Travel Packing Volume

Free Travel Packing Volume calculator with clear step-by-step results.

About Travel Packing Volume

Packing volume is driven by the laundry cycle, not trip length - a three-week trip with weekly laundry needs barely more clothing than a one-week trip. Outfits are sized to the shorter of trip length and laundry interval, plus one spare, then compressed and added to fixed gear.

Formulas

Outfits needed

Outfits = ceil(min(trip days, laundry interval) x outfits per day) + 1

Total volume

Litres = outfits x litres per outfit x (1 - compression saving) + fixed gear

Worked example

With the default values below, Travel Packing Volume returns Total packed volume of 23.3. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Trip lengthaccepts 1–120 days: 10 days
Outfit changes per dayaccepts 0.25–4: 1
Laundry access everyaccepts 1–60 days: 5 days
Packed volume per outfitaccepts 0.5–10 L: 2.5 L
Toiletries, electronics and shoesminimum 0 L: 12 L
Saving from compression bagsaccepts 0–50 %: 25 %

Results

Total packed volume: 23.3 L
Outfits to pack: 6 outfits
Volume taken by clothing: 11.3 L
Volume saved by compression: 3.8 L

Step by step

1Values used
2Outfits needed
3Total volume
4Total packed volume= 23.3 L
5Outfits to pack= 6 outfits
6Volume taken by clothing= 11.3 L
7Volume saved by compression= 3.8 L

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 6 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 1 decimal place, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big is a carry-on?

Typically 35-45 litres for a cabin bag within standard size limits, and 20-25 litres for an under-seat personal item. Compare the total against those figures.

Does compression really save 25%?

For soft clothing, yes - compression sacks and packing cubes with zips expel trapped air. It does nothing for shoes, toiletries or electronics, which is why they are counted separately.