Packing

I love packing cubes!! I use the Eagle Creek Specter silnylon compression bags. To my mind they are not really compression bags they just have an extra zipper that squashes them down. They are very, very lightweight.

I used them in 2014 for an 8 week trip and in 2015 for a 5.5 week trip. No way could I have stayed organized and been able to repack quickly without them.

I use a large or full cube for my shirts and sweaters and a half cube for my underwear, socks bras and pjs. I fold my pants lengthwise in the bottom of my suitcase. I pack them very tight then zip to compress.

Used a packing folder for the first time on a one-week trip recently -- kept shirts, pants and dresses together and wrinkle-free. I use packing cubes for t-shirts and underwear (rolled), although my husband still likes big zip-loc bags. Got mine on sale at REI.

Packing cubes help me quite a bit for organization. I bought mine at ebags.

I use plastic bags. Clothes that aren't in plastic bags are dirty.

Everything is packed in another bag - mostly 2.5 gal zip lock bag because it is easy to see what is in them and they are cheap. We write on the bag what is suppose to be in the bag. Helps to keep track of stuff. In early years (70s) we tended to leave things behind because it got into a drawer, has hanging to dry in a closet, under a bed, etc. This way if the bag holds 4 pairs of underwear but only two are in the bag, I know to check the dirty clothes bag for the other one. Also use a packing envelope for all shirts and pants. That is also an old but standard packing method for backpacking.

I am a roller, so things don't shift much and it is very easy to find what I am looking for without messing up other items. I started doing this a couple of years ago when I bought too many books while visiting Berlin and could not get my suitcase repacked, try as I might. Had heard about rolling, so watched a video and thought what the heck do I have to lose by trying. Took everything out, rolled all my clothes and lo and behold, they all fit and I then had space for all of my books. Found it hard to believe, but it really works. Give it a try. I rolled my clothing while walking the Camino too, but kept items sorted into mesh bags inside my back pack, and it just makes it easier to pull 1 item out without messing things up.

We roll most items and put them in zip lock bags.

Thanks for all your suggestions. We just returned from a short trip over Christmas (with bad packing results). We leave in May for Europe, so I'll try your suggestions and see what works best for me. Want to be better prepared. Thanks!

I used to pack everything in packing cubes. Now for vacation & work trips, I pack my pants in the lower area of the suitcase closest to the wheels & my extra pair of shoes in a plastic bag on top of them. All of my tops lay flat in one packing cube in the upper portion of the suitcase. Underwear goes in a 2nd packing cube. If I'm taking a dress or two, I pack them plus my slip in a gallon Ziploc bag - flattened down to remove the extra air. My small toiletries bag fits in the vertical wedge space. Everything's consistently in those locations. I think the main reason why your clothes have shifted around is that you're checking your luggage. I checked my bag during my last work trip and everything was noticeably shifted compared to my regular method of carry-on.

Packing cubes with rolled contents work for me, especially on long trips. I can take out the packing cubes and use them as "dresser drawers" during my stay, then put them back in the carryon when I check out. Much easier to repack a couple of cubes than to repack a whole suitcase.

Luggage handling may account for some shifting, good point.

I have used Eagle Creek packing folder for years. It is a terrific way to keep pants organized. Like Pam, I have compression packing cubes. (I got them from Target and Amazon--Lewis and Clark brand). The medium cube holds light shirts that have been rolled and the smaller one hold undies and socks. I usually carry a jacket and/or rain jacket, which I place in a larger zip bag and squeeze the air out. All shoes are carried in zip bags, or plastic grocery bags for a cheaper option, one shoe per bag. I use one zip bag for dirty laundry identified as such with a sharpie.

You might want to check out the Packing Forum, located on this site. There are lots of good packing ideas discussed there.

Another vote for packing folder(s) for shirts, pants, and dresses. Keeps them together and wrinkle-free. Use packing cubes or tubes or combination for t-shirts, socks, and underwear. Two gallon zip-loc bag for dirties.

My sister swears by the packing cubes, and loves them. To me they seem to cause things take up more room, and my roller bag is 20" long. I have no trouble finding things because I only pack two t-shirts, one alternate pair of leggings, two pairs of underwear. (That's in addition to the set of clothes I'm wearing!) I did make a cylindrical fabric "packing cube" which has the exact dimensions of my travel hat's crown. The brim lays flat on the bottom of the bag, and the fabric cylinder, filled with underwear and socks, keeps it in good shape. Rolled t-shirts and leggings and tunic are set on the sides of the hat's crown. It's easy to find stuff if you don't pack that much! (I don't use a toiletries bag either, but pack a few items in ziploc bags, which I can stick in crevices here and there.

grace, thumbs up for both your craftiness and smart way to protect your travel hat........

Hi Sharon

Packing cubes. I like the double sided ones. Pants and long sleeve shorts in the two large cubes, tshirts/ short sleeve shirts and underwear/ socks in 2 half more cubes. As trip progresses one side of cube is clean and other dirty clothes. Even though the packing cubes come out of the suitcases it's much easier to repack a stuffed suitcase with the cubes. Pick one color for you and a different color for your husband. We also take small backpacks so one more large cube with a change of clothes goes in the back pack.

We also take a rip stop nylon duffle bag that wads into the size of a baseball. Easy enough to pull out dirty laundry outvofvthecdirtybhalfbof cube, put in the duffle, and head off to laundrymat. Or if you buy too much to bring home, carry on the duffle with dirty clothes and check your carryons.

Since I don't check my bag on the way over, I use plastic zip lock bags for all liquids and pack in outer part of suitcase so I can get them out for TSA, another one for all personal stuff like comb, toothbrush, etc. I place pants on bottom of 21" suitcase, roll all tops on top,(all color coordinated usually with black as basic color) bring 3 pairs of washable under ware, stuff socks and pj's wherever there is space, and a plastic bag for dirty items as I go. I bring a small fold up bag with a zipper for things I buy that I want to carry on the plane at the end, then I will check my bag on the way home so that I don't have to worry if it gets home on time and I bring the small bag on the plane and I can buy Cadbury at duty free as I have more arms to carry it! We just spent 2 weeks in Europe and I still didn't wear everything I brought with me, one of these days I will really pack lighter and the weather was so warm that sweaters were not required in December, go figure.

I'm a carry on only packer and I roll my clothes. I pretty much live out of my bag on the road but I reconstruct it each day after I get my clothes out (always with an eye toward eliminating any paper I no longer need). It's easy to find things because I don't have that much to choose from.

Thanks for all the replies. We did go ahead and purchase some packing cubes - sounds like a good way for us to go. It's obvious that one of our major problems is that we take too much. We will have to work on that again! Thanks.

I bought zip lock travel compression bags and loved them. It helped with the organization. Yes I know you can accidentally add too much weight, but it worked for me.

I do what Brad does with paper: when I check out of a hotel, every scrap of paper I don't need gets thrown away except for hotel and restaurant business cards if I want to hold onto them.