Packing Sudoku Is the Genius Trick for Traveling in Style Without Overpacking—Here’s How to Make It Work for You
After more than 150 nights on the road in 2025, I can tell you one thing: Overpacking isn’t about space. It’s about uncertainty. I know this because I’ve tried just about every packing hack out there. I’ve tested the 5-4-3-2-1 method and plenty of other “foolproof” systems designed to keep my suitcase under control. And yet, it’s still easy to fall into the trap of tossing in “just in case” outfits that never leave my bag.
So when I first heard about something called “packing sudoku,” I was intrigued yet skeptical. Since I often travel to warm-weather destinations like the Caribbean and take Mediterranean cruises in the summer, I figured any packing method that promises to reduce the number of clothes I drag around in 95-degree heat is worth exploring—but I wasn’t sold yet.
Then I spoke with Natalie Shaquer, the travel creator behind the viral packing-sudoku framework that’s reached millions of women across social media. Her original video has surpassed 4 million views and gained traction from Australia to Slovakia to South Africa, and what she explained made me look at packing very differently. Read on to see if it will work for you too!
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What is packing sudoku, exactly?
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Packing sudoku is a structured 3×3 grid system for building a highly versatile travel wardrobe.
“You choose nine core pieces—three tops, three bottoms and three layering pieces—and physically lay them out in a grid,” Shaquer explains. “The rule is simple but strict: Every piece must work with every other piece. If one item only works with one outfit, it doesn’t belong.”
Here’s where the sudoku logic comes in: Every row and every column must contain one top, one bottom and one layer—just like a puzzle where each number appears once per row and once per column.
A simple example might look like this:
- Row 1: Top 1 | Bottom 1 | Layer 1
- Row 2: Bottom 2 | Layer 2 | Top 2
- Row 3: Layer 3 | Top 3 | Bottom 3
Scan across any row, and you have a complete outfit. Scan down any column, and you have another. Mix and match any three other pieces. If one piece disrupts the pattern, it gets replaced before you close your suitcase. The result? Nine pieces of clothing that generate up to 27 outfit combinations—and far less decision fatigue for you on your trip.
What’s so great about this packing hack?
The biggest benefit of packing sudoku is mental clarity. “It turns packing from emotional guessing into a small strategic puzzle,” Shaquer says. Sure, your luggage becomes lighter, and you don’t overpack. “But the deeper shift was that I stopped packing backup identities,” she says.
That line stopped me in my tracks. I keep thinking I’m going to transform into someone who wears fancier clothes while traveling than I do in real life—and then I’m stuck lugging around items I won’t wear, while I’m short on items I’d much rather don.
“I stopped bringing ‘just in case’ versions of myself,” Shaquer continues. Instead, she has “multiple solid options from pieces I genuinely love. The decision-making happens at home. Once on the trip, clothing becomes effortless.”
Another reason it works is that, unlike aesthetic-based “capsule wardrobes,” which are often heavily neutral, or numerical methods (like 5-4-3-2-1), packing sudoku is structural. It doesn’t just say bring three tops. It says those three tops must work with all three bottoms and all three layers. That cross-compatibility rule is what eliminates the dreaded unworn item at the bottom of your suitcase.
How do you choose the right nine pieces?
To prevent the grid from feeling repetitive or boring, Shaquer starts with three bottoms that feel intentionally different. “Different shapes. Different energy,” she says. “If they all look the same, you will feel bored by day three.” That might mean tailored trousers, classic jeans and relaxed wide-leg pants.
Next come three layers that shift temperature and mood—perhaps a blazer to sharpen an outfit, a cardigan to soften it and a trench to add polish.
Then she selects three distinct tops: one simple, one polished and one with personality, like a bold color or print. The pieces don’t have to be neutral, but they do need to work together. The goal isn’t sameness. It’s cohesion with contrast.
It’s worth noting that shoes sit outside the 3×3 clothing grid. Shaquer typically suggests three pairs total: Pack two (a flat and a heel) and wear your bulkiest pair, like sneakers or boots, on travel day. Of course, don’t forget all the other things besides clothes that you’ll need when packing for vacation—like toiletries, electronics, your passport and more.
Using packing sudoku, how many days will your wardrobe last?
Mathematically, nine pieces can create up to 27 combinations. Realistically, you’ll repeat favorites and shift proportions with layering and accessories. But for a typical seven-day trip, Shaquer says it doesn’t feel repetitive at all.
“You are not bringing your entire wardrobe,” she says. “When you go to Italy, you do not mourn that you are not also in France—you enjoy Italy. Your packing sudoku is built for this trip, this climate, this version of you right now. That is not a limitation. That is focus.”
She’s currently using the method on a three-week trip spanning an Australian summer, a West Coast winter and Texas. The only adjustments? Adding one linen pant to stretch the summer end and one puffer vest to stretch the winter end. Everything else remains inside the grid.
How can you make packing sudoku work for you?
Packing sudoku works best when you approach it like a structure—not a vibe. Here’s how:
Define the function first
Before you think about colors or aesthetics, define what your trip actually requires. Are you walking all day? Attending business meetings? Dining outdoors at night? “Function first, always,” Shaquer says. The grid should reflect the reality of your itinerary, not an imagined version of it.
Commit to the grid before you leave
The decision-making should happen at home. Lay everything out, move pieces around, and confirm that every top works with every bottom and that each layer complements the combinations. Once the grid functions as a whole, snap a photo—that image becomes your outfit reference on the trip.
Rethink what “layer” means
This was my hesitation. Living in Phoenix and traveling frequently to warm destinations, I couldn’t imagine packing blazers or trenches in summer. But in hot weather, the layer category shifts.
Instead of heavy outerwear, it might include a lightweight linen shirt, a shorter daytime dress and a longer evening dress. And because summer pieces take up less space, Shaquer even recommends doubling up on tops within one square if needed. The structure stays intact—the category simply adapts.
Trust repetition over excess variety
The biggest mental shift is accepting that you don’t need endless options. “You are not bringing your entire wardrobe,” Shaquer says. The grid forces focus. And for many travelers—especially women juggling outfit expectations—that clarity can feel surprisingly freeing.
Are there any downsides to packing sudoku?
Packing sudoku isn’t ideal for highly technical or gear-heavy trips. So, if you’re heading on a hiking itinerary that requires waterproof boots, thermal layers and quick-dry fabrics, the grid shouldn’t be forced onto it. Function-specific clothing can override structure.
It’s also not the right fit for travelers who genuinely enjoy maximum outfit variety for fashion’s sake.
And yes, it requires discipline. The biggest mistake people make, Shaquer says, is choosing beautiful individual pieces without testing cross-compatibility. “The grid must function as a whole,” she says.
For me, the hot-climate question was the final barrier. But after hearing how flexible the structure can be, I’m officially intrigued. Because maybe the genius of packing sudoku isn’t just that it saves space—it’s that it asks you to choose deliberately, commit confidently and then stop second-guessing yourself.
“The power is in restraint and interconnection,” Shaquer says. “If one number breaks the pattern, the puzzle fails. Packing sudoku works the same way.”
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Sources:
- Natalie Shaquer, travel creator behind the packing sudoku trend; interviewed, February 2026
- Instagram: “Packing sudoku method”
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