Packing in Carry on Only

onebag.com is a great site HOW to pack but not so much what to pack.

 

check out ladylighttravel.com and ricksteves.com for ideas what to take and leave home. Search the Fashion and Beauty Board for more threads about this.

 

It's all mindset. Need to know that you will be wearing things more than once and doing laundry. Use Febreeze:p

Mix and match two bottoms and four tops is eight outfits. The Vivienne Files has great color combos (google it)

 

 

Wow, SadieN, Thanks so much for the awesome link to Ladylight.com! Best reference yet, and I will be using her methods! I already love the Vivienne Files, but I appreciate expanding my resources! :)

I looked at those ScottVest's at one point, but they are way too bulky when loaded up with things. They show that you could put your iPad in the pocket--maybe if you're 6'5" tall. On me it would be half my body width and look pretty hideous having these edges sticking out all over the place.

Finding it interesting that some want to do this and how they do it ... BUT I would so never want to. :o

LuLu

Hi LuLu:)......I always read these threads as well and I don't really

consider myself an overpacker but I do always bring a regular checked

bag and a carry on bag. I guess you and I are in the minority these

days. I know what I want to bring and cannot see it going in a carry

on bag. Other folks may think it is overpacking but I don't:)....actually

my carry on bag holds items I don't want going in my checked bag.

I am treading in new water... I want to pack for a 8 night cruise in just 1 carry on bag. :eek: I am normally the person that has two full size bags and two carry ones, and that is just for my self. I want to travel light this time, and not have to deal with all the stuff. Does anyone have any tips or trick to help.... Ive been youtubing, and found some great tips, but you guys sometimes come up with things most people would never think about.

 

 

Thanks Jenn

It'll take some planning, but packing in a carry on only can be done!

Just packed for my upcoming 11 day vacation (8 day cruise + 3 days pre-cruise) in a rolling carry on and large tote. I somehow managed to fit 3 pants, 4 shorts, 18 tops (dress, tanks, tees & cardigan), 2 dresses, 2 swimsuits, 3 coverups, 4 shoes in the carry on. I threw a sundress, swimsuit and change of clothes in a packing cube to go in my shoulder tote for San Juan. I was extremely nervous everything wouldn't fit (plus size gal here), but using the bundle method was quite impressive.

Just to follow-up, I did really well on my recent cruise. I wore everything I packed except for 1 outfit. I realized while I was on board that I packed too many clothes! Next time, I'd bring more cover-ups and bathing suits and less "real clothes." I didn't do much except lay out on the deck or the beach anyway. I have another cruise coming up so I want to really hone in on taking just what I need.

Hi LuLu:)......I always read these threads as well and I don't really

consider myself an overpacker but I do always bring a regular checked

bag and a carry on bag. I guess you and I are in the minority these

days. I know what I want to bring and cannot see it going in a carry

on bag. Other folks may think it is overpacking but I don't:)....actually

my carry on bag holds items I don't want going in my checked bag.

I guess I'm another member of this minority! I'd love to travel lighter ... but for just about any trip over 10 days (and most of ours are at least that long) I can't manage with so few clothes. Or toiletries. Although I do buy most of my toiletries in the embarkation port, and take some in travel/sample sizes.

But I do love to see all of the light packing tips!

I bought travel size bottles in the drugstore and refilled my favorite liquid toiletries in them. The only exception is mouthwash (buy several of the smallest bottles of my brand, one for each week for 2 people, discard empties). Sunscreen and mosquito repellant are regular size if needed at the destination.

In Australia and some other countries, everything was available and some of it better than in the USA, no need to stock up at home.

I have only once done carry-on only. We check in all liquids/gels in one suitcase and check in a second suitcase on long trips. Our trips are from 10 days to 8 weeks.

OK, here's my packing list from our recent trip to Italy and Serenade cruise, 17 nights total (counting the redeye flight from LAX). I used the bundle packing method for the first time, after watching this video:

I'm pretty sure that my suitcase is the same as the one in the video, a 22" High Sierra ultra lightweight bag(6.3 lbs empty), and I also had a knapsack for my personal item. Don (DH) had an expandable briefcase/computer bag that I don't think was ideal for the trip, but it worked for him.

We each picked out 16 items of clothing for the bundles, as shown in the video - Don ended up not taking his tux, so only had 14. Neither of us is petite, by the way. We also packed 2 days’ worth of clothes in our personal items.

My Clothing:

One pair of Chico's black pants with zipper & pockets

One pair of black Chico's Traveller's pants

2 pairs of Eddie Bauer Travex pants - one khaki, one grey (wore the khaki on the plane)

One pair of Eddie Bauer Travex capris - khaki

One pair of stretch capris

One ankle length skirt

2 maxi dresses - one black, one patterned.

Four Croft & Barrow (Kohl's brand) short sleeved cotton T-shirts - red, black, turquoise, white (wore black on the plane)

One Chico's white tank top w/embellished front

Two Chico's sparkly tops

One long-sleeved J. Jill cotton T-shirt

1 black J. Crew sweater

3 shawls – a turquoise patterned pashmina, a black sparkly one and a turquoise pattern silk shawl.

1 purple fleece zippered jacket (wore on plane)

1 red Travelsmith raincoat (carried on plane)

1 pair of dance shoes

1 pair of black Mary Janes

1 pair of beige Mary Janes

1 pair of black athletic shoes

travel slippers

4 pairs of underpants

3 bras

2 black camisoles

2 pr white athletic socks

3 pr black socks

1 shaper (ugh)

bathing suit

sports bra and leggings

nightgown

Tilley hat

2 pr reading glasses, prescription sunglasses

Rick Steves Civita bag (a lightweight knapsack)

Toiletries: I decanted everything into small containers - my facial and eye creams were in 1/2 oz or 1 oz jars (Clinique sample and eye cream jars). I brought a 2 oz container of body oil (and bought some body lotion in Italy, along with a tube of menthol-eucalyptus toothpaste), 2 oz of shampoo and leave-in conditioner, athlete's foot, cortisone and antibiotic creams. Everything went into a 3-1-1 bag. I don't wear much makeup, so only brought a face powder/blusher compact, eyebrow pencil & sharpener, some eye shadow and lipstick/gloss/liner. I also brought 2 3-oz tubes of sunblock and only used one.

Meds: I don't take a lot of prescription drugs, just a nasal spray, and brought a small bag with melatonin, Aleve, Zantac, Bonine, Immodium, (mostly generics), packets of Acacia powder, and packets of coffee for a few days (bought more in Italy and Corfu).

Jewelry: an Omega necklace, several slide/earring combos, pearls, a few extra pairs of earrings, diamond solitaire pendant, tennis bracelet and earrings (wore on plane), three watches (wore one on plane). Got another pendant as a 20th anniversary present.

Miscellany:

Digital camera with 2 extra lenses

iPad

iPhone

electric toothbrush (and regular one)

Small Baggallini bag for evening (it was too small)

hairbrush

GHD styler (flatiron)

comb

hair combs, scrunchies

exercise band

chargers galore and adapters for Italy/Europe

Tilley hat

A fan (hand, not electric)

Wallet

Don's clothing:

2 pair of Lands End khakis

1 pair blue jeans (wore on the plane)

1 pair of "cruise pants" (black with an expanding waistband)

1 pair of Eddie Bauer zip-off pants

1 pair of Crazy Shirts long pants

1 pair of shorts

1 bathing suit

Two button down shirts

1 tuxedo shirt (he rented a tux onboard, which came with 2 shirts but wore it on one of the 3 formal nights)

Two polo shirts (wore one on plane)

One short sleeved green shirt

One Hawaiian shirt

Six pairs of underpants

5 undershirts

3 pair of dress socks

3 pair of athletic socks

gym shorts

T-shirt

pajama bottoms

One pair of black Rockports (wore on the plane)

One pair of dance shoes

One pair of athletic shoes

Travel slippers

Tilley hat

Rick Steves Civita bag

Fleece sweatshirt (wore on plane)

Eddie Bauer raincoat (carried on plane)

Toiletries: he used mostly the inn and ship shampoos and conditioners. He brought a small tube of toothpaste, two 3-oz tubes of sunblock (only used one) and some hair gel. He also brought his prescription items and packets of Metamucil

His miscellaneous items:

iPad

Kindle

iPhone

electric shaver

electric toothbrush

cruise kit with flashlight, corkscrew, wine and champagne stoppers, first aid kit (tiny), fire gloves (and a pair for me), eyeglass repair kit, screwdriver, duct tape, business cards, toothbrush charger and a few other bits of paper

cufflinks & studs, cummerbund, suspenders (the rented tux doesn't have the buttons for them)

prescription sunglasses & and extra pair of regular glasses

I think I left out a couple of items of his clothing, but that's about it. We cross-packed into the bundles and used some mesh bags for our undies, gym clothes and miscellaneous clothing items. Shoes (especially his) were stuffed with socks and other small items, protected by plastic grocery store vegetable bags. No nook or cranny went empty.

We unpacked completely in Scanno, where we spent 3 days pre-cruise, then repacked for the cruise. We washed out our undies almost daily (soaked in the sink with the shower wall soap while we showered, then rinsed out, rolled in the pool towels and then hung to dry - almost everything dried overnight) and washed other items daily. We also took advantage of the wash & fold coupons that gave us two free loads of laundry and sent a few items out to the paid laundry, spent less than $30 in 12 nights onboard.

We left quite a few clothing items behind (the PJs, the Chico's pants which just didn't fit properly, a shirt with a stain, some of the older underwear and a couple of items that I've forgotten) and only bought one item of clothing (a long-sleeved Serenade shirt), so we had a bit of breathing room on the way home. My only souvenirs were a colorful scarf to wrap around my hat, a black lace fan from Malta and a couple of souvenir pins.

I would leave the Rick Steves bag home next time. It has no frame, didn't protect my camera on excursions and I found it to be awkward, although Don likes his. Instead I would bring a slightly larger bag for evenings onboard the ship and I'm going to look for a lighter knapsack. I wore everything multiple times except for the bathing suit and the long-sleeved T-shirt, since we had near-perfect weather. Don never wore his bathing suit, nor did he wear the shorts he brought. Otherwise, we wore everything multiple times and tried to be careful about spills. I had enough variety in my evening wardrobe that I didn't feel deprived (not that I'm a fashionista). We needed the fleece and outerwear for our pre-cruise trip only.

I'm not sure that this is the only way we'll ever travel again, but I loved not having to wait for bags anywhere, especially when we got home at 10:00pm, and the bags fit into the boot of our rented Fiat 500 so they weren’t exposed when we were driving around. We didn't weigh them, but we could lift them easily into the overhead on the planes, so I’m thinking about 30 pounds each.

Hi Jean, interesting list.....I have a question for you and I hope I am not

out of line.....but for 17 days away you only bring 4 pairs of underwear?

So you wash them out every day or every other day? I just cannot imagine

going away for almost 3 weeks with 4 pairs of underwear.:eek:

Hi Jean, interesting list.....I have a question for you and I hope I am not

out of line.....but for 17 days away you only bring 4 pairs of underwear?

So you wash them out every day or every other day? I just cannot imagine

going away for almost 3 weeks with 4 pairs of underwear.:eek:

I can't imagine not having at least 10 pairs on undies for a 7 day trip let alone for a 17 day one. That one item I purposely overpack just in case...

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

I can't imagine not having at least 10 pairs on undies for a 7 day trip let alone for a 17 day one. That one item I purposely overpack just in case...

 

 

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

Hi:).....Oh wow, I thought it was just me......I always bring extra too....

actually,...alot of them;).....more than your 10.....

Hi:).....Oh wow, I thought it was just me......I always bring extra too....

actually,...alot of them;).....more than your 10.....

I now have like 18 in my bag that just for cruising only, lol. Makes it easy to wash with rest of my cruise clothes and dry too.[emoji16]

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

Jean, Thanks for your inspiring post. We are doing a cruise and a stay in FL with only carry-ons this month. That is a HUGE change for us but looking forward to the advantages of traveling lite.

Hi Jean, interesting list.....I have a question for you and I hope I am not

out of line.....but for 17 days away you only bring 4 pairs of underwear?

So you wash them out every day or every other day? I just cannot imagine

going away for almost 3 weeks with 4 pairs of underwear.:eek:

Actually, it was 5. I forgot the pair I wore on the plane. Yes, I washed them every day. They are the Ex-Officio brand that dry in the blink of an eye.

Actually, it was 5. I forgot the pair I wore on the plane. Yes, I washed them every day. They are the Ex-Officio brand that dry in the blink of an eye.

Thanks for the reply. Ahhh ok....not something I would want to do but

as they say, different strokes for different folks;)

Thanks for the reply. Ahhh ok....not something I would want to do but

as they say, different strokes for different folks;)

Ditto - Still going to need at least 7 undies for a 3 day trip.:D When you're a woman still on the cycle and then that red accident happens, its good to know that I've some backups; just in case.

Actually, it was 5. I forgot the pair I wore on the plane. Yes, I washed them every day. They are the Ex-Officio brand that dry in the blink of an eye.

Love those Ex-Officio undies!!! I've used them for years. Great product, great durability. Yes, I wash every night - it only takes 5 minutes do to what I want to wash in the sink. It's part of my "get ready for the evening" activity when I'm in the bathroom. I've gone with 3 pair for 2 weeks. I also use one of their cammies as my nightshirt. It also washes and dries overnight. I can wash that one in the morning and it is ready to go that night.

Packing with things like this make room in the bag for souvenir scarves and jewelry :D

Quick question for the former cruisers on the Carnival Dream...

Do they check the size of your carry-on bag because I know it shows 24"w x 16"H x30"L

I have a suitcase with wheels but I think its just a little bigger than these measurements so I was just wondering since this will be my first cruise. :confused: Thanks in advance for your help:)

Love those Ex-Officio undies!!! I've used them for years. Great product, great durability. Yes, I wash every night - it only takes 5 minutes do to what I want to wash in the sink. It's part of my "get ready for the evening" activity when I'm in the bathroom. I've gone with 3 pair for 2 weeks. I also use one of their cammies as my nightshirt. It also washes and dries overnight. I can wash that one in the morning and it is ready to go that night.

 

Packing with things like this make room in the bag for souvenir scarves and jewelry :D

And nobody ran away from us, so I guess it all worked out, lol.

Quick question for the former cruisers on the Carnival Dream...

Do they check the size of your carry-on bag because I know it shows 24"w x 16"H x30"L

I have a suitcase with wheels but I think its just a little bigger than these measurements so I was just wondering since this will be my first cruise. :confused: Thanks in advance for your help:)

Hi,:) I have not sailed with Carnival in over 20 years but I can tell you

most of the cruiselines don't care how big or small your bag is......they

take the bags at the pier and bring it to your cabin. I keep my carry on

bag with me and give them my checked bag.

Quick question for the former cruisers on the Carnival Dream...

Do they check the size of your carry-on bag because I know it shows 24"w x 16"H x30"L

I have a suitcase with wheels but I think its just a little bigger than these measurements so I was just wondering since this will be my first cruise. :confused: Thanks in advance for your help:)

Your ship carry - on bag will need to fit through the embarkation security XRay machine. Same size as the X-ray machines at the airport for carry on bags.

And nobody ran away from us, so I guess it all worked out, lol.

Truth!!! :D

Your ship carry - on bag will need to fit through the embarkation security XRay machine. Same size as the X-ray machines at the airport for carry on bags.

Lol... Thanks for your reply but I have to admit I have no clue what size the xray machine is because I have never been on an airplane in my life either Lol..:D My bag is like 28" tall 19"wide if I'm not mistaking. I was just trying to do the carryon bag vs a bag they take to the room for me!! Another question... I know we can each take a 12pk of drinks and adults 1 bottle of wine each but can we carry them on or do they have to be inside a carryon bag boarding? Just don't want to get all the way down there and something not be right and we can't board.

28" roller will likely be too large. Most airline carry on's are 24" and smaller. The 28" should be handed to the porter.

You don't have to have the wine and drinks inside your luggage. You can have it in a separate bag. Also many have taped a luggage tag to the case of sodas or water and also handed it to the porter. You don't really have to carry it on board.

28" roller will likely be too large. Most airline carry on's are 24" and smaller. The 28" should be handed to the porter.

Several years ago, we bought a large suitcase on a turnaround day in Civitavecchia (Rome). Much larger than airline carry-on size. (We had bought so many souvenirs during the first part of the cruise and still had a few weeks to go so we really needed it!). We carried it around with us for a few hours, and took pictures with it visiting the sights ... Of course it was empty when we returned to the ship, but there was no problem getting it through security when we reboarded. It went right through on the belt.

Maybe the xray machines are larger in some countries than here in the US?