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I recently watched a YouTube video where a gentlemen packed a luggage carry-on with enough clothes (he claimed) for 60 days. Now the clothes being enough for 60 days is debatable depending on where you are going and what you personally would want with you on a trip for that long. What struck me as interesting was exactly how he packed his carry-on. Each item was spread out one on top of the other and then folded together to make a nice thick folded stack. The problem with it is you would have to unpack everything (your entire suitcase!) to get out the one item you wanted to wear for the day. Also, he did not get his toiletries into the carry-on his solution was carrying another backpack or carry-on for those things.
After watching the video I knew I could fit more into my carry-on than he did. I decided to do my own test using packing cubes. I’ve been using packing cubes for years. I started using them when I purchased a large duffle bag for an upcoming vacation one year. It was very large and I was hoping to fit our entire family of four’s clothes in it for a week at Disney World. Once I received it in the mail and opened it I saw that it was large alright, but it was just a big open space. I envisioned all of our clothes arriving at our destination tossed about and looking more like clothes soup when I got there instead of nice and neat. I had heard about packing cubes and looked at some online to purchase. They would absolutely solve the problem of keeping everything contained in my duffle bag however, I needed way more than I could afford to buy.
So, I got creative. I made my own and used some other things I had lying around the house such as the extra large Ziploc bags you buy and some of those plastic zipper bags that sheets and bedding come in. What I found was that by using them I was not just keeping my clothes organized and contained but also I was able to fit so much more into my bag. It helped me really use all of the available space in my suitcase.
One of things I didn’t mention in the video was how they also make unpacking at your destination a snap. Simply take them out of your suitcase and put them in the hotel drawers. How quick is that? When my kids were little I could get their whole wardrobe into one square packing cube. I made two rolled rows, one with tops and one with bottoms. I could still pull this off for Leah on our last trip to Hawaii, but Stuart is getting to big and so are his clothes!
To recap I’m not sure that these are the clothes you really need for a 60 day journey, or if I would even attempt a trip of that length with only a carry-on. My main goal was to simply emphasis how much space his way of packing actually wasted and show how much more efficient packing can be using packing cubes. I have to confess I LOVE my packing cubes!
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