The Art of Packing

Posted On December 13, 2020

Growing up, my parents hated the stress of arriving to a destination only to discover underwear or other essentials had been left at home…and it is always the underwear that gets left, isn’t it? And underwear can be tricky to find. In an attempt to solve this recurrent problem, my parents created a checklist that was used for all family vacations. Multiple copies were printed and kept on a clipboard with our luggage. The checklist was a lifesaver for maintaining sanity.

To this day, I continue to use a packing checklist. We keep several versions to fit our needs depending on whether we are climbing Kilimanjaro or lazing on a Nicaragua beach. A checklist keeps your luggage manageable, ensures you have all the necessities, saves money and time….and minimizes stress. I get frequent request from friends for packing lists, so I will share them with you here, along with some basic packing principles.

Carry-on…..and carry on!

Unless you are packing for a mountaineering trip, aim to travel with a carryon roller board and a small backpack or bag.

1. You run the risk of your bag getting lost if you check it. Spending the first day of your vacation on the phone with the airlines over lost luggage and repurchasing clothes and necessities is not how you want to start off your dream trip. Set yourself up for success. If you anticipate shopping and bringing home a bunch of souvenirs, pack a collapsible duffle bag to pack your dirty clothes in and check those on the way home….when it won’t matter if dirty clothes are misplaced or delayed.
2. No one wants to spend their trip lugging a giant suitcase – and, ahem, your travel mates certainly have no desire to lug your bags for you! (Shock: you didn’t know?!) Unless you have a porter for your entire trip, never pack more than you can physically carry up/down one flight of stairs. (Assume the escalators and elevators will be broke when traveling abroad…they usually are).
3. For short trips, not checking bags saves you time, allowing you to get the party started!

Luggage can multiply over the course of a trip. Maximize your carry-on space with a few simple tools:

1. Carabiners. I always keep a few extra carabiners clipped on my backpack handle; if I am tight on space coming home, shoes or sandals can be clipped on to the outside of your backpack (also handy if your sandals or swimsuit are still wet from the beach!).
2. Big pockets. Carry-on bags might be restricted in size, but the size of your pockets and clothing are not. While a lot of their women’s line is a little lacking, ScottEVest is a great source for a travel jacket with ample pockets to hold all your gear. The puffer jacket is great for hiking (and can double as a travel pillow!), and the black trench coat is your secret weapon for maximum carrying capacity….you just might look a bit like the Far Side cartoon where a guy in a trench coat smuggles a rhinoceros underneath it….but who’s judging….
3. Pack items that serve a double purpose. Your puffer coat or vest might double as your travel pillow. A micro-absorbent towel can also be a blanket or impromptu table cloth. A scarf can dress up a dinner outfit, keep you warm on a hike, and cover your shoulders to keep you dress code compliant in a cathedral. It is also not uncommon for JJ and I to go from hiking 8 miles straight to a fancy multi-course tasting menu for dinner, ‘cause that’s how we roll….hence I am a big fan of versatile clothing such as leggings and trendy-looking hiking clothes that can be “dressed up” for dinner with a little jewelry, a scarf, and a change of shoes….in today’s day and age of #WFH, these are not hard items to find.
4. What not to do: don’t grossly overstuff your rollerboard (using the built in cinch belts inside can help compress bulky clothes….better yet, ditch the bulky clothes for thinner, more packable material). Don’t succumb to the expandable carryon roller board. These often do not fit the maximum luggage dimensions and are often kicked off. Even when they aren’t expanded, they “look” too big, and they might get the boot anyway….or result in a long, heated argument with airline staff. Just trust me, don’t get one. When in doubt, buy black luggage – it always looks slimmer.

Checking bags:

If you must check luggage, make sure you take essential items in your carry-on bag: toiletries, medications, and enough clothes/underwear to last for the first 2-3 days of your trip. Never check anything of value. I pack checked luggage expecting I will never see it again…and then I can be elated when, surprise, my bag arrives!

We do enjoy bringing wine home and occasionally travel with a wine suitcase. On the way to our destination, I might only put a few items in it (extra clothes, snacks, etc) just in case the bag is lost or delayed….resist the urge to cram it full.

Another rule of thumb: never check your hiking boots, or comfy walking shoes, for that matter. Most things you might lose in your luggage are easily replaceable…but not good shoes. Losing your comfortable, broken-in pair of hiking boots is a recipe for ruined feet – and a miserable trip.

For trips that include hiking/camping/mountaineering, you may find it easier to rent equipment at your destination to minimize the amount of equipment you need to carry, especially if your trip has multiple destinations. You might also consider spending the first and last nights of your trip at the same hotel and have the hotel store extra gear for you while you enjoy the non-hiking portions of your trip – no sense in dragging all that gear unnecessarily. Weigh your options (literally) and see what seems most logical.

Make sure your bag is well marked with a colorful luggage tag or ribbons (the bright colored decorative duct tape also works well). I keep a slip of paper with my name, address, and phone number on the inside of my checked bag as well, just in case the luggage tag snaps off (at some point, it will). Of note, we take the same precautions for carry-ons, because we have had someone accidentally grab our generic black carry-on rollerboard from the overhead bins and leave the airport with it.

How to Pack like a Girl Scout:

I have my mom to thank for my scouting days, and if there was a badge for packing, I would have it. Here are my tips:

Keep a travel drawer with travel gear at the ready. We keep a Rubbermaid drawer set full of our travel essentials, all in one place, to avoid scrambling to find something. The small drawers store luggage locks, electrical outlet adapters, phone chargers, luggage tags, headlamps, flashlights, earplugs, headphones. Larger drawers store travel pillows, travel raincoats, ponchos and the like. A drawer in the bathroom is stocked with toiletries for travel: the travel size toothpastes and floss I get at every dental appointment, the free perfume samples from Sephora, toiletries from hotel stays, small bars of soap.

Invest in packing cubes of various sizes. Fabric or canvas zippered bags also come in handy for smaller items or supplies. (I also repurpose small fabric drawstring bags and other similar packaging material for packing). Large zip lock bags can be used in a pinch as well, though mesh bags or cubes allow for more air circulation as are easier to wash and reuse.

There are 2 ways to organize clothes and essentials using cubes, depending on your needs:

1. Separate cubes for type of clothing: a cube for pants/bottoms, a cube for t-shirts/tops, a small cube for underwear, etc. This works well for trips with similar agendas each day (like a cruise, or a work trip).
2. Pack a cube for each type of activity planned. Perhaps you have a beach cube containing your swimsuit, cover-up, goggles, and beach hat; another cube might contain your exercise outfit(s), Fitbit, and resistance loops. For cold weather hiking, a cube might contain your hiking clothes Afro the day as well as gloves, hat, and buff. I prefer this style when an itinerary includes a lot of day trips, as I find it minimizes items getting lost and forgotten (nothing like hauling those gloves halfway around the world only to forget them in the hotel room on the day you need them!). In our Ragnar relay race-running days, where we lived out of a van for a weekend and space was at a premium, we packed a separate cube for each of the legs of the run, containing running clothes and any essentials for that leg of the race (reflector vest/headlamps for the night run, snacks for the longer legs, etc) so it was all ready to grab and go.

Take only the bare minimum: I have found it is easier to pack light if you pack specifically what you need for the activities you plan to do – a swimsuit and cover-up for the beach, exercise clothes, an outfit or two for dinner, an outfit or two for hiking or walking around during the day. That’s it. Focus on clothes that are lightweight, pack small, and don’t wrinkle easily. Clothes can be reworn – I promise you that the locals are not keeping tabs on how many times you rewear that dress to dinner. Sink laundry is quick and easy if needed in a pinch..

Roll up clothing tightly to minimize wrinkles and maximize space. The cubes also help to compress the air out of your clothes. Pack socks inside your shoes to save on space. I then wrap my shoes in a plastic grocery bag, and pack on the bottom of my bag.

Toiletries: simplify your regimen – I am pretty sure humans can survive one week without an electric toothbrush or Clarisonic face cleanser, so if you are tight on space, leave them behind – you will survive, promise. It is incredibly rare these days to travel to any hotel or house/condo rental that doesn’t supply a hairdryer, so don’t pack one (if in doubt, ask ahead). If you are carrying on, you will be limited in the amount of liquids to 3.4 oz containers tans all must fit in a 1 quart zip lock bag. Pack liquids in small reusable containers – I often reuse small jars from samples I get from Sephora. And yes, all those free samples of perfumes and night creams from Sephora are perfect to travel with. Remember that most hotels and even rentals will often supply soap and shampoo; if you need to bring your own, bar soap is much easier to pack – soap is soap after all (do bring your own conditioner as not all conditioners are created equal!). My husband never has many toiletries, so he usually carries sunscreen and bug spray for us.

Makeup: simplify, and pack light and efficient; samples also work great here. I typically travel with powdered rather than liquid makeup since I am usually tight on space for liquids.

Medications, supplements, vitamins: pack what you need….your Costco size multivitamin jar does not need a holiday in Mexico. Use a pillbox or tiny zip log bags, placing them in a larger zippered compartment. For “as needed” medications (think Benadryl, Tylenol, etc), I like to use a pillbox with each compartment labeled. I don’t haul all my daily supplements with me (fatality rate of missing 1 week of multivitamins: 0%), but will take ones that help sleep or boost immune health if I feel I need them.

Bag lady: I always bring a small roll-up shopping bag for grocery store runs, hauling stuff to the beach, or just for jackets and other odds and ends from one destination to the next. A collapsible duffle is perfect if you anticipate need to check items on the way home. A small daypack or packable backpack might come in handy for day trips. I bring a few grocery or reused plastic bags to store shoes or pack dirty clothes.

Water bottle: staying hydrated reduces jet lag and keeps you healthy. BYO bottle and refill along the way – bottled water is expensive and wasteful, especially in countries where tap water is safe to drink. I like this collapsible bottle from Que, and the collapsible bottles from Platypus pack nice and flat in your luggage when empty. Airports and other public places nowadays frequently have water bottle fillers or fountains to fill up.

Weighing your luggage:

If you frequently check bags, a luggage scale can be invaluable for ensuring your bags aren’t over the weight limit. For weighing small items, a kitchen scale can come in handy. If you are planning a hiking or backpacking trip, I strongly suggest you add a weight column to your packing list and weigh Every. Single. Item. If you pack it, you get to carry it….and every little ounce makes a difference when you have to carry a heavy load for many miles. Weigh everything, then see what you can swap out or omit to make your load lighter.

Whether you are planning a weeklong backing trip or low key beach vacation, being organized and prepared goes a long way to helping make your trip memorable and stress-free. Take a look at my sample packing lists and modify as needed to suit your particular needs.