Light Packing Anxiety

I found that even the small amount of toletries adds an easy 2-5 lbs! A small tooth paste or 2 and a sample shampoo is what most need... buy the rest 2 days later when you get there if you need more and none is in the hotel room. Also - the pants can be heavy. you wear one, your pack one and that should be enough. If youre worried about cooler weather - take some longer underwear for that day vs a heavy pants. A light sweater and light water/wind proof jacket layers nicely too.

Also - you will save 5lbs just on the non-roller - but if its important you can get a cart for the airport.

Well...I just took everything out of this suitcase and weight the suitcase empty. It weighs 13 pounds all by itself. I really have to go with the rolling type suitcase because of back problems. I'm still sorting through to see if I can manage to get by with even fewer items. I'm scared...If I can manage this it will no doubt make my husband a very happy man. I have overpacked for years. He says to think of it like a camping expedition. Amazingly I'm a very good camper...but then again, I don't much care what I look like when we're camping. We will be going out to a dinner theater and to some very nice restaurants while we're there...can I do it?

Linda, I suggest you take out one of the pants, and 2 of the t-shirts. (wear your heaviest pair of pants on the plane). You don't need 4 pairs for 10 days. Take out 3 of the socks. I assume you will be wearing a jacket on the plane, if so, ditch the sweater. Plan to lightly wash items at your hotel in the evening. And bring minimal cosmetics -- particularly shampoo and toothpaste, hair styling products - buy them there.
I hope at least one of your slacks or the skirt is black, and you have one nice top that can be dressed up for dinner. I would include a nice, lightweight yet warm scarf for holding off chills when out and about, all Europeans wear them.

Keep thinking less, less, less. If some event comes up and you need clothes, you can buy them there, will be more expensive than bringing your own, but probably is not likely to happen. Having a managable suitcase is important!

Linda,

That is a very heavy bag, even with wheels. I just bought one with wheels that was 7 lbs and cost around $80 and it has straps so you could use as a backpack if you desired.. I believe Rick has a wheeled bag that is 7 lbs also. May want to think about getting another bag, that would save you some weight.

Here's what's actually IN the suitcase. I gave up my beloved jeans because denim is sooo heavy. 3 pair of pants
4 T shirts
Skirt, blouse, sweater
6 pair of socks
6 sets of underwear (decided I NEED it)
1 pair of pajamas
1 pair of shoes
Toiletries and makeup (weight about 14 ounces)
Curling Brush
Meds and First Aid stuff
3 wash cloths
Extra Zip Lock Bags
Some miscellaneous stuff like safety pins, rubber bands, paper clips etc.
Small Pacsafe purse I won't need til I get there
and that's IT.

My wife was 66 when we went for 3 weeks last year. Her single suitcase weighed 15kg (about 33lbs). She did better than me. She did have a carryon bag in addition. She had lightweight travel trouser and lightweight tops that could be washed and dried overhight. We visited a laundromat twice during our vacation (Florence and La Spezia). It really kept our luggage light.

Now the fun parts. The trains. 1) you most likely will have to lift your luggage overhead to place it in the overhead racks on the trains (and then lift them down). 2) most train stations have multiple platforms. Most often, your next train is on a different platfom. You do this by going down 25-30 stairs, walking through the underground tunnel and back up 25-30 stairs. Some stations have elevators or ramps but not many as we found. Pack light and you will do just fine.

Well I'd have to say that my pants are lighter than denim but not extremely lightweight either. It's still chilly in Italy even now. I priced lighter options at Magellans and Travelsmith and thought the prices were very high...especially when I already own perfectly good clothing.

My wife's lightweight clothing was from Travelsmith.

Sara carried a 15-pound backpack thru Europe for a period of 5 months. She was over 55 at the time. I carried a backpack of 22 pounds or so. We both brought things we knew we had to have but also resorted to buying things in Europe that we didnt want to carry there. You say that you dont have all the items on the Packing list. Do you NEED all of them? Also, you are only going for 10 days. How much do you have to have for such a short time?

As Kent mentions...the weight you have is in the bag itself! Bags with wheels weigh at least 8lb and sometimes up to 12.

Are you really walking with the luggage so you need wheels? are you taking a cab from the airport to the hotel? Are you staying close to the train station, and walking, or are you taking a cab?

Will you have a rental car?

If you really aren't walking much, then reconsider taking a backpack. it sounds like you have maybe 15 lbs of "stuff" -- a daypack will weigh in at 3-4 lbs. you've just saved a bunch of weight!

Yes..I see now that I should have gone ahead and invested in a lighter model suitcase. I think I will bite the bullet and make the 60 mile trip to the nearest city here and visit the luggage store. This suitcase is quite old but it never occurred to me before to weigh it!

First of all, you are not old! Still way too many clothes. Ditch 2 pair of pants, 1 pair of shoes,2 tops, and 3 wash clothes and half the make up. A no wheels bag will drop another 8 pounds. Have fun!

Have you thought to purchase one of Rick's bags and save your 60 mile trip. He can ship it to you, you know! They are great. I travel with the backpack and I'm soon to be 67. We just traveled Italy in October with our backbacks walking to our B&B's with no problem. The wheeled bags are also great! Good luck.

I have a bag with wheels which for me, is essential, and then I bring very little. We are usually in Europe for 4-6 wks. I know it's hard Linda, I hate it, and I hate wearing the same stuff over and over again, and I hate doing laundry every night because I do pack so light when I just want to go to bed BUT.....the pay-off is well worth it! Moving around easily is my top priority and when you're going up and down stairs in a train station you will be very grateful if you pack light. I have never agreed with Rick about "if you run out of something, just go buy it" because sometimes it can take 1-2 hrs of my precious day to "just go buy it" depending on what it is. For a 10 day trip you shouldn't run out of anything anyway. You don't need 4 pants with you for 10 days, that's for sure, plus a skirt? I agree with all the above posts on what to bring. Pack Light and Have Fun!!

Your rolling bag is ridiculously heavy.

There are many that are around 7 pounds---a couple are Rick's Rolling Bag and Ebags Weekender Wheelie. (Both can be shipped to you.) You should have to spend more than $125 for one. (The ebags one is less than $100. I own it and love it.)

Then, take out stuff. You really need 4 pairs of pants and a skirt? How much toiletries are you taking? Go to Walmart or Target and get travel size toiletries. If you need more, buy it in Europe.

I get the feeling you don't want to do too much laundry. The key to traveling light is being willing to do laundry in your room--either in the sink or in a 2 gal ziploc bag.

And a carry-on bag? Why not use the Pacsafe bag as your carry-on?

IF you get a lightweight rolling bag, you should be able to get the weight down to no more than 20-22 pounds.

use your purse/day-pack as a personal item and the RS bag as your "offical carry on". The purse/daypack should have your heavier items like camera and guidebooks that ad up to 10lbs fast - a savings. they wont weigh a ladies purse yet. Also - if youd like to try the RS-non-wheel - the tour shop is selling 20% off this week (see travel store tab above) (not that im pushing ricks gear - i just think it works for me and its at discount this week!)

You guys are tough! LOL! Okay, I'm tossing the skirt and sweater (will I look okay to attend the dinner theater in pants?) I have NO idea why I get so panicky at the thought of being under-prepared. I'm ordering the rollaboard. 3 pair of sox can go...but the underwear is STAYING! I really think the suitcase is the problem. It's old. I think the newer luggage is being made much lighter.

Linda,
13 pounds is a heavy bag. I just bought a 7 1/2 pound hardside roll aboard from Brookstone. It is on 4 caster-type wheels so you can roll it beside you - no dragging required. I agree with everyone else, you don't need so many clothes. I would remove 2 pairs of slacks, 3 pairs of socks, 3 sets of underwear and 1 tee shirt.
Good luck!

Linda - deep breath, it's going to be fine! Packing light isn't a miracle that happens overnight. Many on this board have learned by doing and have given you sage advice. You will learn by doing too (like, buy a lighter bag!). When you come home, evaluate what you took, what you used, and what you wished you had. The next trip will be easier to prepare for.

You're going to Italy - they have clothes, toiletries, and everything else you could need available for a few euros (or more). As prior posters mentioned, make sure you're not taking too many toiletries - it's only 10 days, not a month. I have a lovely $20 bottle of Italian sunscreen that reminds me of my trip every time I open the bottle.

I took 2prs of pants a pair of jeans and the pants I had on when I went to Europe. I was there for 4 weeks. I wore my jeans and one pair of pants. I didn't even bother with the other 2 pairs. I almost left them someplace so I would not be lugging them around. I didn't and now that I think about it, I have not wore them since.

Anyway, it ended up being so hot in Italy (end of October begining of Nov) when I was there and I went in to an underwear store and bought a plain black tee shirt. I also ended up wearing my pj tee shirt as a regular shirt.

I would go with 2pr of pants and maybe take out 1 tee shirt but I am sure 2pr of pants and 4 Ts will even out when you have a bag that weighs 6 lbs less.

As stated before, you will get the hang of packing light. It took me a year of traveling every month to figure out what I really could live without. Make a list of what you have on this trip, keep it and then cross off things you didn't use and don't take them next time.

We traveled in Europe for the entire month of September several years ago. I packed two pants, a skirt, 3 short-sleeved light knit pull-over tops, a long-sleeved pullover sweater, two scarves, cardigan, Cuddle-Duds for pajamas, and 3 or 4 sets of underwear. On the plane I wore a skirt, long-sleeved blouse, blazer, and carried a raincoat. The colors of all items were coordinated so that each bottom could be worn with any other top, a scarf and the blazer. I hardly ever wore a skirt after the flight to Europe, and would have done well with only the two pants, 3 short-sleeved tops, cardigan and blazer. The Cuddle-Duds were great under pants on cold days, and I also used the zip-in lining for my raincoat. Many hotels had pants presses and we used them to press our pants overnight. We washed clothes out at night and they were usually dry in the morning. We wore clean underwear every day, but many times wore pants and tops two or three days. Pantiliners and under-arm shields helped.

I agree with the lighter bag. I also got mine from R.S. at 7 lbs and it was shipped to me. The travel size shampoo,tooth paste , etc. have lasted me 2 weeks. I take a scarf or two and that takes care of dressing up.
I never take a skirt and my black walking shoes [SAS}look fine under black pants.I will wear my pants and tops 3 times and have had my laundry done at the hotel during a 2 week trip. A little expensive but I loved the feel of clean clothes!

One of my nagging worries is having to wash my pants and how long they might take to dry. Although they are supposed to be "wrinkle-free", they are the poplin type and will take a while to dry. I have no problem taking only 2 pair but what if I spill an entire meal in my lap when I'm wearing my only other pair? My other worry is whether it will be okay to wear pants rather than a skirt to this theater thing? It is the Teatro Tasso in Sorrento?

You mention packing poplin pants later in this thread. Poplin or any type of cotton pants, jeans or underwear take a long time to dry on their own. I understand your reluctance to shell out the bucks for Travelsmith's clothing. However, I have seen microfiber pants sold far cheaper (as low as $12.99) in places like Target, Walmart, QVC, etc. Same goes for the shirts and the underwear. Microfiber clothing weighs next to nothing, drys quickly and doesn't wrinkle - and you can wear it more casually by day or dress it up with accessories for nighttime.

Keep toiletries to a bare minimum. Buy small 2-3 oz. plastic bottles and fill them with things that can pull double duty (i.e., Philosophy's 3-in-1 shampoo/bodywash/conditioner packed in a small tube saves you lugging 3 separate bottles). Rip apart your guidebook and only take the pages you need. Every little thing you can do to lighten the load will be helpful - especially since you'll need room for souvenirs!

Linda, I brought some velour pants with me on my last (winter) trip to Paris. They were fairly heavy. I rinsed them out a couple of times in my hotel room and hung them in the shower. They did not totally dry overnight, but the next day I put them on a hanger and hung in the closet and at end of the day they were dry. You can test wash the clothes you plan to bring at home and see how they behave. I'm sure everything will work out, you don't need to worry about this too much -- don't worry about spilling your dinner -- concentrate on the wonderful places you will be seeing instead!

Traveling group of Ladies ages 52 to 72...weighed our "old" suitcases with wheels, ranged from 9 to 14 lbs and that is empty! We all bought lighter suitcases with wheels. With our limited weight allowance on some European flights we had to do something. So we decided having clothes was better than our old reliable suitcase. One of our ladies bought a RS bag online on sale, I think it's 7 lbs I went to a an outlet store but noticed quite a few sites online with discount luggage. I spent $49 Samsonite Lite. I never realized how heavy my suitcase was. All this time, no wonder it was so heavy, mine was 11.5 lbs..empty! Pack light...good luck...have a great time.

No one ever mentions the true use of scarves-as bibs. When you spill something on them, you just rearrange the scarf and you're clean! Also can be used to cover up a stain on your shirt. The scarf will then just wash out and dry easily.

Linda, are you SURE you need those wheels? There will be plenty of times that you'll have to lift the bag, wheels or no. What will you do then?

If you leave home all the things the people here are advising you to leave home to make your heavy rolling pack lighter, AND put the rest in a small light bag, you'll save 12, maybe 15 lbs! Are you sure you can't manage what would be left after that?

Linda, your packing list does not sound unreasonable at all. I took about the same for 14 days last May. But I had the same issue - the roller bag was too heavy to begin with. I stopped in to Ross or Marshalls and bought a "1/3 less weight" 21" roller bag. It made all the difference in the world. I took the train everywhere and had to lift it up and down and managed fairly well. Even with the lightweight bag and minimal clothing, it weighed 20lbs when I checked going home.

Linda,
I bought Rick's 22" carryon that weighs 7lbs. It's great. Ditch the washcloths, and a pair of pants. I bring only Black and tan pants, the shirts go with both. for 10 days you don't need that many pants, you also have one on that you can rewear. Wear your jacket or sweater, don't bring both, I'm bringing in April a vest and wearing a jacket(in case of rain).Go through the makeup and toiletries and cut them down.

Linda, other then ditching one pair of pants, I don't think you packed too heavey. I think it really did come down to your heavey old suitcase. I understand about needing wheels, some people do not understand that it is just not an option to have to carry a suitcase or back pack. Sure, you can haul it up a flight of stairs, but then, you need the wheels. Those of us with bad backs understand perfectly.
I would also keep the skirt, but this is assuming it is a lightweight fabric, I mean the skirt itself is going to weigh in at 1/2 pound so I don't think that makes a huge difference.
I would only bring one extra pair of pants, one skirt and wear a pair of pants. That is enough for 10 days. I buy lightweight fabrics, stay away from any denim weight pants, (that parachute weight fabric is greeat).

I can get away without washing clothes on a ten day trip, pants do not get soiled that easily unless you are a slob, or they are light covered. I never bring light colors,, LOL

one more point to help - weigh out your individual items on a scale... you may find that some of your shirts or pants are heavier then you imagined... swap them out for the lighter pair. You can quickly save an extra few lbs that way. Shirts should be 8-10 oz (Ts or buttons), and travel pants (for me) 20-25 oz. each (unless they are super light - 2 is enough). All you socks and undergarments shouldnt add up to more than 1.5 lbs since each is like 3-oz. Take a light sweater and a light-waterproof shell-jacket and layer - or just take a mid-weight waterproof jacket with some light fleece in it.

I know you've all just been waiting anxiously for an update. I'm meeting my daughter en route. She is a teacher in Dubai will fly from there. We are to meet at the Amsterdam airport and proceed together to Sorrento from there. She just read this thread and told me to jettison several things. (of course she also says she can fashion a nice outfit for me using the sheets in the hotel room! LOL) I've done as suggested and the entire load is now down to a manageable 24 pounds completely packed. As she points out we're doing the last leg of the flight on Alitalia and they're probably going to lose the luggage anyway. Thank you all so much for all your excellent suggestions and tips. This board has been a great resource! :o)

For me, wheels are very, very useful. If you get a RS rolling suitcase, that is perfect. RS sells a ton of them so obviously lots of people agree they are useful. Yes, you sometimes have to lift your suitcase when getting on/off a train, or going up/down stairs but in between those occasional situations you can roll your suitcase...through airports, down the street, through the train station, through towns. I would not want to have to carry my suitcase all over in addition to the lifting. We all have our own preferences, I'm just presenting my opinion as to why wheels are very worth the 7 pounds.

Hi Linda:

Hope I'm not too late to offer my 2 cents before your trip.

Glad you're going with a lighter suitcase, and ditching some of the clothes. Definitely agree with the suggestions to go with sample-size/travel-sized toiletries. As well as the suggestion to use your pacsafe purse as your carry-on.

I'm sure pants will be fine to the dinner theater. Especially if the pants are black.

If you're concerned about having to launder your pants frequently, have you thought about taking pantyliners? You won't have to wash your pants as often if you use pantyliners.

Also, I've seen lightweight, fast-drying pants (in material similar to the "Travelers" line sold at Chicos) for much, much less at places like Target, JC Penney, etc., if that's something you want to consider.

And don't worry - you'll be a pro at packing light by the time you get back from your trip. Have a great time in Italy!

I used space bags which compact down to inches. I brought underware and socks for each day. If you're planning on washing them out they might not dry in your room by morning unless you have a line outside your window like the locals. Bring clothespins.