BootsnAll Travel Community

I dont think I am duplicating anything here. Just thought folks could share ideas on the procedure of packing.

i'll start:

when im going for just a few weeks and will return to my house again, here's something i do:

put all of the stuff i want to take on my bed

think about the rule "bring only half the amount of clothes you think you need"

as i pare down, i put the rejects in a laundry bin or cardboard box. this simple device smiles at me saying, here, put that thing in here. i will keep it safe for you for a few weeks and keep you from lugging it all over xyz for xyz weeks. i will keep it safe and it will be here when you get back.

i rarely miss stuff i jput in that box during my trip.

having the box nearby as i pare down and pack gives me another option for what to do with my stuff. the result is i pack lighter

Seems like a sound process. Me, I just load my bag based on what I think I will need. take a few things away when I am done, then I am out the door.

I always think about the quote "How do you pack for a trip? Throw an apple and some bread in an old sack and hop the back fence." I wish I had that kind of shmaltz. But it makes me pack lighter.

There's one of those 5min tv shows on here at the moment called something like "The Prime Minister's National Treasures" and is about national treasures that are related in some way to a previous PM.

Anyway, the one on tonight was about Chifley. Apparently he liked to pack light and there's a story about him going on an official trip on which he turned up at a pub to stay the night (not a hotel, a cheap room upstairs in a pub) with no luggage. He was wearing an overcoat with his pyjama shirt in one pocket and pyjama pants in the other and that's it.

Now there's a politician we can all look up to

Well usually before I go on a trip, I take the clothes I'm going to donate and drop it my pack. And leave it as I go. Also I always make sure I have a few pair of fast dri pants.

I just heard about a County Extension Agent in Alabama who would bring a paper sack on overnight biz trips.

I was thinking about how I pack and realized I am pretty much always half way packed all the time. I always have the essentials in my possession (usually in a daypack in my trunk). Deodorant, make-up, sample shampoo/conditioner packet, fresh wipes, pads/tampons, an extra shirt/pair of pants, extra underwear and a pair of flip flops. I always like to make sure I am able to go when a travel opportunity presents itself. Also my every day style of dress is layers so I can usually make 3 outfits out of the clothes I am wearing.

Truthfully though this practice of always being packed came from working 45 min-1 hr away from my house and not wanting to risk the drive home when roads were icy. I either stayed at a hotel or at a friends house who lived closer to work then me. Having my own clean stuff just made me feel better when going to work the next day.

Miss Logic, you are my perma-packing hero.

For me, packing starts with one pair of trousers. Then I add a couple of tops. Something to sleep in. A sweater for layering. Extra shoes (because a good pair of trousers can be dressed up with the right shoes). Blue jeans because I detest khakis, or an all-purpose skirt. One button-down shirt. Then I wear my linen trousers, and I'm ready for as long a stay as I can afford.

(For short trips, less than a week, I'd cut the above in half, and all's well.)

I always like the feeling of going away for a day or two with nothing but a plastic bag. Travelling light is great.