So I'm getting excited about my short trip to DLR next Saturday (nine days away -- down to the single digits).
When I have free time, my mind starts to wander to packing. I'm not really thinking about what clothes to bring, although I have a few ideas. It's mostly about how to pack it.
FOR MY TRAVEL
I. The main bag.
I have a couple of sturdy rolling duffels that I love, including a relatively new tiny one (only 19" tall) from Briggs and Riley. It's a short trip, so everything can easily go into the small bag.
But yesterday my big splurge arrived in the mail. I ordered an XL backpack from Koolgears. If you haven't seen these, you really need to. It's a grey backpack that is designed to look like a shark with open jaws. The interiors are blood red, and there are teeth around the main opening. It has a ton of interesting details: convex black eyes; small translucent fish as key pulls; gill pockets on the sides.
This bag is large enough to hold all of my gear for the weekend. Added bonus: I can empty it out at the hotel, and then use it at the parks!
II. Packing my clothes.
I swear by the Eagle Creek pack-it system. There are other brands that make the same things, but you know what I'm talking about. I use the half-cubes, which are 10" x 7" x 3", to pack one day's worth of clothes: button-down shirt, undershirt, underwear, socks. I usually pack all of my shorts and pants into a single, separate full-size cube (14" x 10" x 3"). Since you can usually shove a lot into one of these without any problem, I also fit a light hoodie into a half-cube, just in case. I live in San Francisco, so I can't travel anywhere in the summer without a light jacket.
The other nice thing is that the half-cubes make for good laundry holders as your trip progresses.
I haven't yet tried it out, but the dimensions of my new shark bag are 23" x 14" x 8". This means that I should be able to fit at least four half-cubes in the bottom of the bag, and still have a whole bunch of space at the top. (Again, this is just for travel. I won't bring all of my cubes into the park!)
III. Toiletries
I have a few toiletry bags that I've acquired over the years. For this trip, I'm going to try to travel ultra-light. I have two Eagle Creek Sacs, a medium and a large, which are similar to the cubes but are great for containing items that might spill. I'm going to see if I can get everything into the medium sac, but if not I'll go with the large.
My biggest item is my electric toothbrush, which is bulky. I do have a spare regular toothbrush that I could just bring along, but I'm used to my routine. Haven't yet decided either way yet.
I have travel-size floss, toothpaste, and deodorant. I also have little plastic containers for my prescriptions and for mouth rinse.
This trip, I'm going to try out a new item: the Humangears GoToob. These little squeeze bulbs are made from the same silicone as baby bottle nipples. They also have a pretty ingenious lid that keeps the liquid from coming out. They come in three sizes, all of which are TSA regulation carryon safe, and in a few different soft pastel-y colors. I'm using a 3 oz. one for my liquid bath soap, and a 1.25 oz. for my shampoo.
I'm also using a 1.25 oz. GoToob for my sunscreen. I have sensitive skin and I use a special sunscreen that's I buy in bulk. I love that I can just fill up a small GoToob for my trip. I can just throw this into my bag or my pocket, and not worry at all about leakage. VERY happy about this!
IV. Electronics.
I use a half-cube to hold my chargers and cables. I'll be bringing my iPhone, camera, iPad, and portable speakers. Since I've got the iPad, I won't lug along the laptop this time around. I'll be leaving the speakers in my hotel room, but I'll probably slide the iPad into my backpack for the park, mostly for security reasons.
V. Books.
I'm a nerd, and I hate to be stuck somewhere without something to read. I'll bring a half-cube or two filled with paperbacks. I've gone to a couple of used bookstores to stock up on books. This time out, I think I'm mostly going to be reading mysteries: Lee Child, Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, and John Lescroart have all made the cut.
VI. Miscellaneous.
Over the years, I've also accumulated a good number of Walker mesh bags, which are much smaller than the cubes and half-cubes. I regularly use a couple of small ones to keep change and also my headphones, and I use the larger ones to sort my electronics cables and chargers.
FOR THE PARK
I will be bringing my new shark backpack to the park, mostly because both of my nephews (age 3 and 2.75) will be visiting DL for the first time, and I think they'll love it. I don't think I'll put much into it on the way in: sunscreen and my camera, as well as a few snacks. I'll probably take advantage of the park package pick-up service, so I'll keep my bag nice and light for the duration of the day.
Sorry to nerd out, but I love this stuff!
Bill
When I have free time, my mind starts to wander to packing. I'm not really thinking about what clothes to bring, although I have a few ideas. It's mostly about how to pack it.
FOR MY TRAVEL
I. The main bag.
I have a couple of sturdy rolling duffels that I love, including a relatively new tiny one (only 19" tall) from Briggs and Riley. It's a short trip, so everything can easily go into the small bag.
But yesterday my big splurge arrived in the mail. I ordered an XL backpack from Koolgears. If you haven't seen these, you really need to. It's a grey backpack that is designed to look like a shark with open jaws. The interiors are blood red, and there are teeth around the main opening. It has a ton of interesting details: convex black eyes; small translucent fish as key pulls; gill pockets on the sides.
This bag is large enough to hold all of my gear for the weekend. Added bonus: I can empty it out at the hotel, and then use it at the parks!
II. Packing my clothes.
I swear by the Eagle Creek pack-it system. There are other brands that make the same things, but you know what I'm talking about. I use the half-cubes, which are 10" x 7" x 3", to pack one day's worth of clothes: button-down shirt, undershirt, underwear, socks. I usually pack all of my shorts and pants into a single, separate full-size cube (14" x 10" x 3"). Since you can usually shove a lot into one of these without any problem, I also fit a light hoodie into a half-cube, just in case. I live in San Francisco, so I can't travel anywhere in the summer without a light jacket.
The other nice thing is that the half-cubes make for good laundry holders as your trip progresses.
I haven't yet tried it out, but the dimensions of my new shark bag are 23" x 14" x 8". This means that I should be able to fit at least four half-cubes in the bottom of the bag, and still have a whole bunch of space at the top. (Again, this is just for travel. I won't bring all of my cubes into the park!)
III. Toiletries
I have a few toiletry bags that I've acquired over the years. For this trip, I'm going to try to travel ultra-light. I have two Eagle Creek Sacs, a medium and a large, which are similar to the cubes but are great for containing items that might spill. I'm going to see if I can get everything into the medium sac, but if not I'll go with the large.
My biggest item is my electric toothbrush, which is bulky. I do have a spare regular toothbrush that I could just bring along, but I'm used to my routine. Haven't yet decided either way yet.
I have travel-size floss, toothpaste, and deodorant. I also have little plastic containers for my prescriptions and for mouth rinse.
This trip, I'm going to try out a new item: the Humangears GoToob. These little squeeze bulbs are made from the same silicone as baby bottle nipples. They also have a pretty ingenious lid that keeps the liquid from coming out. They come in three sizes, all of which are TSA regulation carryon safe, and in a few different soft pastel-y colors. I'm using a 3 oz. one for my liquid bath soap, and a 1.25 oz. for my shampoo.
I'm also using a 1.25 oz. GoToob for my sunscreen. I have sensitive skin and I use a special sunscreen that's I buy in bulk. I love that I can just fill up a small GoToob for my trip. I can just throw this into my bag or my pocket, and not worry at all about leakage. VERY happy about this!
IV. Electronics.
I use a half-cube to hold my chargers and cables. I'll be bringing my iPhone, camera, iPad, and portable speakers. Since I've got the iPad, I won't lug along the laptop this time around. I'll be leaving the speakers in my hotel room, but I'll probably slide the iPad into my backpack for the park, mostly for security reasons.
V. Books.
I'm a nerd, and I hate to be stuck somewhere without something to read. I'll bring a half-cube or two filled with paperbacks. I've gone to a couple of used bookstores to stock up on books. This time out, I think I'm mostly going to be reading mysteries: Lee Child, Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, and John Lescroart have all made the cut.
VI. Miscellaneous.
Over the years, I've also accumulated a good number of Walker mesh bags, which are much smaller than the cubes and half-cubes. I regularly use a couple of small ones to keep change and also my headphones, and I use the larger ones to sort my electronics cables and chargers.
FOR THE PARK
I will be bringing my new shark backpack to the park, mostly because both of my nephews (age 3 and 2.75) will be visiting DL for the first time, and I think they'll love it. I don't think I'll put much into it on the way in: sunscreen and my camera, as well as a few snacks. I'll probably take advantage of the park package pick-up service, so I'll keep my bag nice and light for the duration of the day.
Sorry to nerd out, but I love this stuff!
Bill
I love mine for travel because I, too, must never be without a book. I can bring hundreds of books with me now. And the best part is all the free books available on 
