pack light huh?

Pack for 5-7 days and do laundry along the way. You can go to a "coin" operated laundry or a place where you drop off your stuff and pick it up later in the day. You can stay in apt.s or places with wash machines available. Use Eagle Creek or Ebags packing cubes and folders.

First, leave behind the scarcasm........
;)
Serious question, how many destinations will you visit and how often will you be relocating? Also, what time of year?
Next, we do pack really lite and wash clothes often. Either in the infamous bathroom sink or by finding a local laundry.
We pack more underwear and socks then pants and shirts. We are great at rolling items tightly and using rubber bands to hold them in place. We also pack two black plastic trash bags to toss in dirty laundry and not above appearing like a vagabond. we use one roller bag per person (wife and I).
Finally, there are different levels of acceptable comfort per individual tastes, often influenced by the individuals level of experience in travel.
We do strongly believe our minimalist packing habits enhance our trip enjoyment.
Have fun and thanks for taking my comment about scarcasm with a smile.

I haven't been gone six weeks at a time for twenty years, but one pack for a month does me just fine, and I doubt another four weeks would make much difference. The trick is to plan on washing your clothes often and carrying small multifunction electronics rather than books and single use items.

Look in the travel tips section of this site for Rick's packing list. It's a good one.

Here's my list:

For clothes I take: five shirts, two pairs of shorts, one pair jeans (I wear jeans on the plane), one skirt, a dressy belt and silk scarf, sandals (I wear walking shoes on the plane), five sets underwear and socks, dressy light weight jacket (doubles as sweater), and a light rain coat, sun hat, sunglasses. In winter I ditch the shorts, sandals, and two of the shirts and add hat, gloves, two sweaters, two pairs silk undies, extra pair of shoes, and wear a coat on the plane (trains too). ----- I've been know to buy a new shirt in route and throw one away.

For electronics and entertainment I take a tablet (a Kindle or smart phone would do) which holds both guidebooks and entertainment, mp3 player and a camera (you could just use the tablet but I like mega pixels and a real lens), chargers and electronics converters. I take a purse that can double as a day-pack.

Toiletries: bar soap, disposable razor, toothpaste and brush, lip-balm, sun screen, mosquito repellant, hand lotion bar, shampoo bar, lipstick, moleskin, comb. We share the toiletries to save space.

Add, an emergency sewing kit, ibuprofen, band aides, and a small container of spices, rope to hang clothes, and a little dry detergent, a deck of cards, and I'm all set.

I went back to Europe last year for the first time in 15 years. 10 days in Spain. I was worried about 1 carry on bag and debated what to do.
I had 3 separate flights (Albany -Detroit - Amsterdam - Spain). I was concerned that my bag might not be waiting for me at my final destination so I opted for carry on. So glad I did. No waiting in lines to check luggage, no need to wait at the baggage carousel looking for my bag. I just pulled it out of the overhead and went straight through passport control/immigration and was probably at the hotel before most people had their luggage. Even then I packed too much and left clothes at the hotel because I did not want to schlep them back home.
I did the same this past September for a trip to Paris and Switzerland. Still wish I brought less. They have laundry facilities in Europe just like here. I made use of laudromats once or twice and washed things like socks and underwear in the sink.
I am renting an apartment in Barcelona this July which includes a washing machine. So I can pack even less.
You will be fine. Bring one bag and pack light. Find clothes that match that can be worn in different combinations.
You will be amazed and glad you did.
This is a big topic so be prepared for a ton of advice from more experienced travelers than me.
Have an awesome trip!

We read through all of these: http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/packing-light

And Rick on packing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn65riaKccA

It's your trip. Do what you want. But you really don't need as much as you think you do.

Happy travels!

I have gone to Europe every summer for a month for 12 of the last 13 years. I only take RS 21" roller bag (or its predecessor) plus one day pack. I have never had a problem and could stay much longer since my routine is the same regardless of how many days I travel. I only take 3 sets of everything that is quick drying and wash what I need in the sink where I am staying, hanging it up in the shower/tub, and it is ready to go in the morning. Most of my stuff is ExOfficio which while more expensive than some, is certainly durable. RS claims to be able to live out of his 21" bag for several months. I hope you are able to hear from someone that has stayed as long as you plan and has made due with only a small, carry-on sized suitcase. It can be done. In my travels thru Europe I have seen way too many tourists dragging around HUGE suitcases and wonder how they ever get them up stairs. Happy travels.

You wear the same five mix-and-match outfits until you are sick of them. You wear one for daytime, change to a less sweaty one for evening, then repeat the next day with the same two outfits. Nobody is keeping track of how many days you wore that. You are careful to buy lightweight souvenirs or have heavy purchases shipped home. I have traveled many months with one carry-on sized bag and never wished it was larger.

If you have a car, you can use if for storing more gear, but the bag that you carry in and out of hotels still needs to be a light one. If you're traveling by train, you'll wrangle your own bag on and off every train, up and down every staircase, and along many rough cobbled streets.

http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/packing-light

My experience is the same as the others in being able to manage. I traveled for 8 weeks last fall and could have done another month with what I had. I still found I overpacked and could have left some of my clothes at home. I did sink wash in a 2.5 gal reinforced ziplock bag and my clothes got clean. You do have to make sure your clothing will dry quickly (at least overnight) if you opt for sink wash. Don't think about enough clothes for 10 weeks, think 5-7 days as someone said upthread.

You probably don't have 10 weeks worth of clothes at home since you probably rotate thru a section of clothing that you like better than others. All pants match all tops match all sweaters/jackets. Wear one pr of shoes, pack one. I took 3 cardigans because I though I might get sick of them. I found I was so busy having fun I really didn't notice what I was wearing so 2 would have been fine. I took jeans along with 2 pr pants and found that I didn't wear the jeans much at all and could have left them as well. Similar thing with shirts, (I travel with Lands End cotton/Modal Tees as they wash and dry easily), could have gotten away with fewer. Really, I only needed 3 short sleeved shirts and one long sleeve just-in-case it got cold. If you are a woman, don't think about your clothes in outfits, thing about everything working together.

When I first starting coming to this helpline, one of the guys said always to start packing on paper. That is the best advice I have read. (Thanks to whover said it!) Start your packing list on paper and stick to it.

If you are a woman, you might take a look at Vivienne Files for ideas on travel wardrobes. Her suggestions are too dressy/city/expensive for my lifestyle, BUT I can always sub in more casual clothing for her basics. You might also take a look at Project 333 which suggests paring your closet down to 33 items for 3 months. Easy to make a travel wardrobe from that!

great responses ..I am renting a apartment outside Florence in the hills. One place for the entire 10 weeks. Yes, it has a washing machine.

I love it when someone posts one min question, gets lots of solid responses and then comes back and changes the question. Obviously, if you are staying in one place for 10 week then the need to pack light is somewhat less important. Big difference between traveling off and on for ten weeks or getting to and from one place. In your case, take two bags since weight is not that critical.

jr,

I've travelled for up to two months at a time, and have never really been concerned about using just one bag. While one bag travel is certainly possible for long trips, I always travel with two and haven't found that to be a big problem.

Jrwaggener,

If you will be in one place the whole time & there's a washing machine, then you're all set!

I have always found the one carry-on bag mode of travel to be impractical. (But have started to reconsider this because of how small rental car trunks have become on a reasonable sized car). It's always a trade off between how much you can carry and how often you want to do laundry. For a long trip you will have more time to do laundry, so it would be easier to make it work. Personally I am very picky about personal care products - mouthwash, fluoride rinse, electric toothbrush, sunscreen, skin lotion. And I don't want to buy that stuff overseas, don't want to waste time chasing after it when I run out because I took too small a container. Usually I need to pack a pair of shoes besides the pair on my feet (or even two if we plan to hike in the country). No way am I walking all over a big city in my Eccos, need a pair of sneakers for that. But I want a nicer pair for dinner. Plus, my work is very demanding and packing light takes a lot more thought and time. I typically pack until way too late the night before the trip; a forty pound 25" bag in height is my standard. It's a bit of a pain, but I can carry it up and down stairs. My wife packs to close to fifty pounds because she knows who will carry it up for her, and just can't help herself. My carry-on bag has my iPad, guidebooks, jacket. My carry-on is bigger than the allowed second "personal item". Overseas airlines can be stricter about those things, maybe you only get one item total and the overhead bin may be really tiny. For me it's too much stress, easier to just check a bag. Add to that the fact that giant carry-ons are the reason why it takes close to an hour to board a large plane. I prefer to not be part of the problem in that regard. I would consider going with a smaller bag, say a 22", and then checking it anyway so that I could still take a real carry-on i.e. a backpack or similar. The rental car trunk size thing really has me rethinking this. My wife would have a really hard time packing that light but we might be able to fit her large and my small into the trunk. On thing that might help economize is quick dry underwear and socks (even shirts). You can get synthetic fabric underwear from a major outdoor chain that dry quickly and could easily be washed in the sink, drying overnight. They do not feel grungy after a single days' wear but do tend to get smelly. I can wear them for two or three days before washing without it feeling grungy. They make shirts of the same material, but be aware that they do tend to get smelly. Merino wool hiking socks likewise can be worn for days and are quick dry. I can wear the same socks to bed for a week and they don't feel gross, so I am pretty sure they would do well on a trip/

I travel for 12-13 weeks every summer and take the RS 20-inch rolling carryon and the Civita daybag. These hold eight days worth of clothes plus everything else (travel size toiletries, though) and I do laundry one a week.

Staying in one place for ten weeks I would take the he same amount of clothing. Note that the energy-efficient washing machines in Europe take longer to finish, in my experience.

I manage to fit everything easily in my RS carry on bag. I travel for about 4-5 weeks but it is summer where clothes take up less room. I like to wear dresses so I pack 4-5 dresses (wear 1), two skirts, 2 shorts, a running outfit (I'm a marathoner), bathing suit (just in case) 5-6 shirts, pack two pairs of shoes (wear another) and wear cardigan. I wash underwear, socks and running clothes daily and do the wash once a week. I manage to fit in my Ipad, iphones and RS book. I am always glad that I can easily manage the carryon and my purse/tote. I am not picky about toiletries and buy whatever I run out of. Works great for me!

Buy toiletries when you get there. No need to bring them from home unless you need something very specific. Also, bring clothes that mix and match. If a shirt won't go with at least three bottoms don't bring it. Since you'll be staying in one location the entire time I don't think you need to worry about limiting your baggage weight. That is mainly for those who will be changing locations often and using the train to get around. Those are the times when you want to carry a small, light weight bag.

Donna

Yes, it works because it has to work. Pack very light for many good reasons. You have to be able to hoist and remove the bag on/off overhead bins/racks on your flights and trains.

You need one light bag to allow you to scramble up train steps and find a seat. You will be competing with plenty of very young travelers and locals who will fly up the stairs and sit down before their duffel lands on the overhead rack.

If you become ill, you must have a bag you can manage. One light bag helps you look efficient and in control, evading thieves looking for those overwhelmed by their bags.

I travel with a wheeled carry-on that weighs a total of 15 pounds. Whether I stay one week or four months. I wear one outfit and pack lightweight fabrics. In Winter I also pack one pair of jeans and one pair of leg warmers, and wear the coat, sock cap and scarf, with gloves in my coat pocket.

After you land you can buy laundry soap at a grocery store. It helps to have a floppy drain stopper sold at hardware stores here in the US. You can still wash clothes in the bathroom sink without the stopper.

Some hotels post rules against washing clothes in the sink. I would wash a few items after housekeeping hours, hang to air dry, and then hang in the Wardrobe with doors cracked open. No one ever knew that I washed clothes in the sink.

"great responses ..I am renting a apartment outside Florence in the hills. One place for the entire 10 weeks. Yes, it has a washing machine. "

You could take a steamer trunk for this scenario--but when you take an overnight trip, you'll want the carry on bag, not the steamer trunk.

We are leaving in 3 weeks for Paris, Lucerne, Florence & Salerno, 17 days in all, second trip abroad, last time five years ago took way too much stuff. Wife & I each have a 21" roller bag. I also have a CPAP machine that when empty will serve as a day bag on our excursions. Wife is looking for a soft carry-on for her--I would like to discourage her (the RS mantra--pack light, pack right) but if she feels better by doing this, so be it. Roller bags may or may not fit in plane overhead but it doesn't matter because we will check those through as air to Paris & home from Naples will be our only flights. Trains all the way from Paris down to Salerno, many changes along the way. Need to be mobile. Apartments and hotels are purposely very close to train stations.

And weather is definitely a factor this time of year, so we have to be creative in packing light with varied clothing needs. Found a Marmot ultralight down jacket that folds into itself down to the size of a softball. Probably won't need it by the time we reach Campania. Reading RS Europe Through The Back Door, many packing tips I hadn't thought about. Got the RS tote bag for souvenirs--empty it folds right down--and also the packing cubes. Oh, bought the laundry line, too. Job one for this weekend is to find shirts & pants that don't look like garbage when scrunched up!

re: Zoe's comment about washing machines, we've stayed in a few places that had a washer but no dryer. I'm not complaining - there's something about a washer that gets clothes extra clean and the spin cycle helps get the excess water out of the clothes so they dry faster. But back to the idea of quick drying stuff unless you want an apartment strewn with drying clothes.

I like TravelSmith for quick drying stuff. Not everything in the catalog is quick-drying but there are many good choices.

jr it really comes down to your mindset. To travel light, you have to accept three concepts:

no one cares if you wear the same outfit multiple times.

anything you decide you need (like toiletries, more socks) you can get over there
you have to hand wash clothes often, or use laundry services or laundromats (or tolerate odor)

Its whatever you're comfortable with. I go over with a carryon, and an empty duffle bag that gradually fills with souvenirs, and gets checked on return flight. If you need more than a carryon, its just on you to lug it around. I see lots of American travelers struggling with big suitcases up and down stairs, onto trains, etc., depending on the kindness of strangers for help.

Just make sure her day bag has a shoulder strap and she can put her purse in it when packed. Makes for one less thing to keep track of.
I also take a collapsible bag in my carry on.

My wife and I both have the convertible carry-on bags. We packed enough for six days before having to do laundry. My wife's bag weighed 12 lbs and mine was 15 (I lost the bet). We could easily have doubled it and still been comfortable. Not trying to brag, just illustrating that it can easily be done, and we were novices to European travel.
We also each take a smaller carry-on, such as a civita or equivalent, for books, electronics, etc. And given the I.P.'s scenario, I wouldn't change a thing.

Not sure why anyone would want to pack heavier. To each their own.

You only need to pack for one week. Then just re-use each week for however long your trip is by doing laundry. The only challenge is shoulder seasons or moving between extreme geographies that would require hot/cold outfits.

When my wife and I travel, we typically have one carry-on bag, one checked and each a personal day-bag. We check a bag so we have extra capacity to fill it up buying things and it allows us to bring an extra pair of shoes each.

Toiletries are travel sized or put into travel sized containers. If we need jackets/coats at some point, we wear them on the plane so they don't take up room in the luggage. Same with boots; we wear them on the plane and put regular shoes in the bags.

We also travel a lot so we have bought travel clothes (mostly shirts and socks), which dry much faster.

I've only used a carry-on for the last 11 years, and that includes business travel for two weeks at a time and 2-week vacations with Swiss-to-Italian weather extremes. I bring the Woolite packs and wash items in the sink each night. (Yuck on the idea shared of wearing something twice without washing it.)

But, you're going to one place that has a washing machine. Pack somewhat light ~6 outfits with the plan that you can bring back some fantastic souvenirs - ceramics, shoes?? in an extra suitcase. : )

I left a few details out. (sorry). The trip is from 22 Aug to 2 Nov. All at one place the entire time. I will have a leased car. Trips to other areas in Europe will be via rail. Yes, I have a IDP for Italy. Leasing car in Nice,FR ... driving to apartment outside Florence (about 5 hour drive ... along the coast) ... I surely don't want to overpack ...the leased car is ..um ...small.

How does the leasing work? I mean, is it going to cost a fortune to leave it in Italy like it does for a rental car? Or are you driving it back to France to return it?

And yes, the size of the car and your luggage is always an issue. The last car we rented was so small that our 2 22" carry-ons and 2 much smaller personal items would not all fit in the hatchback/trunk. One of them had to go in the back seat.

Leasing the car vs renting the car has a lot of advantages for a long stay. I get a brand new car, collision and damage insurance is included, not limited to one driver. Yes, i will drive it back to France ... and enjoy that journey. Makes sense to me for a 10 week vacation. If anyone has other suggestions about this plan ...please comment

If you are spending the entire time in one place then I wouldn't worry about the one bag thing.

You can probably wear the same clothing the entire span of this trip, with the inclusion of a wind-resistant and waterproof jacket. You might include gloves and a hat to greatly increase your comfort if the weather is unseasonably cold. They provide a lot of warmth for way less space and weight of a coat. You might want to include something with long sleeves, too.

Ah...10 weeks in one place near Florence. Absolutely jealous ;-) Have a great time!

Yeah, if are spending all that time in one place, I'd pack however you want, and buy an extra suitcase to bring home all the stuff you buy or collect. Or, pack one suitcase inside another slightly larger one, and then you have capacity to come home a little "heavier". Ignore all the other advice you got :)

Not to beat this subject to death, but it is all subject to change depending on your trip. If you have no transportation, you are walking from the train to the hotel and every where else, than it is hard to haul big bags, if you are changing planes a lot it takes a lot of time to pick up bags, clear customs, recheck bags. But if you are only staying one hotel or have a direct flight then check your bags and take as much as you would like. We don't wash our clothes in the sink! Half way through we send our clothes out to be laundered. It doesn't cost any more than what the airlines charge for checking extra bags. And then you can buy some new things you see on the trip. I think you have to try many times to see what works for you. We just purchased some new hand bags for our next trip because we were getting tired of dealing with a back pack. Every thing is doable.

Just a note on the washing machine: Get a good tutorial about how the washing machine works upon arrival. They work a little differently. The labels are in Celsius which isn't too difficult to figure out warm/hot/cold. But there are often other funny little labels that I have never figured out.

jr,

Given the fact that you're going to be in one location for 10 weeks (with a washing machine), you could certainly bring a slightly larger bag as you won't be hauling it around while you're there. Bring another smaller Backpack to use both as carry-on and for day trips while you're there.

If you did want to stay with just one bag, something like THIS product would work well and if it's packed properly may also be acceptable for carry-on.

Do your laundry by Termini in Rome.

No need to pack anymore than a carryon

Several posts removed here. Keep the conversation on topic please. That goes for both sides.

In hind sight I probably should have worded my post differently. Its 10 weeks in Tuscany from mid August to early November. Staying at one place, with a car, and taking longer excursions via train. I certainly would want to pack light for the train trips. The "home base" I can deal with a larger pack out. My apology if I rubbed people the wrong way. Semantics.

If you are staying in one place that has a washing machine I would not worry as much about how much you bring. I would point out that you will be in a great shopping city so you will be able to add to your wardrobe as well. I cherish the wearable souviners along with the stories that go with them - even though some are several sizes too small by now. You can easily pick up an extra suitcase in Italy, I got a knock off one off the side of the road in Paris that has held up better than my more expensive set. Happy travels.

If you are talking about short stays (overnight or just a few nights), a small backpack or carryon would do easily. I use an very old Civita daybag for overnight/weekend stays, it holds a surprising amount of stuff, but since it's soft and mostly shapeless, it doesn't hold things in place or keep clothes from wrinkling. Rolling or using a packing cube might help with this.

If your staying in one place for the whole time its probably not so important but if you are moving around, I am yet to hear a traveller say " the trip would have been better if by bag was heavier and harder to carry"

A bit off topic but seemed a good place for a reminder that a lot of European airlines have now tightened up the measurements of carry-on luggage - It should be no more than 50cm (20 inches) long including wheels and handles. I understand that the new RS rolling carry on meets these new limits. Last year, for the first time, I had my suitcase measured in Venice, although it was well within the new guidelines.

I travel a lot. There are rarely porters to shlep extra bags at European train stations or airports. My husband always has a jacket for dining out and the opera etc and I always have something presentable to wear. We still mostly travel with a carry on (we often check it especially on the way back). Sometimes if we cross seasons we have a 24 inch suitcase which is still fairly manageable up metro stairs and on trains and such. Or one of us has a 24 inch and the other a carry on. Our travel lives are much more pleasant since we moved to lightweight and easily manageable. We pack an expansion bag so we can haul stuff back if we acquire it on the trip. This came in hand when we bought a case of great wine in France and still had a couple of bottles when it was time to fly home. The wine went in the suitcase that we checked and the stuff it displaced in the expansion bag which we carried on.

Definitely agree that if you end up with a washer in an apartment that you be very sure how to work it. I know someone who paid over 100 Euros because he didn't understand how to latch the drum and his clothes ended up wound around the mechanism necessitating a big repair bill and of course his clothes were ruined. The washers that also dry (automatic clothes wrinklers as we think of them) are a nightmare to use and you can't get your clothes out before the bake in the wrinkles cycle without understanding how to set it properly.

If you are in one place for that long, take a weeks worth of clothing (which can easily fit in a carry on), and do laundry. Go out one morning for a shopping expedition and get some new clothes. If you have access to a washing machine and lots of time, then it's no question, pack a carry on and you will be fine.