Please define "packing light"
 

I keep seeing cautions to "pack light" if traveling by rail. Since I have only traveled by car previously, I'm not sure exactly what this means. One suitcase-but what size? 26" ok? Hiking boots, rain gear, travel guides, etc. take up a bit of space.

I can fit everything for a two week vacation in a 22 inch rollerboard.

Hiking boots are extra bulky. Maybe you should wear those on the plane. Is the airplane really a fashion runway these days? :-)

I have incredibly comfortable loafers that I can walk 5+ city miles in each day. They look good enough to wear to dinner too.

Packing light for me means 22" case with a rucksack. 26" is fairly large and if packed fully, will be heavy.
Whatever size you chose, you will have to be able to lift it up and down the train stairs (narrow) and place it on the luggage racks. 26" (and sometimes even 22") will not fit above the seats. There may be space in between seats if they are facing opposite ways back to back. A 24" would fit, not sure about a 26".

I agree with indy. I take 3 week trips with a 22 inch Swiss Army brand roll-on. The trick is to have straps on your roll-on to which you can tuck your coat. I also bring a 6 oz bottle of liquid clothing detergent to wash articles of clothes along the way. It takes a while for me to pack to figure out what I can leve behind but I have never wished I took a bigger bag.

"Packing light" to me means going on a good trip and never once cursing yourself for bringing along too many *&*$^ suitcases. Or too big suitcases.

Everyone has their own threshold of what that means!

I don't particularly travel light, I rarely get by with just a carry-on bag, which is how I think of packing light. I can tell you from experience that a 26" bag will be too wide to wheel down most train car aisles, and too large and heavy to lift onto an overhead luggage rack. There are larger racks at the end of train cars, but that means your bag may be at some distance from where you are sitting, and sometimes those large racks are full anyway.

You may not get by with just a carry on (some airlines have weight restrictions on carry-ons, not just size restrictions) but a 22" bag plus a tote bag or camera bag or purse is as much as I'd suggest.

I wouldn't want to wear hiking boots on a long flight (are you really going hiking?) so I'd stow a pair of ligher shoes or even slippers into my tote bag to change to for most of the flight.

&quot;<font color="red"> Packing light <font color="blue">is not in my vocabulary, but I like to read about other people being able to do it :)</font></font>

Scarlett, take a big bag and leave it half empty, think of everything you will want to BUY in Paris!

Impossible! I would have to go through therapy before I did that. lol

I've been practicing packing light. I got a new 22&quot; rollaboard for Christmas and have made two weekend trips with it just fine. This last weekend though, I did shop so I had to check the bag because it was really heavy with all that was crammed into it and had a shopping bag as carryon. So, I'm debating about my next europe trip. After lugging my HUGE suitcase aboard the Eurostar last trip, what a pain..literally!!!..I know I am going with a smaller bag but I love to shop, and I don't go that often and save and save, so I'm either going to take a bigger bag or pack a duffle bag for the trip home. I don't have much time to shop at home so I think it's kind of pent up energy when I get away. I'm really taking note of what people pack etc because my next trip I'm thinking London, Paris, Venice, and I have to take that suitcase with me on train or plane....so we'll see how it goes. I don't try to take travel guides, they are just too heavy. I have a journal that has a lot of notes, addresses, and phone numbers, and some good maps that I can put in my purse or carry-on..wear one pair of shoes and pack one other pair. I'm with Scarlett, it's really really hard for me to pack light.

Packing light means making certain you can haul, lift and fit your bag of choice into whatever mode of transport you might encounter. Suggestion. Load up your 26&quot; bag and run it up &amp; down the block a couple of times. Do a dozen trips up and down the stairs and then place it on the uppermost closet shelf. Good to go? If not, scale down to a 22 or 21 inch bag. Repeat.

Fodors Packing Light is claiming you can travel in Europe for six weeks living out of a zip lock bag.

My first trip to Europe was a nightmare, packing-wise. Like an idiot, I packed 3 suitcases. I didn't use or really need 3/4 of the junk I brought. Boy, did I learn my lesson.

Now my bag is 22x16 inches and I can either wear it as a backpack or over my shoulder. It's great being hands-free and not dragging anything behind me.

Including what I wear on the plane, I bring 4 pair socks/underwear, 4 shirts, 1 pair of shorts, and 2 pairs of pants. 1 pair of shoes. I do a load of laundry every 4 days or so. Too many clothes and extra shoes add a lot of bulk and weight.

I layer for warmth rather than bring a jacket or a sweater (unless I'm traveling in winter). I'm doing Switzerland this year, so I'll add some longjohns, a fleece pullover, and a lightweight jacket. I never bring an umbrella -- I just assume I'll have great weather (which I usually do). If it rains a lot, I'll just buy one there.

Minimal toiletries: travel-size toothpaste, mini deodorant, electric razon, etc. Hair dryers are not needed since many hotel rooms (even 2-stars) have them. And it's not great tragedy to let my hair air-dry anyway. Small aspirin bottle with multivitamins, pain relievers and upset stomach stuff all in same bottle.

Other miscellaneous stuff includes a camera (digital allows you to do away with numerous film canisters), bits of several guidebooks (I cut up the books to eliminate sections I don't need), a small day bag, a moneybelt, miscellaneous papers, a travel diary, and a good book to read during my downtime.

That's it. All that plus the backpack weighs about 17 pounds and there is still room/weight for an MP3 if I want. When I go to Paris or Italy I usually pack even less clothes and buy some there!

It is an absolutely magnificent feeling: my bag on my back, rail pass in one hand, and staring at a departure board in Paris or Zurich knowing I can go anywhere, anytime, and easily change my mind at a moment's notice. That is utterly impossible to do while loaded down with luggage.

The 21 incher is my BIG bag. I normally use a 19 inch rollaboard and it is plenty large enough for most trips. I do take the &quot;big&quot; case if I know I am going to be buying something bulky along the way.

I don't take day packs or duffles or totes. Just a 19 in. (or sometimes 21&quot; ) and a medium to large-ish handbag.

When you coordinate outfits and pick colors that go together you can easily get 20 or 30 outfits out of a very small suitcase. Something like 3 pr slacks, one skirt, 5 or 6 tops, a cardigan, a blazer and 2 or 3 pr of shoes. Remember you are wearing one full outfit/shoes on the flight so there is that much less in the suitcase.

A light pack for me means a 22 inch bag and my &quot;purse like&quot; bag. I've decided that this won't work for me as a total carry on load because I need to take a cork screw and knife for all of those lovely picnic lunches and dinners. Wear the bulky stuff.

meant to add - I pack this way whether I intend to check the bag or carry it on. The flight is the least of my worries - schlepping a big suitcase around Europe or finding space for it in a small hotel room isn't something I care to do . . . . .

Hi Stillhouse,

Rockhopper gives the test advice. Remember, some of those train stations have multiple flights of stairs just to get to the train. And, no, I can say from personal experience a 26&quot; will not roll down the asile.

21 or 22&quot; plus a small overnighter. That's it for 3 weeks.

Buon viaggio!

Packing light for me is not packing excess clothing I won't be wearing and taking unnecessary toiletries I might need &quot;just in case.&quot; I am <i>not</i> a minimalist traveler. I take a 26&quot; expandable roller suitcase and a small carry-on that straps to my big suitcase when walking.

I like to have what I need when I travel without having to mess with rinsing out socks and underwear every night or looking for laundramats or laundry services.

But when we travel, we tend to stay in one place for a week at a time. If we were doing a lot of train travel or moving to different hotels every day or so, I probably would reconsider. :)

I thought I'd add that on my 2 week trip I go to the laundromat once. I do not do laundry in my room in a sink, tub, bidet or whatever. 10 pair of thin men's dress socks and 10 pair of whitey-tightey's take up very little room, 4 dress slacks, 5 polo shirts and I'm done.

As far as over-packing don't look for me to help a damsel-in-distress. I remember at least two times last year I avoided that mess.

In Dijon I saw an American couple with an unbelievable amount of luggage. 2 of those 48 x 48 inch monstrosities with two more &quot;smaller&quot; suitcases on top with a couple of carry-ons. They were in the Dijon train station and bemoaning the fact there wasn't a convenient elevator for the train platform.

The second time was in December traveling from Bordeaux to CDG on the TGV. In Angoul&egrave;me a lady got on the train. She had a completely stuffed 26 inch roller suitcase. She was struggling with it. She kept looking about wondering where her knight was. I kept my nose in my newspaper. Finally a younger man decided to help her throw that boat anchor into the overhead luggage rack. In excellent French she made a huge point of telling him what a fine young man he was as she glared about the train.

If you can't lug it around yourself don't expect any one else to do it for you. Why should I throw my back out on my vacation because you don't know how to pack?

Pay attention to what rockhopper has to say about testing your luggage.

I'm always amazed by how little some people take wiht them. I'm a moderate packer - for a 2/3 week vacation a 24&quot; checked bag plus a reasonable size carry-on. (Naturally if its a business trip I take the biggest suitcase you ever saw - otherwise there's no room for business suits, evening stuff and normal clothes - plus files etc.)

But my sis in law takes a 30&quot; bag everywhere (even to New Orleans for a 5 day trip) plus an enormous overstuffed rollie as her carry-on. To this day I still can;t imagine what she has in it - although it does include a bathrobe and matching high-heeled slippers.

But how do people take enough clothes in a 20&quot; rollie? Or do they have laundry done every day or two? Assume for a rpring.summer vacation - you need for day 5/6 pants and skirts and assorted mixing/matching tops, 3/4 going out to dinner outfits, a couple of light sweaters, nighties, lingerie (say a dozen panties, and 4/5 assorted bras for diferent outfits) a thin jacket, umbie, and two extra pair of shoes - plus toiletries and accoutrements and mini medical kit - plus guidebooks, camera/film, maps etc - how does that all fit into a 20&quot; rollie and a smalll carry-on?

I am genetically predisposed to overpacking; a victim of circumstance.
((c))

Sorry to provide a dissenting opinion, but my wife, 5 year old and I leave for 11 days in Italy later this month, and we will be taking a 26&quot; and 30&quot; rolling suitcase. We will only have one brief two hour train trip from Sienna to Rome, and a minimal number of location changes. I would love to pack lighter if we could, but I don't think we will be able to with 3 of us traveling. I don't see how we could condense the contents of a 30&quot; bag into a 22&quot; carry on.

Now that I have said this, let the minimalist packers be heard from.

gravysandwich

nytraveler:
&quot;Assume for a rpring.summer vacation - you need for day 5/6 pants and skirts and assorted mixing/matching tops, 3/4 going out to dinner outfits, a couple of light sweaters, nighties, lingerie (say a dozen panties, and 4/5 assorted bras for diferent outfits) a thin jacket, umbie, and two extra pair of shoes - plus toiletries and accoutrements and mini medical kit - plus guidebooks, camera/film, maps etc - how does that all fit into a 20&quot; rollie and a smalll carry-on?&quot;


It doesn't - you bring way more than I would dream of packing.

As long as I can carry it and lift it on my own I consider myself light. Many years ago my husband put his foot down and refused to carry my extras. Although I was pretty hot at the time, it has saved us from many arguements. I get lighter and lighter each trip too. Every time I unpack I separate out what I didn't use or used very little, then it never goes with again. I can go about 3 weeks with a carryon now.

&quot;bathrobe and matching high-heeled slippers?&quot; nytravler LOL here.

I must be coarse 'cause I sleep in those whitey-tighteys too. :-)

Ladies if you pick an appropriate pair of comfortable, low to flat black shoes you could get by with a single pair. I've not been anywhere that I didn't see several ladies in a pair of shoes like that: operas in Prague, Madrid and Leipzig; symphony in Berlin, theater in London, mass in Rome and Paris etc.

Matching bathrobe and high heeled slippers reminds me of when we took a trip with friends. We discovered (as she told us)the wife set the alarm and took off her makeup one hour after her husband fell asleep. And then reset it for one hour before he wanted to wake up. He had never seen her without makeup, so she claimed. And she was a beautiful woman.

To me &quot;packing light&quot; means taking what you will need, not a whole lot more. And having luggage that you personally can handle, depending on your mode of travel.

I keep trying to take less and less. But I still seem to overpack and always tell myself &quot;never again&quot;. Hopefully next time I will not pack one thing I do not need.

<i>&quot;As far as over-packing don't look for me to help a damsel-in-distress.&quot;</i>

Not to worry - I never pack more than I can manage and have never expected anyone to help me with it. I pack what I need for my vacation with no apologies.

Funny how minimalist packers seem to have a superiority complex. :)

I love the packing threads the best. It's like getting a little window into everyone's personal travel lives. :-o

Clotheshogs, the whole rotten bunch of youse.

A real traveler (as opposed to a scurvy, slimey TOURIST) carries everything she/he needs in her/his pockets and one Glad Freezer Bag. A real pro traveler uses a Sandwich Bag instead of the Freezer Bag.

When traveling by train for 3 days or 3 months a 21&quot; bag is more than enough. Do the comfort test with whatever size bag(s) you decide to haul around. Walk a mile with everything you plan to take with you, and then home again.

I've been down to a 22&quot; and a purse for a 3-week trip for about 10 years now, but I really learned to lighten that up last year when I fractured my wrist 2 weeks before my trip. (Wouldn't recommend that, though.)

&quot;Packing Light&quot; had also been pounded into my head from reading this forum and watching Rick Steeves. For DH &amp; I, our first trip to Europe we had purchased rolling backpacks by Victronix (24&quot;); packed in color coordinating clothing, my bag weighed 18 lbs and DH weighed 20 lbs. (Hee Hee, I beat him). I was certainly able to carry this up &amp; down our stairs holding it over my head.

Since this trip, we've pared down the clothing, as we found we had pants/skirts&amp;shirts that went unworn.

This upcoming 2 week trip, we'll pack 2pr. slacks and an assortment of shirt (all color cordinated), with jacket/sweater. And make sure you ROLL. It really is not that hard.

Think about the weight you want to carry, should you need to.

As any real D&amp;D player knows, to really pack light you need a Bag of Holding. The extra-dimensional space it provides simply cannot be beat -- an no matter how much you stuff into it, it never weighs more than the bag itself. Totally sweet!

Just how many times are people wearing shirts and pants before washing? Or is this more than I really want to know :)

xxxx--based on my experiences in crowded planes, trains, and buses, the answer is: Too many times.

I don't know if this counts as packing light or not, but here goes!

The 5 of us (the old fart parents, the 15 year old drama queen and the 11 year old twins!) are going to the UK at the end of May. Haven't purchased the tickets yet, but based on the dates we want, we will be there approx 9-10 days.

We will be packing our things into a rolling suitcase that I believe is about 30 in. (I just measured 30in at my desk and that looks about right!). The kids will have smaller rolling backpacks that open like suitcases as carry ons, my husband and I will have a small rolling bag with our son's nebulizer in it and my travel purse, that's it.


Not only are we taking everyday clothes with us (we are visiting family for the second half of the trip, so laundry is not an issue, can be done anytime), but we have to take dress clothes for 5 for a wedding.

My secret to having extra space when we come home (for all the goodies I plan on buying) is that we are taking our old (not grubby, just not the newest pair) is for the kids to take their old sneakers with us, and then we'll leave them there. We plan of taking a couple of Yorkshire walks and I anticipate mud etc. I'm salivating over what I can buy and fit into the space that three pair of sneakers takes up!!!

In reading some of these posts, I'm not sure if this is packing light or not, but it's as light as I think I can get with the 5 of us. I haven't done a trial run yet, I might be able to get everything into a smaller suitcase, we'll see!

Man, I really need to learn to use that preview button down there first!!

&quot;is that we are taking our old (not grubby, just not the newest pair) is for the kids to take their old sneakers with us, and then we'll leave them there.&quot; SHOULD SAY........

&quot;is for the kids to take their old sneakers (not grubby, just not the newest pair) with us, and then we'll leave them there.&quot;

When we were children, my father made us pack our bags, and walk around the block with them. There were four of us children, all within 7 years of each other and he and my mother couldn't manage to watch us and handle the baggage at the same time.

Years later, I spent weekends with major donors to a foundation on an island in the Chesapeake Bay, with only a hunting lodge on it. I had to go against every packing instinct i had learned as a child, and take everything possible i might need for every contingency. Several summers of that changed my packing instincts.

Now, i am moving to the UK and getting rid of most everything that I own. I can take 2 pieces of luggage on the plane, and am shipping some things, but with the huge costs of that, I am really paring down. It goes against my very fibre to pack light for this trip.

Being in our 70s and not able to schlep tons of stuff, we tend to analyze what we do take with us. At least I do; the wife a little less so.

I'd guess about 1/3 of what we take is composed of medicines, &quot;just in case&quot; stuff, and hair fixings.

Now, dear friends, I wish someone would tell me how we can pare down all those &quot;hair fixings.&quot; Curling irons, goop, blower, etc. Married for 52 wonderful years, I don't want to start a domestic war, but getting rid of half that &quot;might-need&quot; stuff would be a great blessing.

USNR, maybe you could negotiate a settlement instead of start a war! See if you can convince the wife to leave half the &quot;might need&quot; stuff at home. If it turns out that she needs one of those might needs, she can always buy it there.

Dear USNR, I consider &quot;hair fixings&quot; an absolute must! I'll gladly leave out the extra pair of shoes to have my shampoo, conditioner, root volumizer, &quot;Plump and thick&quot; (courtesy of Nick Chavez) and hairspray with me at all times. Look for me in Europe, I'll be the one with the big hair and one pair of shoes!!!!!