My “Palette” Trick Helps Me Pack Light with Just a Carry-on (It’s So Smart!)

I recently took a five-day trip to California with my two kids, splitting our time between my dad’s hot and dry East Bay home and cooler San Francisco. Since my kids could only carry backpacks and I’d have to share a carry-on with my son, I knew packing light would be key. Thankfully, I had already mastered efficiently packing my carry-on by using my color palette trick.

The color palette trick is simple: Stick to one cohesive color theme for your entire trip. This makes packing a breeze and gives you multiple outfit options without the weight or bulk. By limiting your color palette, you can create a “capsule wardrobe” that allows you to mix and match pieces easily. 

Here’s how I made it work for our five-day summer trip.

For this trip, I stuck with a neutral palette of black, sage/olive green, cream, and warm brown. This color scheme is seasonally versatile, and because I already own a lot of clothing in these colors, it works well for me. I’ll never feel out of place in a black dress and a cream cardigan.

With the season and location in mind, I packed items that were versatile enough for both casual outings and dressier occasions. For this trip, I brought two pairs of shoes (one brown sandal and one comfy, neutral sneaker), one pair of jeans, one pair of green casual pants, one pair of black bike shorts, several black or olive green T-shirts and tank tops, a black jersey dress, a black printed dress, a cream cardigan, and a swimsuit and cover-up.

During our trip, we navigated between cars, planes, buses, and trains. We spent time in parks, picnicked under trees, and, of course, indulged in melting ice cream in the California sun. The beauty of the color palette trick is that it allowed me to rewear several outfits without needing to do laundry. The dark colors helped hide any dirt, and the light layers kept me comfortable in fluctuating temperatures.

By sticking to my color palette, I was able to pack light without sacrificing style or versatility. Whether you’re traveling with kids or going solo, the color palette trick is a game-changer for making the most of your limited luggage space.