Travel

A Week Away in One Carry-On

The first time we tried a week with only cabin bags, the problem wasn't the clothes. It was the shampoo that opened itself somewhere over the Alps, the bag that wouldn't go in the sizer at the gate, the hotel room with nowhere to dry a shirt, and the way home when everything had somehow grown. This scene follows those four moments in order — the night before, the airport, the hotel room and the trip back — and the small things that made each one work for two people and two bags. Expect to spend between $110 and $200 for the whole set, most of it on the bag itself, the packing cubes and the adapter.