Packing in Reverse - what did you pack that you didn't need

[Nana2Callie]

We have just returned from our trip (and of course the only cure for that is to start planning another one) but we still took too much. So I'm working on stream lining our packing even more - what did you take that you didn't need and will mark off your list in the future.

 

[Muppetfan3]

Too many extra clothes - with the exception of toddler's clothes...plus if you really need to do laundry, you can. I think for adults and older kids, better just to take exactly what's needed, maybe an extra pair of socks or something but no need for 3 extra pair of shorts.

 

[Dashzap]

A collapsible cooler. We never used it so I left it behind at the resort.

 

[Dashzap]

Too many extra clothes - with the exception of toddler's clothes...plus if you really need to do laundry, you can. I think for adults and older kids, better just to take exactly what's needed, maybe an extra pair of socks or something but no need for 3 extra pair of shorts.

Unless you go in the hottest part of summer. We changed clothes 3x a day in July!

 

[andiraye]

That glide stuff for your feet to prevent blisters. Never used it. We live in NYC and walk everywhere everyday so our feet are accustomed to it.

Too many activities for the kids for the plane. They just played on their devices.

 

[keepswimming76]

We just returned and did not use the powerstrip we packed. There were plenty outlets in our room.

I also realized I may need to re-think our packing strategy. I packed a new outfit for each of us each day, but we ended up doing a load of laundry so we could wear certain preferred items again. I will take this into consideration next time and not pack so many pairs of shorts and probably not bring as many pairs of shoes. (I packed a lot, lol!)

And ditto on the activities for the kids. I had way too many books and coloring books for them and all they wanted to do during our downtime was play a video game or watch a movie.

 

[loves to dive]

the only thing I take too much of is snack food. I drive down so take car foods and think I'll snack late at night in my room. Silly me, I hit the bed and I'm out. Otherwise I have packing down to an art, had to learn that years ago when we started diving. The equipment is so heavy we had to learn to go light with everything else.

 

[powellrj]

Brita water bottles, we got tired of dragging them around and left them back in the room after the 1st day.

 

[js]

A collapsible cooler. We never used it so I left it behind at the resort.

lol
This is something I pack and we use all the time. We own DVC and always pack a cooler to bring with us to the pool with some dinks and snacks. It folds and it is easily packable.

 

[AKL_Megs]

Too many outfits for DD! I swear the last two trips, she wore one outfit a day, with the exception of a change into a sundress for dinner a couple nights. I WILL NOT bring so many outfits this trip.

Too many toys for our drive down and back. She mostly watches movies and plays on her little tablet. So much junk to unpack, especially after you factor in toy souvenirs you are bringing back.

 

[karensi]

Those Frog Togs that everyone said you must not leave home without!
I brought them 2 years in a row and used them once. I just didn't think they worked that well.

 

[dreiwhit]

For us, it was certain snacks (trail mix) and our ponchos. It didn't rain once when we were last down at Disney, so we left them in the room.

A power strip would have come in handy for us. Even though there were enough outlets, we had our electronics scattered around the room instead of being in one place.

 

[10MoreMinutes]

Pre-packaged breakfast foods. I brought cereal bars and muffins on our trip last month thinking we could just grab something on the way out the door in the morning, but no one ever ate any of it and I ended up bringing it all back home with me.

Reusable water bottles. Brought them to the park the first day, then left them in the room the rest of the trip. They were a pain to carry around.

 

[VACamm]

We always pack too many snacks from home. We never eat them... because we usually can't resist the WDW snacks.

 

[tsme]

Frog togs, didn't work for us.

 

[Donna M]

What are frog togs?

 

[EvilQueen2018]

What are frog togs?

From what I have found, they are cooling towels. You get them wet and wring them out then wrap it on yourself and it cools you down as it drys out. They sell some for $20 but you can also get them much cheaper so shop for the best deal. I haven't got ours yet so I don't know from personal experience but my husband swears by them as he has used them in the past.

 

[MSS91]

Bug spray
Those misting fan bottles

Biggest offense is always packing too many outfits! We stay DVC so we have washer and dryer in the room. I end up doing laundry halfway through and wearing the same things multiple times, while never touching other items. For our trip next week I'm limiting myself to 5 tops and bottoms, a dress, and a romper. That's MORE than enough for a week!

 

[EvilQueen2018]

Bug spray
Those misting fan bottles

Biggest offense is always packing too many outfits! We stay DVC so we have washer and dryer in the room. I end up doing laundry halfway through and wearing the same things multiple times, while never touching other items. For our trip next week I'm limiting myself to 5 tops and bottoms, a dress, and a romper. That's MORE than enough for a week!

We will be there a week. I'm planning 2 pair of shoes, a pair of saddles, 3 shorts, 1 pair of jeans, and adifferent shirt for each day. The shirts are custom for Disney so that is why one a day. We will have enough socks and undergarments for the week as well as backup in case we get soaked but we will have a washer and dryer as well so I can wash once mid point and again before we leave.

Our park gear will take up the most room but once distributed amongst the six of us, each person's haul will not seem like a burden. I have no problem wearing 3 pounds of gear to be sure I don't react negatively to the sun and heat.

We are driving and renting a uhaul cargo trailer to take the stuff. I'm taking an extra storage tote or two for souvenirs we bring home. Everything but what we need in the car and important papers will be in the cargo trailer. For us, it's $100 for the week and totally worth it since 6 people take up lots of space.

 

[gonedisneycrazy]

My first trip as an adult (2011) I brought the essentials. Then I joined this board and there was so much info, I couldn't leave anything after that. There are so many great tips on here you want to take them all. After spending months on here, I started packing wayyy too much since we have the luxury of driving. I literally bring my own pillowcases, sheets, and washcloths, soap, lotion, and anything else I think is a convenience from home. In our defense, we have sensitive skin and hate to take chances. The last time we went we were able to sleep comfortably in their sheets after requesting a special clean room for allergies that come with allergen free sheets.
None of us uses the same products so it is really a lot. DVD movies for the car, music on a flashdrive to go with satellite radio (super silly I know). Snacks, 24 pack of water, and way too many Disney items that my daughter doesn't use. She just buys new ones.
I will leave the snacks at home next time and I won't bring old souvenirs that sit in the room.When I say an outfit, I mean shirt, bottom, socks and undies and I bring one for each day. Plus 10 pairs of socks, extra undies, and extra shirts in case I spill something. In 5 trips I have never spilled anything on myself. So this trip will be the necessities and we will buy an extra shirt, socks, etc if we need to.

We never watch the DVD's, listen to the flashdrive, eat all of the snacks, or drink all of the water. This last time we cruised before our WDW stay and I thought I needed tons of stuff. Turns out I washed on the cruise and I didn't need to bring two sets of vacation clothes.
I am taking some of the advice here and leaving some stuff home in November.
The irony is you get the information from the Disboard and then they help you trim it down...We are so helpful to one another.LOLOL