HOW do you pack?

[worthew8]

I'm packing for my next cruise and started wondering...How do others do it?

For instance, I have mastered the art of rolling clothes, wrinkle free. Stuffing socks in my shoes keeps my dress shoes in shape and saves space. Ziploc bags are great for 'still wet' bathing suits.

With most airlines now charging for the first bag, I bought the biggest and size-specific bag allowed.

What are YOUR packing strategies?

42.3 pounds and closing fast...........

[Rev22:17]

worthew8,

Originally Posted by You

With most airlines now charging for the first bag, I bought the biggest and size-specific bag allowed.

Ah, that probably is not the optimal strategy. Most airlines charge a lot less for a second bag per passenger than for a bag that's overweight.

Originally Posted by You

What are YOUR packing strategies?

See this post.

Norm.

[worthew8]

Agreed, but I plan on staying within the limit of pounds allotted for my first and only bag.

[Mike M]

I am only allowed to pack a suitcase for the trip home. I don't have the "packing gene" and even if I roll, tissue, layer, dry cleaner bag and all the other tricks, I still end up with wrinkles clothes. I pack the hardware but clothes are for my wife to pack.

One thing to keep in mind is that when you buy the "biggest" suitcase you are usually buying the heaviest. Don't waste your 50 lbs. with a 22 lb. suitcase. Often a smaller, lighter weight, suitcase will allow you to pack more.

Take care,
Mike

[Lakers Fan]

I have mastered the art of packing .Its like a jigsaw puzzle .I am an expert at placing the last piece. My wife does all the packing and I lock the suitcase

[worthew8]

I made the mistake one time of weighing my luggage before I left the house yet forgot to add the weight of the luggage scale I packed afterwards.

Luckily, I was still under the weight limit... but not by much.

[Trip]

I have decided since all the stringent regulations now, to just loosen up....and this is from the QUEEN of overpackers...I now mix and match al my clothes, and hubby has nixed the tux...I have simplified our selections and have gone from 2 large bags, to, two mediums, and we still did not wear all we brought.

I have to tell you, it frees you so much, to not pack your entire closet! The only thing I struggle with is shoes.....since my feet swell, I can end up barefoot, if I don't have lots of options;(

I will NOT pay the airlines any overage fees, so I aquiess,,and I win

[Lakers Fan]

I bought a suitcase 2 years ago with a built in scale

[Mike M]

Originally Posted by Henry43

I bought a suitcase 2 years ago with a built in scale

A couple of years ago I bought one from Costco. I took it back. The scale was off by about 20 - 30%. Every time you set the bag down it was a different weight. I can't remember the brand but it wasn't something that was easily recognizable. Now I just use a digital luggage scale.

Take care,
Mike

[mustang sally]

Henry....you're packing habits sound very familiar to me. I believe my husband packs the same way you do. lol
Trip - I am really trying to get to the point you have. I pack way too much, but I am really working on it.

[LisaK]

what works well for me is that i make a very detailed list, the list starts out fairly long, but i pare it down as i go. Mix and match definately, and more than one day on a pair of short or pants, sheath dressess and a simple pair of sandals or kitten heels are much easier than pants/shirt, capri/top or skirt/top for casual nights, see how i just pared that down? lol. I only pack ONE PAIR of dressy shoes/sandals, ONE PAIR of casual sandals/kitten heels, wear my sneakers, and ONE PAIR of all-purpose water sandals, did you catch that one Trip lol? Formal wear used to be a long gowns but those have been replaced by cocktail dresses or dressy dinner suit with sparkly/or silk blouses. I roll t-shirts, socks and undies, put them in ziploc type bags, squish them and tuck them into any corner of the suitcase i can find

[Trip]

Lisa, lucky are the ladies that can get by with a small list of shoes...that can never happen for me....having what will fit me on a certain day, means LOTS of shoes...but, even if I didn't have this medical need, I will admit, I would still pack options

[LisaK]

lol Trip, thats why you are the shoe queen maeven

[Trip]

Lisa, in the future I hope my 2 bedroom 1 bath show condo, can be a studio apartment

[mustang sally]

Lisa, I like your list idea. I do that for everything else, but have never thought to do that with clothes! I like it! You know the beauty of having any time dining and always dining with different cruisers, is they won't know if you already wore those pants earlier in the week! lol

[johnthed0g]

Packing...?? someone does that?? ....who??

[worthew8]

Originally Posted by LisaK

what works well for me is that i make a very detailed list, the list starts out fairly long, but i pare it down as i go. Mix and match definately, and more than one day on a pair of short or pants, sheath dressess and a simple pair of sandals or kitten heels are much easier than pants/shirt, capri/top or skirt/top for casual nights, see how i just pared that down? lol. I only pack ONE PAIR of dressy shoes/sandals, ONE PAIR of casual sandals/kitten heels, wear my sneakers, and ONE PAIR of all-purpose water sandals, did you catch that one Trip lol? Formal wear used to be a long gowns but those have been replaced by cocktail dresses or dressy dinner suit with sparkly/or silk blouses. I roll t-shirts, socks and undies, put them in ziploc type bags, squish them and tuck them into any corner of the suitcase i can find

Ahh, yes, the list. Can't live without it and add to it (computer) every year.

What I need to do is subtract from it. :-D Any ideas?

[Nothin but blue skies]

I am definately an over-packer and always have clothes we don't even wear. But it isn't as much the clothes as the "stuff" you feel you must have, and can't buy on the ship. I would have a made a great girl-scout since I pack to be prepared for anything!

However, the best idea I have come up with for packing and keeping my suitcase organized is to use zip-lock bags. Not only do I use the gallon size, I buy the x-large and jumbo bags at Dollar Tree. I lay out a stack of T-shirts, or shorts, or even slacks, then fold the stack together and slip it into one of these bags and stack them in my suitcase. They work great and the clothes are not wrinkled. They are great for damp or soiled items going back into the suitcase for the return trip as well.

[worthew8]

I've returned from my cruise and am so glad I left a few extra pounds free in order to compensate for items bought abroad. My return poundage was 50.0 lbs...phew!

I just had to buy this new luggage tag in NY, on the outside it says "My zippers are killing me!"

[belinda]

i'm still learning how to fold my clothes without getting it too wrinkled. i also need to know how to separate the important from the unimportant stuffs because i always end up over-packing and when i get to my destination i just use half of the clothes i pack and to add to that i bring more back home because of the shopping.

**edited to remove commercial link

[Tracyd1014]

They say to pack then remove half of what you packed. I normally do the "bundle pack" thing. Takes a bit more time but it works great - little wrinkling and the suit case holds more for bringing home the goodies!

[halfdomegnome]

'Bundle pack'? What's bundle pack? I'm also curious about the best way to pack for a long cruise and no self-laundry facilities. We've booked the 14-day Baltic cruise for next June with a couple of days in England prior to the cruise. This sounds like fewer shorts (than the tropical cruises) and more long pants so a fuller suitcase. Any hints?

[Fern]

Originally Posted by halfdomegnome

'Bundle pack'? What's bundle pack? I'm also curious about the best way to pack for a long cruise and no self-laundry facilities. We've booked the 14-day Baltic cruise for next June with a couple of days in England prior to the cruise. This sounds like fewer shorts (than the tropical cruises) and more long pants so a fuller suitcase. Any hints?

If you Google "packing bundle" there are a lot of sites that show how to bundle. I've done it before and it works, but if you want something that's within the bundle before to you get to your destination it can be a pain . You also want to be careful about the weight of your bag. You can get more in so your bag may be overweight.

I usually use the "roll your clothes" method for my slacks, skirts and tops. They seem to wrinkle less. We also take Downy Wrinkle Release and find it works well on any wrinkles we might have (in our clothes ). I try to take as many non-wrinkle knits as I can.

Your cruise sounds wonderful!

[J2Tyco]

These are some great tips folks ;-) Love the idea of ziplocks.

Id love to hear how some families pack as well.

We are a family of 4--2 adults and 2 boys ages 10 and 8. I am thinking we will each have our own carry on size suitcase of clothes/shoes (4 suitcases) and then one additional carry on sized suitcase for everyones toiletries/Meds etc and one additional carry on sized suitcase for my sons "special diet" foods that are not available on the ship or in ports--which will then become empty and we can use for stuff we buy while on the trip.. so a family of 4 and 6 suitcases does this sound excessive?

I think I may make this next part its own thread separate but thought I would ask it here as well since it may affect how some of you all pack--Do you pack according to space in your room to "unpack" as well? How much does that play into what you decide to bring?

are there dressers and closets and places to stash empty suitcases in the cabins? (I realize this is going to be cruise line and room specific) but generally if you have a room that can accommodate 4 people in it is there room for 4 peoples "stuff" if say each person brought one carry on suitcase?

[Mike M]

You will be amazed at how much storage space there is in the cabin. There will be plenty of drawer space and closets to accommodate a family of 4. Unless you are a REAL over packer and pack 10 days worth of clothes for a 5 day cruise.

The one area that may be lacking on space is the bathroom. A hanging toiletry bag or "over the door" shoe holder works great for keeping all the toiletries together.

You can store your luggage under the beds. Just slide it under the bed. You may need to lift up the bed an inch to get the suitcase under the frame.

Take care,
Mike

[cammy116]

Originally Posted by Nothin but blue skies

I am definately an over-packer and always have clothes we don't even wear. But it isn't as much the clothes as the "stuff" you feel you must have, and can't buy on the ship. I would have a made a great girl-scout since I pack to be prepared for anything!

However, the best idea I have come up with for packing and keeping my suitcase organized is to use zip-lock bags. Not only do I use the gallon size, I buy the x-large and jumbo bags at Dollar Tree. I lay out a stack of T-shirts, or shorts, or even slacks, then fold the stack together and slip it into one of these bags and stack them in my suitcase. They work great and the clothes are not wrinkled. They are great for damp or soiled items going back into the suitcase for the return trip as well.

Also, I make my list differently now. On a sea day, I give myself a dinner outfit on the list but since I'll be at the pool, I can list swimsuit/coverup and by having a cover-up that looks like a little t-shirt dress, I can go to the dining room, shop, whatever and I only have the one outfit. I use lots of the travel knit. Rolls into a ball and comes out w/o wrinkles. I carry a cocktail dress instead of the long, red-carpet formal from years back. Black with a pair of strappy black sandals. I have a wrap and jewelry for one night and a sequined jacket for 2nd formal night. That takes care of both formal nights. The same black strappy shoes go with a pair of travel knit pants and two different tops (that's 2 casual nights or smart casual). That's 4 nights. The night we arrive onboard, I have a pair of capri's, casual top and sandals (5 nights). The sandals go with my shorts the capri's go with my t-shirts, the casual top will be worn later in the week with a different coodinating pair of capri's to casual night in MDR (6 nights). I carry 2 swimsuits. I carry multiple pairs of underwear per day. You just can't skimp on that, but I sometimes send a "bag" to the laundry with undies and shorts/capri's and they get re-worn with different top or t. That's not a lot of clothes when you make a list and it works fine. Even family traveling with me never really noticed the same pair of shorts or capris or even the same black cocktail dress. I did hang onto a casual jacket I wore on the plane and wore several nights in the casino. They did notice the same lightweight jacket kept showing up. That's pretty minor to me. I'm not really there to iimpress anyone...just to have a really good time.