our car was packed with camping chairs and later fans & towers. Thankfully we are doing 2 trips home because our stuff is bulky. I’m doing laundry almost daily with the linens and our clothing.

I came across this thread from typing in "I forgot how to pack!" I used to carry the least amount of things, like a weekend in Paris with a small backpack with a shirt and some unders, and basic toiletries (stayed in a little apt no towels so used tshirt)! I'm packing for a 3-week beach then road-trip, then major city trip, and find I'm reaching for my entire house. It has to be some post-pandemic mental insecurity thing, as I know it's ridiculous, but there it is. Luckily I haven't departed, so can reason with myself over the next couple of days, and pare down. My thinking as I go over it all will be that it's OK to be minimalist here, it'll take the stress from seeing and using all that stuff on my trip, vs enjoying my trip with what I've brought. Hopefully that'll reset my thinking, and insecurity to pre-pandemic levels. Thanks for giving me a hearty laugh reading your post, as I feel your pain.

Weather permitting, when the daily temp outside does not drop below 65F, the following goes on my packing list
- four sets of underwear and socks, one swim shorts
- three sets of semi-formal shirts (Van Huesen wrinkle-free are my favorite) or quick dry short sleeve shirts for non-work related travel
- Spenco slippers
- Electronics: laptop and charger, phone, wall USB charger, and universal 3-in-1 cable, power bank
- Toiletries: Gillette fusion razor, travel toothbrush, travel shaving foam, travel toothpaste, one 100ml shampoo/body wash combination.
- Some food: cliff bars, dried almonds/walnuts

That's it. Nothing else for any travel less than a week. I have my pants on me and a jacket. If traveling more than a week, I add a second pair of pants.

All the above fits into a carry-on IT Luggage suitcase and there is enough space left to add something on top.

Have been doing the above for the last 15 years. And yes, if there is no on-premise laundry I wash everything in the sink and dry it in the room as well.

What do you do about shoes? Also, what is your approach when the destination is holding steady at over 100F as the daily high?

David

I have 3 identical pairs of ASICS running shoes which I rotate and use for any place/occasion as long as temp range is within 50-100F. They are ultra-light and flexible/bendable - I need to use special ortho insoles to correct pain problems with my feet.
I've been using these shoes everywhere on this planet - in Singapore, Indonesia, Nevada/California desert, Hawaii, the list goes on. Over sand, rock, gravel, jungles - so far they passed all tests. They are also easily washable/cleanable.

For colder weather, when it is snowing outside, I have much thicker and heavier waterproof boots.

I don't pack any additional pairs of shoes for my travels.

Shoes - above, or I would use (which I use as house slippers as well), underwear - Hanes, socks - 100% nylon, pants/t-shirt - lighter color (gray/sand/green/blue) Columbia/Under-armor ultra quick-dry types without any large text on them. If there is no shade - Columbia foldable sunshade/hat. Again, all the above is sink washable.

I lived in Singapore for >10 years where it is 90F during the day and 84F during the night with 90% of humidity for 365 days. I was doing multiple-hour walking during the day - one day I managed to cross the country on foot from north to south. After Singapore, Nevada's dry heat with >95F is just an easy stroll for me as long as it is in shade.

P.S. If it is raining or for rain protection in a tropical climate, I have a Columbia ultra-thin/ultra-light windbreaker/rain jacket with an attached hood which when folded fits into a large pocket on Columbia These pants have 4 pockets in front and 2 back, plus can turn into shorts by detaching leg sleeves.

Back from my 2.5-week road trip (early, because I came down with COVID partway through ) and now thinking about my next trip, starting Sept. 3. I definitely need to resurrect my packing skills for that one. We’ll be out for four weeks and doing a ton of flying and hauling our bags around—carry-on only is a must. Stage 1 is Labor Day Weekend in a cabin in the southern Appalachians for my dad’s 80th birthday; stage 2 is flying from ATL to Italy and traipsing around Rome, Sicily, Sardinia, Genoa, and Milan. There will be some hiking involved, which complicates matters. All I know is that I need a bathing suit, and I definitely don’t want to bring more than two pairs of shoes—but which two??? I have a month to figure this out 😂

This thread reminded me of how my mother has always told me (in jest, I hope) that packing is her favorite part of a vacation. She always starts 3 days in advance. I think the action makes the excitement feel real, but it's a far cry from my packing 3 hours before takeoff!

These stories remind me of when I moved permanently from the UK to the USA with one checked bag and a carryon. As I was trying to fit one more thing in my checked bag, my mother looked at me and said thoughtfully “you know, I think American’s probably sell shoe polish”.

While the following has nothing to do with packing this did remind me of the time that I spent a month in the UK and my mother sent me a care package that included pasta and boxed tomato sauce.

Is your family of Italian heritage?

David

Of course! I was more amused by my mother thinking that they wouldn't have things like pasta and sauce in England.
Now my mind wavers between the "if I forgot it I can buy it there" and "you want me to pay how much for body wash?!"

I typed myself a checklist that I use for most trips. Then, between a combination of the type of trip, and baggage policy of the airline, I pack what makes sense. Sometimes it's a carry-on, sometimes it's a checked bag, sometimes it's a shared bag between the two of us.

Backpacking is out of the question for me. I don't need 2 suitcases, but I'm not bringing the bare minimum to brag and save a buck on luggage. It is annoying to need things you could have packed, only to spend time and (inflated) money to go find it.

Exactly this--I don't want to waste time hunting stuff down, so I tend to bring with me any meds I've used in the past year or so (a mercifully short list) and likewise first aid supplies that cover any problems I've had in the past year or so. My own stuff nearly always fits in a carryon rolling bag + tote/backpack. However, it's not uncommon for me to have an additional bag of gifts/cargo for friends I'm visiting outbound or for shopping inbound.

I alternate between one 28" checked suitcase and a laptop bag or a carry-on and my laptop bag. My biggest hurdle in carry-on only, is the liquid and gel limitations. It's not enough to get allowable travel sizes of all your hair products, toothpaste, deodorant, lotions, etc., but they all have to fit in a quart size bag. In regards to clothing, I find that I invariably use only a quarter of the items I pack. I tend to launder dirty items as I don't like the thought of carrying them around during my usual frequent stops in different cities. I find UNIQLO's AIRism undershirts a godsend in hot temperatures as they absorb perspiration and odor, keeping your shirt fresher for more than just a day. A quick wash of the AIRism daily in a sink with whatever soap or detergent you may have at hand, and they dry within an hour or two. If I need to wear a suit or jacket, and don't wear it on my flight or in between stops, I have learned a method of folding it inside out that limits the amount of creasing while it resides in my suitcase. I also coordinate clothing so that I can match any given item with all the others. One trip it will be shades of blue, another black, another tan, etc. Same for shoes. They must match my attire and I always bring one extra pair along with some flip flops for any pool time. My wife was a fashionista, and it rubbed off on me, for better or for worse.
For electronics, I bring location specific plugs, adapters, my laptop, phone, the appropriate chargers, noise canceling earbuds and a power bank. I also bring a special duffle bag that folds into a flat 8'X10' packet, just in case I decide to do some last minute shopping on my return.

This turned out to be an interesting thread. Thanks to all the contributed. I am glad I was not alone.

Since I originally posted, I certainly have curtailed my overpacking on airline trips. Unfortunately, I just went on an 8 night vacation road trip, and I again packed like I was going on a world tour for three months. I think that the "car and car trunk" gave me a false sense of space to pack. And pack like a hoarder I did. I packed four very large bags and a medium duffel bag. I also threw in an electronics bag, and an electronic duffel bag cooler that can plug into your cigarette lighter socket or (with an adapter) can be used in a hotel room with 110 AC as a small fridge for rooms that have no fridge.

And it was horrible. Again, I found myself looking through bags trying to find things. It took hours to pack and unpack. This was a problem with changing hotels/resorts four times. Half way through the trip, I spent an afternoon taking about 15 percent of my packed items out of various large bags and consolodating them into two small bags for the remainder of the vacation. NEVER AGAIN will I overpack for a road trip. I am applying the same principles of airline travel to road travel. With the exception of carrying the small duffel bag electronic cooler - just in case the hotel has no fridge. My benchmark for any trip from now on is as follows;

If I need a hotel cart or a Bellman with a luggage cart to carry my bags to the room, then I have overpacked.