Packing in carryon

Interesting procedure...but I do not carry that many clothes!!! Thanks

Thanks for sharing!

When I started packing light I used that bundle packing method, but I decided for a long trip it was a pain in the neck to unbundle everything everything to get to the center of the bundle. He does mention that toward the end of his demo. I have better luck using packing cubes. I use the Eagle Creek silnylon ones which are extremely light so my packing cube is much lighter than the first hanging organizer he used, the light blue one that went in first. It is also easy to get one clothing item from any cube without disrupting the whole suitcase. When you are on a RS tour, no way can you unpack and hang your whole suitcase every day!

I agree he takes too many clothes for 60 days. I did 8 weeks last fall with 3 pr pants, 1 crop, 5 SS shirts, 1 LS shirt, 3 cardies. That was actually too much!

Thanks though for the link. I still love to watch packing demos!

I did not mean you had to pack that much. Just a demo of how you could pack even with a smaller amount of clothes.

I agree with Pam that packing cubes are better than the bundle method. The bundle method only works if you unpack completely at your destination. I have used the Rick Steves packing cubes for years and love them. They weigh next to nothing. When I get to a place I can place the cubes on a shelf or in a drawer if I unpack. My clothes always stay in the cubes.

I didn't mean to imply that you thought that much should be packed, just commenting on what the packing demo guy thought was a good list for 60 days. It also cracked me up when he said with his items you would have 60 combinations and I'm thinking so you would never wear the same combo twice?? I also add in a couple of scarves to help change things up a bit, but they go in a ziplock or flat zipper pouch.

It can be very helpful to have some facility at packing with the bundle technique. If you're coming home with more souvenirs than you'd planned, this will help make room for more mementos (those 'space mate' compressible bags help too).

But if you get too good at condensing your belongings, you can end up with with the feeling you're toting a medicine ball for the schlep home...

How large are the RS packing cubes? For a 20 inch carryon, would you use all 3?

I do have packing cubes for my trip, which I think will help me stay organized and to the bare minimum (not to mention I hear that in Venice it's sometimes suggested we leave our luggage and just take a daypack to the Island). It would be much easier to make that adjustment when you can just grab a cube and your daypack.

That being said, I'm gonna have to try this bundle method just to say I did!

I use bundle packing all the time and find it is the lightest of all packing methods. So why do people hate it? They take too much clothing for this ultra-light method.
Bundle packing is designed for light travel, and that means minimal clothing. I normally take 4 shirts, 2 pants, a dress, and 2 cardigan/jackets. That means I'm packing 3 shirts, 1 pant, a dress, and a cardigan. It takes very little time to bundle pack 6 pieces of clothing (less than 5 minutes). But if you take lots of clothing you will hate bundle packing.
So the next time you say "bundle packing doesn't work" you may want to examine the amount of clothing you are taking. That is probably the main reason you don't like it.

On the other hand, if you are trying to make a very restricted carry on weight limit, it may be the way to go. Bundle packing uses no cubes or folders, so it is the lightest method out there.

If you want to see a video on how bundle packing should really be used, look at this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_DzSHHc8Uc

I do understand what you are saying Cindy, but I still find it a pain in the neck to unfold the bundle to get to a shirt that is on the inside. In a cube (and I have found that for the shirts I take folding flat in the cube works better) I don't have to take the cube out of the suitcase, just unzip, pull out the new shirt, tuck in the old one and I'm done and I still have everything in my suitcase.

Cubes can add weight, altho the silnylon ones are less than 2.2 oz for the entire set of 3 (sm/med/large) so that adds a negligible amount of weight to your overall total. Their compression cubes which aren't actually compression but just an extra zipper to smash them down are heavier due to the weight of the second zip. I have them but would not buy them again.

For me, as far as organization goes, the visual of the cubes and what's in them is easier for my brain to process. I can take a quick look and see 2 unders, 1 bra, pjs, socks, compression shorts in one small cube. I can easily see if I've got all my shirts/cardie in the larger cube.

It does come down to practicing several different methods to see what works for each individual so there is no right way for everyone. As I said I started out this way, (with minimal clothing) and found I like a different visual look to the organization of my suitcase.

editing to add: Rankster, yes, the last night in Austria I packed one small cube with clothes for my 2 nights in Venice and it was easy to put that cube plus my toiletries in my tote bag to carry in to Venice. I did the same thing for my nights in Monterosso.

Hi Pam,
Just an FYI, if you only have 3 shirts it doesn't take much effort to get to the bottom layer! I don't need organization because there is little to organize. This is all about very different travel styles.
On weight - 2.2 oz for the cubes. Shirts weigh ~6 oz each. So if you take 2 extra shirts and a cube you are now at 14 oz - almost an extra pound! It will be game over if you are flying Lufthansa, Alitalia, or Virgin.
If you like lots of clothes then by all means use cubes. I use them on business trips when I have to carry a combination of large notebooks and clothing. The notebooks prevent me from using the tie down straps so I need an alternate method to secure my clothes.
All of this comes down to different types of travel for different types of trips. Which is best? That's like asking which type of vehicle is best - a moving van, a mini-van, or a sports car. The answer depends heavily on your activity. I'd hate to use a sports car for moving. In the same way, you'll tune your packing style for the type of trip.

I have seen that video before. I agree with others, I take waaaaay less clothing. I use travelfashiongirl.com and her packing lists. I try to keep the number of items of clothing at or below 15, plus undies, and including sweaters and coats.

I've tried the bundle packing method, but I find it too cumbersome so don't use it. If I need something that's in the centre, I have to unbundle the whole works, which is a nuisance.

This video from Packing Liight has been around awhile and I think that's where we got the idea to try it. It didn't take long to find another method because of the aforementioned problems of retrieving a garment from inside the bundle. I fold everything separately so it fits inside my convertible carry-on bag. Pants first, one pair. Three shirts second. Socks, one pair. Underwear, none. No shoes. Cashmere sweater inside a plastic bag, unscrunched. Raincoat in a compression bag. Toilet bags, peripheral stuff, and that's it including a complete laundry kit. Also, a condensed shoe shine kit because I always wear leather shoes. One extra piece of headgear. That's about it. Of course I'm not counting what I have on.

I use a 20-inch carryon and use only the small and medium cubes.

@June - my problem with TravelFashionGirl is that she takes way too much stuff. She's stated that her main roller bag weighs 25 pounds and then she takes an additional personal item packed to the max! She has to be carrying 30-40 pounds of stuff. That isn't traveling light in my book. Light travel means keeping the one single bag under 18 pounds.

Now that isn't to say that some people don't want to bring all that stuff - it's up to them. But for women's light travel I think there are several superior choices such as herpackinglist and travelista.

PackingLight.com teaches travelers how to pack the maximum amount of clothing into a 22-inch carry-on.

I find "packing light" and "maximum amount of clothing" to be contradictory. Luckily, my travel needs don't include much clothing that wrinkles. When I do carry something more delicate, then I can roll just that item or bundle very selectively.

Everything someone finds the YouTube video on bundle packing they think they discovered nirvana. We have had this discussion a number of times before. It is just another packing method. I tried it for a couple of trips and personally found it to be a very inconvenient way to pack. As someone else pointed out it works best if your totally unpack each time. It is impossible to extract one item of clothing from the bundle without undoing and redoing the whole bundle each time. I prefer the packing envelope. It is far easier to remove one item without having to repack the whole thing. But if the bundle works for you, fine. For me and a number of others on this site, it is a pain in the butt. We have tried it and it doesn't work. And it is not related to how much we take or don't take.

I found a YouTube set of videos made by a guy called Armygringo and he demonstrated a technique called "ranger rolling ". I haven't tried it yet but it looks interesting.