packing for trip to disney when driving?

[allie1078]

How do you pack? We are a family of six driving down in June from Michigan. I have a 05 grand caravan with sto n go, so cargo space is limited. My thoughts so far are to pack one smaller suitcase to use for the trip down and a couple of larger ones for the week at disney. Just today I was thinking maybe a rubbermaid storage tote would work better than suitcases. Opinions? Has anyone done this? I plan on packing each of the kids' outfits in a ziploc bag for each day to help with organizing. Any other organizational packing tips?

Tia

Ann

 

[Iott Family]

Ok, let me just say that we are a fam of 6, too and we drive for all of our vacations so im a real pro at this. I always use rubber maid totes when packing for camping because it keeps bugs and weather from infiltrating. i also use rubber maid totes when packing food items on road trips because it keeps food from getting squished and such while being buried under a week plus worth of clothes and misc. for this family! One last thing that i always do is pack our toiletries seperate from our main luggage and a small duffel or rolling case with enough clothes for an over night stay and a couple extra changes of clothes for our youngest two who were 1 and 3 on our trip this past October 2007. This allows us to easily grab our stuff out taht we need for that overnight stay in the hotel w/o completely unpacking the vehicle that took me three hour sto get loaded just so!!!!!!
The kids each pack or get packed for them a small tote or backpack to keep some busy items with them in the truck and it also holds their special something that they just cant leave home w/o and they are responsible for toting this about place to place!
On a last note, we are in Indiana so we have a similiarly long drive to WDW. We also drive down to emerald isle, NC every summer and that is a two day haul and our camping trips are usually within 2 hours of the house but we are gone 3-4 days. I have definitely honed my packing skills!!!!!!

 

[wisc mom]

We drive from Wisconsin, and have tried many different methods. This year we used the 2 gallon ziploc bags for all of us, and it made a HUGE difference for the space required in the suitcases. The only problem was I had a hard time fitting all of the dirty clothes back into the suitcases at the end of the trip! Large rolling duffle bags seem to work the best for our family. You can stuff them full, and stack them in the back of the van. We tried totes once, but it didn't work that well for us. We lost storage space around the boxes, and it wasn't easy "cramming" extra items in the car. We take a separate small bag for the hotel on the way down. That way, you don't mess up everything else that is packed.

 

[The Moonk's Mom]

I am going with the totes. I have used them in the past for long vacation and they really help. I was able to get our family of five all packed in our van along with all my stuff for my FIL that lives with us. We were dropping him at his brother's house in SC. I was able to pack all of our stuff, a stroller, a pack and play and his stuff which included golf clubs and oxygen bottles. I do give each of the kids a box of stuff to put next to them to keep them busy and my bag contains all the need now stuff. It stays with me at all times!

 

[rt2dz]

We do two 24 hour drive trips a year--and shorter trips, too. I have an SUV, not a van. We put our luggage on top. I pack clothes in the ziploc bags and put them into large (water resistant) duffels. They go inside a luggage pack/carrier too, but one can never be too careful. I then keep toiletries and an overnight pack (in duffels) packed in the car. I also have an extra change of clothes under the car seat for the littler two (1 & 3 on our last trip). I have a small tote for food items in the car. Each kid then also has an over-the-seat pack for toys, books, and other personal items. We have plenty of room on the way down and back (with all the extra stuff we bring home).

 

[The Lion King]

We drive from Wisconsin, and have tried many different methods. This year we used the 2 gallon ziploc bags for all of us, and it made a HUGE difference for the space required in the suitcases. The only problem was I had a hard time fitting all of the dirty clothes back into the suitcases at the end of the trip! Large rolling duffle bags seem to work the best for our family. You can stuff them full, and stack them in the back of the van. We tried totes once, but it didn't work that well for us. We lost storage space around the boxes, and it wasn't easy "cramming" extra items in the car. We take a separate small bag for the hotel on the way down. That way, you don't mess up everything else that is packed.

this is what we did as well and it seemed to work well.

 

[PGHDisneyfan]

Allie,

As an old luggage head( I worked for Samsonite for many years) I have to say rather than a suit case for car trips i suggest a duffle bag. They are cheap, durable, washable and you can cram more stuff into the back of your van since they dont have any hard edges to them. Even though I have a garage full of luggage still and most if it is still brand new I still prefer my trusty 28" duffle for car trips. A duffle that size holds enough clothes for me for a week at Disney- my wife on the other hand is another story !! Just dont pack any breakables in your duffle that get put on the bottom of the pile!

Best,
Brent

 

[myAAbatteries&aTD]

We do one suitcase for the trip down so we don't have to lug everything in and out of the hotel every night. Toiletries are separate. I also do the ziploc bags for each day's clothes for the kids - best packing tip ever, I think! Makes life soooo much easier! The kids got monogrammed duffels this year for Christmas and we'll be using those this year - love them b/c you can toss them around and cram them where they need to go, plus they hold A LOT of stuff! We use a luggage carrier on the back of our suburban - put the ice chest (for rest area stops), trip-down suitcase and strollers on it and everything else goes in the back and doesn't really need to be taken out every night...

I like the tote box idea for food - just used a cardboard box before so I could dig in it whenever the kids needed a snack, but I think we'll try the tote box idea this time so nothing gets smushed......

 

[Kimberly Hill]

I didn't realize how small the trunk space of my Vibe was until I thought about putting two large suitcases back there. Mind you, the vehicle has a ton of storage space all together but the trunk... eh, not so much. The seat next to DD will be filled with her new Princess personalized toy bucket and assorted crud.

Ugh.