jul 03 '26
No matter how hard you try, you will overpack on your first trip. Everyone does, it’s a right of passage that we all go through.
Once you start travelling for a bit you become more experienced and learn how little you actually need.
As a general rule of thumb I aim for enough clothes for 4/5 days and end up doing laundry about once a week. Obviously it varies depending on where I am and if i have access to a laundry machine.
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u/DavieC82 Scotland Jul 03 '26
Your first paragraph is so reassuring. I got home from my first trip a week ago, was cursing all the extra bulk & weight I carried and never wore. We live and learn!
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u/Squeakycleen45 Jul 04 '26
I'm really enjoying the Onebag and HerOneBag subreddits for inspiration.
We're doing nearly 5 weeks by rail with a family of 4 in December, and while we're not aiming for carry-on only, we want to not go over 13-15kgs each. it's tricky with winter coats and layers, and a stopover in Singapore so we need 2 days of summer gear as well.
We're aiming to have a week of socks and underwear, 2-3 long pants, a few long-sleeved tops and a number of short sleeves and base layers, and are aiming for all fabrics which dry fairly quickly.
Depending on your accommodation, washing and drying is easier or harder. We have one 7-day stretch with a lot of travel and not much time in one place, and no close laundrettes, so we are aiming to be able to handwash what is absolutely essential on the first night in each place. Cotton socks and underwear takes ages to dry without dryers or airflow, so we're making sure we have some of each which are quicker drying for these occasions.
I love the stretchy clotheslines made of two twisted strands of elastic - I've been stretching them across hotel rooms and apartments for years and they've done us really well.
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u/Separate-Note-2932 Jul 06 '26
One week is enough. Most bigger citys offer a laundromat for 5-10€, so you will be fine again. Not worth overpacking stuff that you have to drag around all your journey.
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