Reddit reviews Pinty Lightweight Self Inflating Camping Sleeping Pad, Moisture Proof One-Person Packable Comfortable Insulated Foldable Backpacking Travel Hiking Mattress for Outdoor Tents

We're long-term travelers (18-months and counting) and travel with only a 36L backpack each. We also try to keep our bags at about 15 lbs so we both have room to spare in case we need to carry food (or what not) for the day. Packing, as most things, is very subjective but our approach is to only pack what we need, and even then, only small amounts of something if we can buy 'it' when we arrive to our destination. You don't mention what climate you'll be in, but we've been in everything from light snow and ice (high 20's) to 100 degree desert heat with the same backpack and gear (although from time to time, we've been known to purchase gloves and scarves at a secondhand store when we need them).

 

Here are a few tips to stay light and compact:
 

• Don't pack for 'What-ifs", only pack what you know you'll use. For example, don't pack a bathing suit unless you're sure you'll need it. Don't pack an umbrella and raincoat unless you're confident it'll rain often. The general idea is that you can make do without, or improvise in one-off situations. We've used shorts and a sports bra for swimming and used a plastic trash bag to cover our day-pack when it was raining.
  
• Don't go overboard with clothes. At most you need a weeks' worth, and even then you can re-wear items that don't get that dirty, like skirts and pants.
  
• If you're willing to hand wash your clothes, you can cut the amount of clothes you need significantly (sometimes by half). It's easy to do and not that big of a deal. For this reason, we travel with only 3-4 days worth of clothing.
  
• Be mindful of how much toothpaste, shampoo, and consumables in general you're using. You'll likely find that it takes much less substance than you thought it did to wash/feel clean.
  
• Consider solid/bar soap. It can work as body soap, shampoo, and clothes washing soap.
  
• As u/usthewanderers mentioned, packing cubes are helpful for organizing and compartmentalizing your bag. Eagle creek ultra-lite packing cubes are nice, but super expensive. We instead use zip-loc bags for our small things, like electronics and cables, underwear and socks, and toiletries. If you're interested in further reading where we talk about using zip-loc bags (we use both regular and reinforced bags) and include pictures and a video you can read more here.
  
• A zip-lock bag is also good for clothes because you can compress the air out of them, they usually compress better than compressible' packing cubes. Also, don't forget they also hold in odor and moisture!
  
• Instead of traveling with a full towel, purchase a small or medium travel towel. You'll probably see the dimensions of the towel and think it's way too small, but don't be fooled, they're surprisingly absorbent. (Just don't expect to wrap it around your waist for modesty after your shower :-)
  
• Consider using straps to tie/strap your sleeping bag to your backpack (assuming you're traveling with a backpack). Also, you can get an ultralite sleeping bag which is more compact.
  
• Depending on your type of trip/travel style, pack an inflatable/foldable mattress pad, or make do without.
  
• Everything should have its place in your bag so you know exactly where it is/goes. This means, the ultimate key to organization is you. :-)
  
• Check out r/onebag r/HerOneBag r/backpacking for more tips and examples of packing.
  
• We pack for continual and long-term travel, but the same concepts work for a week trip or a 2-year trip. If you're interested in what we EDC (every day carry) or more packing tips you can checkout our Packing Lists (His and Hers)
  
   
  
  Have a great trip and don't let your bag weigh you down! ;-)