How do you pack? Loaded for Bear or Light as a Feather?
 

Just read a little article in the recent "Travel and Leisure" magazine entitled "Traveling Heavy"
The author basically stated that he has always packed steamer trunks for even the briefest of weekend stints. He wants to be prepared and blend in to any situation. For the first time in his life he's going to Montreal for a three day weekend and NOT checking a bag.

Interesting.

I stopped checking baggage a long time ago. Heck, I went to London and Paris for 10 days with an Ogio Rolling carry on duffel and a matching Ogio Hip-Hop Messenger bag. I'm not saying the two carry on bags were not stuffed to capacity, but I spent 10 days in two cities and never checked a bag.

IMO, business men have it easy. I'm not sure about women, not being one myself. But I can get by with a Navy Blazer, Gray and Khaki pants, two shirts, change of underwear, two ties, change of socks, toiletries kit, shoes, and workout clothes/sneakers for a few weeks. OK, if it's really going to be "FORMAL" I'll pack one suit.
My typical "business" packing is that plus my Nook or Kindle, Laptop, and maybe a casual shirt and pants/shorts if I think I'll be goofing around on the weekend. For leisure, I'd forgo one pair of pants and one dress shirt and throw in a swimsuit, and flip flops and another casual shirt.

Do you pack loaded for bear or light as a feather? Maybe somewhere in between?

I have a large roller suitcase that typically weighs in at 22 to 25kg, and a small laptop backpack. Have been on the road non-stop since January with nothing else. I do need to carry some VoIP desk phones for my work (owner of a VoIP software business) which adds perhaps 3 or 4kg, but apart from that it's pretty standard tourist clothes, laptop, DSLR gear, toiletries, electrical chargers and cables (which I somewhat resent having to carry), etc. All I need to live a nomadic lifestyle indefinitely...

We always INTEND to pack light. As I am loading the car, it seems like we have packed the entire house.

One carryon is my limit for any length trip. It's only hard to go from packing lots to packing a little the first time. After that you'll wonder why you ever bothered carting around all that stuff.

+1 :D

Say pack light, but pack alot.

I am always loaded for bear..........

I "pack light" in terms of no checked baggage, but my backpack is fairly heavy (my laptop weighs about 4.5 pounds) and my 20" or 22" rollaboard usually weighs about 25 - 30 pounds. However, I can usually travel at least 10 - 14 days with that unless it is a business trip with both cold weather and semi-tropical destinations.

Before most domestic airlines got so strict about the 22" X 14" X 9" dimensions, I often traveled with a wheeled garment bag the was 24" X 16" X 7" which sufficed for almost any length trip to any destinations(s).

I have noticed despite "packing light" I always come home with at least one or two items I didn't wear or use at all on the trip. And it is very rare that I need to buy something at a destination because I forgot it or it couldn't fit in my suitcase.

Totally depends on the trip. Sometimes light as can be, other times I'll be a half pound under the weight limit.

But then again, I don't have any problem checking a bag or two when I need to, it's way easier sometimes.

I have a medium messenger bag - fits under a 737 seat. That's it*. A day, a week, a month, three months. Haven't carried a second bag or checked one in 30 years.

* Well, sometimes I have an armload of "overflow" magazines and books.

It's a cliché, but true.

The more I travel the less I take.

On a trip from DFW to Athens to board a cruise ship the wife took so much stuff I had to arrange for two taxi cabs from the airport to the hotel, then from the hotel to the port. Yes, two cabs. One just for the overflow luggage. I was afraid the ship would draw too much water to leave the port.

me, I carry a small day pack with very little - I can manage a trip of up to four days with just that, any longer I need a larger roll-aboard.

Now, my 18 month old daughter....

It very much depends. Different carriers have different rules for carry-ons. Domestic US flights are quite permissive; the same bags would often not be accepted in the EU.

Biz travel for a few days is one thing; travel for weeks at a time makes it impossible to pack lightly (especially when climates are changing and you need clothes for different weather conditions).

It also depends on how much shopping you intend to do, what stuff you need to bring/send/transfer.

Travelling on business I tend to pack pretty light and a pair of trousers can usually last 2-4 days with a change of shirts, ties and underwear each day. I just take a small roll-aboard that can fit tiny FlyBE and I assume it is slightly easier for men to pack. Even with the liquid restriction in hand luggage I find small 100ml can last easily a week or 2 where I've seen others have kilos worth of the stuff!

I always travel with loads of food in my bags, be it from Bangkok to Europe with black rice and curries or in the other direction with 50kgs of jams, hams, cheese, fruits. My wife loves pears, so I brought her a few kgs last week from Germany.

Fairly lightly, I have to force myself not to take too many books or too much useful in an emergency stuff - string for example.

My 'souvenirs' are food too.

Light as a feather, especially when traveling domestically and I know resources are readily available. I don't understand the folks who travel loaded down, unless they are going somewhere where provisions are difficult to get.

Light.

When I visit my elderly mother I pack very ligh, as I keep an extra shaving kit at her house.

When I travel for business I try to use only a carry one and a laptop case. Soap, shampoo and other items are all available at the hotel. If I am at the same hotel for a week I don't even pack shaving cream, will just buy one at the destination.

When we lived in Germany the DW was on a 4 day trip back to the States and I talked her into just using my e-Bags carry on. Took some convincing but she took my advice. When she returned she said that was the best travel advice I have ever given her.

LAAF here. Like gfunkdave, I got it down to a single carry-on bag a long time ago, and once you've done it a few times, there's no going back.

I am female and I actually think that men have a harder time fitting into one bag, being (usually) physically larger and having larger clothes and especially shoes. Men also tend to have a deathly fear of ironing, which I do not; I have no problem squashing my clothes into a tiny space and then ironing them at my destination.

Perhaps I am in the minority of women, but I could care less if people see me wearing the same outfit twice on the same trip. I do a lot of laundry on the road, so that outfit will still be clean!

I remember reading or hearing a valuable quote from Rick Steves years ago.
He used to marvel at overseas travelers taking bottles and bottles of shampoo and soap and Cologne and after shave and shaving cream and on and on and on - like they could NEVER get them from a store overseas.
He said "Why bring them when you can buy them local? Ask yourself how MILLIONS of Europeans have managed to live without shampoo, shaving cream, and under arm deodorant for all these years."

I always travel with bare essential toiletries. Under Arm, Cologne, Razor, tiny travel size soap and shampoo, brush, travel after shave. Mostly for in case I have to stop at a budget hotel and there is nothing but soap, or if I'm stuck in an airport or train station and have to "Freshen-Up" before I move along.

Underwear? Two pair spare. Most hotels have laundry or laundry service. In a pinch? As the grandparents used to do... RINSE OUT A FEW THINGS yourself.

A friend of mine is a referee for a professional sporting organization. You should see HIM pack! Just a backpack. He's gone for days and days and travels ultra light. I admire him. Always looks fresh and polished. Just does not get into taking much. He's a minimalist. I love it. Granted his work clothes consist of a striped shirt and black pants, but heck, he spends days on the road with nothing more than a backpack.
:)

:eek:

Heck, I could do a three day weekend living out of my laptop bag. :p


I'm a guy and always figured it was harder for women. Go figure.

Well sure, ironing is Woman's Work! :eek::D

Seriously, to get out wrinkles I just hang up the shirt or pair of slacks in the bathroom after running hot water in the shower and sink to build up steam.

I'm short and small and work in an industry where the dress code is "All we ask is that you have clothes on ;)" so I can fit several day's worth of clothes into a messenger bag if needed, and I don't need to worry about ironing.

I still check a bag when I'm going away for more than a few days - but mostly to carry toiletries, and to bring back any stuff I buy while I'm away.

Last conference I went to, I packed light and checked an almost empty bag. I'm glad I did, because one of the PRs I met at the conference was giving away huge radio controlled tanks, and the geek in me couldn't say no to that gift :)

Light as a feather - well, light but dense!
 

The old travel dictum is "take half as much clothing as you think you will need, and twice as much money". That still works pretty well, and we travel with a rollaboard (usually Travelpro) and a "personal item" - works even for seven countries in six weeks, varied transport modes including aircraft, bus, rail, river cruise and river boat. "If you don't check it, they can't lose it" is another good dictum...

...unless we are on a dive trip, in which case we each check a dive bag with our gear (other than our regulators and computers, which are broken down in our carry-on). Basically, we do not want to borrow or rent others' life-support equipment or ill-fitting wetsuits, etc. Then we make sure there is an itinerary inside, an itinerary in a tag outside, two tags, a colorful belt for easy identification, photos of the bag(s) in our possession.

A great site with videos, etc. for learning how to pack light is the result of some friends who opened a travel store in the SMF area many years ago (1978) - the creator of the system has passed away, but the second generation carries on. The page with videos is accessible here. (Their prices are pretty decent as well.)

After 20 years of travel, the last 18 years with no checked bags (for any length of travel) with the small exception around the time of 9/11, I guess I would be on the lighter side. I can do a 2 week trip with only a 21" carry on, IF I get two days in a hotel where I can get laundry done. I always carry an extra pair of underwear and socks for a 1 week trip and 2 pairs if a 2 week, it's insurance against being delayed and has worked so far!

- Tim

I usually travel very light, so I can bring back all sorts of "souvenirs."

I've found that Under Armor shirts are great for leisure travel. They don't look too casual (they have collared shirts too) and they are made to remove moisture from your body, plus they wash out by hand and air dry without wrinkles. I'm sure other sports clothes companies make them too. I usually carry two of these shirts with me.

A few weeks ago, I returned from a fishing trip to AK. I arrived in Anchorage with just a backpack, but I took back 2 50# boxes of salmon and halibut I caught myself. Needless to say, I had a bunch of "friends" that knew exactly when I returned home.:p

Female, 1 month in Aus...
 

managed with one 22" suitcase and a small carryon....it did help that we could launder en route...but no big deal,,,can buy toiletries as needed.

And no, we were not backpacking, 4 star hotels, 1st class Ghan train..there are irons if needed.

Definitely a case of it depends. I try to find that perfect balance between having everything I will need and having my bags weigh too much. I don't mind checking bags on certain trips if it means I will be freer while transiting airports but still have exactly what I need. Still, it's rare that I do unless the trip is particularly long.

I am female, too, and agree with what you said. I have no fear of an electric iron.

I save a LOT of space by not taking/wearing makeup. I gave up makeup years ago, back in high school. I face the world with the face God gave me.

My "makeup"? One (1) bottle of SPF 15 cream. I live in SoCalif and am prone to skin cancer.

Same here. It also helps to be not too picky about the personal care products you use. I'm quite happy to use hotel shampoo, airline toothpaste, etc. I'm always amazed by people that feel that their appearance will be irreparably damaged by the use of a different brand of moisturizer for a couple of days. :rolleyes:

I'm somewhere between "light" and "it depends" because it depends on the reason for the trip. I do some work with a cruise line and if my trip includes a ship visit that can be a couple of weeks long, then I am usually doing public appearances. That means I need to bring along some "show" clothes. BUT, there are marvelous lightweight knits that look great with glittery bling, and once I'm offstage, I depend on stuff I can pack light and wash as needed. (TravelSmith or Orvis are great finds.)

Also end up needing makeup, but there are some marvelous small kits that don't take up much room at all and I can do my TV makeup when onboard the ship.

Other business trips are shorter and I can usually do those with a backpack and a small rollaboard. The longer trips usually require a checked bag slightly bigger than a legal rollaboard. Just gotta depend on washables and knits.

I agree about the whole "why bring the lotions, etc." discussion. Then again, I"m a big "travel size" fan for anything, and that keeps me from having to dash out early in the trip to get stuff. But, later on, yeah -- that's why there are drug stores and chemists in each port. ;)

I used to pack everything that I though I might possibly need.
After a few trips checking and then dragging around an almost 50lb bag, I realized that I could do without more than half of the stuff I had packed.

I pack pretty light now. If it's domestic and for 5 days or less, and I am not bringing any tools, I don't check a bag. I know that since most of my trips are to medium or larger towns or cities, I can get anything that I really need once there.

Mych

Yep, just happened to notice this. It's true for me too.
I used to pack heavy, but when I started traveling for a living, I realized that the old ball and chain suitcase packed full of stuff I never used needed to go.
Since then, it's just a carry-on for the week - sometimes as long as 2 weeks. They have these neat things called "Washing Machines" in hotels and laundromats that I have learned to use while traveling with one or two changes of clothes. ;)

Are you kidding? Light as a feather ALWAYS. I don't care how far away or for how long, I will NEVER check a bag (gate checks excluded)

This is the modern age. Most hotels have laundry. So do people you visit. So do cities..they are called "Laundromats". They also have blow dryers, sewing kits and everything you may need. You can also buy stuff while there if you find yourself lacking something critical..

Nothing beats avoding the check in line and the baggage claim. And having everything with you also helps.

Since I signed-up for Global Entry, my packing philosophy has changed. Since almost all my travel is international and often for quite a few days, I used to almost always check bags (and I would pack more than I really need). Now that I don't have to wait in line at passport control in the U.S., I do my best to go with carryon only, so I can literally be in a taxi 5 minutes after the plane reaches the gate.

Trouble is that in many countries I visit you can't get European sized clothes, it's hard to find an English speaking chemist and you might find laundromats in backpacker areas of cities but I don't want to have to treak across town and spend an hour watching my washing go round - surely that wastes the saving made by not waiting for baggage?

I think there is a big difference between travelling within North America / Europe and in the developing world; similalry major cities versus smaller towns.

Yes, in the developing world you can get your laundry done for really cheap. As an example, on my last big vacation, in Laos, I got about 10 kg of laundry done at a laundry service half a block from my hotel in Luang Prabang. It cost less than $15. One day turnaround, and they did a very fine job.

I pack lightly and try to go only with carry-ons as much as possible, but let's be realistic: bringing a larger bag and checking it isn't a crime, isn't terribly expensive, and in many cases isn't much of a hassle to deal with.

For example, on two-week trips overseas I sometimes give in and take a large suitcase, checked. Using that bag allows me to have a comfortable change of shoes and more clean shirts. I save time and money by not needing to do laundry. And you know what that larger bag costs me? Nothing. It is a bit bigger and heavier than my roll-aboard but it's no problem to wheel it from the airport to the taxi line and then from the hotel lobby to my room. "Checked bag" does not have to be synonymous with "steamer trunk".

Because half my carry-on's medical equipment and meds/pills and half is camera gear, I essentially pack all my clothing into a checked bag. I generally pack a roll of bubble wrap just in case I buy something fragile, but I'm usually only slightly overpacked. So I'd say medium with the carry-on caveat.