There’s a science to it…
Though packing means you’re going somewhere, which is inherently exciting – it can also be a huge pain, involving jumping up and down on bags and breaking zippers while trying to squeeze every last ounce in. But really, it shouldn’t be.
Packing should be a well orchestrated concerto, lead by a master conductor. That conductor, by the way – is you. With decluttering as the hot new craze and new luggage options changing this travel ritual, it’s important to take a step back and realize that packing a suitcase is a system of well thought out ideas. It should never be like throwing trash into a garbage can. Here’s how to pack your suitcase with simplicity and brilliance, every time…
Open your suitcase and pack one item at a time, in order of importance. This will also help to ensure you don’t forget the “one thing” you need. Declutter guru Marie Kondo’s Konmari method suggests going a step further, only adding things which are either necessary or bring joy.
Socks and underwear are always amongst the first necessities. Best decluttering tip? Aim for flexible items which can be both casual or professional. For example, a blue blazer turns t shirt and jeans into a fashionable outfit, but also sharpens up a professional look as well.
To be a true packing wizard, take things further with flexible shoes too. Finding a fashionable sneaker, boot or slip on which fits more than one purpose and eliminates the need another pair is massive space saved.
Get A Suitcase That Doesn’t Suck
Sucking at packing is a temporary thing. In fact, you shouldn’t fall into that category after reading this. But if you have luggage that lets you down you’ll never be able to realize you full packing guru status, and will always fit in less than you should. On that note: don’t just get a suitcase that’s great, get a “small personal item” that’s great too, to maximize your allowance.
Here are a few of the best carry on options for all budgets. We personally swear by the Away Travel brand, and here’s one of the best “small carry on item” options too, which matches seamlessly.
A good carry on is an investment in never having to check a bag again, so even a more expensive option will probably save you money versus checked bag costs over time.
Stop, Fold And Roll Your Clothes For Max Packing
Going item by item, it’s important to sit, think and ask yourself… “am I actually going to wear this?”. If the answer is yes, then fold the item in half along the most logical line and roll it tightly.
Yes, before you ask, it’s scientifically proven that rolling clothes while packing creates more space, but also helps with wrinkles. By rolling things into one layer of lots of “little items”, you’re also able to see your entire packed wardrobe and sort through it more easily. This take a bit more time, but it’s worth it.
Maximize The Full Carry On(s) Rules
When you travel, there are many rules you’re forced to play by, but use them to your advantage. People forget to put effort into their “small personal item”, which is allowed in addition to a carry on bag. This is where you can put your iPad, headphones, snacks and change of outfit for the plane, leaving your main carry on as the workhorse for wardrobe.
By shifting (and rolling) a few items into something such as a backpack, in addition to a full sized carry on, you may be able to ditch the checked bag entirely, making travel both faster and cheaper. That’s a lot of upside.
Don’t forget, each checked bag typically costs at least $50 round trip these days on economy airline tickets, so finding the bag combo that keeps you from ever paying checked luggage fees ever again is a great value.
There’s hardly a hotel worth staying at which doesn’t offer complimentary shampoo, soap and other things which take up space. Whenever possible, think about what toiletries or basics you can easily get at your destination for free, or with a quick trip to the pharmacy. If it’s the difference in paying $50 for a checked bag and paying $10 at the local pharmacy for a few goods, it’s not hard to figure out the smarter play.
But don’t stop there, many hotels now provide loaner work out gear and other practical travel conveniences, even including shoes. Never miss an opportunity to leave something behind, if you can easily acquire it where you need to be. Best way to find out? Email your hotel, Airbnb or host in advance, or pick up the phone and call the property.
Actually Use Those Packing Straps For Once
Any great piece of luggage has straps inside. They’re not designed to make packing any more miserable, or create additional hurdles for you to climb through, they are there to compress your stuff down, taking a big pile and making it smaller. Un toggle them, pull them to either side of the bit you’re about to pack, and once you’ve got everything in – latch and pull.
Visual: both ends of the straps outside of the area you’re going to pack. Then latch over your clothes and yank. It’s actually amazing how much more you can pack if you give these compression gems a good yank. Just don’t pull your back out, or the pool might be less enjoyable.
My wife and I recently did a 22 night winter trek across Spain and Italy – each of us had a backpack and the Away Bigger Carry-On and that was it. We managed without having to do laundry or go without anything that I would deem essential. I even packed our Nikon DSLR in my carry on for most of the trip so I would have had room to spare without it.
For us, the key was to brings clothes that could be worn multiple times – jeans, silk slacks, and sweaters / button-downs for me and leggings, skirts, and blouses for my wife. I pack a small toiletry bag and then just pick up stuff in amenity kits / hotel housekeeping as we go. We don’t buy things when we travel so we don’t plan to take them.
If you told me several years ago that we’d be carry on only for such a long trip I would have said you were crazy. It made everything so much easier, though. Public transit is easier to navigate with a smaller bag and a backpack.
We first tried flying without checking bags 10 years ago out of necessity: a family trip included a flight on RyanAir. We had scored a great fare for our family of 4, and checking bags would have more than doubled the cost. So we embarked in a mission to lean how to pack for two weeks with a carry-on and a very small personal item that could be stuffed into the carry-on. (One bag allowed.) Since that time, we have learned more about the flexibility afforded to us by not checking luggage, including being able to quickly rebook after cancellations or grab earlier flights. So far, we’ve taken 2- and 3-week trips to China, New Zealand, Patagonia, and several countries in Europe with just a carry-on and a backpack. As the old saying goes, try it, you’ll like it!
Love it.
My family pretty much always flies business class (I earn a ton of points through credit card spend for my business), and yet we travel almost exclusively with carry-ons and backpacks — no checked bags allowed as far as I’m concerned. I will second the importance of GOOD cabin bags — Rimowa and Tumi are our weapons of choice. Expensive, but worth it if you travel alot. The only exceptions to the no checked bags rule are ski vacations and the occasional return trip home. We often pack a foldable duffle that allows us to check clothing on the way home if needed so we can carefully pack souveniers in our carry-ons.
I will add two other things about not checking bags: 1) No chance of lost luggage. Have that happen to you once at the beginning of a trip and you’ll do anything you can so it never happens again. 2) People forget that bypassing baggage claim gets you to the rental car, shuttle, train, whatever well ahead of the crowd. It’s true that security is more painful when you can’t check liquids, but a little bit of planning goes a long way in that regard.
We have managed hundreds of thousands of miles across 25 countries and five continents in every season with this philosophy and have never once regretted it.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention packing cubes in this article. They defy logic, I realize. But these things somehow turn the same amount of stuff into much smaller and organized cubes of awesomeness. I combine my packing cubes with a 40L Osprey Farpoint backpack, which fits perfectly in even domestic overhead compartments. I have packed for 3 weeks using the methods you describe like rolling, but then packing the rolled items into an assortment of cube sizes and configurations (pants/shorts in one, socks/undergarments in another, tops in the last) … once I get everything in the pack, there are top and bottom internal straps as well as top and bottom external straps that compress the pack (seriously) like 6 inches (yes, I’m a Yank)!
Great article, just wanted to add the cubes as another weapon to be used against checked bag fees!
Yes to all of Gilbert’s suggestions as well as packing cubes. Game changer for finding what you need and keeping everything neatly stowed.
Yes, cubes. I, too, couldn’t understand how essentially adding something to my case would give me more space. And makes retrieving things much easier. Also enables one to differentiate between worn stuff and not.
Another cube convert here — in fact, my entire family is getting packing cubes for Christmas, so they can stop borrowing mine! 😀
My top tip – no wheels on carry ons. Once inside of Europe, even if your flight is to the US, they will often try to apply the very low-weight carry on restriction of your intra-Europe connecting flight (violating an international treaty, but good luck arguing that). Something like the Billingham Weekender can carry more than a 21″ wheeled carry on once you factor that in.
I don’t know why I wrote international treaty, it’s actually a DOT regulation but applies to any itinerary ending or starting in the US, even if your role in that itinery is just a codeshare connecting flight, but point stands, good luck arguing that at the counter.