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How much luggage can I bring, and where does it go?

Q: How much luggage can I bring, and where does it go?

A common limit is 15kg in a soft bag plus a day pack, though it varies by trip because the vehicle decides it. Bring a bag you can carry and load yourself and leave the rest in storage.

A common limit is 15kg in a soft bag, plus a day pack. It varies by trip and the vehicle decides it — a 4WD Troopy has far less room than a coach. Bring a bag you can carry and load yourself, and leave anything you do not need in storage at your hostel.

Checked on 6 October 2026.

This is one of the most common questions we get and the answer genuinely varies, because it depends on the vehicle. A coach to the Great Ocean Road has a luggage bay; a 4WD crossing the Kimberley does not.

The usual rules

Around 15kg in a soft bagis the most common limit on the outback and camping trips, plus a small day pack.
Soft bags beat hard suitcases.They squash into the spaces a rigid case will not, which is the whole reason the rule exists.
You carry and load your own bag.On the small-group trips there is no porter, and the guide is driving.
A day pack is worth havingfor water, camera, sun cream and a layer — on walk days your main bag stays in the vehicle.
Day trips have no real limitbecause you are back the same evening. Bring what you want.

Where the rest goes

Most hostels will store a bagfor the length of your trip, usually free or for a few dollars a day. This is what nearly everyone does.
If you are on a round tripthat returns to the same city, leave the big case there and take the soft bag.
On the one-way tripsAlice to Darwin, Perth to Broome — plan to take everything with you, or post it ahead.
On the east coast runyour bag travels with you on the bus between towns and there is room for a normal backpack.

What the limit is on your trip

Every trip page lists its own luggage note under what to bring, because the operators set it and they differ. If it is not clear, ask us and we will check it against the operator's sheet rather than guess.

What people actually bring

A 40 to 60 litre backpackis the sweet spot for a multi-day trip, and it is what most of the packing lists on our trip pages suggest.
A day packfoldable, for walks and swims.
A sleeping bagon the camping trips if you have one — some operators hire them, and in winter you will want it. Where you sleep covers that.
Nothing you would be upset to get red dust on.The outback gets into everything and never entirely comes out.