I roomed for two years with a member of the Navy ROTC - who could pack a 22" rollaboard to 100 lbs. or more - so I'd like to think I can pack with the best of them. Here's some tips I've got:

* For starters, rolling is far superior to folding - takes out a lot more air and leaves clothes less wrinkled, to boot. Lay stacks of 4-8 pieces out with the clothes you're less concerned about wrinkling on the top, those more so on the bottom. Fold in the sleeves, then roll the whole thing up as you would a sleeping bag. (I sometimes put my shoes, in a plastic bag, in the center of larger rolls.)

* For a typical duffle / rollaboard, pack in two layers - a first layer of clothes, filling in the spaces with ties, belts, etc., followed by a second layer atop it. Socks I usually pack in my shoes.

* The best things you can pack are those that take up virtually no space, but afford you a lot of flexibility. I always bring along a few of: Ziploc bags, 7- or 10-gallon garbage bags, cable ties, a couple ounces of Oxy-Clean, and a foldable poncho.

* Ditto the comments about travel-size toiletries. I can fit everything I need for a week in a small shaving kit. I also throw all my pills and medications in one small (8-ct) Aleve container - obviously, this only works if you can identify each of your various pills by sight.

* Finally, my big two: Pack less and don't pack denim. Denim is the single most travel-hostile fabric known to man - it's heavy, bulky, and stays wet for days. You can fit three good pairs of casual pants in the space of one pair of Levi's. If you must bring them along, wear them on the plane there and back. And, regardless of the length of the trip, there's very few places on this globe that you can't get away with packing for half the length of the trip, washing and/or cleaning what you need while you're there.

I could go on, but one visit to www.onebag.com will tell anyone much more about secrets to good packing than I personally feel like typing.

Mook