Bearable lightness of carry-on bags

Regarding Penny Evans’ letter, “Sure, Pack Light -- but That Light?” (Jan. 19): My wife and I have traveled for 32 years with only carry-ons. We have been gone for as long as 40 days. We change daily, and wherever we are in the world we find it easy to have essential items washed once a week.

Gordon Cohn

Long Beach

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My ex-husband and I traveled 10 months at a time in all climates for four years with a small carry-on backpack, which never weighed more than 30 pounds.

The trick is to layer your clothes and carry a polypropylene undershirt for warmth, one sweater, one jacket and one or two long-sleeved shirts. I discovered thrift stores and flea markets in the 44 countries I have visited, and when the weather changed, I would donate my unwanted clothes and replace them with new ones suitable for the weather.

Before any trip, I head for thrift stores and buy clothes that are presentable but nothing I want to keep. Then I leave them behind at the end of my trip.

Diana Aster

Oxnard

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I have no problem limiting my clothes to a carry-on of less than 45 linear inches. In 1999 I took a two-week tour of Turkey followed by a two-week Mediterranean cruise with just a carry-on. I wore khaki slacks, a leather jacket and tennis shoes on the plane. In my carry-on were a sweater, silk long underwear, a rain jacket, a pair of dress shoes, a long and a medium-length skirt, a pair of dress slacks, three blouses and two T-shirts.

Bea Nash

Gold Beach, Ore.