How light can you pack?

[iancal]

When our children were older and we traveled we had a rule.  You pack it, you carry it.  This did wonders for our then teen age daughter.  All of a sudden she started to pack less.

[Bizmark'sMom]

1 hour ago, Shorex said:

There's no prize for "packing light." It's not an accomplishment. I pack what I want for the parameters of the trip I'm taking.

The prize for packing light is that I can manage my luggage on trains, sidewalks, and boutique hotels without breaking my back.  It isn't about avoiding luggage fees, it's about looking at the "lift closed" sign at the train station and being able to carry my luggage up or down the stairs.

 

If all you do is fly to the port and take a taxi to the cruise terminal, it doesn't matter as much.  If your trip involves independant travel on trains and buses, the amount of stuff you carry matters quite a bit.

[Go-Bucks!]

2 hours ago, evandbob said:

 An Alaskan or Nordic cruise will obviously require more than a Caribbean one.  I had to use one 28" (instead of a 21") piece of luggage for ours.

 

 

So will my upcoming world cruise! No way I could, or would want to, take just a few outfits for 6 months! I usually pack lightly since I get free laundry, but I need clothing for 6 months of cool, warm and hot weather and all other items to live for 6 months...my cruiseline will ship 2 suitcases free and I'll take 2 others.

[cruising cockroach]

If you're dealing with changes in climate, or going somewhere cold (Arctic or Antarctica as mentioned), a bigger and heavier bag(s) is fair enough.

 

It's when you're not going for extremes in climate or whatever.

 

My trip is:

 

rental car to airport, one transit (no need to retrieve bags if we do check any), get bags at other end.  Drag to rental car, drag to hotel.  Drag out of hotel to rental car to airport.

Free bags for next trip, reclaim and immediate check to flight, reclaim, rental car, hotel, rental car x4.

 

Drag to cruise ship 27 nts, one change of cabins (or maybe not).

 

Drag off ship, possibly along road for 1 Km or maybe more to train station, 1 or no change to destination, and get to accommodation (undecided). Coolest part of the trip here: mid-April in southern-ish Japan

 

Drag back out, train to airport on LCC.  Reclaim bags and train/taxi to town for 4 days.

 

Drag bags to airport (R/T flight), taxi(s), one possible/likely change of hotel at "destination".   

 

Rental car and travel for ??? Back to airport.  Fly,  Get bags at intermediate destination for a day.  Check in for flight home next day.  MAY have to get and clear bags on the way home at intermediate airport.

 

No porters used (we hardly ever do).  Just less hassle to manage the baggage train.

 

We don't travel like this:

 

[cruising cockroach]

We've flown quite a few trips where we travel very light.  More often, its in the premium cabin where we're allowed 2 checked bag (more when I had status) and not checked in any.

 

We were also once on a "safari" trip in Africa where either the ground transportation or the airline asked us where the rest of our bags were (that's all we had - unbelievable for them with their experience of most tourists).

 

There was another time where we had a 3 week or so trip to Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus and finished off with a stay in Rome and a dinner at one of the city's 3 Michelin macaroon-rated restaurants in the hotel where we were staying.  We had done hidden city ticketing on our outbound and return flights to/from the intermediate airport gateway to save $ so had to carry on our bags.

 

We had quite a few bags once when cruising the Prinsendam on a TATL.  We had bought some gifts and sentimental possessions of my recently-late in-laws to Europe to give (back) to the relatives who had given them the gifts.  We took these in bags and the relative didn't want old suit cases so we managed to pack them into one to take home, even with day and night train and bus rides along the way.  Useful for carrying the 14 bottles or so of Brunello de Montecino on the ship!

[Joebucks]

Packing light because you have a 30+ day vacation vs the people who fear the stress from an epic "battle of rolling a large bag" are two different things.

 

For me, it is based off of a few things. What is the cost to transport what I have packed? What is important to me? Would it make sense to buy it now or later? One thing I fly with, that many people disagree with, is a 12 pack of Coca Cola. I really want to have Coke Life with me, it is lower calorie, and lower sugar with cane sugar/stevia combo. I really try to stay away from soda, but know on vacation, I'm going to drink more of it. I know not every grocery story carries it, it's going to take time to find, and it's going to require an Uber ride somewhere. It is important to me, and would cost more time and money, so I bring it. 

[jocap]

I did 2 weeks Inter-Railing round northern Europe for 2 weeks, years ago, and was advised to make sure all clothes were mix and match, in my small roller.

Also- I was told that on the very first day I would spill coffee on those trendy white jeans and never wear them again...

You have laundry, so not quite the same problem.

[calliopecruiser]

Why are you dragging your bags so much?  Get some with wheels and you can roll them instead 😉

It's quite clear from your language choices that you consider luggage a burden, so it seems clear what choice you should make. 

[LHT28]

I am still trying to pack less  usually it is 2 X26" bags  for  21 + days

I have done 10-12 days  with  2 X 21" rolling bags

the problem comes  when you  have different climates...  cold to warm or  reverse  I need to have warmer clothes

last trip was better 1 x 26"  &  1 x20"    plus a small carry=on with electronics/meds  all with wheels

we had some cooler weather to be prepared for

maybe next trip I will get it down to 2 X 21" carryons + totebag 😉 

 

[cruising cockroach]

Roller bags are great assuming you have smooth, level and hard surfaces everywhere you go and there are ramps.

 

Depending where you go to, roller bags may be a real hindrance because the sidewalks are not (mostly) even if they exist at all, or you have to carry them up and down kerbs.  Europe comes to mind in a "first world" example, Bangkok a developing world one.

 

Not everyone goes to places which meet the former condition.

 

Carrying too much weight with roller bags can be a hindrance too.  I remember flying AA to CDG where the a/c ended up at a hard stand.  They unloaded FC and BC first.  When we in the back got unloaded off the busses, there was a family in FC or BC still trying to figure out how to carry their roll onboards up the jetway stairs where we had to go up to get to French immigration.

 

Another time, we had a fairly tight connection at the main Milan rail station platform.  You could either walk all the way to the end, walk to the next platform and back down to your carriage, or you could carry your bags down the mid-platform staircase to the tunnel underneath, and up.  Much faster.  Those staircases can be wickedly long due to staircase and rail bed weight (the station is a prime example of Mussolini Fascist architecture.  On this particular trip, we were actually at the beginning of a 5 1/2 month sojourn in France.

 

I haven't seen bags with all-terrain wheels.  Maybe that's a money maker for someone.

[iancal]

This will be our fourth or fifth winter travelling throughout Thailand with each of us using two wheel rolling carry ons.  No issue whatsoever.  We buy well constructed bags with high end, replaceable wheels.  One of them has six plus years of constant independent travel.  We have not had to replace a wheel yet. 

 

Vietnam and Cambodia are even worse. No issue. Same for parts of  Europe and Central America.

Edited November 11, 2018 by iancal

[MicCanberra]

We pack as light for a 4 day trip as we do for a week or for a 8 week holiday, you just keep wearing the same clothes with washing in between.

[calliopecruiser]

3 hours ago, cruising cockroach said:

I haven't seen bags with all-terrain wheels.  Maybe that's a money maker for someone.

 

There are some bags with inline skate wheels, which are pretty tough.  I have an Ogio roller that I've rumbled up and down stairs -- I don't fly with it because it's pretty heavy (9.5 lb empty), but I love the design and use it a lot on road trips. 

[Bizmark'sMom]

Spinner bags are miserable for anything but the smoothest flooring. Forget maneuvering them on sidewalks or broken pavement.  My REI bag has 2 in line skate wheels that so far have held up really well.  

 

This upcoming trip will involve 1 flight, an overnight stay, another flight, a train into town, a short walk to the hotel, a car transfer to the river cruise. Then, depending on water levels, probably a train to a tram to another short walk to the hotel.  Then, back to the tram to the train to the airport to fly home.  There is a limit on how the size of the bag I can reasonably manage.

[LHT28]

if you do not mind the price here is  one with big wheels

https://g-ro.com/

[MicCanberra]

[iancal]

Over the past six/seven years of early retirement travel we are seeing an increasing number of people in our age group (mid/late 60's) who are combining cruises, tours, etc. with independent travel. 

 

We also noticed an increase in the number who are traveling with carry on only.  Travellers, like us, who have no issue remaining in one place for 5-7 days or renting condos for a few weeks or months as part of their travel regime..  Especially Australians who seem more inclined to extended travel than  other nationalities that we meet.   Not one person has told us that they travel with carry on to avoid baggage fees.   It is all about convenience and the ability to physically handle bags across various types of travel/accommodation.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2018 by iancal

[crystalspin]

On 11/10/2018 at 7:41 AM, Shorex said:

There's no prize for "packing light." It's not an accomplishment.

Actually, there are prizes for packing light. The ability to walk to the already-boarding nearby gate and say, "We're on the 8 o'clock that's delayed to 10 o'clock and we'll miss our connection! Can you get us on this plane?" And the attendant said, "We have two seats, but your checked luggage..." and we could say, "This is all we have." "You're international with carryon only?!!"

 

There's the prize of knowing that all your luggage is going to get off the plane with you. It is an accomplishment and for most of us, it didn't happen in one trip. Although the realization that we COULD get by with just what we'd carried on, when the large cases DIDN'T show up on the carousel, was an epiphany.

[crystalspin]

Duplicate post, deleted.

Edited November 11, 2018 by crystalspin

[Go-Bucks!]

1 hour ago, iancal said:

Over the past six/seven years of early retirement travel we are seeing an increasing number of people in our age group (mid/late 60's) who are combining cruises, tours, etc. with independent travel. 

 

We also noticed an increase in the number who are traveling with carry on only.  Travellers, like us, who have no issue remaining in one place for 5-7 days or renting condos for a few weeks or months as part of their travel regime..  Especially Australians who seem more inclined to extended travel than  other nationalities that we meet.   Not one person has told us that they travel with carry on to avoid baggage fees.   It is all about convenience and the ability to physically handle bags across various types of travel/accommodation.

 

 

 

Not really a new thing....Rick Steves, founder of Europe through the Back Door, has been preaching "packing lightly" for over 20 years and his followers do that. I took one of his tours (was fantastic, BTW) in 2005 and it was a REQUIREMENT that all you could take was one 22" carry on plus a small personal bag.

[cruisemom42]

For some reason this tends to be a hot button topic, not sure why it bothers some people that others like to pack light...  I personally don't care what others choose to do, so let's just say my philosophy isn't packing light so much as packing 'right'. 

 

'Right' for me means packing lighter, for many reasons -- so I can handle my luggage as a solo traveler, so I can be highly mobile given that I travel by train in Europe, by cruise ship, by low-cost air carriers and regular cost ones too. Also because I don't like to spend a lot of time packing or unpacking -- I want to be enjoying my vacation, not hanging up clothes or figuring out outfits.

 

For me, those are the prizes and they aren't easily come by -- I'm constantly re-evaluating what to take, what I can trim, what combination of small bag and carry-on is best for any given trip. I like variety in clothing, so my 'compromise' is that I pack very little else in that space other than clothing and shoes. You'll not find me bringing a pop-up hamper or a travel mug or a blowdryer or an over-the-door organizer (don't need one as a light packer, lol) or any of the other two dozen things people put on packing lists.

 

On longer trips and especially cruises I take one 24" slim but sturdy suitcase and one small size carry-on (i.e., no bigger than a backpack).  For shorter trips and some longer land-only trips I can get by with a 22" suitcase and small carry-on.

 

Regarding wheels, I'm not a fan of the four-wheel bags for the many times I'm handling my bags in areas where the surface is rough, bumpy (cobblestones) or where there is no paving at all.  Eagle Creek does have something similar to an "all terrain" wheel on some of their 2-wheel bags -- I have found them sturdy and workable for most situations.

 

(Also, my suitcases are wheeled, but I still use the word 'drag'.  They don't roll themselves.)

[calliopecruiser]

5 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

For some reason this tends to be a hot button topic, not sure why it bothers some people that others like to pack light... 

 

And the same applies the other way around -- those that pack only carry-ons seem unwilling to accept that packing more is equally "right" for some people in some situations.  It's almost like a religion to some people. 

[crystalspin]

5 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Also because I don't like to spend a lot of time packing or unpacking -- I want to be enjoying my vacation, not hanging up clothes or figuring out outfits.

This!

 

As a planner for seven other family members (plus us two) on a two-week Alaska cruise, I broke with carry-on only and took a 24" checked bag plus a small wheeled dufflebag and my daypack, plus DH's 21" and daypack. It took FOREVER to unpack! and repack at the end. A lot of it was non-clothes (things for everyone else's comfort), which ended up meaning that there was never more than a skinny one-person's seat on the sofa, as well. Most of it was never used by any of us. I will not do this again!

[cruising cockroach]

It all depend on how you're travelling and what's money to you.  If you're flying to the cruise and immediately flying home, with minimal handling of baggage, don't forget to pack the proverbial kitchen sink.   If you're doing a lot of travelling before and after, and aren't willing to pay for private transportation, light is the way to go.

 

Or if you have to get on and off the ship via this, and supposed to handle your own baggage

 

 

Edited November 12, 2018 by cruising cockroach

[iancal]

It is often a case that private transport is not available or the cost is prohibitive.  Are you suggesting that someone take private transport from, say, Rome to Venice, rather than the train? 

 

When we travel between islands in Thailand the only transport most often  private.  But is is on long tail boats (sometimes small  ferries) where the ability to physically handle your own bags is a must.  The same in the Greek Islands....it is often every man/women for themselves when boarding some of those ferries.

 

We really could care less what anyone else packs or does not pack. But unless you have truly experienced this kind of independent travel you do not know the realities of it.

Edited November 12, 2018 by iancal