Outdoor festivals and concerts not to mention beautiful blooms in Central Park are just a few reasons why Spring is a great time to visit New York. If that’s what you’ve got lined up, you’ll love this carry-on capsule I’ve put together. Springtime weather in New York can change quickly, which means versatile layers will work best. However, you still want to be prepared for a bit of cold snap and mid-weight and lightweight outerwear should have you covered. Unless, there’s rain in the forecast don’t pack for it because you can always pop into a Duane Reade or buy an umbrella on the street.
This minimal capsule is meant to get you through 7-10 days of travel in New York. Dark, neutral pieces will give you the most day to night options. The statement pieces like the shearling trimmed coat, bomber jacket, coated denim pants and lace up blouse will keep your travel looks from being too minimal. I’ve included a mid-weight coat and light jacket to account for the unpredictable range of spring weather.
Even if the items represented aren’t your style you can take away what the general categories are. Which for this capsule include:
1 Outerwear
1 Light Jacket
1 Dress
2 Sweaters
3 Tops (including a dressy blouse)
3 Bottoms
1 pair comfortable fashion sneakers
1 pair dressy booties
1 pair comfortable booties
Since it’s a pretty minimal list you could probably throw in a few extra items but don’t exceed 15. The most vital items on this list are comfortable walking shoes. You get the most out of New York by walking so make sure you are prepared with good shoes. Also, don’t worry about getting too dressed up unless you have a specific activity that calls for dressy clothes. Upscale casual/casual dressy clothes will work just about anywhere.
Faux Shearling Coat, Floral Embroidered Bomber Jacket, Black Dress,
Sweater with Pockets, Ribbed Turtleneck, Dressy Blouse (similar here, andhere)
Side Stripe Top, Jersey Top, Coated Denim Jeans,
Skinny Ripped Jeans, Skinny Ankle Jeans,
Leather Biker Booties with buckles, Vans Leather SK8-Hi Slim Zip,
Leather Ankle Booties.
Check out my Top 12 Packing Tips for more packing tips. The key for spring travel is layers, you may get a cold morning that turns into a sunny warm afternoon. Also build your carry-on capsule on a few basics either in style or color and then fill in with color or statement pieces. Here’s a few of the travel outfits you can come up with just the 11 pieces in the Carry-On Capsule.
I’ve put together a packing light checklist based on this carry-on capsule. You can get it here.
