Thank you flygirl:)

I do love those ziplocks also! After Air France decided to leave our luggage out in some sort of "lake" and finding out at the hotel that most of my clothes were soaked, stained, ruined, I use plastic bags when I pack no matter where I am going.
They cut down on wrinkles also. The keep things from getting lost and you can put the used clothing in one so you just dump it in the hamper when you get home.
Hi mina:)

My magic number is three. Three nights or longer in one place and I unpack. Just makes it feel a bit more like home, and when traveling for several months at a time, I enjoy feeling at "home" once in awhile. Of course, since there are no decisions to be made, I don't get the big deal about packing and unpacking. I think taking everything out of the closet and dresser and putting it in a suitcase takes all of a couple minutes. Big deal.

Target has 2 1/2 gal. ziplocks. Wal-mart ( in our town) did not have 2 gal. ones. CJ

I just tried this method. I happened to have som e 21/2 gallon ziplock bags. I dont know if I saved room but it organized the items. I am going for 6 weeks so I can't seem to pack lightly. I cant wear the same things over and over and 3 different climates.I guess I will mail stuff back if I buy. My main concern is getting on and off trains.

I usually unpack, especially if the hotel room is small and there is no place to leave a suitcase to open it repeatedly. Unpacking doesn't take more than a couple of minutes, and it just feels easier to me.

was it Austin Powers where Liz Hurley packed her clothes in baggies and had labels on them... Austin's line - Nerd Alert!

:)

not that it isn't a good idea.

We seldom unpack, but it's still a pain and time waster to change hotels frequently.

Do you put one outfit in each bag? or do you put many shirts in one, shorts in another, etc.? I think I will try this one....thanks

Speaking of bags - aren't there bags out there where they totally flatten your clothes to paper thin size? I don't know the name of them, but I think they exist.

Found the bags I was talking about - they are called Compression Bags. Anyone ever use them? Here is the website:

http://traveloasis.com/compacbag.html

There are indeed special bags that you can attach to your vacuum cleaner that will remove more air than the squeeze-the-ziplock technique. But they are expensive and how often do you have a vacuum cleaner handy for repacking at the hotel?

Aha -- now I see that donnabee wasn't referring to the vacuum-cleaner type bags, but to fancy ziplock type bags that apparently have a one-way valve for squeezing out air. I think I'll stick with my bargain regular ziplocks anyway.

I found ones that are cheaper - 3 medium and 2 large for $15. Do the ziplock bags work the same? or do you think the compression bags might get more air out. These will be great for when we go to the beach in the States and have to take our own blankets and sheets.

I pack my clothes with dry cleaner bags around them to reduce wrinkles.
I use some of the plastic to line drawers, then toss it along the way.
Also leaves more room in the suitcase along the way for acquisitions. Sometimes hotel rooms have plastic laundry bags that can also be used as drawer liners.

If I'm there at least two days, I unpack, at least I unpack what I will need for the two days. If I'm not at the beach yet, no need to unpack the swimwear.

I don't like having to walk around the suitcase or keep putting it up or off the bed, expecially when rooms are small. I also don't like having to rummage through the suitcase all the time--I end up having to repack it anyway before moving on.