How to pack a small carry-on suitcase with 10 days of clothes
It seems to work, if you can believe the NY Times.
Apparently, the secret is to roll everything up, not lay it flat.
Has anybody else ever tried this?
Could this be the final retort to the airlines’ smug attitude of “you wanna check a bag, you gonna pay de price” ?
Many years ago, a seminar I attended included flight attendant tips and tricks for traveling. Rolling clothes was one of them, and I can testify that rolled up clothes take up far less space than folded. Whether you can do a 10 day trip in a carryon depends more on where you’re going than anything else, though. I couldn’t do a 10 day trip to Alaska with a carry on, I can tell you that.
The other tips I learned in the seminar were also handy, like roll clothes up in dry cleaning bags to limit some of the wrinkles (this is harder than it should be since the plastic is slippery). Things that also helped when I was traveling extensively were to buy extra sets of underwear so that you don’t have to do laundry as often, and to buy duplicate sets of toiletries and makeup, so that if you’re only home for a day you don’t have to unpack your travel toiletries. I still keep a packed travel toiletry kit, and it’s really nice not to have to worry about that when I’m going traveling. You just have to discipline yourself to refill it as soon as you get home so it’s always ready to go.
I’ve rolled up clothes for packing for years - it really does help to conserve space as long as you are not too concerned about wrinkles. The real problem with this particular plan is in the sheer number of things you’re not allowed to bring in your carry-on any more. It always seems like I end up checking a bag mostly for that stuff - it’s either that or buy a bunch of stuff when you get to your destination.
Apparently she doesn’t wear a bra or panties, because I didn’t see those anywhere in her bag.
Considering the amount of ironing I’d have to do at my destination, I’d probably rather pay the checked bag fee. I do roll clothing on the way back, so I can make room to stuff presents/conference take-home materials/etc. in my suitcase.
I’ve rolled clothes for years- it’s helpful in terms of packing a smaller bag, but not a lighter one, which is more commonly my problem (I’ve never yet been forced to check no bags at all). I did run into an issue once where my usual bag topped out at over 50 pounds because I packed so effectively.
Backpackers have been rolling clothes for years for the same reasons.
Been backpacking for nearly two years now and I can certainly attest for the effectiveness of the rolling clothes method. I figured it out about a year ago and in a single night, managed to shrink my rucksack by about a third. I actually fold a little first, and then roll and stuff as tight as I can. Clothes come out about as smooth as they did back in the archaic folding days and the extra space is marvelous.
I will also second applecider’s comment that while the space saved is considerable, the bag does not get any lighter. On ultra-budget airlines this can create problems.
I regularly carry all of my clothes in one small carry-on bag, even when traveling for long periods of time. Rolling clothes works wonders. But also, what does she need all that clothing for? Six pairs of pants, three pairs of shorts, one skirt? I pack less than that for two-month long trips.
It’s not just ultra-budget; I’m pretty sure that United is one of the airlines that charges extra for a bag over 50 lbs.
Buying travel clothing that gets less wrinkled is a big help. And not more underwear, but travel underwear. I bought a few pairs that are this nylon mesh sort of material that are very comfortable, and very easy to rinse out. The secret being that they dry quicker.
A big difference is the size of the person. My Wife can get twice as much clothes in a suitcase than I can.
Yep, myself I do quite a bit of rolled packing, learned it some years ago.
Just about everyone nowadays charges extra for overweight, though the “majors” don’t generally weigh your normal-sized carry-ons, only your checked bags. Still, people wanting to save on the second bag fee should bear that in mind. You also have to consider the high proportion of “major airline” flights that are really codeshares with regional carriers, on whose planes a 21" rolling case CAN’T be carry-on (heck, back in '08 I had a flight on a regional where my checked bag AND briefcase were weighed AND my weight was asked; very small plane).
Although there was great pushback against Spirit’s establishment of a fee for large/heavy carry-ons (for some reason folks, including Congresspeople, freaked at the very idea of ANY fee for ANY carry-on after tolerating years of other shakedowns), there may yet be a push to apply the existing carry-on restrictions more strictly in the sense of “beyond X size or weigh, you MUST check”.
I point you to Spirit Airlines’s new policy of charging for carryon bags that fit in the overhead bin.
A decision for which Spirit is not making many friends, and is being decried by other airlines. If Spirit keeps this fee for more than a year (I doubt even that will happen), then I’d put money on them being the only ones charging it this time next year.
A few things… I’ve been able to travel for years with little or no checking in, btw.
As pointed out, Spirit’s new policy means that even if you would usually NOT have to check in, they’ll ask you for a fee if you do over-head. And in their case, apparently, for now, checking in is cheaper than the overhead carry on. I figure they got tired of all the people saying “I’M USING A CARRY ON LUGGAGE!!!” when what they have is definitely NOT a carry-on.
My carry on, which I’ve never had any problems storing, is usually the smallest over-head carry on I see in the flights. Everything else is about a third bigger.
Some passengers have (either intentionally or not) taken luggage that wouldn’t fit as carry on anywhere as “carry-on” luggage. Then when they get in the line, they’re forced to do checking in. But since the crew at the gate either doesn’t have the technology or the time, the bag gets checked-in for free. I wonder if that is what was happening with Spirit and part of what led them to do that.
Also, what makes people check-in stuff that they don’t have to check in is things like liquids. You cannot take liquids or gels under 3oz aboard the airplane, it has to be checked in. Yes, there is travel-sized stuff. And I use it. But sometimes, though, that doesn’t work. Even though I packed light for my last trip to Brazil, I still checked in my small carry-on. Because I was taking some of my fancy stuff over there (going to a wedding). Luckily, international check-in is still free, at least in some airlines.
I think most airlines charge for bags over 50lbs. I was referring more to companies like Air Asia where you have to pre-determine your luggage weight and purchase the appropriate allowance along with your ticket. While I was able to save on space, I still have to fork over the extra cash to bring my pack along with me.
Incidentally, when I first set out on my nomadic journey, I was completely ignorant of this policy. Three flights and two airlines later, things became painfully clear.
That was $300 well spent :rolleyes:.
One of my favorite places to visit is:
Of course I’ve never tried it, but, well, its on the web, so it must be true!
Bundle wrapping is the perfect solution.
Well packed and no wrinkles, folds, creases, etc.
Maybe she just wears camisoles, like the one in the 6th picture. Panties can get stuffed inside shoes (or go freestyle!)
Hmmm. Yep, I can imagine her without bra/panties.
And I point you to Southwest Airlines’ policy of not charging for carryon or up to two bags of checked luggage. 
I also learned about the rolled-up method of packing. Interestingly when my mom packs she uses method 2, with pants and dresses making a taco-type wrap around everything else.