what clothes to bring.....September

[livinglighthouse]

We are staying for 2 weeks, but will have washer/dryer in our DVC rooms. I would love to try to get away with just a carry on for each person on the plane. I have my husband and I and 3 kids.....13, 10 and 10. I would love to see a list of how many of what to bring, taking into account doing laundry at least once or twice during the trip. Also, how do you coordinate your clothese.......does everything go with everything else so you can mix and match outfits??? Help!
Rachel

 

[Nicolepa]

We go every September. Keep in mind it is hot, hot, hot. So you can actually pack a lot in a small space. I never pack more than shorts & short sleeve shirts. I have dh and 3 & 5 yo. I usually pack about 4 outfits each for the kids, 3 for us plus one dressy (we visit family after Disney). I do one load of laundry a day (one day darks, the next lights), if it doesn't fit in one of those 2 categories it doesn't get packed (ie no reds, no delicates etc). I can pack for 2 weeks for us into 2 large suitcases, including diapers, wipes and most of our nonperishable, non crushable foods. The big space hog for us is dh's digital camera, 2 camcorders, his HD camcorder and laptop. Otherwise I could get it all into one.

 

[ducklite]

I take mix and match, black, tan, white and maybe denim. It all goes with everything.

I'd take 3 pair of shorts (one each--tan, black, denim), four or five t's and/or tanks, one lightweight blouse to wear over them--like a linen or very light cotton, a lightweight sweater for evenings. Three or four changes of underwear and something to sleep in. I'm assuming you aren't planning on any more upscale dining where you'd need something dressier than park attire. Don't forget the bathing suits!

It's HOT still in September, so my guess is that you'll want to do laundry every day. When ew're staying DVC I throw a load in as soon as I get up, it's ready for the dryer before we're ready to leave the room. Fold it when we get back later in the day. A few wrinkles in cottons will fall right out with September humidity.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

One thing I want to add--if you are flying, there's really no way to put everyone's roll on's over your seats. If the plane is full and you use all the overhead bin space for the seats in your row and the one in front and behind you, where are others with seats under those bins supposed to store their carryons?

Also, when the bins get full, the FA's will take rollon's and gate check them.

You really should think twice about just going carryon. It's really not nessecary and makes the boarding process take a lot longer.

Anne

 

[livinglighthouse]

when we went to San Diego in October the kids have rolling backpacks that they used as carry ons and my husband and I each took a carry on suitcase, it just seems easier to hang onto our luggage than to worry about checking it, going to baggage claim and waiting, lost luggage, etc... hadn't thought about taking up others space. We will be on a red eye flight, so not sure if those are usually packed or not.

Anyway, thank you for the great ideas on mixing and matching and quantities of clothes to bring......that was what I really wanted to know.

 

[4greatboys]

Everyone is right, Sept is still very hot. We are DVC members we do pack lightly since I know I can do a load there. Our last trip for the 6 of us I took for roller suitcases, we had 2 light carryons (a backpack and small overnight bag) and of couse, my oldest ds tool his mini guitar! LOL.
Oldest ds and ds #2 had their own case--with a few diapers I needed for the baby stuck in each, I had a suitcase I shared with dh and the 2 little ones shared a case.
Everyone had about 3 pairs of shorts and 3-4 tee's, several pairs of undies and socks. I really only had to do a load or 2 while we were there.

 

[isla bonita]

It is very warm so pack light weight clothing.

 

[Gillian]

I kind of mix & match like Anne. I stick with the same basic colors, or sometimes choose navy instead of black. My main packing rule is not to bring navy & black on the same trip because they don't really go together. I throw in red or bright tops so it's easy for DH to find me when I wander away.

For the kids I sort of do the same thing, but I pack more stuff for them, as they are still young and can get pretty dirty! I try to make sure a lot of it goes together in case I need to change a top but not shorts, etc.

I have found since 9/11 that checking suitcases and taking a small carry on is very liberating. It's so much easier with just a small bag for the plane! I can understand not wanting to check bags, but it can be so much easier! Maybe we've been very lucky, but DH & I have never lost a suitcase.

If you decide to reconsider packing in carry ons, maybe you could take one or two rolling carryons for everyone for essentials and things that are hard to replace, like bathing suits.