Ladies HELP

[nannaBcruisin]

I’m the one you see coming on board with 4 suitcases 🤦🏽‍♀️ How do you condense? How much of what do you bring? I’ve seen women with only one carry on please tell me how you do it. 

[Canukvic]

Audition your clothes in the months before the cruise.wear each item for a day. How does it feel, look, any pulling, any rips, anything about it that isn’t perfect, it fails the audition. Once you have reduced your selection to about 20 tops that work, pick two colours. Black and beige, pink and black, blue and yellow. Whatever appeals to you. Eliminate all the tops that don’t have those colours. You should be down to about 6. Pick 2 pairs of pants that work with everything. One to wear on the plane, one packed. Add yoga pants, very useful. Add one sweater for air conditioning. One bra on, one packed. 3 pairs undies, washing in the cabin sink every night. Eliminate formal dress. Reduce shoes to one pair that is waterproof and one that is comfortable casual. Wear the heavier ones on the plane. I travel on 40 day cruises with carry-on luggage only. Nobody cares what you look like. Nobody notices you are wearing the same stuff every day. You only have to convince yourself you can do without all that stuff. Everyone I share this info with says oh, no, I couldn’t possibly…..

[awhfy]

I pick a color palette. Black, white & a bright color (cobalt blue, hot pink, red). Everything mix/Match. I bring one suitcase & a carryon. I wear sparkly tops & black silk pants for dress your best nights. I do bring extra shoes as my feet tend to swell. I do bring at least 10 tops (I spill)

Edited November 9, 2023 by awhfy

[neeuqdrazil]

I'm not a carry-on only girl, but I do generally mange with a single checked bag and a carry-on. I wear a US22-24 dress size, which also increases the volume of the clothes I take, and means that I can't go without a bra, so I'm in the bring multiple bras camp. (I can get away with wearing a bra for two days (with a day to air out in between, but I don't like going much more than that.) 

 

I use packing cubes, compression bags, and if I'm going to be away longer than a week, plan to do laundry (either in-sink or in the launderette.) 

 

I do take formal wear, because I cruise Cunard, where a major part of the cruise for me is dressing for dinner every night. However, other than a couple of dresses, I will try to mix and match - take a single skirt and a couple of tops, for instance, for the 'smart' evenings, and reserve the space for the dresses for gala nights. I also take at least 3 pairs of shoes - walking shoes/boots (usually Blundstones), a pair of comfortable dressier daytime shoes that can double for smart evenings, and at least one pair of Fancy Shoes (tm) for evening wear.   

 

I'm in the process of planning my packing list for a 16 day Panama Canal full transit in January (Florida to San Francisco, so lots of different weather.) I think I'm looking at 5 pairs of shoes - Blundstones, Keens sandals, and 2 or 3 pairs of dress shoes (two of which double as daytime if I'm wearing tights.)

 

  

[SoloAlaska]

My last cruise I was a size 18-20 so plus size means more fabric and always a good bra. I was in Alaska plus had a few days working afterwards and like getting dressed up for dinner every night plus needed hiking clothing. I still managed one medium size suitcase for everything.

 

One thing I did a few years ago was hire a stylist to put together my colours and style guide. It helps my closet and my packing so much. Everything works with each other to make outfits. 
 

My next cruise I’m planning on using the 5-4-3-2-1 method or packing. For example 5 tops, 4 bottoms, 3 dresses, 3 shoes, 2 sweaters, 2 swimsuits, 1 belt, 1 bag, 1 hat etc. I love using Pinterest to get inspired on how to pack. This will cover all my “cruise clothes”. Because I plan on hitting the gym lately I’ll bring 2 workout pants, 3 tops, 3 pairs of socks, 1 headband, 1 pair of shoes.

 

if it weren’t for my love of variety in shoes, cozy sweaters (cool weather), and needing over 2 weeks of liquid I could make a carry on work. Think of how much more room you’ll have in your cabin if you don’t bring a bunch of extra stuff. 

[shipgeeks]

OP, I might not be the best one to help, as I can pack for a month or more in Europe with one medium suitcase for the two of us, but nowhere near that for a cruise!  However.....

While I no longer pack ballgowns, nor dresses and hats for afternoon tea, nor shoes to go with each outfit, I do still dress up every evening.  Some of my strategies for decreasing the load include coordinating colors, as noted by others.  I mostly wear separates, with a pair of black pants starting the list, along with compatible tops for them. Black shoes for those. Then two other color pants, with tops (frequently interchangeable), and one other pair of shoes for evening.  Day outfits are likewise coordinatable. Linen shorts go with just about any top, and any shoes.

I have used compression bags (zipper, not vacuum cleaner type) for undies, jerseys, etc.

I would never pack a sweatshirt for a cruise. If it's going to be cold, then I choose wool, cashmere, silk, or fleece.  Warmer, less bulky, and dry more easily.

I have never felt the need for the "things" that some mention taking, such as laundry hamper, clothes lines, electronics, night lights, mattress topper, pillows, hair dryer, magnetic hooks, snacks.....

I might wear my bulkiest shoes (sneakers), and perhaps bulkiest jacket if appropriate, for boarding, and then change shoes for the evening.

 

[neeuqdrazil]

The only 'things' that I still take are magnetic hooks - I once took an over-the-door shoe organizer thing, but I found it was more trouble than it was worth (not used for shoes, but for organizing makeup and knitting and paper and all of the other little bits and pieces that accumulate.) 

 

I do take electronics - phone, ereader, tablet, portable battery, and two different sets of earbuds - one noise cancelling, and the other bone conduction - since I listen to audiobooks and podcasts while knitting. This requires a set of charging cables and a USB plug (ideally with 4 ports.) 

 

I will frequently have snacks that I take on board, but they're not generally for consumption on board - I have a few favourite shops in the various ports that I sail from, and will pick up bits and pieces to bring home. 

 

And of course, the knitting, which is my largest (space-wise) 'unnecessary take along.' Two projects at least, occasionally three, depending on the length of the trip. 

[Keksie]

1 hour ago, neeuqdrazil said:

The only 'things' that I still take are magnetic hooks - I once took an over-the-door shoe organizer thing, but I found it was more trouble than it was worth (not used for shoes, but for organizing makeup and knitting and paper and all of the other little bits and pieces that accumulate.) 

 

I do take electronics - phone, ereader, tablet, portable battery, and two different sets of earbuds - one noise cancelling, and the other bone conduction - since I listen to audiobooks and podcasts while knitting. This requires a set of charging cables and a USB plug (ideally with 4 ports.) 

 

I will frequently have snacks that I take on board, but they're not generally for consumption on board - I have a few favourite shops in the various ports that I sail from, and will pick up bits and pieces to bring home. 

 

And of course, the knitting, which is my largest (space-wise) 'unnecessary take along.' Two projects at least, occasionally three, depending on the length of the trip. 

I take my knitting.  At least 2 projects also.  I also bring a selection of my hand knit shawls to wear in the evening.  Most sea days we are camped out near a pool, in the shade, with me knitting in between pool time. 

 

I also bring the organizer since I like seeing what I need at a glance and don't have to remember which drawer I stuck what in.  I can see how it might not be for everyone.  

 

I can't help with space saving tips since I like to have  choices in clothes, shoes and stuff and pack accordingly.

[SoloAlaska]

1 hour ago, neeuqdrazil said:

The only 'things' that I still take are magnetic hooks - I once took an over-the-door shoe organizer thing, but I found it was more trouble than it was worth (not used for shoes, but for organizing makeup and knitting and paper and all of the other little bits and pieces that accumulate.) 

 

I do take electronics - phone, ereader, tablet, portable battery, and two different sets of earbuds - one noise cancelling, and the other bone conduction - since I listen to audiobooks and podcasts while knitting. This requires a set of charging cables and a USB plug (ideally with 4 ports.) 

 

I will frequently have snacks that I take on board, but they're not generally for consumption on board - I have a few favourite shops in the various ports that I sail from, and will pick up bits and pieces to bring home. 

 

And of course, the knitting, which is my largest (space-wise) 'unnecessary take along.' Two projects at least, occasionally three, depending on the length of the trip. 

Haha my trick for my knitting is to use cube style project bags. They pack much better in my carry on and luggage. I bring 1-2 knitting projects, 1-2 embroidery projects, and 1-2 quilting (epp) projects. The embroidery fits in a Yazzi cube for all the tools and thread I may possibly need and a flat project bag (or ziplock). The Epp project fits in a flat project bag. Usually all of my crafty stuff is in my personal item when I travel along with a couple of emergency snacks, water bottle, headphones, earbuds, charging bank, cables, travel documents etc.

 

My crafting is essential for my travel since it’s part of my business and I travel to get inspired in designing new products and am starting to write my first book. So I also carry some rechargeable photography lights for taking good wip photos. 
 

I also always pack magnetic hooks but don’t bother with the other “cruise essentials”. Next year I will probably also bring a green screen, more lighting, a microphone, and a embroidery hoop holder. I’ll need a carry on plus the medium sized suitcase to accommodate all the work supplies for longer cruises.

 

Eventually I hope to cruise for 3 months a year with 1 suitcase, 1 hiking backpack, and 1 carry on. That would contain everything for my work for 3 months, all my cruise stuff, plus all my camping gear. Yep you read that right that includes a tent, sleeping bag, stove, blow up mattress, hiking poles etc. for multi week hikes.

[SoloAlaska]

1 minute ago, Keksie said:

I take my knitting.  At least 2 projects also.  I also bring a selection of my hand knit shawls to wear in the evening.  Most sea days we are camped out near a pool, in the shade, with me knitting in between pool time. 

 

I also bring the organizer since I like seeing what I need at a glance and don't have to remember which drawer I stuck what in.  I can see how it might not be for everyone.  

 

I can't help with space saving tips since I like to have  choices in clothes, shoes and stuff and pack accordingly.

My newest hand knit shawl is a laceweight tencel hap shawl. It’s perfect as a blanket on a long flight, a shawl to dress up any little black dress, or a scarf when getting into a cool port. The colours are perfect to work with anything in my wardrobe. It was a lot of knitting to get it done but with so much use it was well worth it. Plus it was something I can knit as I travelled since at 2 skein it was the project that went on forever.

[Keksie]

7 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

My newest hand knit shawl is a laceweight tencel hap shawl. It’s perfect as a blanket on a long flight, a shawl to dress up any little black dress, or a scarf when getting into a cool port. The colours are perfect to work with anything in my wardrobe. It was a lot of knitting to get it done but with so much use it was well worth it. Plus it was something I can knit as I travelled since at 2 skein it was the project that went on forever.

This is a shawl I made for my new daughter in law.  It was a momento for the wedding. 

I can imagine 2 skeins of knitting lace weight tencel but getting so much use out of it makes it worth  it.

 

 

[SoloAlaska]

3 minutes ago, Keksie said:

This is a shawl I made for my new daughter in law.  It was a momento for the wedding. 

I can imagine 2 skeins of knitting lace weight tencel but getting so much use out of it makes it worth  it.

 

 

Is that Cabot Trail - China Doll by Trailhead Yarns?

 

thankfully the centre of a Hap is all stockinette and the outside wasn’t anything complicated. I knit A LOT with Tencel.

[Keksie]

4 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

Is that Cabot Trail - China Doll by Trailhead Yarns?

 

thankfully the centre of a Hap is all stockinette and the outside wasn’t anything complicated. I knit A LOT with Tencel.

It is Peaseblossom  by Boo Knits in Handmade Lino held with Shibui Silk Cloud.  I have done a lot of Boo Knits.  Right now I am working on her Halloween MKAL.  The wedding put me way behind.  I also have a couple of sweaters on the needles.

[SoloAlaska]

32 minutes ago, Keksie said:

It is Peaseblossom  by Boo Knits in Handmade Lino held with Shibui Silk Cloud.  I have done a lot of Boo Knits.  Right now I am working on her Halloween MKAL.  The wedding put me way behind.  I also have a couple of sweaters on the needles.

I love Boo knits, I have a few samples in her patterns. I’ve got a few sweaters on the needles too but they are too bulky to travel with. I need to get inspired for what project to bring on my next trip. I leave in 3 weeks and might have to dye something for it so I better get on Ravelry to find something. Up until last year I was designing patterns but am happy to just enjoy knitting other peoples patterns now.

[Keksie]

20 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

I love Boo knits, I have a few samples in her patterns. I’ve got a few sweaters on the needles too but they are too bulky to travel with. I need to get inspired for what project to bring on my next trip. I leave in 3 weeks and might have to dye something for it so I better get on Ravelry to find something. Up until last year I was designing patterns but am happy to just enjoy knitting other peoples patterns now.

That is a lot of work designing.  I haven't done any dying but do spin and weave a little.

[neeuqdrazil]

1 hour ago, Keksie said:

This is a shawl I made for my new daughter in law.  It was a momento for the wedding. 

I can imagine 2 skeins of knitting lace weight tencel but getting so much use out of it makes it worth  it.

 

 

 

That is absolutely stunning! I've done one of Boo's shawls, but it wasn't something I could travel while knitting (beading, so much beading...) 

 

My usual travel projects are a pair or two of socks, and some sort of shawl project. The trip in January is also going to involve a baby blanket, I think (Cradle Me by Anne Hanson, which is my Go-To baby blanket). I also take along a blackwork embroidery project - the current project is Peppermint Purple's SAL, which takes up next to no space, can be done in-hand with a small hoop, and because it's weekly blocks, is relatively easy to stitch in small chunks. 

[Keksie]

2 hours ago, neeuqdrazil said:

 

That is absolutely stunning! I've done one of Boo's shawls, but it wasn't something I could travel while knitting (beading, so much beading...) 

 

My usual travel projects are a pair or two of socks, and some sort of shawl project. The trip in January is also going to involve a baby blanket, I think (Cradle Me by Anne Hanson, which is my Go-To baby blanket). I also take along a blackwork embroidery project - the current project is Peppermint Purple's SAL, which takes up next to no space, can be done in-hand with a small hoop, and because it's weekly blocks, is relatively easy to stitch in small chunks. 

That is a really nice baby blanket pattern.  If I bring a beaded Boo to work on it is for when I have a table available.  The last cruise I worked on Mariner (not a Boo) with Sirley Brian yarn.  Super easy to travel with.  

[SoloAlaska]

2 minutes ago, Keksie said:

That is a really nice baby blanket pattern.  If I bring a beaded Boo to work on it is for when I have a table available.  The last cruise I worked on Mariner (not a Boo) with Sirley Brian yarn.  Super easy to travel with.  

Haha SBY is local to me, I wish I could knit with wool still. Well if you haven’t yet you should work with Trailhead Yarns fyi that’s me lol. We are discontinuing the yarn but there still shops that have it and one will continue to have it for a few years. 

[Keksie]

I will look at that yarn. 

[neeuqdrazil]

Yarns Untangled still have a few skeins, so I'll have to swing by and take a look! 

[SoloAlaska]

46 minutes ago, neeuqdrazil said:

Yarns Untangled still have a few skeins, so I'll have to swing by and take a look! 

Ya she’s getting a few hundred skeins more soon too. Have to ship them out before my next cruise.

[aungrl]

6 hours ago, Keksie said:

This is a shawl I made for my new daughter in law.  It was a momento for the wedding. 

I can imagine 2 skeins of knitting lace weight tencel but getting so much use out of it makes it worth  it.

 

 

This is stunning!  Do you have any other sons?  😉

[Keksie]

1 hour ago, aungrl said:

This is stunning!  Do you have any other sons?  😉

No.  Just the one child.  Lol.  The wedding was last Friday in my back yard.  I think I need a month of just knitting to recover.  Lol

 

[Anita Latte]

19 hours ago, SoloAlaska said:

Haha my trick for my knitting is to use cube style project bags. They pack much better in my carry on and luggage. I bring 1-2 knitting projects, 1-2 embroidery projects, and 1-2 quilting (epp) projects. The embroidery fits in a Yazzi cube for all the tools and thread I may possibly need and a flat project bag (or ziplock). The Epp project fits in a flat project bag. Usually all of my crafty stuff is in my personal item when I travel along with a couple of emergency snacks, water bottle, headphones, earbuds, charging bank, cables, travel documents etc.

 

My crafting is essential for my travel since it’s part of my business and I travel to get inspired in designing new products and am starting to write my first book. So I also carry some rechargeable photography lights for taking good wip photos. 
 

I also always pack magnetic hooks but don’t bother with the other “cruise essentials”. Next year I will probably also bring a green screen, more lighting, a microphone, and a embroidery hoop holder. I’ll need a carry on plus the medium sized suitcase to accommodate all the work supplies for longer cruises.

 

Eventually I hope to cruise for 3 months a year with 1 suitcase, 1 hiking backpack, and 1 carry on. That would contain everything for my work for 3 months, all my cruise stuff, plus all my camping gear. Yep you read that right that includes a tent, sleeping bag, stove, blow up mattress, hiking poles etc. for multi week hikes.

When we cruised Alaska we spent 4 nights on land after disembarking in Seward. We love backpacking and couldn’t imagine going to Alaska without spending any time in the wilderness, but I didn’t want to deal with potential inclement weather and a tent situation so we rented a public use cabin. It was about a mile hike to the cabin and we still needed to pack everything but a tent. So yes, on our cruise we had our backpacking backpacks, sleeping bags and mats, stove, etc. I wanted to share two things with you…

 

First, I recommend this duffle for packing your backpack:

 

https://www.macys.com/shop/product/samsonite-tote-a-ton-33-duffel-bag?ID=5278945&pla_country=US&CAGPSPN=pla&trackingid=509x1056791391&m_sc=sem&m_sb=Google&m_tp=PLA&m_ac=Google_SH_PLA_Luggage&m_ag=Samsonite&m_cn=GS_Luggage_PLA_Restructure_Medium&m_pi=go_cmp-16822925664_adg-143915194228_ad-592106319796_pla-2088878630857_dev-m_ext-_prd-43202439346USA&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-Tw4IGetxCSTn-hcYT16qxYKGYS&gclid=CjwKCAiA6byqBhAWEiwAnGCA4P3Y_D6GPKzfyoRwbVutYZE5NsqZuO2g0V2RN3CRXxiwakTYvgCp2RoCTVAQAvD_BwE

 

We didn’t want to expose our backpacks to the rigor of airline travel…also, we often have things strapped to the outside, like hiking poles…also, I was concerned that something packed away too deep in a pack would look suspicious and so I didn’t want to fully pack the packs so it would be easier for security to locate whatever. These duffels worked great. We’ve used them several times and they have held up…using them also to help move my son overseas for college (we packed them with linens, pillows, blankets, towels, etc.). Worried about some reviews I’d read about the zippers opening, we did use tiny s-clip type caribiner-like fasteners to keep the separating zipper pulls together.

 

Also, we had purchased a wood burning stove for cooking as dealing with stove fuel was problematic for our trip. (Our then backpacking stove used a refillable white fuel canister). It worked well enough.
 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0125U36Q2?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

More recently, DH and I got this stove:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NNMF70U?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
 

which is fantastic if you can acquire the fuel for it wherever you are going. It’s the tiniest thing and yet was stable enough for our pots.

You weren’t asking for input but I just thought I’d share…it’s a great goal you have…

 

[Anita Latte]

On 9/15/2023 at 12:03 PM, nannaBcruisin said:

I’m the one you see coming on board with 4 suitcases 🤦🏽‍♀️ How do you condense? How much of what do you bring? I’ve seen women with only one carry on please tell me how you do it. 

I think the effort is more or less easy depending on how you wear clothing at home. I think if you regularly rewear clothing and have habits of airing it out and dealing with spot stains (or not caring) and brushing off your clothes…wear fabrics like merino wool that lend themselves to fewer washings…then you generally have an easier time of it because you might wear only 2-3 pairs of pants all week…like myself…and so there’s not the worry about lack of clothing choices when not at home. I read a long time ago that the hardest treatment most adults do to their everyday clothing is washing it…the friction of laundry is more wearing than anything so the fewer washes you can get away with, the longer your clothing may last. We started measuring wearing clothes in hours vs days because of frequent clothing changes (yard work vs exercise vs post work vs work etc). So we have a whole system for dealing with the not quite clean and not quite dirty clothes.

I think there’s also the influence of whether or not you express yourself through your clothes, style, fashion. Do you dress one way because you’re in a certain mood or whatever? I don’t really know about this and am just talking from seeing and reading what other people do. But it seems to me that there are people in the world that have a personal fun moment as they look at their clothes and figure out what to wear…influenced greatly by how they feel that day. They need choices. I’m very practical and dress from shoes up and my choices are almost completely weather dependent. I have the thing I like when I need a warmth layer, etc, and I’m the person that has the same pair of pants in multiple colors…so even when I have choices…it’s not the same as others I’ve observed.

 

I’m getting the impression that your personality and relationship to your clothing isn’t one that lends itself to being very streamlined. For certain travel, it would be beneficial to have less luggage for sure but it could be very challenging for you. I would recommend that you figure out what your FAVORITES are. Are you the kind of person that has more than one pair of black pants for instance? More than one short sleeved dress? However you can group and sort your clothing, figure out the one you reach for first in each category when all your laundry is done. I might suggest to you to pack ONLY favorites and see how that worked for you as a start. You could have favorite solid short sleeved, favorite patterned short sleeved, etc. Set these aside and see how they work together. You’ll want more tops than bottoms usually…but that would be my recommendation to you to begin figuring out how to streamline.