Best Way to Pack Light?

[baldburke]

Our biggest bag always seems to get tagged for an excessive weight charge when flying. The bag has its pluses and minuses, but at the end of the day it is a perfectly good piece of luggage and the appeal of its capacity outweighs (ha-ha) the fee incurred.

But in this new age of a la carte flying we always seems to get dinged. Does anyone have any suggestions for packing light while still using up space? I'd have to think packing the clothes of two adults wouldn't be that much of a weight difference when packing three kids.

[Seasonscraps]

I would pack only clothes in the biggest bag and use the smaller ones for shoes & toiletries. If you are only checking the one bag, wear your heaviest shoes and put weighty items in your carry on.

When I pack a large suit case, I weigh it on my bathroom scale when I am done packing. I make sure the bag is a couple of pounds lower then the limit in case the scales are calibrated differently.

[DizneyRox]

We travel during the summer. Shorts and t-shirts weigh less than sweaters and jeans!

I think the problem most people have is they don't pack for the length of their vacation and also bring too much junk. I save mostly empty toiletries for trips. Things like deoderant toothpaste, etc, you normally don't need a full container for just a few days. You don't need a hair dryer, etc.

Wear your heaviest clothes/shoes on the plane, and also pack anything you can that is heavy in your carry-on.

We've got a few great hard side clam shell type pieces of luggage that we love. Had them for 10+ years and they show no sign of giving up. One problem is they are a tad on the heavy side, but some careful packing and w have no trouble. It might bo worth weighing them at home so you know, and mark the contents on some paper so you know how to pack them on the return trip.

I also intend on leaving much of the tioletries, etc behind to make room for the new items I may buy. I do this with shoes as well. I have no trouble bringing my worst beat up sneaks/sandals and just leave them behind.

[mouseketeer mom]

This is always an issue for me. I rely on my bathroom scale before we leave to ensure I am good to go with the weight restrictions. I've come in between 44-47 lbs all summer. (We took three plane trips) My problem is that I like alot of choices. I'm also a 'what if" kind of person...what if I need this or that??? Its silly really, my husband packs in under 10 mins flat the night before, always looks great, and has this teeny bag. I love to have alot with me, but I hate the washing and unpacking at the end. Again, my husband is settled in at home in under 10 mins. I take forever. And with the three kids its worse. I pack for every possible condition and then some. I am excited to be at BLT this Thanksgiving with the washer/dryer in the room. I will for sure pack much lighter.

[vamaggie]

I believe the excess weight charge is more than the extra bag charge so I would do a second bag vs overloading one. Since we usually only travel for a week or less, here are my strategies for packing light:
* always wear your heaviest shoes, your sweatshirt and long pants (planes are usually cold too)
*pack one outfit per day minus one (6 days, 5 outfits)and plan to re-wear something-or mix & match on 2 days (choose what you like and forget about "what if"--you'll probably never see most of the people you meet again anyway and they probably won't remember what you were wearing even if you do)
*limit shoes. I usually do sneakers (worn), one flip flops (for pool etc) and one sandals (that coordinate with all/most outfits)
*do not bring extra stuff "just in case" (extra clothes, shoes, hair instruments, etc) and limit kids stuffed friends and toys (they will probably want to buy something anyway)

[mudpuppysmom]

My DH tells me EVERY SINGLE TRIP to pack lighter.....he tells me every trip he'll do the laundry a few days in, he doesn't mind he says....do I listen?!?!? NOOOOOO, I pack enough clothes for an army. This next trip however, I'm going to try to listen to him....we have two of us adults and two kids now.....one of which is 1 and you know how much stuff they "have to have" for them!

I'm also going to try to pack things that are interchangeable......solid color stuff and maybe put them in recloseable bags for the kids outfits -- a tip I saw on here!

At the end of the day I'm hoping that we travel with less luggage overall and DH will do the laundry!

[bkfree]

I finally got it right our last vacation.
We are a family of 4, with 2 kids ages 8and 10.
The secret to my success was this.
One, forgo the suitcases and pack in duffel bags. You suitcase alone weighs alot and that is just a waste. We each had our own duffel bag. We packed a shirt for each day but just a few jeans/shorts. I did laundry halfway thru the week. One load and it was done.
We used a fifth duffel for toiletries and one extra pair of shoes a piece.

We stayed at AKL and the laundry room was very nice. It had a TV, sitting area and across from it an outside Savannah viewing area with rocking chairs. I really enjoyed my hour of laundry that night while Hubby and kids went to bed.
I have always been a suitcase kind of girl, but I am now a duffel bag advocate.
We used the canvas ones that have seperate zip pockets on each end. I put undies,PJ's and socks in one end and misc items in the other. I then roll up the clothes inside.

[jnfr2424]

I always buy new shirts when I in Disney and I end of wearing them there so I don't bother packing any! I am also a huge fan of using washer and dryers while on vacation - it's a great way to spend the day swimming or checking out the resort. Limit shoes and wear your sneakers on the day you leave(even though it is a pain to take off at security).

[Dakota Rose]

You might consider weighing the bag empty and comparing it to the weight of other like-sized bags. I have one 'check-in' suitcase that weighs much less than my one carry-on size suitcase. So though I can pack so much more in the large one, the smaller one almost always ends up weighing close to the same amount.

[Magic Smiles]

We actually bought new luggage for this last trip as there is a huge difference in the weight of the empty suitcases from brand to brand and we needed one more suitcase. We also purchased a little hand scale just for weighing the bags. It worked great. Also when booking our flights I look for the airlines that still include free luggage. Air Canada stills allow 2 bags free for each passenger. Since we were going to be gone almost 3 weeks, we took advantage of the 2 bags each. I always wear my runners as they are the heaviest shoes that I take. We don't necessarily have one bag per family member. A lot of our packing is done by weight, to balance out the suitcases. The large suitcases get the lightweight items and the smaller suitcases get the heavy items.
There is also a weight restriction for carry on bags along with a dimension restriction, so make sure you weigh your carry on luggage also. As previously mentioned the charge for overweight baggage can be more than the charge for an additional bag.

[poohbearkris]

I agree with the above posters. I tend to bring an extra outfit or two for all of us to end up usually bringing them home unworn. Pack enough outfits for each day. Bring only one extra pair of shoes and try to carry these on. My mom also purchased a handheld luggage scale inrxpensively. It is handheld and you just hang the luggage off of the hook to weigh it. Totally worth the money. ALso you can fit a ton in duffel bags - I was amazed when I had to pack in a duffel bag for a week for both DH and I and we actually fit a ton of stuff in it. Again, I think the key is to make a list and pack what you know you need. Airlines also allow you a carrry-on plus a personal item like a backpack- at least American does. It is a hassel to carry both, but in the end saves quite a bit of money these days.

[peemagg]

I only bring enough outfits for half as many days as I am going to be there. All of those clothes also mix and match so that I am not wearing the same outfit all the time. I then pack them into travel space bags and use either a duffle bag or small suitcase. I travel with carry-on only. Toiletries unless it is something that I can't buy there, I don't bring it (i.e. shampoo, body wash, soap).

When we travel with the kids we pack the same way. We just wash once, maybe twice during the trip. No big deal. Also clean clothes at end of trip is very nice to not have to wash them when you get home.

[MNNHFLTX]

My key is to coordinate outfits ahead of time so that we don't have extra items "just in case". I also throw in a packet of laundry detergent and a couple of dryer sheets, so that if we come up short in the clothing department for any reason, I know we have the option of doing a load of laundry. And finally I have a lightweight smallish duffle bag that zips up into itself. I use this to put in items that we buy so that we can take them back as carry-on--therefore not adding to the weight of the suitcase on the way back (and a lot safer to handle it myself if there are fragile items).

[thrillme]

For Disney...it's always easy these days...if you want to pack light for lets say an 8 day vacation...pack only 4 outfits per person, 1 swim suit.

Purell has some nifty washer sheets now. They have the soap, downey and dryer sheet on one special cloth thingy. Try to plan everybody's 4 outfits to be something that you can be thrown in to one or two loads. You will do your laundry on the 4th day wearing your swimsuit or perhaps a pair of "lounge pants" that double as sleepwear.

Don't pack hairdryer, shampoo, soap etc. Don't pack your entire "face and makeup" routine (it's all going to melt off anyway). Shoes are HEAVY. Wear your heaviest shoes on the plane and put ONE pair of comfortable lightweight sandals in your suitcase.

My favorite resort trick is to. Take an empty carryon (these can be CHEEP duffle bags...I put it in the suitcase unless someone says I'm too heavy). If your bag is still too heavy...take some of the outfits out and stuff them into the carryon. Believe it of not this can lighten things up a LOT.

Remember they do have stores in Florida and ... you are likely to buy a T-Shirt or two which can be added to your wardrobe on your return.

[Dopey's Girl]

I bring half as many pants as I do shirts...for example, I'm leaving in 2 weeks (:party:) for 3 nights/4 days.

I will have 6 shirts, 3 bottoms. I just make sure that everything is neutral colors (my bottoms are denim, black or brown) and wear them more than once. I then make sure that all my shirts are pretty plain, so I can wear them with any of the pants/capris. I will also have some comfy pants for wearing around the resort, but those are really light.

When I'm there for a week, I make sure that I have a day set asside for laundry, so I don't have to bring too much with me. It's a drag, but at least the laundry is by the pool, so it's not all bad!

I hate giving the airlines any more money than I have too, so I'm careful about packing light! That is money I could spend on goodies in WDW!