I need some hints for getting 3 nights' worth of clothes into a very small bag. Not even a rollerboard. Something that will fit into the overhead of a Horizon Bombardier 400. Maybe a backpack or slightly larger. I don't want to wait for the a la carte, we have a tight connection and just want to deplane and go.

But I'm not sure I can do it. I'm a packrat by nature.

What exact clothes would you bring for 3 nights in San Francisco in May? (men and women since my husband is traveling with). Not going anywhere really fancy.

wear 2 or 3 layers.....

What temperatures are you used to? How formal do you dress?

Living in the Bay Area, with present weather, and speaking as a rather casual and not-very-cold-sensitive guy... not counting what I'd fly in, 3 short sleeve shirts (polo, button up, whatever he wears), 3 pairs of underwear, 3 pairs of socks, and a second pair of long pants in the bag. Plus a light jacket. Maybe one long sleeve dress shirt and tie if you plan to go out someplace you need one. Should readily all fit in a backpack.

If he's cold-sensitive or you plan to do a ballgame or something involving sitting inactively outside, add a sweater or sweatshirt, which be worn on the plane if chilly, or tied around the waste if it won't fit into the bag if not.

No idea what the women's equivalent; my wife's packing habits are a black art and tend to involve a lot more clothing.

Consider just buying anything you'll want that is too bulky to pack (e.g. a jacket or sweatshirt) once you're there. Consider it a souvenir

(And as a SF native, I would recommend having a jacket or sweatshirt in May)

We're in & out of SFO last week, weather is always a bit chilly in the morning & evening - just "wear" the jacket on the plane or hold it for the short flight on the turbo-prop. Coordinate your outfit as what's worn on your person on day 1 can be re-used on day 3, bring 1 full set of clothes - color coordinated for easy mix-n-match, maybe an extra blouse, roll them up, sleepwear & underwear, go easy on your 3-1-1 (or, use what's provided by the hotel if using one)

Put 1 or 2 scarf into the jacket pocket, along with smartphone/ipad/tablet charger - many leave the laptop behind unless traveling on business - pack medication needed. roll these up to avoid wrinkling and it should go easily into a small/medium size backpack/daypack or even folding canvas tote - so that it will fit into the ultra slim OH bin or seat in front of you.

Believe it or not, a friend of ours did a similar run and managed to put everything into a Macy's shopping tote with an extra nylon canvas tote - stayed with us so didn't even bothered with a 3-1-1, just a toothbrush and a hair brush. There's probably plenty of space for a cotton or silk sweater in there, if desired.

Wear the bulky/ heavy clothes and you should be able to manage easily.....

I can get a weekends essentials into a large shoulder tote bag.

Wear: jeans, t-shirt, lightweight cardigan or sweater, lightweight rainproof jacket, good walking shoes

Bring:
1 more pair of pants or a skirt/tights
2 more t-shirts or other no-iron short sleeve tops
1 more lightweight longsleeve layer
warm scarf
undies, toiletries, jewelry

optionally: sleepwear, bathing suit, depending on where you are staying/what you are doing

The trick is to pick all the above in one color scheme so that every piece mixes and matches with every other piece. One--or two complementary--colors plus everything else in neutrals.

This sticky thread over Travel Products Forum should help:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...pack-suit.html

Rainproof is unlikely to be necessary in SF in May -- we're on a Mediterranean climate, and our rain is very seasonal. Rainy season's over here til the late fall...

Lots of good hints here, everyone, thanks...and thanks for that link to the "Travel Products" forum - never would have thought that's where packing hints would be, I did look around before posting this thread and no category jumped out at me.

We're going to dress nice on the plane which will take us through dinner, then wear the same pants the next 2 days with 2 different tops, then wear the first day's pants with a clean top to fly home. One sweater that I'll wear every day to keep warm.

We're going to do a trial packing in a couple of days (going in a week and a half).

If you and your husband are not going anywhere fancy, he can ditch a dress shirt and tie and you can skip a skirt or anything fancier. Layering is key for my trips to SFO. In certain areas, you may find a short sleeve outfit works--but walk a mile in several directions and you might need a sweater in a hurry, and then thirty minutes later, might need to add a jacket. For trips of this length and in the city, I generally pack a pair of shoes in addition to the pair I'm wearing (and make both pairs comfortable walking shoes unless you're totally walking averse). I add a pair of pants in addition to the pair I'm wearing. A belt that matches the second pair of pants. The second belt, pants, and shoes follow a common color scheme that isn't exactly like the first scheme (to simplify, if I wear black pants, shoes, and belt on the plane, I pack brown pants, shoes, and belt).

I wear a short-sleeved polo/shirt and a cashmere sweater on the plane, carrying and stuffing in the overhead a light jacket. I pack a long-sleeved shirt, a long-sleeved merino polo sweater, and one more short-sleeved shirt. Almost all of the tops should be in colors that I can wear with either set of pants/belts/shoes.

Add in a t-shirt for sleeping or casual wear and possibly a pair of swimming trunks, if I really think I'm going to use a hotel's pool or hot tub (although that seems a waste of time in San Francisco). A couple of pairs of socks/underwear (I'm partial to ExOfficio-type underwear, in which case you might be able to pack only one pair, alternating from day-to-day, with the unworn pair getting a day to dry out from a washing in a hotel sink), which get rolled and packed in the shoes, which in turn are packed in shoe bags.

I limit my toiletries severely as a matter of course (my regular toiletry bag is an amenity bag I got on a BA flight several years ago but holds a folding hairbrush, disposable razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, stick deodorant, small vials of aspirin and other needed medications, band aids, and small fingernail clippers). Limit your electronics to a tablet or ereader, cell phone (with music loaded), and a pair of in-ear headphones--if you really need a computer, you can probably access one in the business center of your hotel. All this can go into a bag like the Red Oxx Extra Small Aviator, which is only 34 linear inches--well under the normal limit for a personal item.

If you can follow the same pattern for your clothes, you'll hit your goal. In the end, packing light inevitably means packing less stuff. You might be surprised once you've tried it, how much easier traveling can be.

You might find this website a helpful resource: http://www.onebag.com/.