Your Favorite Packing Tip

[PrincessAli]

E-BAGS!!!! We have used them for the past two years and they are FABULOUS! No more messy suitcases and our clothes stay pretty much wrinkle free.

 

[jhaig]

No offense, but that is kind of gross. I throw them out at home if they are grubby and need to be thrown away.

Grubby being a relative term of course...

 

[craedaisy12]

Thought is something! With a large family we always bring at least one power strip and extension cord, with many phones and cameras we need the extra outlets. Always comes in handy!

I also have a portable charger that it's really helpful for the long days at the parks with using my phone between taking pictures, using MDE amongst other things during the day.

Bringing a collapsible hamper to put our dirty clothes in so it's easier to know which is clean by the end of the trip and if laundry is needed during the trip.

 

[Samasquatch]

I completely agree with the ziploc bags, especially for the kid's clothes. Squeeze all of the air out before you completely close it. Clothes don't wrinkle and the bags take up so much less space in the suitcase.

I also always pack an empty extra bag inside my suitcase that I can fill up for the return trip home if needed.

 

[lborne]

We always keep toiletry bags (big ziplocks) for us and the kids with everything that is needed all ready to go so we don't ever have to pack that stuff - its always packed (duplicate razors, deodorant, toothbrush, etc.).

Always throw these in a suitcase to avoid having to remove it at TSA.

Instead of using a special luggage scale, you can use a bathroom scale. But they are most accurate over 100 lbs. So weight yourself with and without holding the bag and do the math.

 

[ZoZo]

Roll clothes instead of folding. Reduces wrinkles and saves lots of space.

I'm a notorious over-packer. What I do is lay out all of the clothes, shoes, and other items that I want to take. Then I try to reduce that amount by half. Seriously! I know that I can do laundry mid-trip if needed. It's kind of a nice break from the parks; I hang by the pool and have a cocktail, and do a couple of loads of laundry. It really helps keep me from overpacking!

 

[MomForFrozenAddicts]

Those are great. I'm very surprise at the capacity of those packing cubes. I was able to pack 1 week worth of my daughter's outfits in a small packing cube. I used the large one for my own cloths. The cubes fit perfectly in my luggage. Great stuff.

 

[AussieCaribou]

We only take carry-on luggage with us when we travel overseas (alas, Disney is overseas for us...come on Disney Downunder!).

So, we pack very little. In total each person will have:
5 tops/3 bottoms/2 shoes/pj's/jacket/7 full sets of under items

Yes, it does mean that we have to wash clothes (until we have enough Disney t-shirts to go around)...but not having to collect bags at LAX is a real positive.

We also carry three collapsible duffle bags - these become our checked bags on the way back.

For us, we roll everything and put them into packing cells. Ours are the right size to allow for one set of clothing for each of us in each cell. Then we divide the cells amongst the carry on bags...just in case one goes missing....

Stuff socks in shoes.

118 more days until we leave here...so I have a while yet until packing...but this is a great thread!

 

[Fan of Figment]

Our last couple of trips we packed a small suitcase with snacks and breakfast items. Then on the home we can use that suitcase for our souvenirs.

 

[pampam]

No offense, but that is kind of gross. I throw them out at home if they are grubby and need to be thrown away.

I'm sure the poster quoted didn't exactly mean it the way you thought. I too pack clothes I'm thinking of throwing out. I wouldn't pack things with holes, or something I just painted the house with, but when ever I have something I might throw out, I put it inside my suitcase. Then when I am packing for a trip, I sort out these items, and if I can use it one more time on my trip, sure, I'll pack it and throw it out there. How does it matter where it is thrown out?

 

[nkereina]

Those of you who roll clothes instead of folding them, how do you do it so clothes are less wrinkled? I always find my clothes are MORE wrinkled when I roll them so I must not be doing something right....

 

[michsig]

I'm gonna second what someone said about rolling clothes! So much more fits that way.

 

[TinkSassy]

I got the travel scale too - as I can pack my big suitcase up to 25 pounds over and still be fine on space! Also, I work on packing at least 5-10 pounds under the max so I have room to add all my purchases!

 

[TinkSassy]

Those of you who roll clothes instead of folding them, how do you do it so clothes are less wrinkled? I always find my clothes are MORE wrinkled when I roll them so I must not be doing something right....

Choose carefully what you roll - denim and poly work well. 100% cotton and linen - not so much. I roll what I can in the bottom and lay the wrinkle prone on top. It is amazing how much more fits in.

 

[lmmantini]

I roll and also use packing cubes. I love the packing cubes. No messy suitcases and the whole cube just goes right into the dresser drawer at the hotel.

 

[ThumpersMommy]

Since it has still been quite rainy in FL, you might want to line your suitcase with some sort of barrier like a clean plastic bag or something. Our suitcases are pretty well made but last month when we arrived in Orlando (and also when we arrived back home) it was very rainy. Our suitcases were soaked through and I had to lay out a lot of the cloths in the hotel room to dry.

We always bring several extra bags (zip lock, Walmart-type plastic bags) in case we need them for wet items, etc.

What are E bags?

 

[TWK]

Since it has still been quite rainy in FL, you might want to line your suitcase with some sort of barrier like a clean plastic bag or something. Our suitcases are pretty well made but last month when we arrived in Orlando (and also when we arrived back home) it was very rainy. Our suitcases were soaked through and I had to lay out a lot of the cloths in the hotel room to dry.

We always bring several extra bags (zip lock, Walmart-type plastic bags) in case we need them for wet items, etc.

What are E bags?

I didn't know either!

Now I want some!

http://www.amazon.com/eBags/b/ref=brands_hsb_red?_encoding=UTF8&node=3027265011

 

[lroger01]

I make two copies of the "last minute stuff" list. This is the checklist of things like phone charges, stuffed animals, pillows, etc. that can't be packed until just before I leave.

I keep a copy of that list in my suitcase so I don't forget that stuff when heading home. It's so easy to forget the phone charger plugged in next to the bed or the stuffed animal lost in the sheets of an unmade bed.

 

[niffer5150]

my most handy packing thing is less about what i put in the bags, but more about making a list of what is in each bag. i write down precisely what is in each bag and where it is. need a hair tie? that's bag #3, in gallon ziplock bag #2. need moleskin? that's bag#1, outter most small pocket. no one pesters me to find things for them anymore and if i lose a bag, i know exactly how much and what went missing. each suitcase, duffle bag, and personal bag has it's own list that gets kept in a planner. there's nothing quite as lame as being trapped in the room, tearing your luggage apart piece by piece, looking for the loperamide for someone.

 

[minnie mum]

Those of you who roll clothes instead of folding them, how do you do it so clothes are less wrinkled? I always find my clothes are MORE wrinkled when I roll them so I must not be doing something right....

Carefully. Tshirts and shirts I fold and hand smooth out any rumples or wringles. Then I roll from the bottom up. Pants, skirts and shorts are also carefully folded in half lenth wise, smoothed and then rolled from the top down.

The secret though, I think, is to keep them from moving around once in the suitcase. That's what causes wrinkles. So all my tops are put in large ziplock bags- I can get a week's worth of tshirts and tank tops in one bag. Underwear in another. Even my shoes go into shoe bags. Press out as much air as possible to minimize shifting inside the bag. Clothes inside a very full suitcase will come out looking better than inside a half full one, just because they don't shift around in transit.