Packing your page
The fewest pairs that cover the most miles and occasions.
Carry-on relevance: Light enough to pack as a second pair or wear on the plane.
Direct link to the product page. No affiliate relationship.
Veja
Carry-on relevance: One sneaker that reads smart enough for dinner means one less pair in the bag.
Direct link to the product page. No affiliate relationship.
Carry-on relevance: Beach, pool and hotel shoe in one, and light enough to strap to the outside of a bag.
Direct link to the product page. No affiliate relationship.
Carry-on relevance: A dressy shoe that squashes flat, useful for weddings and dinners when heels are optional.
Direct link to the product page. No affiliate relationship.
Onitsuka Tiger
Carry-on relevance: Slim sneakers take up less bag space than chunky runners.
Direct link to the product page. No affiliate relationship.
Carry-on relevance: Wear the cushioned pair on the plane and on the longest walking days.
Direct link to the product page. No affiliate relationship.
Blundstone
Carry-on relevance: Wear them on the flight; they are the heaviest item and should never go in the bag.
Direct link to the product page. No affiliate relationship.
New Balance
Carry-on relevance: Comfort for high-mileage city days; wear on the plane to save space.
Direct link to the product page. No affiliate relationship.
Common Projects
Carry-on relevance: One pair of shoes covering both meetings and dinner is the core of a business carry-on.
Link will appear once an editor verifies the retailer.
Camper
Carry-on relevance: A comfortable walking shoe for a city explored on foot.
Direct link to the product page. No affiliate relationship.
Pack for three nights of Paris winter dating and brunching without checking a bag. Specific outfits for date night, brunch, and layering in cold weather.
A two-night wardrobe that moves from a candlelit dinner to a long Saturday brunch in any city, without a single checked bag.
Two summer nights in Copenhagen organised around the city's harbour baths and sauna culture, with one outfit for a long dinner after.
A two-night trip built around one big show, packed for standing, dancing, a passing shower and the late walk back.
A constraint worth trying: three nights, one bag, three outfits that recombine, and nothing packed that doesn't work with everything else.
Two warm days and two evenings that cool down after sunset, packed in breathable basics with one light layer that earns its place.
Three autumn nights in Tokyo with one day on a mountain path, packed so the city wardrobe and the hike share almost everything.
Two nights of meetings and one client dinner, packed around a single laptop, a single charger and a phone that does the camera's job.
What to buy in Lisbon, from wrapped Portuguese soap to shoes that grip polished stone.
Four cold, clear nights in Seoul, packed in thin warm layers with deliberate space for the skincare haul home.
A Barcelona summer shopping list for the heat, from Spanish pharmacy sunscreen to sandals that go from sand to street.
We're testing Allbirds' merino sneakers on Lisbon's hills and polished stone; this review is in progress.
A three-night Lisbon wedding weekend in a carry-on, from the welcome drinks to the dancing, with shoes that can handle the hills.
What Copenhagen wears when the weather turns, edited into a carry-on that works from autumn into winter.
Two New York shopping traditions — the grey sneaker and the East Village apothecary — edited for a carry-on.
Three nights of meetings and dinners in New York, in one carry-on that keeps a suit presentable and the security line quick.
A four-night Barcelona carry-on that splits the difference between the sand at Barceloneta and a ten o'clock dinner table.
The Tokyo shopping list for a carry-on traveller: drugstore skincare, Japanese basics and two sneakers worth buying there.
Six nights across Tokyo's neighbourhoods with a single backpack, built for trains, long walks and changeable October weather.
Three summer nights in Copenhagen packed for cycling, harbour swims and long evenings that never quite get dark.