packing tips

[Joyfulsnuff]

Everyone always has such great packing tips on here and I was wondering if anyone has tried to cut back on all that they take with them? What did you find that you could do with out and did you feel that your cut back worked out for you on vacation? I am a over packer (big time) and would like to pack a little less when we go next time.

[#1MMFan]

I tend to do the same and never learn. It depends on how much you buy when you're there. I tend to buy a number of t-shirts/polo shirts and jeans etc. If you're the same, take less tops in anticipation of buying some new ones. Also, rinse through socks etc while you're there so you don't have as many with you.

One of the best things I found was to match things up so that there were no odd items of clothes which didn't really go with anything, or that I was unlikely to wear.

I also tend to throw out toiletries at the end of the holiday if they are less than half-full (or if I can't get them in the case!). So, for me it's a case of making space both before and at the end of my holiday!

John:bounce:

[slp87]

The only packing lesson I've learned is to pack an extra, empty bag to take home all the stuff I buy!!!

[Joycemarie]

I too am an overpacker. We just returned a few days ago and i vowed that next time i would take less. We stayed at the DI Villas so i washed clothes which really helped.I also discovered that rolling the clothes (an old boyscout tip) really saves space. We also throw out toiletries,magazines and other stuff we don't need or that can be replaced .

[Mickey76]

:)


Bringing less shorts works for me. I'm not kidding when I say that I only need 2 or 3 pairs of shorts for a weeks vacation. I'm going next May with my girlfriend. We're staying for 11 days and I don't plan on bringing more than three pairs of shorts. It's not that I'm a dirty person, it's just that I realize that if worse comes to worse, I can either use the resort laundry machines or buy a new pair of shorts. Another thing that has worked well for me is not bringing a towel from home. I either use the resort towels or leave enough room in my suitcase on the down to WDW for a brand new Mickey towel :) . There are lots of things you could cut down on bringing, but don't orget your sense for a great time........Have fun.......Mickey76:)

[bigsis1970]

Hi, We are coming in Dec 2001 for 15 days, we will have the clothes on our back ( shorts in our carry-ons- we are from maine) and then 3 other outfits consisting of shirt, under garments, and shorts- we will each have one more pair of pants and a nicer outfit for dining out in a nice place ,, our plan incorporates laundry night! I also roll the clothes and we have matching clothing as well to cut down on who is wearing what! There is three of us 1 mom and 2 kids -8yr DD,5yr DS- i will have one large suitcase , 1 small suitcase - one extra fold up samsonite for extra stuff on the way home and we will each have a small carry-on.. Matter of fact i have the large one almost all pack- So sad 4 months to go....!! gosh seems like a long time!!

[Judie B]

Lay the clothes out on the bed so you can see just how much you have. Then, bring HALF of what you think you need. You'll probably still have more than you need, but it's a GIANT step toward packing light...

[mummajea]

Things I brought in July I won't bring in September:
Beach towels (we will just rent them at the Water parks next time)
More then three pairs of shorts (you can do laundry)
Insulated water carriers (Disney straps are much easier to shove in a pocket)
back pack (to hot to wear)
Fanny pack for DH (he likes to put everything in his pockets)
Bug spray (never had to use it even at FW)


Things I definitely will bring again:
extra underwear
extra shoes
lots of sunscreen (no burns this year!!!)
lots of bandaides and blister prevention
lots of socks to change into
Extra shirts ( we went thru two a day)
An extra duffle bag to bring home the dirty laundry

Here is a tip that my mom always gave me when packing. Take something big like a phone book, or soup pot or something like that and put it in your suit case BEFORE you start packing. Once you have fit everything in take out the object. Now you have room for your souveniers, or just for the clothes that you don't want to spend all that time repacking neatly.

[DawnCt]

When the kids were little, I would pack their clothes as complete outfits, shirt, shorts, socks and underwear and place them in a zip lock bag, squeezing the air out. With so many trying to get dressed at the same time, it was easy to throw them each their bag and not have any missing pieces. My 13 year old still packs that way for boy scout camp. (it keeps the clothes dry). I am now packing for Hawaii so I am limiting myself to a few basic colors, white, black and kakki. I like the pack it system. They come in different sizes and really limit the amount of wrinkles, no matter which way the suitcase ends up.

[Taddy]

Mummajea....you sound like me!

Things I will not take this trip:
Bug Spray(can always buy it there if you REALLY need it, we didn't)
backpack....big mistake, we'll be takign a smaller fanny pack this time
my dressier shoes...never wore them
a million pairs of socks.....i wore my tevas and birkenstocks barefoot the whole time
battery powered fan,..... I didnt' use mine and it took up too much space in my pack


Things I WILL take for sure:
extra shirts...like mummajea we went through 2 a day
more bottled water
more powdered juice
more food from home
more outfits that co-ordinate with everything and in DARKER colours.....read: stains..lol
a real autograph book.... we had to use hotel paper
more film
a digital vidoecamera....to record our honeymoon
extra sunglasses....(lost mine there)
water shoes/beach shoes....wish I had some when we were at typhoon lagoon

[bobcat]

I too do the kids clothes in the ziplocks. Makes early mornings rushing to get to MK EE a lot easier!!!:D

Along those lines I bought packmates from QVC for our vacation. They are plastic bags that zip on one end and then you can squeeze the air out. Tried these on our camping vacation last weekend and worked great. They come in a variety of sizes (used the jumbo one for an egg crate matress and it squashed it really flat!)

[DisneyHumbug]

Since everyone in our family wears the same little white socks, I pack everyone's socks in individual zip loc bags with their names on it. This also helps in case someone is running out of socks, they know right away and we can quickly rinse out a pair or two.

[mary01]

We overpacked everything it seems except something for evenings in MK.

Depending on what time of year you go, you may need sweaters. One thing I didn't take (last week of April) was a sweater or light jacket for the evening. The worst part was getting back to the car - we almost froze to death in the long trek back from MK to the car via ECV. We are Michiganders and expected the evenings to be somewhat warmer than they are here at that time of year.

[kecall]

Hats off to you, Bigsis1970!!! Sounds like you have this packing thing down to a science!!!
As far as I'm concerned, there is NO SUCH THING as overpacking...though I know my husband would disagree....See, my feeling is, if I end up needing it, then I want it....so I bring it!!! I always end up bringing more clothes then I need, but I like being able to have options (like, maybe I don't feel like wearing that shorts outfit I originally thought I'd wear to MGM...) I know I am NOT the one to ask about economizing your packing....Anyone know if there's an Overpackers Annonymous that I could join???? :D

[Kermit]

When we go in the winter we plan on rewearing denim shorts and jeans. We usually wear them each about a day and a half. (Since we rest in the afternoon, we can change.) We also take a lot of tee shirts and not too many long sleaved shirts and sweat shirts. We wear at least one tee shirt every day, but if it's cold, we put a warmer shirt on top of the tee shirt. The top shirt doesn't get messy unless you spill something on it, so you can rewear it.

[jesdmill1]

Boy do I need this thread! I will have to pack 2 weeks worth of clothes very soon. We're having our apartment rennovated and can't move in til we get back, so we'll be in a hotel for 2 nights before we leave and 1 after. I want to pack now but we don't leave here for another 9 days!

I always try to wear my disney clothes on my trip. I will wear khaki shorts and a disney shirt most days. I bring many, many extra socks and extra shoes. I make sure to pack my pooh overalls for one day, 2 bathing suits, several nice outfits for dinners (and SO's suit for V&As), 3 pairs of sandals, outfits for going to pleasure island, etc.

It's a good thing we're driving. I could never check all my luggage. I do weird things like pack my shoes in shoeboxes so they can't get crushed. Rolling clothes does help some to have them take up less room. I think we're actually going to have to go to TJ Maxx and buy my SO some new T-shirts for the trip. He doesn't have enough, since he never wears them in real life. Extra socks too.

My most important thing to pack? Coppertone waterbabies spf 45 - 2 bottles, I will go through them in 2 weeks. Last year I didn't even get a little sunburned by using this stuff, and I'm so pale I glow in the dark! I slather it on twice a day like there's no tomorrow.

[skeezixspud]

I have to say this: dark-colored shirts are HOT! They may show less dirt, but if you going to be spending time out in the sun staying cool is more important than staying clean. Dark shorts usually are fine, but you don't want dark colors on top when it is hot.

Lay out what you THINK you need, then make yourself put half of it back. Don't duplicate your toiletries needlessly. Remember that thinner clothes are always better for packing and drying quickly in the heat, so if it's going to be hot out, skip the denim. I try to avoid knits when I know I'm going to get wet on a ride; a thin woven shirt will dry much more quickly just walking around. Stick to a limited group of colors; too much variety will mean too many loads of laundry.

[MaryAnnDVC]

Consider getting a Dye Magnet for washing laundry. You can mix loads and the Dye Magnet picks up any color that runs. DO NOT use it for new clothing items that may run, like new blue jeans or new red T-shirts. But it works well on other items.

I got mine for about $6 each at WalMart. Most stores like that should carry them.

[adamak]

I always have a small bag with all my toothpaste / shampoo / cream / contact lens stuff. Everything in travel size. I go everywhere with them and never have to repack that.

Bring those facial cleansing sheets instead of face soap. Great to carry around in zip lock bag.

Bring black, nicer t-shirt for dinner. Don't bring shirt instead. Black top is good for every occasion.

Don't bring too many T shirt. Just wash them with washing machine, and you save much more space. The timing is not so bad, really. Put them in the washing machine, go walk around. Put in the dryer, go to the hot tub. And you're done.

[Joyfulsnuff]

Thanks so much for the great tips. I'll end up over packing in the end but it will be a fun challenge trying not to. At least I'm not the only one who is an over packer so I can take comfort in that.

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

My Dad has a really funny packing tip -- when he comes across underware or an underhsirt that he thinks is ready to be tossed out, he puts it in a suitcase in his closet. Then when it's vaction time, he has a whole bunch of pretty close to shot underware that he wares one more time & then tosses out in the garbage! Leaves space for bringing home a few extra items!

I thought this was so funny, but it makes sense, too.

The ziplock for complete kid outfits really helps, too! They can dress themselves, or DH can help. Very convenient for me to just say, pick a bag!

[K9pal]

Anyone else have a husband who overpacks?! We are going for 6 days in September - I plan to take one pair of pants, which I'll wear on the plane, and 3 pair of shorts. He wants to take several long pants, 5 pairs of shorts, and (hope he doesn't read this!) he always packs at least 2 extra pair of underwear because "you never know..."!!
So, he picks out what he wants to take and lays it on the bed, and then I nicely offer to pack everything while he watches TV... and I then take out the stuff he won't need!!

[LindaBabe]

not just with underwear, but shoes! I walked so much on some I wore holes in the soles and threw the shoes out - makes a lot of empty space in the luggage for the trip home!

[casmanuel]

SnoWhiteRabbit, my mother would say to your father "What if you were in an accident and had to go to the hospital? What would they think of your underwear?!?" :o

[Disney Doll]

If I'm going for 7 days, I bring 7 shirts, 3 prs of shorts, one pr of pants, 4 prs of underwear,4 prs of socks, sneakers, 1 pr of Birkenstock sandals. I can always wash, and I tend to buy stuff while there.

[imgoingtodisney]

Ive already started packing. 3 weeks and my luggage will be half way from MA to FL! As I do the laundry Ive been putting my husbands better t-shirts in his suitcase. He hasnt caught on yet but I dont want him wearing his rags on our trip.