It’s safe to say most of us have heard of the “one bag” approach to packing, meaning you only pack what can fit in a single piece of luggage. While this minimalist approach has many benefits, one item that should not be included in your one bag is underwear. No matter how much you want to embrace the one bag movement, wearing the same pair of underwear multiple days in a row is just not hygienic.
When it comes to packing light, underwear is one of the items that takes up the least space. While you can get away with a single t-shirt for multiple days, the same cannot be said of underwear. Even if you happen to be an anti-microbial material enthusiast, wearing the same pair of underwear multiple days in a row is just not a good idea.
That being said, it is possible to make a two-pair approach work. Suppose you are on a longer trip, like a two-week vacation, and you only want to bring two pairs of underwear. In this case, you can pack both pairs and wash one in the sink each night. This way, you can still fit your underwear in your one bag, but you also don’t have to worry about being the person who wears the same pair of underwear for days on end.
The key takeaway here is that, while the one bag approach to packing is great, it should not come at the cost of your personal hygiene. Even if you are an extreme minimalist, it is important to remember to bring enough underwear for the duration of your trip. After all, no one wants to be the person who smells bad because they only brought one pair of underwear.