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WHAT SHOULD I LEAVE OUT OF THE SUITCASE!!???

WHAT SHOULD I LEAVE OUT OF THE SUITCASE!!???

Old Jun 24th, 2009, 03:53 PM
  #41  
 
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I teach a packing class and have taken groups on overseas trips. The men have been up to 6' 4"-ish, 250--ish, and women from size 0 to size 24 -- It honestly makes not much difference. Or very little anyway. In the last 4 or so years I've had nearly 3000 people attend my classes - and nearly every week I get an e-mail from someone back from a trip thanking me - that it really DID work . . .

Sure a size 11 EE shoe is a LOT larger than my 5 1/2 B -- but that doesn't really matter. Since you use the space in the shoe to hold all sorts of bits and pieces, it really works out about equal. I don't wear the same things over and over and over. In my classes I pack a woman's suitcase and a man's either suitcase or duffle bag.

But you can't just put things in the suitcase willy nilly. To make it work best, you either have to either roll the clothes (lots of folks do that) or -- my preference, use the bundle method. I personally think bundling works better since nothing gets wrinkled. I don't iron at home - I sure as heck won't while on vacation
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Old Jun 24th, 2009, 04:24 PM
  #42  
 
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How about a challenge, seems most offering "sample" packing lists are travelling in warm weather months. How about cool to cold months. Say late October through March, there is a good swing in temps during this time, as well as percipitation types, but that to me is the real challenge.
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Old Jun 24th, 2009, 04:29 PM
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janisj, what is the bundle method?
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Old Jun 24th, 2009, 04:37 PM
  #44  
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Doesn't it comes down to whether you want to go carry-on or checked luggage? You can do it if you want to and if you don't you don't have to.
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Old Jun 24th, 2009, 05:12 PM
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delvino: Warm or cold weather make no real difference. Warm weather clothes are thinner/lighter - but people generally wear more garments. Meaning they change more often -- morning sight seeing, then afternoon in the pool, then out in the evening or whatever.

Cold weather clothes are a bit heavier (not necessarily "HEAVY" since layering is more effective than wearing really heavy clothing). The hypothetical trip I pack for in my classes is three weeks in November to Paris, London and a week in the country. That way I can cover all sorts of weather/clothing "issues"

The bundle method is sort of hard to explain - there was a thread a couple of years ago where I did a looooong narrative. Maybe you can find it if you search.

But this website shows a semi-version of the method I use. http://www.packinglight.net/plight/text_1.asp?tx_id=77&

I do several things a little or a lot differently (better IMO of course ) - but this at least shows the general concept
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Old Jun 24th, 2009, 05:46 PM
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The pumpkin? The bowling ball?

I take whatever I want and buy the rest.

Regards,

Not a Carry-on Person
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Old Jun 24th, 2009, 07:46 PM
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You might try leaving out the capital letters, they take up an awful lot of room. And they're so noisy!
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Old Jun 25th, 2009, 04:13 AM
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i watched the butler video someone (put the link up here) but in mky opinion you really do get more into your suitcase by rolling and stuffing the crevices..i tried the bundling method but i dont like the way the clothes kinda weave in and out of each other

it may be fine if youre travelling to one destination and then unpacking for the entire time but im not fussed on it if youve got lots of stops

id really just prefer to give something a quick iron anyway when im travelling
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Old Jun 25th, 2009, 04:51 AM
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I remember once taking a suitcase so big my husband and I had to both carry it up a circular staircase in teeny weeny pensione in France. He said, "What in god's name to you have in here." The next year.....the complete opposite. I had one carry on and my brother-in-law said, "Barb I can't believe you only have one small suitcase. Look it everyone she has a different outfit everyday. She's like Houdini......
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Old Jun 25th, 2009, 05:03 AM
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1. Choose the suitcase you are comfortable with.
2. Fill it.
3. Walk down the garden and back with it.
4. Can't breathe??? Remove 10% and go back to 3.
5. go to airport.
6. Have a great holiday.

Roger Bruton

http://www.fermedecandeloup.fr
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Old Jun 25th, 2009, 05:20 AM
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We just got back from 2 1/2 weeks in France and for me (5' 11", size 11 EE shoes my husband (6' 3") and our two boys (8 and 11) we took 2 x 21" roller carryons plus a tote (which mostly contained books, maps and sandles.) We each wore a pair of jeans and a sweater/sweatshirt/jacket equivalent and our shoeier shoes (i.e. not sandals) on the plane, and the rest of the clothes we packed were lighter (shorts, skorts, lightweight shirts). We brought minimal toiletries - bought shampoo and soap etc in France and left it there.
I brought a curling iron that I never used - so that is the only thing I would have left out of my suitcase!
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Old Jun 25th, 2009, 05:36 AM
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lanejohann: yes, a lot of people like to roll. When I teach bundling, I explain how to do it for various scenarios. For a one or two or three destination trip - just one bundle works best.

For a 1 or 2 night stand after 1 or 2 night stand sort of trip, then I recommend doing two bundles. Half the clothes/underwear in one and half in the other. Since the bundles can come out of the suitcase cleanly w/o disturbing the contents. For the first couple of stops use one bundle and just lay the other one aside. Then the next stop wear things from the 2nd bundle. Hopefully one isn't pulling 1 nighters for more than a few days. Then at the first longer stay - undo everything, do laundry if needed, mix things up and re-bundle so one doesn't have to wear the same outfits over and over.

For other types of trips . . . . Like for a 1 nighter followed by a longer stay (a one night layover before moving to the ultimate destination, a night before a cruise, that sort of thing) you can use one bundle - but hold out one full change of clothes/underwear and just lay them on top of the bundle in the suitcase.
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Old Jun 25th, 2009, 05:43 AM
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Baggage restrictions and costs are too troublsome to put up with. Airport delays are also caused by baggage. Learn the maximum size carry-on that your airline allows without fees. If you are travelling on other lines be sure you're 'legal' with them. You can buy everything you need once at your destination.
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Old Jun 25th, 2009, 06:22 AM
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I just pack it all. Underwear for every day. Socks for every day. Enough shirts for every day - two if it will be hot. Undershirts. Etc. Etc. I have no interest in wasting even 5 minutes washing my clothes in the sink. As long as I don't go overweight, I don't worry about it. I even pack <gasp> jeans!

About the only time I pack really light is if I am going on a "shopping" trip, such as when I go back to the US. In those cases, I will pack enough clothes for a couple of days maybe and just check empty suitcases and fill them with purchases for the return.
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Old Jun 25th, 2009, 06:54 AM
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I'm a member of the roll your clothes school. As long as you pay a little attention to what you are bringing it's not too bad with the wrinkles. Knits are good since they tend not to wrinkle and they compress well. The size that you wear doesn't make a huge difference, but the type of garment that you bring does. Avoid bulky stuff at all costs! I rarely pack jeans, or even slacks, for that reason. I will not re-wear a shirt usually, or wash-out my underwear, because I do not feel really clean doing that, but packed properly, underpants and cami's or t-shirts don't take up much space. In summer I would take lightweight cotton skirts, t-shirts/camis sufficient to the number of days plus a couple of extras, ditto for underwear, one or two lightweight cardigans, possibly a pair of shorts (depending on my destination) or capris, 1 pair of lightweight knit pants, 1 or two very lightweight sundresses, a pair of ballet flats, dressy sandals, and one or two pairs of flip-flops. I can get all of that (up to about 2 weeks worth) into a 21 inch roller if I scrunch and roll and fill all of those nooks and crannies. Winter is a little more problematic, since the clothes are heavier, but I would pack longer (and possibly heavier) skirts, add tights, ditch the sandals and flip-flops in favor of an additional pair of flats and light-weight boots, and replace the sundress and shorts with a couple more sweaters. I might see if a pair of jeans or slacks could be persuaded to get in there too. That said, pack the minimum that makes you feel not skeevy, make sure everything pretty much goes with everything else, and ideally you should be able to lift it and run with it through an airport if you have to.
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Old Jun 25th, 2009, 07:22 AM
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Sine you're traveling in summer: Don't pack denim jeans, take instead summer pants/shorts made from a light-weight material. Jeans are heavy to carry around, and take forever to dry when washed. Drying them will cost you a fortune in time and/or money. Laundrymats don't always have them, and most people do not have one in their home. If you have a chance to do laundry on a visit with a local friend or relative, chances are you will be hanging your clothes on a line outside in the yard/balcony or in the basement if it's raining.
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Old Jun 25th, 2009, 07:26 AM
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take old underwear and stuff you really don't like and toss it along the way.
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Old Jun 25th, 2009, 10:04 AM
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frenchwow, I really like the way you think!! Leaves a bit more room for bringing stuff home. = ) As said already, give plenty of thought to what you really need. Lay it out, look at it a day or 2, thin, repeat. You can always pick up what you might forget...
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Old Jun 25th, 2009, 10:13 AM
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But why would you want to spend two weeks wearing crappy things you don't like?? There is no reason to throw things away - take what you like and look good in. Just don't take too much.
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Old Jun 25th, 2009, 10:45 AM
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Barb, how long you're going and what you're going to do helps determine how you pack and what you leave behind.

What do you usually need at home for a period of that length, in the sort of weather you'll have on your trip? Make a list of those items. Now, can you whittle that list down? If you wear a pair of pants once at home, can you wear them twice or three times on a vacation? Can they be washed either mid-trip or in the sink (items needing special laundry care are a serious pain)? Now how about shirts... same idea, what can be easily washed, easily packed, easily matched to other items. Don't put together outfits, but coordinating pieces that can be mixed and matched. Don't take half a dozen pairs of shoes.

Whatever you decide is needed to go, pack it in the suitcase you want to take (I love my 25" even though it's not carryon size, and I highly suggest avoiding anything 27" or larger). The suitcase needs to be able to close easily, you have to be able to manuever it (can you walk with it for a distance, can you carry it, can you lift it easily, etc), and there should be plenty of space and weight allowance left for whatever you want to bring back with you. I tend to take a folded up duffle bag to take as carryon on the return trip for fragile purchases. Either buy a cheap luggage scale, or stand on a scale holding the bag, and compare the fully loaded bags weight to what your airline allows. Is it well under the limit?

Good luck and have fun
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