Packing List Generator

How to use the packing list generator

1. Tick one or more boxes under Trip type (choose one or more): Beach, City break, Business, Camping, Ski, Hiking or With a baby. Combine them freely, for example a beach holiday with a baby.
2. Type the Length of the trip (days), from 1 to 90.
3. Choose the Weather you expect (Hot, Mild, Cold, Rain likely), your Activities (Swimming, Running or gym, Formal evening, Photography, Working remotely) and the Travel details: Flying, Going abroad, Laundry available.
4. The list appears at once, sorted by category, with quantities for clothing and baby items. Tick items as they go into the bag; the counter shows how many are packed.
5. Remove what you don’t need with the × button, and add your own items with Add your own item, a Category and Add. Restore the suggested list brings back removed items and deletes your own; Untick all clears the ticks.
6. Print list prints only the checklist, in two columns. Download as text saves a .txt file with [x] and [ ] boxes, and Copy puts the same text on the clipboard.

Everything is saved in your browser, so the list is still there when you come back to finish packing.

How quantities are calculated

Clothing you change every day scales with the length of the trip: underwear and socks = days + 1 (a spare for travel days), tops = one per day, trousers about one for three days, and so on, with sensible minimums and maximums. For a 5-day city break, that gives 6 pairs of socks, 6 pieces of underwear, 5 tops and 2 pairs of trousers.

If you tick Laundry available, washable clothing is capped at a week’s worth: a 3-week trip then needs 8 pairs of socks rather than 22. Baby items follow their own rhythm: about 7 nappies a day, one pack of wipes for three days and two outfits a day, up to 14.

The other items depend on your choices. Going abroad adds a passport, local currency, copies of documents and a plug adapter. Flying adds a clear 1-litre bag for liquids in hand luggage, earplugs and a travel pillow. Cold weather adds a warm coat and a hat, gloves and scarf; With a baby combined with Hot adds a baby sun hat and baby sunscreen.

Packing tips

• Lay everything out on the bed before it goes in the case: it is the moment to remove the “just in case” items.
• Wear your bulkiest shoes and coat on the journey.
• Keep documents, medicines, chargers and a change of clothes in your hand luggage.
• Check the airline’s rules for liquids and batteries: power banks usually have to travel in the cabin.