ft101

Yes. I mentioned earlier it takes me a week, but even if I use actual time rather than elapsed time we still might be close. I just don't see any point in hurrying when something can be done in a relaxed, take your time style. Nobody got a prize for packing a week's worth of clothes in a shoe box in less than 2 minutes - all they got was a step closer to an ulcer and a bit of raised blood pressure. Not worth it to me.

chrisl137

My girlfriend is even more speedy and compact at packing than I am. She went to a conference in Africa for 10 days with just a messenger bag. It helps that she's much smaller than me, so the same number of clothes take that much less space. Since it was Africa in the summer, she didn't need warm clothes, and she could wash things in a sink on count on them drying in a few days.

chrisl137

This is a thing I always do, too, that's wrong: things like toothbrush and razor don't have to go in your 311 bag, since they don't contain liquid. We all get so conditioned to treat it as a toiletry bag that it's easy to forget that it's just the liquids that have to be in the 311. Solid deodorant, razor, toothbrush, nightguard, cold medicine, etc, can all go in something else that doesn't come out at the checkpoint, so if you're tight on space in the 311, pull those things out.

Of course the 311 bag 10 feet away from me in the hotel room where I'm at has both my razor and toothbrush...

I even have a separate toothbrush that stays in the 311 - I get packs of them at costco in case guests forget to bring them, and just put one in the ziploc. I also usually have a few dental hygiene packs with a toothbrush, floss, and paste in the car so I can grab them as I get out at the airport if I forgot.

evergrn

If you put the worn shirts and pants back into the cubes, then do you wash these cubes before the next trip then? If so, do you throw it in the washer machine? I went to Eagle Creek's Specter webpage but they don't say anything about how to clean it.

Okay, Specter shall be the one I get.

LOL!

cubbie

My style is your style, and I agree!

Katja

I just throw the Specter cubes in the washing machine. I wash them cold and gentle, but I wash everything cold and gentle.

Allan38103

OP, you're GROSSLY overthinking this. For everyone else, the question was about HOW to pack, not WHAT. Imagine if it took only five minutes to pack, but an hour to get up all your stuff. And if you could cut your packing time 20 %, you would only cut the overall process from 65 minutes to 64. Big deal. No one can begin to tell you what to pack, because no one else knows you, where you're going, how long, what you're doing, and most of all your personal habits.

The best way to pack - after you decide what to bring - is to just pack until its done. A shirt takes up exactly as much volume if it's rolled, flat, folded in thirds, fifths, or whatever, stored on top or in the middle. Same for books, cameras, all clothes. The only difference is maybe shoes, and if you can't figure out how to roll smaller things into the toes you probably shouldn't be traveling alone anyway. Pack any way you want, by size, age, color, or whatever. It's YOUR stuff and no one else will notice or care..

cubbie

I think it's good advice to have a toiletry bag and an electronics bag (chargers, cables) always ready to go for each person.

What I personally don't think is very easy to do in advance is pack clothes. I guess some people can set aside clothes for travel in advance, but I usually like to plan to wear the clothes I've been enjoying wearing lately. whch means they're out, in my closet, dresser, laundry, and have to be gradually gathered and selected for packing. I agree with the person who said something like they drop items in the open suitcase as they pass by. Then there's what else in the area of clothes/shoes/coats needs to be packed for a trip where the weather/activities/etc. will be different. I don't mind if this sorting process is spread out over a few days prior to my trip.

I just got back from a part of the country where the temperature was 25 deg F colder than here. I had to take twice as many coats, boots, and warm clothes as I'd have needed if I'd stayed home. Next week I'm going somewhere where it's 25 deg F warmer, and I'll have to do similar calculations in reverse. I'd rather think about those needs calmly over the course of a couple of evenings than try to do it all in 20 minutes and almost invariably get some of it wrong. I am one of those zen-mode packers: I pack over the course of a few days prior to a trip, I like to have a staging area, and I try to get all my laundry done before a trip and then decide what in the clean laundry I want to take.If other people like to be able to grab-and-go, good for them, but it's just not me.

CDTraveler

The difference is what the shirt looks like when it comes back out of the suitcase. Folded carefully the shirt looks fine, no ironing needed. Crammed into a corner with other stuff compressing it and it looks like hell when you go to put it on. I find interlacing layers of larger items minimizes wrinkling so less maintenance is needed later. Minutes spent doing that mean fewer minutes dealing with problems later.

invisible

In my vacation travel of SEA countries (no more than 7 days) my whole packing takes no more than 5 minutes. It is just underwear, socks, and duo-dry/athletic shirts. For business trips in EU/US, replace duo-dry with dress shirts and reave other stuff the same, plus add one more jacket. Travel suitcase (IT Luggage) weights no more than 5-7kg (with notebook computer), carry-on only.

I have the same approach as well, but I pack 4, because unfortunately most/sometimes it is not enough time washed pair to get it dry. In Vietnam and Bali cotton underwear did not get dry during the 24h.

Thank you mom to forcing me to learn how to wash of my own underwear/socks in sink when I was 10.. Helped me a lot.

Low Roller

I tend to pack on laundry day. Once all the clothes are out of the dryer, I decide which to put in the suitcase and which to hang in the closet. That way, I have everything available to choose from and can get it all done at once.

BarbiJKM

[QUOTE=evergrn;29102902]Almost everything I pack for trips are things I use at home and each thing has its own rightful place in different area of the house for everyday use. My laptop is my one and only home computer, and just walking to my study, unpacking and restoring that alone takes a good minute or more. There're all these other things that I have to do the same for... electric toothbrush, noise-cancelling headphone, jacket, swim goggles, sunglasses, electric shaver, etc, etc. So it really adds up. QUOTE]

DUPLICATES are your friend! It's a one time expense, but saves SO much time down the road. I have a small cabinet stocked with duplicate toiletries, personal appliances (hair curler, electric toothbrush), electronics, chargers, glasses, medications, etc., and those things are stored in packing cubes, ready to go, and are replaced in the cabinet when I return home (and refilled then, if necessary). I wouldn't think of disconnecting my home laptop, electric toothbrush, home charging systems, etc., every time I travel. I have a small tablet for internet access (besides my phone) that ONLY is used for travel. I also stock a travel umbrella, special socks for the plane, nightwear, a nylon windbreaker, and extra underwear in my travel stash. Having duplicates dedicated to travel and stored in the same place means I don't need to scour the house and remember to find (and replace) everything I need. It saves a lot of time!

NotSoFrequentColorado

You have to WIPE DOWN your charger cables before packing? Because they might be dusty? Yeah, I think your original suggestion that OCD is involved might be spot-on.
Also, if you decide to use packing cubes don't put dirty clothes in them and you won't have to wash them. Put dirty clothes in the disposable laundry bag from the hotel.

evergrn

haha you might be right. You don't wipe down something that's really dusty before packing, though?

CDTraveler

I double bag shoes in plastic bags if the soles are less than immaculate, but cables? No, not really a dust issue for those.

Cables are one of those things it really does pay to have a dedicated set for travel. Doing so can save you much time and aggravation. I have https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-...cessories+case which holds my duplicate power cable, adapter, micro mouse, spare ear buds, etc. - all stuff that is only used for travel. At home I don't take it out of the case so there's no chance of forgetting to pack it.