Hi Girls, I am trying to fit 4 weeks of clothes in one piece of luggage !!

[S&D]

Hi Lois, ( and all you girls out there) ...

 

We are cruising again in a few months time, but this time we are trying to cut down on carting around all that luggage. So...I am trying to pack lightly for a 4 week vacation...including a 3 week cruise. :) - ALL INTO ONE CASE .... I am not holding out much hope,

my shoes alone seem to take up so much room... :D and that's without buying anything while we are away.. :( ...still it will be fun to try!!!

 

Any tips????

 

Regards and best wishes as always

 

Sandra

 

 

S&D :)

[mirrajay]

Oh dear - That sounds like an impossible task! You will certainly have to do some laundry on board. I would recommend the space saver bags that you can squeeze the air out of and then packing a lot of mix and match things so that you can have many different outfits out of the same few articles of clothing.

 

Good luck!

[Jane110]

It might be easier for us to give you some suggestions if we knew where you were headed on your vacation.

 

If you're going to the Baltics or Alaska, I'd say it's an impossible task.

 

Jane

[BrodyBarb]

I think she'll be cruisin' in Asia - see signature.

[Jane110]

>>>>>>>I think she'll be cruisin' in Asia - see signature.<<<<<<<

 

Doesn't tell me a thing. What am I missing here?

 

Jane

[Happy ks]

That go together. Make sure all the tops go with all the bottoms. One pair walking shoes, one pair dressy shoes and a pair of flip flops. I'm sure it can be done if you don't mind repeating your outfits every few days. I would do it in a heartbeat if I could travel for 4 weeks!!

 

My dear Aunt, who should go to overpackers anonymous, told me what happens to her every time she travels. Mind you, most of her travels are to visit nieces on either side of the US. She packs clothes for the whole trip, organizing clothes for each day. Then, when she gets to her destination, she wears what she always wears around her home (the comfortable stuff) and the rest stays in the case. If something gets dirty, she washes it. Last summer, she was gone 3 weeks, she told me she had 18 articles of clothing that went unworn the whole time. That's nine outfits.

 

There is one thing I've learned to appreciate from packing light, it is the feeling of freedom from too much stuff.

[pcur]

Wow! 4 weeks is pushing it, but I think it can be done. I managed 23 days in one suitcase 2 years ago when we did the Med and Transatlantic back-to-back.

 

OK, I agree with the mix 'n match theory. Go one step further and (no, this isn't anal; it's a packing emergency!!!), do a matrix with all the tops across the top, and the bottoms down the side. Then x where the tops and bottoms go together. Anything without at least 2 x's take a hard look at it: do you REALLY need it. Pantsuits that ONLY go with that one pair of pants or top is not good. An alternate top and bottom is good: makes several outfits.

 

I use the Packmate bags, too, for undies and jammies. Squash those babies as much as you can.

 

I agree with the shoes: one walking, one sandal, one basic evening (OK, I cheated; I took 3 evening, BUT they were little strappy sandals that weighed NOTHING!!).

 

A good basic black knit "weekender" is fabulous. Mine is in black slinky knit, doesn't wrinkle, and I stuff it into corners and things. Jacket, pants, long dress, shell. The jacket is my standard dining room jacket.

 

Do a dry run pack. I know it's a pain, but then you can REALLY find out what goes and what stays.

 

Watch your suitcase weight, and weigh it during the dry pack. We came in at 48 pounds for a 50 pound limit.

 

Good luck!!

[S&D]

Hi girls.

Thanks for the good ideas, yes we are going to the hot and humid weather, in Asia, we did the same trip last cruise....with 2 large cases each, we hope to halve that this time. At least the clothes are light for that sort of climate.

The main thing that will be cut down is the shoes, also last time I took a couple of heavy beaded evening dresses, this time I have a couple of long chiffon type

gowns, very light.

 

any more suggestions......

 

S&D

:o

[Mezzaluna]

I have lived out of a suitcase for six weeks on two trips, both to Europe. I learned to choose fabrics carefully and resigned myself to doing laundry. Everything you bring must be washable in a hotel sink and wrinkle free. The "slinky" travel knits from Chico's and other places are fine, but if you hang them up to dry they may stretch out. I took a pair to Italy two years ago and they grew a couple an inch or so.

 

For detergent I use Woolite. It works in the hardest water and rinses clean. If you're lucky you may be able to find it in gel form in a tube. I haven't seen this for years but it may just be my location. I also take two of those large, fake chamois cloths people use to dry their cars spot-free (check them for color-fastness before taking them along!). That way you can roll your wet clothes in the cloths to take out extra moisture. Wring them out and re-roll if necessary.

 

Don't bring anything that must be ironed- some types of rayon get very stiff when washed and line-dried, then must be ironed to soften up.

 

I love polyester faille- it's very light and in the rare case that it wrinkles, they hang out quickly. It washes in the sink and dries very quickly. The fabric feels like very light crepe. I have a pair of pants from Coldwater Creek in that fabric and I love them.

 

I haven't tried the crinkle cotton, but that looks promising.

 

When my husband an I were in Italy in '02 we did our sightseeing during the day and came home to rest in the afternoon. Before we rested we did some wash so it would dry in time to pack the next morning if necessary. We carried a couple of stretchy clotheslines and small plastic-coated wire clips. We also took a few plastic-coated wire coat hangers. We stretched those stretchy lines between places in the bathroom and even the bedroom! We took our dry clothes out of the closets and hung wet clothes there to dry. We got pretty creative! (Just don't hang clothing on fire nozzles!!!)

 

Take a look at magellans.com, travelsmith.com and chicos.com for more. Try doing a Google search for travel clothing. Good luck!

 

Ann

[BrodyBarb]

>>>>>>>I think she'll be cruisin' in Asia - see signature.<<<<<<<

 

Doesn't tell me a thing. What am I missing here?

 

Jane

Can you not see her dolphin animation with her signature/itinary below it?

[S&D]

Thank you so much for those replies, all very helpful, I will be packing really light!!!

 

S&D

:)

[Lois R]

Hi Sandra:) looks like you have received some great tips!

 

The best I can do is to say.....ENJOY YOUR CRUISE:D

[Happy ks]

I have several pieces of the travel line. I have never hung them to dry, always popped them right into the dryer. But, that is at home, I may have tried line drying them during travel. Can you just see me,dragging my too long pants behind me, reminds me of my DDs frayed jeans.

[jp2001]

For formal shoes, would clear shoes fit will all your outfits? Sometimes it does and then you need only 1 pair. Last cruise, I brought only one pair of formal sandals, they were red and did fit with 2 formal dress and also with one casual dress. The other nights, I was wearing my day sandals (they were nice ones, not too dressy but not beach type at all. One of my formal dress was a black cocktaill dress; I ensured to bring red necklace and other red jewellery to make sure the red shoes looked fine with it and it did.

I agree with the mix-and-match technique.I like to do packing lists (I know, THAT IS WEIRD). I keep updating my list. What I often do (I did this 3 times since last cruise), I put the tops in one column, the bottoms in an other column. Then, I take every bottom and check with what top it would fit. I write down the outfits and I also put a star besides each top, every time it fits with a bottom and vice-versa. Then, I bring ONLY the items that have at least 3 stars beside it. Yes, you will need to do some laundry but if the ship has self laundry, it is easy. Also, I personally have no shame to wear an item twice, especially in a case like the following: On casual nights, I would wear pants with a nice top ; then another afternoon, I would wear this same top but with shorts or a sporty skirt, it gives a new look to it. Obviously, I wouldn’t do that with an item I wore a full day for a swamp buggy tour! But when I wear it only a few hours and most of the time inside where there is A/C, I feel no shame wearing it a second time before to wash it. Am I the only one to do that, especially on vacation when laundry isn’t as easy as at home?

[Mezzaluna]

Happy ks, I learned to clip the waistband to the hangar, then drape the legs over a second hangar so the full weight of the pants wasn't pulling downward. That did the trick.

 

When I was young I hoped I'd someday be known as a well-informed, knowledgeable woman. Little did I know the subject I'd know a lot about was TRAVEL LAUNDRY! :D

[new_cruiser]

>>>>>>>I think she'll be cruisin' in Asia - see signature.<<<<<<<

 

Doesn't tell me a thing. What am I missing here?

 

Jane

You probably have signatures turned off in your user control panel. I did and I'm not sure how that happened. Go to User CP (link at the top of the page). Go to edit options. There are boxes to click for showing signatures and avatars. Save your edits.

[new_cruiser]

A lot of good suggestions already. As long as you are willing to have clothes laundered or wash them yourself, you don't need to take any more clothes for a 3 week trip than a 1 week trip. It is the number of different kinds of activites that I need things for that occasionally pushes me into a second bag.

 

You may want to take a duffle that stores in its own pocket for carrying purchases home. I found one at REI for our Asia trip that is very sturdy but it is light yet very small and light when not in use. I liked that it had the straps that went around the whole bag rather than being just sewed onto the top. It was the REI brand one.

[S&D]

Hi Girls,

yes, thanks a lot for those good replies again, I will be cutting down on shoes, also the packing list thing with the tops and bottoms checklist, is a great idea, I did a similar thing last cruise, it helps a lot.

 

Regards

 

Sandra

:)

[Jane110]

BrodyBard,

 

Nope, I don't see a dolphin signature under her name.

 

I see her name, then S&D and then a smiley face.

 

So there's a dolphin which indicates where the cruise is headed? I'll try to play with the controls and see if I can bring up additional graphics.

 

Thanks,

Jane

[BrodyBarb]

Jane: I can't figure out why you can't see it?:confused:

Can you see anybody's signatures??

 

I know that since I put my animated 4th July thingies there

I haven't been able to see my countdown clock.

Can anyone help me to see it, can anyone see it????:(

 

BTW The weather here in Barbados is really lousy today, I'm sure

I just heard thunder crack a second ago. It's really grey and cloudy.

The sea is really angry looking and I haven't seen any boats out there

today at all.

I hope the weather's better wherever else you all are in the world!

Hopefully it will be better by wednesday when Destiny pays us a visit!

[new_cruiser]

Jane,

 

Did you try what I suggested in my message described how to turn signatures on? With the new board, your control panel can have signatures turned off and it seems some of us were started out that way.

[S&D]

Hi girls,

I have cheated,!! and bought a large collapsible and expandable soft duffle type bag on wheels, which folds up to practically nothing,...that way it can go in the bottom of the luggage on the way over, and come back FULL of goodies!!!! I should still fit all my clothes in one case, and be able to buy stuff while we are away. At least that way we are only carting it back one way! Thanks again for all your good ideas!!

 

S&D

:)

[jp2001]

Good idea!

[CaribbeanCruisesRock]

remember to mix and match.

[lka1012]

Why don't you just buy new clothes along the way and mail your dirty clothes home?

 

Kathy