OK folks here is the skinny ( interesting choice of words considering I always seem to over pack )

I consider myself a very experienced traveler, but as I always take 7+ day trips, I find myself packing way too much and checking a large bag.

My question for you out there that have "mastered" this lost art...

How do you pack for a 10 day trip?

I am going back to Europe for 10 days in October (about 7 days in the UK, and 3 days in Western Europe (Germany or Amsterdam))

Should I just pack a carry-on and expect to have things laundered?
I am ex-military so I plan everything way too much, so there isn't ever a lot of time for me to wash things.

I've set up a little "system" for myself to judge how much I should pack. Most people find my system a little odd or too systematic, but I have found it works quite well for me. The last few years, I've rarely had too much or too little on my travels. I use the following guidelines:

1) How much travel will I be doing with away? If I am doing one of those backpacking trips or grand tours, I try to pack less and prepare myself for wearing worn clothing, to avoid lugging around a ton of baggage. If I will be in one place, then I worry less about size/amount of baggage.

2) Who will I be staying with? If I am with family or friends that can transport me to and from places, I also tend to pack a little more, as baggage is not such a hassle. Whenever I go home to my family (in Africa), I usually bring about 60kg with me (usually stuff for the family and friends back home)!! If I have to take trains/busses/taxis, I pack less.

3) What kind of holiday/trip am I on? If I am going to the beach in Mozambique, I just bring my trunks, a towel, and maybe two changes of clothing. If I am skiing in Austria, obviously I need to pack more (i.e. big heavy jackets, gloves etc.). If I on business, I will need to better pack my cloths and bring more nicer things obviously.

4) And just common sense stuff... pack for the climate, the culture and use commonsense. Don't overpack by bringing things "just in case" (one can always buy a cheap sweater if it gets cold all of a sudden). Don't bring every hair and body care product one can possibly imagine. Only bring heavy hardcover books you will actually read. Leave some space so security can easily unpack/repack your bag, as well as have room for things you bring back (this further helps you to be economical).

I then decide what size bag to bring with me based on the traveling I am doing, and never overpack it (thus forcing myself to remove all those extra "things" I really will not be using, as well as packing more economically). Additionally, if I decide I need to have less volume (smaller bag), one good way to minimize bulk is to pack the clothes you don't care about (i.e. socks, underwear, t-shirts) in zip lock bags and push all the air out; you would be surprised how much volume is saved (would not advise for suits or cashmere sweaters though...).

I also find the old rule helpful to avoid overpacking: pack what you need only, and then remove half.

Hope I helped a little...

I just went on an 11-day trip, and I could not conceive of not bringing 11 days worth of clean socks, underwear and T-shirts. To do otherwise would just be gross!

Of course the other alternative would be to do laundry in the middle, but I was way overscheduled as it was. So I sadly checked a bag with all the clothes.

Still, I never check anything valuable.

I just packed 8 days days of clothes into my small suit case for a 12 day expedition to Germany. I'll rely on hotel laundry to get me through. It is actually the largest (I think) size you could carry onto a reasonably sized aircraft but I check it in anyway. My trick is:

i) 8 pairs of socks go into the grooves at the bottome the case.
ii) I pack as flat as possible, trying to fold nothing more than once. It's amazing what you can fit in doing it this way.

In addition to the 8 days of supply of clothes, I've also managed to fit:

-Two books
-6 DVDs
-Wine waiter type corkscrew remover
-Small folding unbrella (rain forcast for Nurnburg next week)
-Goretex jacket.

The organisational skills between my 12 day trip and last week's three day trip are very different. Last week packing took about three minutes while I chucked what I needed into the case (and it was pretty full). Today, it took me over 30 minutes.

As I'm another chronic overpacker don't have much of an advice really, but I've got a story to share.

Last year I flew with my SO to Nice, France for holidays. For a change, we decided to pack as lightly as possible and we did the best we could. We managed to fit everything in a small soft bag. Went to Europcar in downtown Nice and found out that not only my reservation was cancelled (this is another story entirely), they didn't have any more car available... except a Smart!

Our bag did fit into the Smart's boot but our usual suitcase would have never fitted. So we got lucky: it halved our car rental fee as well. We travelled all the way to Marseille in our little car and it was fun! So packing light has its advantage after all... I'll need to remember how I did it, tho...

Thanks for all the advice so far.. and keep it coming.

I am actually thinking of bring my laptop case ( its a soft side case that has a "2 days of clothing" compartment )

Between that and my small carry-on I think I will be ok.

I will be wearing/carrying my coat on the flight and will wear my heaviest stuff I think.

In the end I could always check it ( but it just makes life so much simpler if you carry-on )

If you're willing to pay for hotel laundry, it makes it MUCH easier. I look at it this way: I pay about $30 to them to wash some shirts and socks a few times. A massage for an aching back if I over pack is about $75 + tip. So the laundry is more economical. Also, if you have stuff that dries fast, pack a bar of ivory soap in a ziploc bag, and wash the quick-dry items in the sink and dry them on hangers in the bathroom.

I also rarely pack anything more than a small shampoo and other essentials- I prefer to try out ones I buy en route, and then only bring them home if I liked them.

For my last 12 day winter trip:
* Wore my jeans and my knee-high dress boots and peacoat on the plane to get them out of my suitcase.
* Packed a pair of gray wool dressy pants, a black pair of pants, and two wool skirts- laid flat at the bottom of the bag and steamed out in the hotel bathroom to de-wrinkle the night before I wore them
* Laid about 6 tshirts on top of that -2 white, 2 black, 2 pale blue (paid to have them cleaned during the trip)
* Laid three light sweaters over that (black turtleneck, pink vneck, white cardigan- they went with everything else I brought)
* pjs laid flat- brought ones I can wash with ivory soap & dry overnight
* Blouses rolled up in little cylinder shape and laid on top, then all my electronics loose ends in a drawstring bag next to that
* socks/underwear squished into open corners
* 1 pair of comfortable black heels and 1 pair of black flats in shoe bags laid on top
* scarfs and gloves on top of that - I was mostly walking around sightseeing, so I pretty much lived in pants/peacoat/scarf, so I figured I'd get some variety there, since they're small
* small cosmetics bag, ipod, camera and film, notebook, 2 books, 2 guidebooks, small wrap that doubles as a scarf, and magazines/snacks/water for the flight all go in my purse (14" x 8" x 2")

So that's 12 days of cold weather stuff (summer is way easier) in a 20" rollaboard and a purse. Easy. Everytime I want to toss in something else, I remember the frustration of standing in a few lost luggage lines in college & change my mind.

Maybe you can kick the habit cleanly by planning your next vacation at a nudist colony?

It's possible to get 7-10 days worth of stuff if you're not concerned with wearing pretty much the same clothes for that time. Obvious: wear the heaviest pair of shoes on flight, plus the bulkiest sweater, coat in the overhead.
As pointed out, hotel laundry is available, or hand wash essential items overnight. We often rent a flat and washer/dryer is a wonderful asset, but you can still manage without one.
Put toiletries in small bottles, use space-saver bags, and - most important - resist the impulse to throw in yet another extra sweater.
I use a 20' rollaboard plus a smallish backpack which does double duty as a footrest, or increases the height of one when I'm in J. It's well worth it when you bypass the crowds at the baggage carousel.

After feeling like a mule by carrying way too much stuff in the past, I now swear by packing very light. Two sites I studied are these:

http://travelite.org/

http://www.oratory.com/onebag/

Just a note for anyone intending to travel within Europe with only carry-on baggage... carry-on allowances are much lower here than in North America. Most airlines here restrict hand baggage to between 5 and 10 kg (and they will often weigh items that looks like they might be above the limit). Also, some airlines have a strict "one item" rule, so you wouldn't be able to take on a rollerboard AND a backpack.

Which is why I take trains within Europe. Wouldn't work for everyone, but I've planned my trips so far to work with the trains available, and I find it a much more enjoyable experience.

That's all there is to it.

Most cities have also good accesable, cheap and reliable public laundry facilities (who are a lot cheaper than hotel laundry). I am right now in NYC and just washed this morning my stuff in the sink and put it to hangdry. I try to take light clothes that pack good with me.
Black is awesome to travel, cotton mix clothes who dont wrinkle are great to travel with and pack light. I like to roll my stuff instead of folding it, less wrinkles and I have the feeling I need less space. I can live out of my carryon for weeks if I can wash the clothes, did it up to 7 days without washing anything. The biggest thing I learned is not to pack so many sweaters and pants, I seldom needed all that I packed. Also I started to skip on shoes.

My notebook is in a backpack where I have enough space for book, toileteries and other tidbits.

You know... I am going to visit friends...

Maybe I will just let them wash my clothes or use their washing machine... might make life a bit easier.