Space saving packing tips/discussion

[ajk912]

I am going to try (operative word, try ) to pack a week's worth of laundry for 5 people with pajamas in one very large suitcase. Since we are going in August, we don't need anything bulky, just shorts and shirts. That's a plus! I am thinking of buying those space saver bags, but I am thinking that may not be necessary...I imagine I can get the same desired effect by buying Ziplock gallon sized bags, individually packing each outfit for each kid in each bag per day..squeezing the air out. That's 21 outfits though. That should easily work in a suitcase, I would think..but I have to squeeze the air out good.

Not sure about my clothes and DH's clothes. Our clothes aren't that tiny. I can probably get my clothes in the same suitcase as the kids, and just take a 21 inch suitcase for DH. Hmmm..there has to be a way for me to do this. Any tips?

We are driving, and I am undecided whether to buy a cargo top and put some luggage up there (our trunk isn't very big at all!) but if I pack smart I should be able to fit everything, as long as I keep it to two suitcases MAX, in the trunk. That's including the two cases of bottled water and a few shopping bags of snacks.

Any packing tips for me? i would rather not hunt down a store when we get down there, I don't want to waste valuable Disney time.

 

[tchrrx]

I would suggest packing the large suitcase with clothes you'll need at WDW. Use the smaller suitcase for the clothes that you'll need at any hotel stops along the way. Then, pack toiletries in a separate bag.

 

[monorailsilver]

Well how about bringing less clothes & do laundry?

We are also going in August & are a family of 5, my ds tends to think his shirt chest is a napkin when a perfectly clean napkin sits 3 inches from his fingers!

My goal is 4 or 5 outfits for DH & I. And 6 for my older 2 kids (7 & almost 5)& 8 for my 2 yo. I might skip out on a whole outfit & just bring an extra shirt.

We are going for 9 days & go back to our room mid-day & rest, de-sweat ourselves-> swim & shower..& then change into clean clothes.

I normally do laundry every other day but I am considering doing it every day just because that is one load of laundry in those small washers.

Other then bringing less clothes & more laundry detergent, don't forget about travel sized stuff toiletries too.

My dh & I used travel to the mid west or nearly to the mid-west every summer from CT in his 2 seater Fiero for car shows. I learned from those trips how to pack & not take alot of clothes/extras. I was allowed one small-medium sized duffel bag of clothes as was he & it had to be packed a certain way because the trunk is narrow but deep. But he also had to bring some tools & cleaning stuff for the car since it was a car show.....

 

[Rylee]

Consider using duffle bags instead of suitcases... they are easier to squash into tight spaces.

If you are bringing extra shoes, stuff the shoes with small items... sock, etc.

Roll clothes, rather than fold, for less wrinkles.

 

[coolbeans]

Well how about bringing less clothes & do laundry?

We are also going in August & are a family of 5, my ds tends to think his shirt chest is a napkin when a perfectly clean napkin sits 3 inches from his fingers!

I plan on doing a load of laundry halfway thru our trip in August for the same reason, except it's DH not DS with the napkin shirt, he always drops something on it...always! I would rather take a nice quiet morning and run to the laundry room while DH and the kids are snoozing. I am always up earlier than they are on vacation anyway so it will be okay. I am bringing a stain stick so nothing will set in the clothes but I don't trust stains not to set between a 10 day stay and 12 hour hot car trunk on the way home.

 

[Aliceacc]

I'm not sure I understand your reasoning-- won't it be heavy and big to lug around and store?

We can get by with 4 bags for the 5 of us; the girls are so tiny that it's easy to combine them into one. None of our bags is huge, and my son's is a duffle bag kind of thing. When we get to our destination, we unpack and my son's duffle becomes the laundry basket for the week. When we get home, that duffle (and usually mine) goes straight to the laundry room to be sorted.

For us, it just works better when we take our normal summer trip upstate.

 

[GoofyFairie]

I go with pack less and do laundry. The next time we travel I am going to take even less. The rooms aren't big enough to have the suitcases and shopping bags, dirty laundry and snacks and water sitting around. I used every storage spot I could find and still we tripped over the laundry so i started doing it daily. It was nice not to come home to a big pile of laundry too. I will definately take just 2 outfits a piece plus jammies. We'll have what we are wearing to travel in as well so we can mix and match and DH will be thrilled he won't have a large suitcase to lug! It will also leave more room for the stuff we buy to bring home!

 

[miceli20]

just a tip about the stain stick, use it on the inside of the shirt before the stain sets in. I learned this from martha stewart. I have been using this for a few months and it really works.

 

[Taja]

I would check the measurements of your vehicle's trunk/cargo space before deciding. We discovered with rental cars that we were better off taking more smaller bags rather than using fewer larger bags.

Duffel bags are a good idea, if you have them. And packing one smaller bag with things everyone will need during the drive or immediately upon arrival at your resort is a good one. Then you won't need to move the other bags until you reach your destination.

Be careful with the compression bags. As much as I love them, it's easy to have a case way more than can be carried/picked up! Even if you aren't restricted to airlines weight limits, a 25" or 26" case can become very heavy very quickly!

 

[Perditamarie]

Perhaps you can have your water shipped directly to your resort...I believe I have read on here about Staples. You could also ship your snacks directly from home to your resort to save/make space. Also, if time/space are more valuable, it may be worth the premium of delivery fee/tip to have water and snacks delivered to your resort via gardengrocer.com or the like.