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How Many of you cruise with only carry on luggag?


kelbre
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For my commitment to ease of travel and wanting to pack carry on only...I purchased a new carry on!

 

I've had my eye on two different bags for a while...finally, a color went on "final sale" pricing and I could get the extra 20% off. I just completed the KonMari method with my clothing (my closet and dresser drawers just make me smile and thrill me!) and I've gotten a better handle on the type of clothing I will be packing...and so this helped me to cement the debate between the backpack style and roller style carry ons. I went with the back pack:

 

http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/mother-lode-tls-weekender-convertible/143101?productid=10197984

 

I also purchased a value set of packing cubes. This will suit me very well. More than half of my clothing is luggage ready now with my new organization...I could go straight from drawer to packing cube to backpack.

 

Can't wait for the ultimate tests in April!!

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Congrats, Anita! I have completed three passes through my closet and two through my "main" dresser -- without KonMari -- just with an awareness of changing color preferences (mid-life crisis? at least I didn't buy a sportscar in red, only a handbag!). I'm going to spend the weekend reading "Magic of Tidying". I know she talks about doing the whole house at once but I simply cannot fathom that. I'm definitely primed to make further passes on the clothing storage, though, and delve into deeper storage, too.

 

I read somewhere (in my legion of organizing books) that attacking OLD storage is easier than more recent, because you'll have less emotional attachment to things you haven't even seen in months or years... and clearing out the old will make room for new.

 

PS great bag! I'm waiting for my new IT two-wheeler, also from eBags. I read some of the One.Bag guy's website, and he is all about no-wheels bags but my back can't do it anymore.

Edited by crystalspin
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One of the most amazing transformations with the KonMari method is her way of doing drawers? Google that and see all the "filing cabinet" style drawers for everything. DH did it too...and now we are just in love with our bedroom and how it feels.

 

Kondo recommends that you start with out of season clothing. Her big thing though is to remove all your clothing from everywhere so that all your drawers and your closet is empty. Put it all in piles sorted by the type of clothing...out of season tops, and bottoms, other tops, bottoms, skirts, dresses, etc. It's slightly offensive to put all your stuff on the floor, but I can tell you that when you do, it has an effect...you want to "rescue" some pieces from the humiliation of being placed on the floor and don't really care about other pieces.

 

DH was traveling for business so I had time to deal with my own stuff and figure it out. DH didn't read the book but he was totally game and I talked him through doing it today. It only took him under 2 hours to sort through ALL his clothing. I'm the packer in the family, so it took a bit more time to figure out the best way to put everything back away...but it's all done! One day!

 

Best wishes for getting your wardrobe to the point that makes you happy!

 

I'm very hopeful that the bag will be all that I hope for! I don't wear structured clothing. I don't own a single woven fabric shirt, for instance. I wear almost exclusively knit fabric. Even my the majority of my formal/cocktail dresses are jersey knit. It's why I ultimately favored the backpack over the more structured bag. It was much lighter in weight empty and also I don't think I have heavy clothing. I can picture myself walking around much easier without having to drag my luggage behind me...I do dress casual to travel also, so don't imagine the backpack style having a negative impact on my travel outfit.

 

There's nothing wrong with wheeled bags! Price played a factor in my decision too! :o The wheeled version of the backpack I ultimately bought was 50% more than the backpack! And at that price, I couldn't afford the cubes I really wanted to also purchase.

 

psst...I'm also thinking that my backpack could be strapped to one our current carry-on wheeled bags if I don't want to deal with it! My DH or DS could help me out. ;)

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Anita - I have that Weekender also. I don't have a problem carrying it with the pack straps or the shoulder strap or even the handles. I like the option of doing whichever one I need at the moment. I've had the bag for several years now and it looks as good as it did the day I bought it. It is a great bag at a great price point.

All my pieces of luggage have a backpack option to them, even my wheeled ones. I'm 60, and I have no issues with carrying/toting my own luggage. As long as I am able to do so, I'll keep on keeping on with this. When I can't manage my own luggage anymore, I'll have to figure out something different when I travel.

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Love to hear the more positive reviews of the Weekender Backpack! Thanks for sharing! It's supposed to ship in about 2 weeks...so I'm eagerly awaiting my package!

 

The cubes are shipping earlier...should be here Tuesday. They will be fun to play with for a dry run for potential spring break outfits!

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Yikes, I'm glad our IT-2wheelers are shipping faster than that -- that would be cutting it close for our 7-April departure.

 

On the side, I have to plug eBags. Before it ever arrived, I had decided against the Kalya Town Square as just too big (and in Eggplant, too clashing for my new 2 wheeler in red). I followed the "return" pathway on the website and printed a POSTAGE PAID return label, just like that!

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I wasn't thrilled to read "shipping March 13" when I ordered the bag...but, it's workable. It will be cutting it close for our April 4 departure!

 

Knowing the return policies of stores is the key to happy internet shopping! I used to be quite an internet shopper in Texas...but the lay of the land here in the Atlanta suburbs is so horrible...traffic and times for traveling to where I would really want to shop so long...I rely on virtual shopping so much more than ever before. It's one reason why I love to shop Zappos for shoes and other things...but lately, I've been finding the choices at PlanetShoes and Nordstrom sales much more to my liking.

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@ Candi

 

Look on down the Fashions&Beauty thread list for the "12-item" checklist. It may be on the second page by now. Have a look at what people posted, then come up with your own list.

 

Think: IF I REALLY ONLY COULD PACK TWELVE THINGS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE. I'll even allow you to pack those twelve things in addition to what you are wearing (so that's like fifteen or so). And you don't have to count shoes, hats, scarves, or smalls (underthings).

 

Now, when you realize, Gosh I really could do a cruise with only those things! And then you find out -- you can easily get TWICE that much in a "legal" carry-on size bag, at least if you choose your items by packability and weight.

 

Key points: Denim packs big, dries slow, and may shrink if given to the ship to launder (unless you already wash and dry on HOT). If you need to have a pair of jeans to be happy, wear them on the plane/for boarding. Shoes. Shoes can be heavy and bulky, but I for one do NOT wear my bulkiest (because they are lace-up Goretex-lined walking shoes, and a pain to remove at checkpoints or on the plane). So I pack them full of socks; and wear Merrell or Dansko clog-type shoes on the plane and for bopping around the ship. My third pair (for cruises only) are Merrell Barrado jazz-shoe-type in black, that I use to dress for dinner. They weigh little and pack toes inside the other heel. An alternative would be strappy sandals that pack nearly flat.

 

I stalked you and see you're going to the Mediterranean in July. It will be hot! Clothes for warm weather take up less room and generally weigh less, however, you may not want to wear clothing more than once because you know (SWEATING) -- so it balances out! But we did the Panama Canal with carryon only, and Greece CAN'T be worse than Cartagena Columbia!

 

Also do check your airlines' requirements. Some international flights go by weight in addition to size, and the weight can be darn small -- some airlines as low as 15lbs, more at 18lbs! British Airways, on the other hand, appears to have the same weight for carryon as for checking... 50lbs!

 

Tee hee, we fly home on BA, hurray for me. But I'm still aiming for light, much lighter than 50lbs, because it's important to me that I can handle my own luggage, and I have a touchy lower back. I figure 25lbs is a nice goal for this trip. If I were flying Qantas (15lbs!), I might just have to wear the heavy shoes!

 

I intend to do this trip (packing) RIGHT, with complete packing lists. We leave in 37 days, so I will be able to tell you ALL the details before that. In plenty of time for YOUR cruise.

 

Oh yeah, since you're sailing with Norwegian, there are no FORMAL nights, just "Dress Up If You Like" ones. That might help! I think I only took two shoes for the Panama on the Norwegian Star -- walking sneakers for excursions and slip-on sandals for everything else.

Edited by crystalspin
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I'm very excited because my new backpack and packing cubes arrived today! Not sure why there was the notification that shipping would be on March 13? The bag is everything I expected it to be...very excited for first use.

 

We're actually going on a quick 2-night trip...the backpack may actually be a bit large...even if DH and I both use it. We'll see. Definitely will be using the new cubes.

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Our IT suitcases arrived too! They are SO light and such fun colors. They seem small compared to the hard-shell spinners (I haven't sat them together) -- but I think that's because a lot of manufacturers don't count the wheels and handles... which can backfire if the airline actually makes you put them in the sizing cage. Whereas these should really fit in the standard sizer.

 

I'm not ready to test pack, yet, still working on the lists. Fortunately we get a big kick out of travelling small and light!

Edited by crystalspin
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Found this site the other day and I really like the packing list, at least for trips other than beach vacations, or for someone looking for something fairly "stylish":

 

http://justonesuitcase.com/just-one-suitcase/

 

It's very similar to my style and what I would pack anyway (minus the button downs as they don't flatter me), so it was nice to have that reassurance.

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Another take on capsule dressing for one-suitcase packing. Scroll all the way to the bottom to find the 'index' to other seasons/purposes.

 

http://www.outfitposts.com/2014/03/one-suitcase-spring-capsule-wardrobe_18.html#.VPdpJOH-UXJ

 

Although I am neither young nor slim, I can picture corollaries in my own wardrobe for this blogger's capsules better than the preceding one. The more links the more likely one will help someone!

Edited by crystalspin
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I just went to the store to look at some easy pack pants. The store (Bealls) had lots of silky/light weight fabric pants. Most were up style and easy care. I did not buy any because I will make some for my self. But my point of going shopping was to find pants that would reduce the weight and size of my suit cases. I did fold a pair up and they folded real small and did not wrinkle. When I get home from my cruise on the 15, I will be hitting the fabric store. I believe I must choose the fabrics more carefully, if I want less weight and space to be taken up in my suite case.

 

The pants would look like this, but in a fabric I would choose.

 

http://www.beallsflorida.com/online/oneworld-womens-exotic-border-palazzo-pants

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I have tried. We went 8 days to Disney with just backpacks, but then that's just t-shirts and shorts, for the most part, and hotel rooms have irons and ironing boards.

Unfortunately, we like to dress up on formal night, which isn't so bad for me (I have a couple of cocktail dresses that can be folded up almost the the size of a hankie and don't wrinkle), but as soon as I place my hubby's dress shoes in the carry-on, I realize it just won't work. He doesn't even have large feet, but they take up half the bag all by themselves. At that point, I just say, "forget it!" and stop stressing about trying to squeeze it all. We pack "light", but not quite light enough...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Disclosure: I'm a fella, OK.

 

Now, we are flying to Miami, from Toronto, two days from now for a 10 day Caribbean cruise on NCL. We both like to dress properly for 'formal nights' (which are relatively few and quite optional on NCL, compared with, say, Cunard, which we enjoy immensely).

 

Firstly, we thought about just taking one checked bag between us. That's a $50 saving on NAm airline baggage fees.

 

Then we realized that, assuming our plane lands on time, we have just 90 minutes to get to the cruise terminal check-in counter.

Well, given that planes rarely arrive (or even take off) on time and we might wait 30 minutes or more for a checked bag to appear at the arrivals carousel (or - horrors - not show up at all), we have decided on zero checked bags.

 

Ah, but what about the time taken to get through immigration? Good news: US Immigration clears us in Toronto, before we ever get on the plane, so we walk off the plane into a taxi, just like a US national. Well, that's the theory, anyway.

 

As I write this, we are packing: one carry-on wheely each and one carry-on backpack each, none of which can exceed 10kg (22 lb) each.

It has been an amazing exercise. Recommend it.

 

There is an expression in the IT industry: data expands to fill the space.

The reverse is also true, especially when it comes to baggage.

 

I won't go into details, but you realize what is important and what is superfluous in this situation (kind of like "Desert Island Discs", if you're old enough to remember that). In a nutshell, by the time we finish packing we shall have all we need, with still room for a few 'extras', as the weight limits allow.

Tip: put the heavier, denser items (e.g. electronics) in the backpack, which is lighter to start with than the wheely. And roll up all clothing.

Carry-on or checked, if you have to force the thing closed before zipping it, you have too much stuff. Leave a little room for whatever you might buy to bring home.

 

Lastly, what you wear on the plane is significant too. They don't weigh or measure that. One word: pockets.

 

Hate to say this, but we men do not rate ladies by the number of different pairs of shoes they wear. We're just not that into that. It's unlikely we will notice you have the same shoes on each evening.

 

Me? One pair of shoes that will be OK on the plane, on the street, in the gym and and in the restaurant. Plus a pair of sandals for daytime and that don't mind getting wet at a stoney beach.

Period.

 

Wish me luck that our plane doesn't get delayed!

Edited by Canuker
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When it's the last night on board and you are packing to return home, make a note of all the things you did not use on the cruise or could easily have done without.

 

Now, balance that against all things that you thought about through the vacation that "Oh, I should have brought that".

 

Which list do you think will be the longest?

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When it's the last night on board and you are packing to return home, make a note of all the things you did not use on the cruise or could easily have done without.

 

 

 

Now, balance that against all things that you thought about through the vacation that "Oh, I should have brought that".

 

 

 

Which list do you think will be the longest?

 

 

I just got back from a two week vacation. Carry on only. I used everything I brought except a small medicine kit which was smaller in volume that a pack of cigarettes would take.

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Hi geocruiser -- I never commented -- yeah those palazzos aren't me either but I am so jazzed over two pair of THIN poly pants I snared on eBay. Bright coral and green-turquoise of an equal brightness. A slightly thicker poly (think, double-knit) pant in black, that wears like iron, rounds out my bottoms for packing, and I will wear black rayon culottes on the plane. I wear thick support hose on my lower legs so culottes work just fine for flying. If there's room, I have skirts in the same three colors to choose from... not all three, just one!

 

All my tops go with at least two of the bottoms' colors.

 

Good on you for sewing your own travel clothes! I have a sewing machine and a book called something like "Sew Your Own Travel Wardrobe" but I have not made thing one!

Edited by crystalspin
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Hi and welcome Canuker,

 

Gents are welcome here too! I think you (males) have it just as bad -- your trousers and shoes are usually larger and heavier than ours. I pack for both of us. I think the secret is -- not to give it to adding more things that aren't on the list, just because there is a square inch of empty space. Choose what fits and make it do!

 

I fully expect and plan to rinse out a few things (at least smalls) every night. My experience has been if I let it build up, it becomes SUCH a chore! I've been known to take 14 undies (apiece) on a 2-wk land-trip where the bus moves to another city every day! But on the ship, no such excuse! A few clothespins take up much less space.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Good for you for trying! That was my plan originally for our upcoming cruise but the shopping got away on me and I have 10 outfits for daytime, 5 dinner or dressier outfits, and 4 dresses for formal nights. Mind you, the cruise we are going on is 24 days and we are spending a number of days in Europe prior to and after the cruise. I tried to choose lightweight, non wrinkling fabrics and the plan is to pack some in my carry on, some in my daughter's suitcase and the rest in my own in case some luggage gets lost.

 

By the way, hello from one Northwestern Ontario northerner to another. =)

 

I will have ONE black cocktail length dress, which will be accessorized differently with a sheer over-blouse, scarves and jewellry for four formal evenings. I will only have a carry-on for 21 day European cruise and a week on land. It is more than do-able.

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Since I'm doing Caribbean cruises once a year (for now), which is much easier to pack for than other types of vacations for the simple fact my wardrobe is dresses (All 14 are stuffed or rolled in a large packing cube), follow by 2-3 sweaters and 2-3 pairs of sandals / crocs, 3 bathing suits and undergarments which I pack in rolling duffel bag like this one now: http://www.target.com/p/skyline-30-drop-bottom-duffel-blue/-/A-14911495 (my cruise port is in NYC, 45 minute subway ride away :)) . The biggest issue for me is actually my toiletries especially for my hair, so I use a backpack to hold those stuff in.

 

 

Before anyone says yucky, why crocs, take a look :D, I try to look classy even while on vacation:p; plus the 1st two crocs, I'm planning to buy so I can have more options;) - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ANJK51C/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058SNNLM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XDXNQY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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