packing light

[snugglekitty]

I have real difficulty packing light.

This is about to be a problem, as I am taking a bus to NYC to get transport down to Dark Odyssey in three days.

How do you go about packing light? What do you do?

I felt so happy this weekend that I had brought everything that I needed with me. But now, I need to figure out how to have everything I can't live without, for a longer period of time, with less space. I think that a suitcase, a sleeping bag, and a backpack is about the most I can handle by myself.

Help?

Comments

[cutieperson]

i figure pants/skirts/shorts can be worn a minimum of 2-3 times if i'm not planning on rolling through mud in them, which helps. travel sizes of whatever beauty products i need (deoderant, shampoo, etc).

aside from that i'm just really good at stuffing bags to the brim :)

[cathijosephine.livejournal.com]

I pack the number of socks and underwear I need, plus two. Then I pack an outfit for the warmest/dryest likely weather and the coldest/wettest likely weather. Then I pack an outfit for each special event I -know- I'm going to. If it's longer than four days, I double the second sentence; most of these outfits can be worn more than once, and I usually try to pack mix-and-match-ables.

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

Rewearing pants &c (and sweaters) and making sure that all of my clothes match cuts down on luggage size for me. Also, when I have the choice between bringing two different articles of clothing, I bring the one that's lighter or the one that takes up less room -- this goes for shoes, too. Also, like bbbsg, I bring tiny toiletries. Actually, I keep a little case packed with travel-size toothpaste, deodorant, floss, etc., so that I can just toss in my bag without even thinking. (My problem is often *stressing* about packing, not so much the packing itself.)

What do you find you're bringing too much of? I often bring too many books, so I try to limit that as much as possible. Also, D and I will often trade books on trips, which helps, though it isn't directly applicable here.

[bluepapercup]

In general, I pack things I know I can wear more than once, always pack one warm garment and one cold garment, and NEVER skimp on undies and socks.

Here's the best way to pack lightly, in my experience. Lay out *everything* you think you might need. Then look at the size of the bag you've chosen, and put everything that's truly essential in the bag. Then look at how much space is left, and start paring the rest down. It's remarkable how much stuff I really *don't* need to take on trips. Redundancy in socks and underwear is acceptable, but for a shortish trip, redeundancy in sweaters and jeans is generally not necessary.

[sparkymonster.livejournal.com]

Trim down toiletries. Travel sizes are where it's at. Your toiletry bag is fab, but takes up lots of room.

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

Whenever I'm traveling, I always make a point to pack no more bags than I can physically carry by myself. And I mean carry comfortably. It sounds like you've got a reasonable amount of baggage planned, though. When I go to actually pack a bag, I put everything really important in my purse--wallet etc, plus a paperback, camera, any pills I need, pens and paper--then a bag of toiletries which goes in my backpack, along with my teddy bear. I always end up with a massive bag of toiletries because I just can't live without my contacts, and they require big bottles of stuff. Most things like shampoo and toothpaste you can either get in a travel size or else pick up when you get there. Suitcase for clothes. Usually I'll set out all the clothes I'd like to take, and then put half of them away. Depends on where I'm going, too--I won't pack a nice outfit if I can help it, and if it's a trip where I can get away with wearing one pair of jeans the whole time I'll try to do that. I also try to pack clothes in all the same colors (like navy, brown, and green), because I feel like I can get away with packing fewer outfits if I know that all the tops will go okay with all the pants and will also layer well together, you know? And that's where I stop: I won't pack anything else except extra film in my suitcase if I'm really packing light. And an extra book (or three) if I feel like I'll need them. For bus trips, especially alone, I'll take music too, and put it in my backpack, but I put the cds in a travel case to make them easier to pack and so they won't be all floating around loose. I guess I just try to be really, really organized.

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I never pack extra shoes. Or if I do, it's sandals, and I wear my sneakers on the bus. I remember being on a three-week trip around Europe, doing just fine with three pairs of shoes (I needed a nice pair because I was singing concerts) and watching the other girls in my choir struggle to shove all these excess shoes in their bags. So unnecessary!

Last minute help...if it helps!

[opn.livejournal.com]

We are leaving tonight -- it would be SUPER easy for me to swing by your place and take stuff like your sleeping bag. Does that help? Our rental car is tiny, but we'd have room for something like that.

I'll be online off and on for a couple of hours and I'll e you my cell number just in case.

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

If you can't find the stuff you like to use in travel sizes, drugstores usually sell travel-size plain empty bottles. So even if you use something esoteric, you can take just a little bit along.

Pick a color or two colors that go well together, and pack only that color. Layers are your friend, so it helps to pack a few lightweight things that can go over each other, rather than something big and bulky.

A lot of stuff that people are afraid to go without can be replaced for $2. What if you might need a headache remedy or a magazine or something for indigestion or whatever? You don't have to carry all this stuff with you -- most major hotels have gift stores that'll sell you the "just in case" stuff for a couple of bucks. So you can leave almost all of the just in case stuff at home.

I believe in taking two pairs of shoes (partly because I'm a weird size, so it's hard to find replacements on the road). Pick out the two pairs you plan to take, wear the bulkier of the two, and pack the other pair. You can usually stuff things inside of shoes, to save space.

Have fun!

Cory

[dilletante.livejournal.com]

the rule of thumb which my mom used to repeat is: bring half as much clothing as you think you will need, and twice as much money.

which is probably a bit more useful than my own, "bring only what you can carry for a mile." but i took a long time to pare things down to where anybody could claim that i pack "light." although the one-mile rule of thumb helps a little bit when it comes time to ruthlessly toss stuff out of the bag.

Re: Last minute help...if it helps!

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

As I said on the phone, this is AWESOME.
I will give you my sleeping bag (now crammed into a sack for max compression), my cloak, and my towel. If there's extra room, maybe a pillow too. That will make things sooo much easier.

Thanks a million. :)

[leatherfish.livejournal.com]

Sorry, no advice from me. I am the worst packer. I bring everything I might possibly need and then some. But if there is some generic camping item (like a cooler, or bottle water, etc)that you might need that I could bring in our van, I would be happy to take it down for you.