The origins of one carry on bag.
Many inquiring minds have often asked me how I travel with one carry on bag. My sister, Dawn, finds this practice particularly offensive and has attempted to remedy the situation by providing me with a “personal item” that is practically another carry on bag.
My Samantha Brown “stow away” fits under the seat in front of you on airplanes and doubles as a “purse”/”personal item” per airline regulations. You can also put your feet up on it like a hassock.
This amazing bag is more than enough for me on a weekend getaway. This is what I took to on my Long Island trip and I brought 4 pairs of shoes, a bathing suit, jacket/cover up, 3 pairs of shorts, 1 pair of capris, 5 tops, underwear, toiletries/make up bag, accessories/jewelry and I did not feel deprived. I needed a little more room for my beach week sojourn so I turned to my trusty Land’s End embroidered canvas tote. The only downside to this bag is it’s not waterproof.
You’d be amazed at what I can fit inside this bag.
I was able to more efficiently pack this bag up by making use of my packing cubes. Three cubes of incrementally increasing size lets me keep the stuff inside the tote organized and when I get to my destination I pull them out like 3 little suitcases. I can then also fit my hanging toiletries bag, my case that holds all my electronic gear like chargers, USB cords and my trusty multi-port. The soft sided bag allows for easier cramming into a fully-loaded car or overhead bin.
I have the 3 in the center which I bought on an Amazon lightning deal last cyber Monday for cheap.
I gave these as Christmas gifts one year to my kids. They love them.
Sometimes I like a smaller soft-sided bag and will use a duffle. I had a KNOCK OFF of this Burberry duffle which I liked a lot but one of my kids absconded with it. (If Burberry would like an official endorsement from a travel professional like myself & would like to send me one to test I would be most happy to oblige them.) Coach also made a nice travel duffle that folded into a case but they no longer carry it. (boo!)
Not my knock off.
Camping, hiking or a short ultra-casual overnight may merit a backpack. When we recently went to Disney World I packed this small pack and gave it to Damian as his “personal item”. This allowed me to transport more of my stuff using Damian as my pack mule. We then used this pack as our “park bag” and brought our food, drinks, panchos, sunscreen and other Disney necessaries.
Ultra lightweight backpack.
Then we get to “old faithful”. My hard-sided, expanding, wheeled, carry-on sized beauty which I purchased on line, on sale with an extra 30% off + $20 in “Kohl’s bucks” and free shipping (whew!). This is my go to bag. The only problem with this type of luggage is it is easy to get over airline weight limits since the wheel equipment is heavy and the expanding capacity makes overpacking easy. Aside from that, it’s great if you are travelling in airports, paved cities and places where it’s generally easier to wheel than carry.
A great suitcase.
Once the decision is made as to which bag I’m going to take it’s time to decide on wardrobe. I have a system that I started a while back where every time I assemble an outfit I take a photo of it with my phone then file it in Evernote under my “wardrobe” notebook. (I’ve mentioned Evernote before – it’s a great app that I use all the time.) I use the “capsule wardrobe” system.
Capsule Wardrobe Defined
a collection of clothes and accessories that includes only items considered essential
a person’s basic collection of coordinating clothes that can be used to form the basis of outfits for all occasions
a set of clothing, normally around 24 items, which can be mixed and matched to create a wide variety of outfits.
(Courtesy of Project333)
I decide the “palatte” I’m going to use for the trip. Neutrals are easy but sometimes I’ll do primary colors or blues, etc. it depends on what activities I’m planning to do. Am I going to be outdoors a lot? Am I attending a performance event? After I establish my colors I scroll through the wardrobe notebook and select the outfits I’m going to pack. Then I choose shoes. I always plan to wear the heaviest/biggest ones while I am en route. I try to keep shoes to 3 pairs although if it’s summer I can usually do four because I’ll pack several flat sandals.
One of my wardrobe files.
cowboy boots? hiking boots? trail runners?
Wear your heaviest shoes.
Next I pick jewelry and accessories. I always bring a pashmina or large scarf in my “personal item” because it’s multipurpose. I’ll pack a few scarves too because they can totally change an outfit for you. I can use the pashmina if the plane is cold, it can be a swimsuit cover up or a picnic tablecloth. (Yes, I’ve done all these things.) I carry on a jacket, sweater or coat (depending on expected weather conditions). My sleepwear is performance athletic clothing that I can wear down to breakfast.
I don’t pack “maybes”. “Maybe I’ll wear this”, “I might wear that”. Nope. I plan to wear everything I pack. If I find I need something else I’ll buy it there. Then whenever I wear the item I am reminded of that trip.
So how do I get all this crap into one bag?
It depends on how much stuff I’m actually planning to bring. I do use the “rolling” method a lot. I will roll up my bottoms individually and my tops. (I purposefully select travel clothing that can withstand this treatment preferring fabrics that are wrinkle resistant. I do carry wrinkle release spray with me in my toiletries bag. It’s made by Downy and comes in a TSA approved size.
I refill from the big bottle I buy in the dollar store.
If I’m not bringing too much I will use the packing cubes and roll the clothes that are going into them. I use shower caps I’ve lifted from hotels to wrap my shoes and stuff the insides of the shoes with my socks or belts. If I’m taking my hard sided suitcase the shoes get placed inside the wheels framework. (The Samantha Brown stow away has shoe pockets on either side of the bag. I was able to put 2 pairs of flat sandals into each pocket.) If I’m making multiple hotel moves sometimes I pack a cube with the stuff I’ll need for the first night and next morning then just take that cube out.
If I have a lot of stuff I switch to the bundle method.
How to Bundle Clothing _ Real Simple
This does take practice to master but I’ve found it very successful for getting a lot of stuff in your suitcase and having it come out relatively wrinkle free.
The secret to being a successful one bagger is simple. You must be motivated to do so. I have had my luggage lost upon arrival to my travel destination and Don’s was lost on a return trip. I want to move light and fast. If schlepping a bunch of luggage around doesn’t bother you and you don’t mind paying checked bag fees this information is not useful for you. If you don’t mind your stuff getting lost (on your anniversary when you are getting on a dressy dinner cruise that night) or mishandled (scratched and dented bags) this information is not useful for you. If you can’t conceive of not taking 10 pairs of shoes this information is not useful for you.
If you value simplicity in your life and want to be a travel ninja then you may find this information a little helpful.
(My sister is anxiously waiting to see how I pull this off for a 15 day trip to China that includes several flights across China, numerous hotels, a cruise and multiple performance venues. I’ll let you know how it goes. 😉
Don & Sue
Travel Ninjas
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