Do you pack by "daily outfit" or by "type" ?

I have had success using the cubes and I pack them mainly the way you described. Largest bag - pants and sweater, medium bag- tops, small bag- underclothes and socks. It seems to help me have a good sense of which clothes are almost ready to wash and which clothes can be worn again. I think the cubes keep my suitcase more organized and I can easily get to the piece of clothing that I need. I try to pack clothes that coordinate with each other so that there are several different combinations to choose from. However, I've been on trips as long as 5 weeks and, at the end of the trip, it's easy to be tired of all of my clothes!

I do not pack by outfit. I am curious to read the answers on this question as well.

I DO use cubes, but I use them to separate shirts from undies, my stuff from my other half's stuff. If I had a special event which I was attending, I'd possibly pack that separately to make sure I had everything I needed. Otherwise, I just think weather. Almost everything I own coordinates with something else without much work.

I guess I pack by “type”.

In general I’ll bring 4-5 tops, 3 bottoms, and 1-2 toppers (cardigan and jacket). Everything coordinates with everything else.

I always have at least one long sleeve top.
I always have at least one pair of pants.
I always have a dressy top.
I usually have a skirt with me. Or one light dress.

I bundle wrap everything into a single regular size packing cube, with underwear as the core. It doesn’t take me long to wrap or unwrap because I don’t have many clothes.

I’ll usually choose my outfit the night before. The big determinant is the weather and the activity. Based on the wardrobe above I have at least 2 outfits for any activity. The key is to figure out the different outfits ahead of time when you plan your capsule wardrobe. I usually ask myself:

• What items will I wear for dress up activities?
• What items will I wear for outdoors activities?
• What items will I wear for cities and museums?

Then I add in the accessories to expand them more.

Packing by outfits doesn’t guarantee that clothes mix and match. You’ll probably overpack, while having less outfits overall.

Absolutely NO on the outfit packing idea!!! That always struck me as an extreme waste of space. I rewear pants and outer shirts (like sweaters worn over t-shirts, or cardigans). So packing outfits for a week would mean packing 7 tops and 7 bottoms. Who washes their pants after every wear? 7 pairs of pants for 1 trip is lunacy. Pants are heavy, get reworn, and are more boring from a fashion perspective. Additional shirts are lighter weight and help with fashion boredom! I will bring 3 bottoms and 7 tops or some such combo, all which go together to make 21 outfits. More if the tops can be layered or worn individually. In summer to hot destinations I may bring 7 sundresses, and no long pants or tops, in that case I guess outfit packing would work, but the "outfit" is one item plus underwear so no need to separate it out.

I think in terms of mixing and matching, but just pack it all together. I make sure everything goes together and just...get dressed. Weather and the days plans affect my choices. I'll dress differently for a city day with a nice lunch as opposed to going to a nature park.

If I'm going to an event like a formal concert I might have a separate set of clothes for it packed together, but more likely the event clothes will be mixed in to my travel wardrobe. A black skirt and a fancy blouse with heels = event. Black skirt and t-shirt with flats (or fancy blouse with jeans and flats) = more casual dinner.

Nope, no packing by outfit here either. All tops go with all bottoms (which are generally jeans as we don't travel during the summer), one cube for shirts, one for bottoms, and one for socks/unmentionables/sleep shirt. Toiletries in a small zippered pouch. A jacket wherever it fits + one extra pair of shoes. Zero 'dress' clothes as we don't frequent places which would require them, and almost never return to the hotels from the time we leave in the early morning until after dinner at night.

I don't use packing cubes. I have one very light weight nylon bag with a lengthwise zipper that I pack all my undies and socks into. I fold the tops and bottoms (capris, slacks, skirt depending on season and need) and lay them flat. I don't have "outfits." Well, except for when I spend time in France. Somehow I feel, especially in Paris, that I want to make an effort to look more chic than tourist. Accent scarves help a lot.

I pack a capsule wardrobe - three or four bottoms, five or six tops (combo of long/short sleeves), light sweater. Since I am petite all of these fit in one Eagle Creek packing folder - no separate baggies. I only take bottoms that match at least two (or more) of the tops - no one-off outfits unless there is a special event to attend (rare). I take photos of each item and make a cheat sheet (in a word document) with all the photos on one page and a list of the combinations they can make - e.g., black skirt + green top, black pants+ black tank + sweater, etc. There are dozens of options without repeating even on a long trip. Then I tape the cheat sheet to the inside of the packing folder so my clothing choices are easy to figure out depending on the weather, activity, and mood.

I usually pack by type: one cube for pants and heavy items, one for shirts and scarves, and one for underwear and socks.

Sometimes, though, I make exceptions to this rule. For example, I went to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons a few months ago. We were moving from place to place a lot, with a lot of one night stays, and many of the accommodations did not have elevators. My main suitcase was full of tripods, hiking sticks and such, and I didn't want to have to schlep it in and out of hotel rooms each day. I wound up packing one cube with clothes for hot weather (Salt Lake City), one for dressier occasions (dress code for dinner in the Tetons), and another cube for colder weather and hiking (Yellowstone). When we arrived at a destination, I would just pop one of the cubes and my toiletry kit into a small bag and leave the big suitcase in the car. It worked out really well. I don't think I brought my big suitcase inside until the night before we flew home.

Go to weather.com and look up the historical temp./precipitation averages for your destination. Then, what type of travel are you doing? Casual? Dress formal? Beach? Bird watching? Then, make a checklist of what you need on paper. Eliminate anything you can. Gather up your items and pack them as you can. I am a big fan of packing cubes. I give them as gifts to others.

Understand if one day is a dress-up occasion (like a wedding or
concert) but in my at-home life I usually don't plan further ahead
than the night before (if that.)

I'm with you there. I use packing cubes and put blouses/sweater in one, pants in another, socks/underwear/nightie/scarves in the 3rd. What I wear in NYC is what I pack when I travel assuming the weather is comparable which typically it is for me. Most of my clothing is all black so it doesn't matter which top goes with which pair of slacks; thus packing is a breeze. I vary it up with the silk scarves.

Great topic! For me it depends on the length of the trip.

For a very short trip, I pack by outfit. I start with the very last day, pack that outfit into a packing envelope, then work my way back toward travel day, stacking each day's outfit on top of the following day. Does that make sense?? This works for me as I take frequent weekend and overnight trips.

For long trips I pack by type and use a combination of packing envelope, medium and small packing cubes. Sometimes I will make notes in the margin of the printed itinerary of what I might want to wear each day. I feel a little more organized that way. I wash tops and underwear when I take my nightly bath or shower. I wash leggings and lightweight pants less frequently.

I like the idea of cycling thru 4 or 5 outfits as someone mentioned on this or another thread. Maybe next trip!

My "daily outfit" = the clothes worn that day. Surely, I'll need to significantly upgrade my wardrobe and utilize a large wheelie bag to graduate to separate outfits for each day of travel and discard the concept of mix and match. Are there loans or grants available to accomplish the task?

Might be different for a guy, I don’t really know, I’m just a guy. My years of backpacking Idaho and bicycle touring trained me to use layers. That’s about it. One, two, or at most three options for middle and outer layers and you’ve got many possible combinations. Studying the art of traveling for long periods of time with basically only 3 days of clothing has refined and reduced my wardrobe to about half of the bulk I used to take cycling. ON several cycling tours, I used my FoodSaver vacuum sealer to bag my cycling kits by day and weather. Dumb idea that I outgrew.

I don’t use cubes but I have some Osprey StraightJacket compression bags. I just don’t have enough clothing items to rationalize cubes. One 8L compression bag holds all the soft goods that can get wrinkled an no one cares: underwear, sleepwear, sox, base layers. The other 8L compression bag holds cold weather and rain gear.

Once you pull the straps on compression bags or cubes, one’s soft goods turn into unmalleable bricks and these can be difficult to pack efficiently.

Are there loans or grants available to accomplish the task?

Probably a guaranteed, subsidized loan just waiting for you!

I pack by "type." After several packing classes over the years I found using one large & one small RS cube for 3-4 weeks is ideal. (Mix & match is the name of the game!). We travel to Europe in September (warm weather) and pack light. My toiletry bag packs flat in the suitcase as well. In addition to cubes I use a gallon Zip-lock bag to pack satin pj's, lingerie, scarves, etc. flat in top zipper compartment of my TravelPro suitcase. (Best packing tip ever).

We (well, I pack for him, too, so I should say "I") pack by "type," We pack lightly, and there are too many variables to really predict an outfit per day....and besides, that would be way tooo many items of clothing.

Typically for me, the only things that are packed are one extra black skirt (usually almost ankle length spare, and I wear a short black shirt on the plane) and a pair of light-weight jeans....maybe a pair of shorts, if traveling to a tropical or warm location. Then the variables wind up being long-sleeve cotton t-shirts of various types and scarves (some double as shawls) of various types........and that is "it" other than tights (if cooler), undies, shoes, etc. Typically my "dress" shoe is a Target black ballet flat, and my touring shoe is a Merrell, and I typically wear Arcapedico (sp?) on board...........all shoes are black. If tropical, a pair of Teva (sp?) flip flops are added.

If I packed by day (or outfit), I would not have enough lowers (skirt or pants) to pair up. And, if the environment is cool, I will definitely re-wear t-shirts. Black t-shirts can dress down or be dressed up (with choker pearls and a shawl). Easy peasy.

Hubby has the pair of trousers he wears and then a spare in the luggage (sometimes also a pair of jeans, if expedition travel or a pair of shorts if tropical). Then, several no-iron button-down collar long-sleeve shirts...sometimes if warm climate a short-sleeve shirt to go with shorts. Nicer pair of loafers worn on board, rubber-type bottom loafers packed for touring, and flip flops if tropical.

And, jackets/sweaters/umbrella if forecast calls for such on any trip.

We have it down to a science.

My credit is a bit anemic as too much is spent on travel with little left over to buy specialty coffees with scones, and toys. Might I still qualify for a guaranteed, subsidized loan?

No.
I pack by colours, and what will go with what.
I don't travel to places where I'd ever have to "dress up".
Layers, and practical things are for me.
I do use packing cubes, and just love them.
For example, I'm off to the UK soon, and I've laid everything out on the spare bed first.
I did a trial pack yesterday, and removed about a third of it.
Everything this trip is black, pale grey, red, and white; and the colour will come from my red boots, and with colourful scarves and jewellery.
The UK has some great shops, so I can always buy things I need. (Or don't need...….!)
My thing is layers, as I feel the cold.
And also waterproof, especially at this time of year.
I also go by the maxim of : if I'm not going to use something three times or more, then it stays home.
That goes for clothes too.

I don't even sort my closet in to "outfits" - well except for the wedding outfit I keep stashed in the back of the closet.

After I started reading The Vivienne Files (capsule wardrobes) a few years ago and then did the Project 333 exercise (33 items of clothing in a capsule wardrobe for a 3 month period), generally everything matches everything else in my closet. The things that don't I've found don't get worn much so they migrate to the charity shop bag.

The outliers are generally winter or sport specific clothing and they are mostly black or navy so I guess they do match, lol.

When I travel I sort my cubes by type. This last trip I had SS tees (Land's End cotton/modal Tees) in one cube, cardigans/a LS tee/LS quarter zip dri-fit in another, unders/socks/pjs in another. I flat pack my jeans/pants/capris (usually 2 or 3 pair packed, wearing 1) on the bottom of the suitcase.

I generally wear all shirts and pants more than one day. Shirts can usually go for 2-3 days, pants for at least 3 days when I'm traveling. The exception are my "In Transit" clothes and I wash them the day I arrive at my hotel. I leave from a small airport in N. Idaho that's an hour's drive from home. I generally have a significant layover in a hub airport so usually have been in those clothes for 24 hours by the time I get to my destination and I just can't stand it any more. Everything but the cardie is sink-washed that night.

We had some interesting capsule wardrobe threads a few years ago. I posted this during a windy, chilly day in Paris when I spent some time in the hotel, lol.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/capsule-wardrobe-paris-and-western-france-april-may

editing to add: SJackson - what a wonderful color scheme this time of year! Love the touch of red!

I use my packing cubes by type: 1 for socks, undies & nightie, 1 for tops & scarves and 1 for jeans and sweaters/jacket. They are rarely stuffed full and are often used to bring home breakables wrapped in t-shirts. I select tops/tees with a basic color scheme in mind to go with my shoes, add a couple of scarves that coordinate and usually 1 light to mid-weight cardigan plus an outer layer. So, I don't plan outfits but just select a top and know that everything else will go with it. I only wear blue jeans, so that eliminates choosing bottoms to match tops as well.

I pack by type. Like several others the largest cube for pants, jacket and sweater, medium for shirts and small for undergarments and socks. I bring more tops than bottoms so the bottoms have to be part of several outfits. I love packing cubes for packing by type because it keeps me organized and keeps me from having to throw everything out of the suitcase to find a pair of socks.

If we are moving around and staying in different hotels, I will pack each cube by hotel. For example, a 9 day trip with 3 days each at 3 hotels. Each packing cube would get just what I need for that hotel stay - 3 pairs of underwear, 3 socks, 2-3 tops, and 1 pair of bottoms. It doesn't bother me to open that cube and have limited options for those couple of days. In fact, I find that it encourages me to re-wear items and therefore take a little less to begin with.

Items that are used at all hotels (pajamas, lightweight jacket, maybe a sundress or bathing suit) get their own packing cube.

If we are staying put in one hotel for the duration of the trip, then I pack by category - tops get one cube, bottoms another, etc.

The trick is having clothes that match in different combinations if you are a girl/lady. Only carry colors that compliment each other.
As a man, I will carry 5 golf shirts and two pairs of pants--in addition to what I'm wearing. I wear the shirts once and go to the next. When they've all been worn, I start thru the rotation again.
My pants are usually 2 pairs of jeans and one pair of khaki pants--heavily starched at the laundry. I wear them as long as a week, and they actually shed dirt and look pretty good heavily starched.

I pack by type or category, covering clothing needed for day touring and evenings, weather differences.

Hi Lauri --
I also pack by type.
I wear a tunic and my heavier pants on the plane (blue denim jeans or black jeans depending on the season) as well as my jacket.
My second pair of lighter pants is rolled into the groove of my suitcase along with a black skirt (which I never wear but bring anyway!) and a cardigan sweater.
I wear the heavier shoes and pack the lighter ones.
I use one large packing cube for tops (5 or 6) and leggings and jammies.
Like most everyone else, I try to coordinate colors so almost everything is interchangeable color-wise for layering as needed.
I use one small cube for undies, scarves, gloves if needed, and socks.
My toiletries go in a small rectangular container, about 2x4x5 inches.
On my last trips I also had a rain coat and a wool hat which fit in the long zippered outer compartment of Rick's 21 inch roller.
Because I now need to travel with a cPap I check my main bag so put most if not all of the liquids in there. It's too hard to wrestle with 2 bags and a purse/day bag on the plane.
I carry the cPap in a small under-seat roller (but stash it overhead) and put all the electronic stuff in a mesh bag which makes it easy at security and keeps it all organized while traveling.
I also keep my packing lists (labeled by month and year) for a couple of years and refer to them while making up the current one. That helps keep me focused on what I need and don't need.

Thanks for all the answers -- sounds like the people who say they bag outfits by day don't post on this board. (Guess they don't pack in a 22" bag either -- or pack for a month planning to wash.) :-)

"Thanks for all the answers -- sounds like the people who say they bag outfits by day don't post on this board. (Guess they don't pack in a 22" bag either -- or pack for a month planning to wash.) :-)"

That was my thought when I read your OP!! I'm thinking if they are packing enough stuff to sort by outfits they are probably not hauling their bags off and on trains and up and down hotel stairs OR it's a short trip!

I know many use ziplocks for their clothes but I've never been successful with that method. They slide around too much for me so I prefer the dedicated cubes which stay put, lol.

I will say - when my kids were little I would pack them one outfit per ziplock bag, because it streamlined things. I could hand them a ziplock after their bath and they would get themselves dressed in just those clothes. No choices, no 5 year old digging through a suitcase, and I never planned for them to rewear clothes when we were traveling. Now they are older and handle their own packing but they also love the packing cubes.

If it's a business trip, or a short trip for a purpose (wedding, funeral, & so on), then I pack by outfit. Otherwise, by type.

OK, just for variety in this thread, I will admit to a hybrid packing system. I generally pack by type, BUT if we are mixing travel, I.e., adding a few city days on our own to a bike or hike tour, I will pack one cube with outfits just for those days. That makes it easy to keep my luggage organized. While in the city, I only take the city cube out.

I don’t plan outfits for each day but do make sure that every top will work with every bottom, and have ideas in mind for combinations.

And I always pack one outfit in my airline personal bag. Learned this lesson after 1. A carry on bag was force checked on an overcrowded flight, and 2. Weather grounded us at the wrong airport!

I typically pack by type - bottoms together, all shirts, etc, etc. - but what goes into those cubes is guided by "outfits". Based on activities planned for the trip, I determine what types of "outfits" I will need. From there I build a packing list, making sure that I've covered clothing for each activity. On some trips, it's quite easy - the activities are all relatively the same (i.e. exploring major cities for example) and a simple "everything goes with everything else" approach works great. Other trips, not so much - for example, a trip which includes city touring, day-long biking days plus formal events - packing for each of those activities in a carry on, using just the "everything needs to go with everything else" approach doesn't really work - on those trips I just can't figure out how to get a formal cocktail dress to go with my biking pants :-)! But, I still pack "like things" together - the pantyhose go in with the undies!!!
So the point of this long winded post is that "outifts" do have their place in trave from a planning perspective - I just find it easier and more efficient to pack "like with like"!

I use a hybrid. Most of my clothes are packed by type, and I use different colored packing cubes if I have two cubes of the same size: red for bottoms, blue for tops, etc. I always pack a full outfit in a ziplock bag in my personal item, just in case my carryon must get checked for whatever reason. Or something gets spilled on me mid-flight. As I get close to the end of my trip, I’ll wash my travel outfit and pack it in a ziplock so I don’t wear it by mistake. It’s usually my comfiest!

I haven't seen " athleisure" mentioned yet. This has been a game changer for me, since my trips usually include a mix of hiking and city museums. Leggings ( with a deep pocket on the thigh that holds not only the intended cell phone but hotel key card, credit card, ID and even some paper money) and jogger styles work with a tee and light hybrid shoes for the former and a tank top, cardigan and my daily flats for the latter. The fabric tends to be quick drying and doesn't wrinkle- another option to consider if you will make any pre-trip purchases. I don't work for Athleta or Prana but do like their clothes! I wear them at home, too. I do try to keep back one complete outfit unworn for starting the trip home, after a long vacation. Almost everything I wear is black or gray, at home or when traveling...

I take 2-3 pairs of capris and they’re all the same tan-Kaki color. So I just grap whatever shirt is on top in my packing cube and I’m good to go.

Being a guy, I’m with the guys here. What’s an outfit? What’s a wardrobe? What’s a tunic? I bought a set of packing cubes a few years ago, but haven’t used them yet, although I’ve taken one or two trips of 4 to 6 weeks each year. I take and use several of those vented zip loc bags of different sizes, up to 3 gallons or so I guess, that you can roll to get the air out. They make the clothes more compact, without air in them, but not lighter. I will pack a couple days of short sleeve shirts, t-shirts and underwear, so I can exist 2 days without opening the other bags. Socks are packed randomly, in or between other things. I generally take 2 identical pairs of lightweight slacks, sort of light to medium brown, that generally go with anything. One is worn, the other packed flat on the top of everything else. Another zip loc holds dirty clothes until I can wash them. Is that “by outfit” (I think so) or “by type”?

I pack by outfit. How much I pack depends on how and when I travel. Solo I pack fewer outfits. Group tours I pack more. Solo I wash and group travel I don’t. Time of year makes a difference as well. For group travel I know the set itinerary and know which dates that are more rugged or more relaxed or any particular thing that will determine proper dress. I like variation for group travel and I’m a girly girl so on most tours I pack dresses, skorts/skirts, capris and a couple pairs of pants, tops to match the bottoms. Two pairs of comfortable shoes. All said two week tour usually 9-10 outfits. That said I have a self imposed weight limit of 25 pounds so all outfits must be lightweight. I pack all outfits in one large packing cube layering them according to the day of wear. It’s a fun game for me. I pack a little sweater for daily use if needed.

Solo travel I don’t care as much since I set the itinerary and it often changes. I still pack the same clothes but less as I can build in a wash day. Type of travel and time of year changes things drastically. Next December I’m going to Munich and Salzburg for 9 days, so simple. One small packing cube will do. Israel in 2020 I’ll pack nothing but shorts/skorts and T-shirt’s all in light colors. Packing is almost as much fun as planning the trip.

Being a guy, I’m with the guys here. What’s an outfit? What’s a
wardrobe? What’s a tunic?

LOL, Larry!!! You don't need to know about tunics 'cause you probably don't wear them. :O)

Packing by outfit means packing an individual top with an individual bottom plus socks, undies, etc. in its own cube or envelope; one for every day of the trip.

Packing by type is putting all tops together in one cube, all bottoms together in another, and sock/undies in a 3rd.

Both methods can usually be accomplished to some extent by just layering without cubes.

Kathy I haven’t found a packing cube small enough for one outfit. My smallest would have too much wasted space. Envelope? Mailing envelope? Interesting idea. I don’t like zip lock bags for outfits, undies it’s ok. I’ve searched Ebags and The Container Store.

And don't forget to pack a change of undies, socks, and a top in a Ziploc in your carryon bag; if you check your big bag.
That way you'll at least have clean clothes if your bag is delayed or lost.
Also, if you are traveling with a partner; cross-pack your clothes ,(some clothes for each of you in each bag) , you will each have some clothes if one bag goes missing.

I pack by type I guess. For example, my last trip was a week in Ireland and packed 2 pants (+ 2 leggings that I wore as warmers, never on their own), 7 shirts/blouses that mix and match, plus socks and undies. It works for me because I feel I take less stuff. I tried once packing by outfit and I felt it took more space.

I used one cube for the leggings and shirts, and one cube for undies. One pair of jeans I just lay it flat on the bottom of my backpack and wore the other pair on the plane.

Everything that goes into the bag can mix/match. Three bottoms, five tops is fifteen potential outfits. If I have to dress up, one of the bottoms and tops will be dress up appropriate - but still mix and match with everything else in the bag. The biggest difference when I have to dress up is I'll wear a blazer or sport coat on the plane. When I don't have to dress up, I won't bring a sport coat. Instead I'll bring at least one warm layer, a sweater that can be used as decent looking outerwear, and a decent looking rain shell - and usually wear both on the plane.

I don't even sort my closet in to "outfits" - well except for the wedding outfit I keep stashed in the back of the closet.

Pam, this made me laugh. I have one of those wedding outfits in my closet as well! I digress. I pack for the vacation. For my daughter's wedding week in the UK, I packed by outfits and one of the few times I had 'outfits' period. I was still able to do carryon only so I don't see that it takes up more space. I used dry cleaning bags rather than containers.

More regularly, I use one packing cube for tops, and one for everything else (unders, PJs, yoga pants). I also have a small cube with one outfit for my PI in case my 21" carryon sized checked bag is misplaced.

I just returned from a RT cross country trip on the train: Lake Shore Limited & California Zephyr. I had 2 long, thin packing cubes (finally figured out how to use them) in which in one I packed for the 4 days/3 nights on the train. My husband did the same. As there is not a lot of room in the sleeper rooms, we used a 16" suitcase for everything we would need for the 4 days on the train, and our one 'train' cube each went into the small suitcase with everything else we would want on the train. Another carryon, which we didn't need on the train, went into the storage and held the rest of the items in identical cubes, so also mixed together rather than topical or outfit. So for this it was neither topic nor outfit, but rather need, similar to what MH does. I've never packed the same in spite of packing lists, it varies per trip to some degree.

Everything I pack is mix & match. What I do to come up with a 'capsule wardrobe' for a trip is layout a calendar of when we'll be gone, where we'll be each day, and what the forecast weather average high & low is.....then I note what type of outfit I'm most likely to wear that day and do that for each day we'll be gone, then add in one or two cardigans (or one cardigan and one jacket), and figure out shoes and accessories to take too.

My closet has no outfits, but the pants and tops are separated and each group is arranged by color. It's organized by type and I pack by type.

Inspired by the Vivienne Files many years ago, I tend to coordinate my trip clothes based on a scarf or 2. For years I took 3 pairs of pants and 8 tops. That included what I wore in transit.

I still use 3 pairs of pants, but I'm down to 4 tops. I used to always take a print top that I called my "spaghetti sauce" top, but a print scarf now serves that purpose and is much easier to wash and dry than a top if needed.

After years of mostly practical dark clothes, I'm throwing caution to the wind in early summer and pack differently for this year's trip. I'll still have 2 pairs of navy pants in different fabrics and styles, but (gasp!) I'll have a pair of print pants instead of jeans. Three of my 4 tops will go with them. All 4 tops will go with the navy pants and this year's scarf.

Barring some major problem, I usually wear each garment 3 times before washing and cycle through the group allowing a day or 2 between wearings. That's always left me with almost everything dirty before washing because I hated sink washing.

My trip last summer taught me that sink washing isn't all that onerous. And I think it was Pam in ID who suggested wearing the same combination 3 days in a row if possible, then washing it. I'm going to try that next trip, but I may need to find a 2nd scarf.

Just got back from a 6-night road trip to visit family in Los Angeles --and packed way more than I would have for a 4-6 week European trip, mostly because I could carry more, and because I would see the same people every day (and SIL spent her career in the fashion industry.) 22" roller with 3 bottoms folded, one cube of 10(!) tops, another cube of socks and unders. Jackets (rain, down) laid over the suitcase. And 4 tote bags full of scarves, books, toiletries, snacks for the drive plus a cooler of Pepsi cans.

Yep, a trunk makes a big difference on amounts of clothes and what a friend calls 'trinket creep'. I splurge on totes of 'real' books instead of e-books, cd audiobooks, handwork projects, bigger binoculars and camera.....all the things I have worked to reduce in size and weight get dusted off and packed for road trips.