Please post any unique ideas about saving suitcase space. Thanks.

Eagle Creek pack it system - hands down! I use both their "folders" and their "cubes." Check it out at http://www.eaglecreek.com/packing_solutions.html

The folders are especially great. Not only do they help save space, but they keep things organized.

I'm also a HUGE fan of using clear ziploc bags for toiletries etc. Prevents spills, good for going through security, and relatively cheap!

Happy packing.

pack and/or wear (older) shoes and clothes, that you will not have to pack again and bring home afterwards.

Eagle Creek Pack It systems, I know it's already been mentioned, but it's worth saying again.

I'm also starting to become a fan of those roll up bags that take out all the air and compress your stuff, but usually only do that on the way home because of the wrinkle factor (don't care if dirty clothing wrinkles or not).

Stuff your shoes with your underware and socks, wrap breakables in clothing instead of takes up too much space bubble wrap, Wear the shoes that take up the most space, get travel sizes of all the stuff you are carrying, or save your near empty toothpaste, shaving cream, etc and just use them for the trip and toss them at the hotel, no sende in carrying a full can of something across the ocean just to use it for a few days and carry home again.

Tossing stuff also gives you room for the stuff you purchase.

I don't use the Pack-It cubes because I don't want to have that weight, but I do use Zip-Loc and Space Bags. Also I take older clothes and shoes to give away along the way. (I leave them for hotel maids with a note saying that they are a gift so they aren't accused of stealing).

Try using 2 1/2 gallon zip lock bags, they work just as well as packing cubes. They can also be compressed of excess air.

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

One problem with packing clothes very tightly, especially if you use something like the SpaceBag (c), is that the suitcase will be extremely heavy.

For me, packing lightly is more important than packing tightly.

I work in the adventure travel industry. So I spend nearly 250 days of the year on the road in some less-than-normal conditions. At the beginning of the Soft-adventure trips I often lead, the first thing I do to prevent my clients from hauling unnesessary loads is check what they've brought and together we eliminate what isn't needed. Nothing can make a good trip miserable than having too much weight to carry about. So here are some tricks I use.

1) Bring a soft bag that has as few zippers, closures and outer straps/buckles as possible.

-Hard bags (luggage) though they protect valuables better they are much harder to transport and stow.

-Buckles and straps tend to catch on things and/or break while moving from one form of transportation to another. Mountaineering type back backs are comfortable and light but often they have many external straps and closures. For an overland trip where you're not carrying everything from your stove to survival gear all these features are not necessary. Even though it's a great solution, there is nothing worse than having to duct-tape up an expensive and otherwise perfectly good pack, and hope it stays closed untill you reach your next destination.

2) Your bag should be smallest size that will accomodate your gear. If you have more space, you're likely to use it, meaning you'll have to hoist it around with you throughout your trip.

3) Most people bring far too much with them. A good rule of thumb is to lay out all that you intend to bring and leave half of it home. Doing this you'll likely still find that you have too much. Remeber that anything truly essential can be acquired at your destination. So no worries.

That's all
See you out there

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www.liahonaquest.com
Vacations Without Limits

Travel naked.

I do a lot of leisure travel. I routinely utilize many of the suggestions posted above. Here are some more of my own:

Never pack more than you can physically carry. Period.

I agree that there are very few destinations in which denim jeans are both appropriate and convenient. As a female, I find that two pairs of khaki slacks - or khaki and casual black - work much better. They're lighter weight, and lots more versatile. Wear them with a T-shirt and comfy ankle boots to any casual event, and dress them up with a simple black blazer for dressier venues.

If my destination is a hotel or a series of hotels, I will log on to each hotel web site before my trip to verify amenities. Most all these days, even the budget hotels, will at least have shampoo, soap, and a hair dryer. I leave those things at home. If my hotel doesn't have in-room coffee and it's a short enough trip to have plenty of room in my bag, I have a plastic Betty Crocker 4-cup percolater coffeepot that I take along. In the pot I pack baggies of coffee, nondairy creamer, sugar, and a plastic spoon. I add a little plastic mug that's lightweight and unbreakable.

I usually bring home more toiletries than I take, as I collect the freebies given to me in the hotel. I then take them with me when I visit destinations that don't offer them, such as renting a condo or camping. I use them there, and don't have to worry about bringing them home. And the fancier ones, such as the Green Tea that Wyndham gives, can make nice stocking stuffers.

When traveling internationally, I pack all black and neutral colors. Everything can be worn with everything else, mix-and-match. No worries about being accused of wearing the same outfit every day. The most amount of clothing I ever pack is about 4-5 days' worth, even if I'm going to be gone a week or more. And I pack a small but adequate bottle of Woolite. I wash everything in the bathtub or the sink and it's ready to go.

If I'm going to a destination that doesn't offer an iron and ironing board, I don't take a travel iron. I've found that a small hand steamer works much better - I can steam out wrinkles while my clothes are on the hanger, and not have to worry about scorching a dresser top or burning my clothing due to a lack of steam. And a hand steamer is a lot lighter to pack too.

I also take along magazines and paperbacks that I can leave when I'm done with them.

I always take a swimsuit. It takes up very little space and can be a godsend. Admit it - how many times have you arrived at your destination and longingly gazed at the pool or ocean but couldn't go in? It's always worth having, "just in case."

Hope these help...

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Marry me, fly for free!

No matter how many days the trip, my packing regimen follows these rules:
1. Luggage - no more than what I can handle with 2 hands, no matter the weight. One piece is a 20 in Hartmann pullalong, with one Le Sportsac collapsible bag in case I purchase too much along the way and overflow the Hartmann. I'll beg whatever to get airline to allow me to carry on these two pieces plus a shoulder bag. If not, I check the Hartmann, which would be packed with the heavier items.
2. Clothing/shoes - if old clothing is sufficient for whatever purpose the trip is, I chuck the old clothing/shoes as I go along. Plus tight packing of old clothing doesn't matter as once worn, will be chucked anyway.
If I don't chuck the clothing, and I still have too much, I mail the unessentials home by cheapest seamail method.
3. Purchases - only buy what I can use on the trip, or is compact enough to fit into my luggage. If buying more bulky stuff, only if retailer will mail it for me, and in many US cities/states, the savings on local sales tax will partly cover shipping cost.
4. I rarely bring my laptop on a trip, as it's heavy and bulky. I would use an internet cafe for email, etc., and any special files I need, I upload them to my website before the trip. If I need to update these files along the way, I would email them to myself if I cannot ftp the files to the website.
5. Money - I carry cash, and use a credit card for hotels. Overseas, paying cash, you usually get best discount when buying something. My negotiating strategy is, when I make my final offer, I just lay the cash next the item in question, and tell the retailer to select which he wants to pick up - 9 times out of 10, they will pick up the cash, and I pick up the item, even if my offer is only 30 or 40% of the original (but not inflated) price. If the retailer refuses the cash, I pick that up and leave, but you have to be prepared to forego the purchase. If you walk out, about one third of the time, the retailer calls you back.

Wouldn't have problems getting through security...

(convincing them of your sanity and/or running afoul of public indecency laws notwithstanding...)

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Leadership is not about personal privilege or power.
The duty of the leader is to serve the needs of those
who are led.
-Jan Erteszek

[This message has been edited by empedocles (edited 07-01-2003).]

When I said I utilized many of the suggestions above, it was before I realized that LastClass had posted his suggestion right before mine.

I just want to make that clarification...




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Marry me, fly for free!

But it was so much more interesting before making the clarification

(Espicially from someone with a sig inviting people to marry them ... (however, I still have 2 questions about the sig ... how old are you, and are you seriously offering?
))