how to cram your life in a carry on.

Ooops!

I forgot about my “how to” post this week!

So I decided you’ll get one on Thursday this week instead of on Wednesday.  AND… today’s “how to” post will be by yours truly.  I think that this post will be pertinent with all the summer travel coming up.  So, without further ado…here’s my “how to” (haha…silly rhymes…).
So…I hadn’t flown in four years and apparently since then pretty much all airlines have decided that it would be an awesome idea to charge customers to check any bags.  Last time I flew you only had to pay to check your second bag.  Since my husband’s cheap and I knew he wouldn’t go for a checked bag fee it became a personal challenge for me to fit all my stuff in a carry on for my California trip and it was actually kind of fun especially for someone who is a notorious over-packer (but shhhh!  Don’t tell Craig!).

Here is a photo of the carry on I used along with
my “one personal item” (a messenger bag):
Here are all the clothes I packed into my carry on.

The items included:
*5 pairs of underwear
*2 bras
*2 swimsuits
*3 dresses
*1 skirt
*2 t-shirts
*2 button-up shirts
*6 tank tops
*3 cardigans
*2 sweatshirts
*2 pairs of yoga pants
*2 pairs of PJ shorts
*rings, necklaces, bracelets, etc… 
*2 pairs of shorts
*1 scarf
*2 belts
*1 pair of flats
*2 pairs of sandals
*1 pair of tennis shoes
*toiletries
*flat iron

AND….
Here is the final product.

Pretty impressive, no?

Here are my suggestions for 
how to achieve packing awesomeness:

1.  Make a list with outfits you will wear on each day of your trip and include a variety of items for warm OR cold weather)

2.  Try to plan outfits that will overlap…. i.e. wearing the same cardigan with more than one outfit.

3.  Roll up small items tightly and lay larger items flat and seal them all in freezer bags and then suck all the air out.  This may seem silly, but it seriously saves SO much space.

4.  Only take the toiletries you’ll need.  This was difficult for me, but I managed.  Also, with items that you’ll only need a small amount of, just squeeze some of the product into a ziploc bag.  Technically I don’t think you’re supposed to do this, but I passed security just fine and I had my items in a separate freezer bag for them to inspect, so it couldn’t hurt to try it since ziploc bags take up WAY less space than those 3 oz. travel bottles.

5.  Wear your largest clothing items on the plane.  I wore my leather jacket and my riding boots on the plane and on the way back because I knew there was no way they’d fit in my bag.

6.  Throw away all your toiletries on the way back so you have extra room on the way back.  I always end up needing a little extra room on the way back, so if you’re anything like me, every spare inch will count.

7.  Stash makeup, books, magazines, etc… in your “personal item”.  I knew my purse wasn’t big enough so I used a messenger bag and then rolled up my purse and threw it inside the messenger bag.  Worked like a charm.  

Basically that’s it.  Aside from that all you’ll need is patience in order to get it all squished in there :).  Hope this helps you as you vacation this summer.  

Any fun trips planned?

I promise to blog more about my trip to visit my beautiful blog friends, but I’m still sorting through photos, so I’ll post part 1 from my trip on Saturday.  I’d post it tomorrow, but it will be a special guest “Fill in the Blank Friday” and then I’ll be gone this weekend with Craig to go to a “G gathering”.  Not quite sure what this will entail, but basically lots of guys with their G-Wagens talking about cars and camping out.  Should be fun :).  Anyway, check back on Saturday.  I’m not always so great about weekend posts, but I promise one this weekend – to make up for being gone so much :).  
xo
{Lauren}

Comments

  1. great post with some great tips! i’m a pretty frequent traveler (about twice a month for work and once a month for fun) and you’re right, a lot has changed in the last few years! i fly southwest airlines and love them b/c they don’t charge for baggage, they are probably the only airline that doesn’t these days! i am thoroughly impressed by all that you crammed into your carry on though, i definitely think layering and reusing pieces is the way to go!! my next trip will be for my friend’s wedding in San Francisco!! =)

  2. I am SO impressed by your effort! I will need to refer back to this in a month when I fly interstate! So efficient!

  3. This post makes me painfully (and very happily) aware that I’m going on vacation in just over a month and the list-making-OCD tendencies in me are about to start going full steam ahead! Thanks for the tips though, I can really use them!

  4. great post…

  5. Wow, that’s impressive!

  6. You are AWESOME. I am a TERRIBLE packer and this may help me a little!

  7. love the tips! thanks so much!

  8. i can’t believe how much you brought! and you barely used any of it… haha… isn’t that how it always is.
    seriously impressive how much you got in there!
    amazing

    xo. thanks.
    xo. thanks.

    muah!!!

  9. great tips!! even though im a fairly frequent flier, it’s always great to learn something new!! I’m going to Chicago in a few weeks to see my hubby graduate from boot camp!!!

  10. No fun trips planned yet, but WOW that was impressive 🙂

  11. very impressive! where did you get that comforter at? It’s beautiful.

  12. This is awsome! Thank you for sharing!!!!!!

  13. I love this post! very helpful 🙂

  14. I’m impressed!

  15. Whoa Lauren. Supersweet packing skills going on!
    I can’t believe how much you stuffed into that little carry-on bag. Way to go!

  16. When I go backpacking I put all my clothes into ziplocks and squish out the air. You are right – it saves lots of space. And for backpacking, should we experience a little Oregon moisture, it also keeps the clothes dry.

  17. Dang girl, you got all those clothes into your bag? Way to go Rock Star!! And I love your recommendations. Sounds like you have some travel experience 😉

  18. Those are totally great ideas. I’ve never thought about throwing away the toiletries on your way back. That’s a really good idea. You can also usually get away with having a bag that is a bit oversized if the flight isn’t too full.

  19. wowza – i impressed. best packing award goes to you

  20. holy cow…you smushed a lot in there! Next time I go somewhere you are packing for me! 🙂

  21. I feel a little better that I’m not the only one who makes lists of outfits when I’m going on a trip…beach outfit, that evening outfit, etc etc. My main issue will always be shoes! xxSAS

  22. i was seriously impressed with how much you managed to get in your bag! you could make a living from your cramming expertise!

    i can’t wait to see the pictures you got, and if you are totally bored and have nothing else to do, you can email them to me!

    love you!

  23. Dang. Impressive! I’m quite a good packer too, I can’t believe how much I can fit in! I have never attempted to fit my stuff in that small of a carry-on though, geez! Applause.

    and actually, yess, I’m going to Australia soon for the whole summer! I will be taking one big suitcase, but it can’t go over 50 pounds… Hard when I start stuffing wine bottles in there to bring home! I also am so good at packing in the clothes that it ends up weighing too much 🙁 Anyway, I anticipate having an extra carry-on just for my shoes, which I will make my boyfriend hold since he has no carry-on. Muahaha.

  24. Awesome!! great work. So small world: I went to high school and am friends with Casey Wilson! We were together tonight and chatting about blogs and she was like – you follow my best friends blog!!- so funny 🙂

  25. This is so great, I wish i read this before going away on holiays instead of now! lol :p I’ll keep it in mind for next time tho!

    Loving ur blog! xxx

  26. I am so impressed right now, actually, speechless! I think I need to see the packing IN PERSON!

  27. I am amazed you fit it all in that wee little bag. I just went to my parents farm for Fri, Sat, Sun, and took triple that amount. you get a gold star in your packing skills!

  28. i’m totally using this post as i’m packing RIGHT NOW. because frankly, there is no way all of my stuff is going to fit into a tiny carryon. but i’ve got my box of freezer bags ready, so here goes nothing!

  29. Nicely done! I don’t know how many times I have lived out of my backpack. It is something wonderful but at times stressful. Love to see there are others like me 🙂

Leave a Comment

*