Entries in Packing (40)
This cool digital pocket scale from Magellan’s could pay for itself if it keeps you from going overweight on one flight! It’s way cooler and more portable than my old analog model. Be careful though, everyone in line may want to use it!
Brad
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Know someone who doesn’t believe anything until they read it in the New York Times? Well, if they need help going light here’s a piece from the Old Gray Lady to help get them started:
Read how an Aussie family goes light and right around the world:
“Travelling light means washing our “smalls” each night, inventively hanging them on wheelie-bag handles and other protrusions to dry. In retrospect, with clean, dry hiking socks at a premium, colour coding would have been a good idea. Fortunately, as hoped, our natural fabric clothing, of silk, cotton and wool, withstands several wears before requiring washing - and, between B&Bs and hotel lodgings, friends kindly show us their washing machines as well as the sights.” - article here
Brad
An excellent look at the bundle packing method may be found here from lifeapps. You may also see our post with diagram.
Brad
Randy S. posted this excellent account (on the (Tom Bihn forum) of a successful transition from wheeled luggage to convertible bag:
“This is my first field test for my new Brain Bag and Aeronaut.
After hearing Leo Laporte rave about his Tom Bihn bags, I rushed to the website and immediately bought a Brain Bag to hold my 17” MacBook Pro and all of the associated stuff that comes along with it. I got the recommended Brain Cell to provide added support for the laptop, and perhaps act as a carry case when I don’t want the whole bag.
I’m a road-warrior, logging between 50 and 100 flight segments a year, mostly domestic US. I had been swearing by my Eagle Creek Switchback, using the daypack as my personal “laptop bag”. However, more than once, my laptop floating around loosely in the daypack has gotten cosmetically damaged.
The Brain Cell is a welcome change! It fits very nice, and the clips hold it well in the Brain Bag, to keep it all from coming apart as I (frequently) pull the laptop out for use or inspection at flight checkin. I also got a Snake Charmer, and can’t imagine working without that convenience now. I put the power cord in one side, and everything else in the other, so that I can easily pull out the power cord without it being tangled in everything else.
After using the Brain Bag for a couple of weeks, I decided I wasn’t ever going back to my Eagle Creek, so now I needed “the clothes bag”. Based on the “One Bag” site’s info about how much space and weight the wheels take up, I decided to try a non-wheeled approach for for the first time in years. This was a brave move, but boy, am I happy with the results.
I picked up the Aeronaut, opting for the smaller-frame backpack since I’m a small (but round) guy, and I don’t think I’ll be backpacking often with this. However, I stepped up to the Absolute Comfort shoulder strap, knowing that my back would be holding the Brain Bag while my shoulder (and neck) would be supporting the Aeronaut. I got a full size packing cell, two half size, and two small end-cap size cells, as recommended. (I’m still sorting out how to use these best.)
After packing the Aeronaut with my usual “reusable one week of clothes”, I couldn’t believe it… I still had space left over, and I could easily support the bag with one hand! My Eagle Creek rollaboard was never this light, even packed with a light loadout.
But the best part was on the outbound leg of this trip I’m currently on, to Brazil. My Delta flight from Portland to Atlanta got an hour weather delay, leaving me 15 minutes to get from the T concourse to the E concourse for my international leg. (Many of you reading know what this is like, I presume.) So, I grabbed the Brain Bag, and threw it on my back, and then slung the Aeronaut over my right shoulder and neck. I slung the bag forward in front of my waist, and grabbed both handles to reduce the weight on the neck. I ran like this to the tram, trammed to E, and then ran the rest of the way down to E1. Even carrying this, rather than rolling, it was still less effort, and I was especially happy not to need a double-wide space that the roller took. I might have looked a bit funny running with a big backpack sticking out my back, and a fullsize carryon in front of my stomach, but it worked, and that’s all that mattered to me.
I made my flight, and as I was getting settled in, I had just one small space over my seat to put my bag, the other spots already claimed by those that had a more leisurely connection. My Eagle Creek with its hard back would not have fit, but the Aeronaut fit nicely by “giving” just a bit since the sides are entirely soft. Again, a win for the Aeronaut. (If you’ve ever fought the center overhead storage in business class on a 757, you know the problems there, especially when someone else has a large rigid barely legal bag.)
So far, I’m very very happy… ” - original post
Brad
More from Randy:
I’ve found that even though I look a bit like an oddly shaped Sherpa, the best way to carry my load was having the weight both in back and in front directly. I put my rather heavily packed BrainBag on my back (using the waist belt for longer distances) and I sling the Aeronaut around my right shoulder and neck but hanging immediately in front of my waist. Distributed this way, I found that I could walk rather long distances without having to relieve the shoulder strap weight of the Aeronaut, although I would grab the Aeronaut by the end handles when I was standing in line occasionally to reduce the neck pull. One other advantage of this arrangement is that I found myself standing up straighter… a loaded backpack has not done well for my posture over the years.
I discovered another odd benefit of not using a rollaboard: I have both hands free! It didn’t occur to me until I pulled out my iPhone to check the time and schedule that I was actually using both hands while walking down the concourse… something that is usually awkward and often requires stopping with the rollaboard.
“You’ll never meet a traveler who, after five trips, brags, “Every year I pack heavier.” The measure of a good traveler is how light he or she travels. You can’t travel heavy, happy, and cheap. Pick two.” - from Newsday
Some highlights:
- “Whether you’re traveling for three weeks or three months, you pack exactly the same.”
- “Pack for the best scenario — not the worst. You can buy yourself out of any little jams as you go.”
- “The bulk of your luggage is clothing. Minimize by bringing less and washing more often. Every few nights you’ll spend 10 minutes doing a little wash.”
“Even as airlines hike their luggage fees, they are losing more bags than ever before. That’s a double whammy you can avoid by packing smarter and buying better carry-on bags. If you don’t want to spring for the custom-made stuff from artisans like Myron Glaser, you’ll find capacious carry-ons from the better commercial suppliers. And when you must travel with lots of luggage, ship with Fed Ex, U.P.S., or the special services rather than paying for the privilege of using the inefficient airline system.”- from air travel guru Joe Brancatelli - Portfolio.com
Are you really a light traveler, or - should I ask - are you a really light traveler? Tell us how light you can go for a trip of four nights or more. I’ll go first: just over 10 pounds (including day bag/personal item) for five nights, trans-Atlantic to Europe. And this summer I did sub 15 pounds for 11 days in England and Scotland - including day bag/personal item. I don’t know if I’ll ever beat Tim Ferriss’s 10-pound kit which includes a computer. I’ve resolved not to buy another laptop until I can afford a featherweight (three pounds our less).A London Times travel writer learns packing tricks from a persnickety, dapper professional concierge in this online video and story. An excerpt from Times travel writer Ginny McGrath:
For someone who considers themselves a master in the art of travelling light, I was surprised to learn some canny new tricks from Fraser: a belt wrapped around the inside of a suitcase instead of being rolled into a coil will protect the clothes inside and save the belt from creasing.
Likewise, a folded shirt can be rolled at the bottom, where it is tucked into trousers and wrinkles aren’t seen, but should be folded on top to avoid creasing. The other tip I’ll take home is to leave shoes and other bulky items at the bottom of the case at the wheel-end. Fraser explained that this stops these items sliding down and crushing clothes when you tip a wheelie bag upright.
For the greatest possible contrast with this proper English gent, check out light travel, Tim Ferris style. This post has a video as well. The difference is like, well, Brideshead Revisited vs. Monty Python….
Words of wisdom from a nice Stupid American Tourist post about what to keep, what to scratch off that packing list.
I carried a lot of useless excess crap with me to Japan. It’s the sort of stuff you’ll see in a catalog, and think, “Wow, that looks really useful!” when in reality you may use it once the whole trip, and still end up lugging it all over the place.
“But it’s so small, and folds away nicely. It’ll hardly take up any space at all!” Sure, that one thing is small, thin, and light, but when you add 10 or 15 of its little friends together, they start to take up a lot of space and add a lot of weight.
Think logically, and take only what you absolutely know you’ll use repeatedly with you.
Joe Brancatelli is a gem. His advice is always witty and wise. Joe on dressing for checkpoint success:
“I’ve found that the fastest way through security is to go plastic. I switched the brass buttons on my blue blazer for plastic ones. I bought a plastic Swatch watch specifically for road trips. I’ve even gotten rid of my belt. Needless to say, I wear only slip-on shoes, and I check my socks for holes before I leave home.
“I won’t argue that this all sounds a bit unstylish. If you want to don jewelry, sport your favorite chunky metal watch, and wear your lucky running shoes, and if you really need a belt, do what I do: Stow these possessions in your carry-on bag, then put them on once you clear security. And here’s an incredibly useful tip: Stash potentially problematic items in zip-top plastic bags. Before you reach the checkpoint, dump everything-keys, jewelry, pens, handheld computers, cell phones, loose change-into a bag and place it in an exterior pocket of your carry-on. When you escape the clutches of the T.S.A., fish out the zip-top bag and return everything to your person.” - washingtonpost.com
More tips from Joe on minimizing your sartorial load:
- Limit your color palette so your clothes match easily - maximizing their utility
- Accessorize - create the illusion of more outfits with different ties, scarves, etc.
- Buy clothing on the road
- Use hotel laundry services - “Lugging around dirty laundry is, needless to say, counterproductive.” (I might add that the non-business traveler can easily wash their own clothes in-room, provided you’ve chosen the right clothing)
Let me say this about bundle wrapping: It works. It works very well. On my last trip I made a more serious effort than ever to exactly follow the instructions from the Red Oxx website (in the form of a diagram based on Doug Dyment’s method.) I was astounded at how well the bundle system prevented wrinkles in my cotton and cotton-blend clothing. Click on the bottom photo below for an image file which explains the system. Better yet, download the PDF from the Red Oxx site, print it, laminate it, and tuck it in your bag. You’ll be glad you did.
This method can be used in bags with or without hold-down straps and with or without packing cubes. The bundle helps keep everything together which decreases the need for hold-downs if the bag is snug and tightly packed . I believe I got better results in an undersized bag without hold-down straps than I ever did with the straps. Why does it work? Read Doug Dyment’s explanation here.
This site proves that not all carry-on travelers are slightly scruffy and perpetually ruffled, nor are they mostly men. Diva in a carry on is a feminine look at one-bag travel. There are lots of ads and links but if you scroll down far enough you’ll find plenty of tags for luggage and packing - and more than any man ever wants to know about cosmetics and pretty things. Carry on divas!
And the Divas have linked to OBOW so we display the pink badge of honor. I feel more sensitive already…
Memo to Santa: In case a French reindeer strike causes you to have fly commerical, here’s what you can and can’t carry on.Some samplings from tsa.gov (no kidding):
“Not sure about what you can and can’t bring through the checkpoint*? Here’s a list of liquid, aerosol and gel items that you should put in your checked bag, ship ahead, or leave at home:
- Gravy
- Salad dressing
- Oils & vinegars
- Cranberry sauce
- Salsa
- Sauces
- Creamy dips
- Wine, liquor & beer
- Other beverages
- Jams & Jellies
- Soups
- Cakes & Pies”
AND REMEMBER, NO WRAPPED GIFTS!!!!
Messy packers, you and the TSA have issues:
WASHINGTON — Airline passengers, who already are required at airport checkpoints to remove their shoes, take off their coats and carry only small bottles of liquids, now have a new task: Pack neatly.
In anticipation of the most popular holiday for travel in the USA, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) today launches a campaign urging travelers to eliminate clutter in carry-on bags. Pack in layers. Keep items neat.
Messy travelers could spend more time in line if their carry-ons are cluttered because such bags are more likely to be pulled aside and searched by hand, TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe says. - USA Today
From the TSA site:
—
Here’s how to SimpliFLY your overall security experience:
- Pack an organized carry-on bag using layers – a layer of clothes, then electronics, more clothes, and then other items like toiletries. This will help security officers see what’s in your bag.
- Have your boarding pass and ID ready for inspection when you get to the checkpoint.
- Remove your coat and shoes and place them in a bin.
- Place any oversized electronics (laptops, full-size video game consoles, DVD players and video cameras that use cassettes) in a separate bin. iPods and other smaller electronics can stay in your carry-on bag.
- Follow the 3-1-1 rule for liquids and put your one quart baggie separately in the bin.
- When in doubt, leave it out. If you’re not sure about whether you can bring an item through the checkpoint, put it in your checked bag or leave it at home. Click here to see the list of prohibited items.
—
I’m guessing packing cubes are OK, but probably the more translucent the better. Some of us will take a little umbrage at being told to “neaten up,” I’ll bet. Here are some TSA example photos (left good, right bad, if the shoe fits wear it!):
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From Gadling.com’s excellent recurring feature - What’s in your pack? - this time with travel writer David Farley:
“I’d much rather hand-wash my clothes than lug around a big bag. It’s also nice to get off the plane and just go,without having to wait around for my bag, which is inevitably the last one that comes around on the carousel. Sometimes when I see the way people over-pack-lugging around bags that a pachyderm could fit into-I almost laugh out loud in shock. One time, while waiting in the check-in line, I noticed the couple next to me each had two massive bags and two large carry-ons. I jokingly suggested that they must be moving out of the country with so much baggage, but they said they were just going to London for four days. In a way, it’s emblematic of how inefficient and solipsistic we are as a society; we stuff our bags with so many just-in-case items, forgetting that the outside world also uses shampoo, tampons, and soap, and that there are shops in the outside world that sell those things just in case you need them. In fact, being forced to go into a shop to buy something you need (but didn’t bring), may in some way heighten your travel experience. We like to wax on about how travel changes us, it opens our minds and expands our world view. But I’m not so sure this is always true.
Here’s an interesting thread on the askandyaboutclothes.com forum - mostly for men. This is a nice site for the snappy dresser. Andy has pages about packing amd luggage.
