# Hi, My Name Is Lissa, and I'm a Compulsive Over-Packer **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 12, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697 "2006-01-12T19:01:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/21 "2006-01-13T00:30:41Z")
I have a tendency to overpack, which is why I force myself to follow the old rule: 1. put all the clothes you think you’re going to need on the bed; 2. then put half of them back in the drawers, cupboards. I’ve found that it generally works very well and stops me from overpacking. On occasions I’ve had to buy the odd article of clothing but that’s better than lugging half of my wardrobe around the world unnecessarily. ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/22 "2006-01-13T00:33:55Z")
Yeesh. Especially the sheets and comforter. If you have to bring so much of your worldly goods to feel secure and comfortable, why ever leave home? I lived out of a large backpack for a month in Britain, but that was a long time ago (before ubiquitous wheeled luggage). I wouldn’t try it today. I did learn the merits of carrying spare pants after an incident involving someone’s bubble gum (don’t ask). I nearly always have a spare shirt or two, and I can’t go anywhere without some paperbacks (my paranoid fantasy isn’t “What if I spill something?”, but “What if I’m stuck somewhere with nothing to read?”). But I’m going away for 3 nights this weekend myself, and I’m bringing one suitcase and a daypack. However I don’t have a husband to help carry it all. I bet you’d find you can live with a lot less if you had to schlep it yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/23 "2006-01-13T00:58:22Z")
Welcome, **Lissa**! My name is Cheez\_Whia, and not only do I overpack, I bring my own pillow to the hotel. My hubby and I travel around every three months to a neighboring city so he can see a specialist, and we stay overnight, as one way takes around 6 hours and we ain’t gettin’ any younger. We take: His suitcase, stuffed. My suitcase, stuffed. Toiletries bag. Medication and vitamin bag. Yes, they need their own bag. Grub box containing: peanut butter, bread, utensils, coffee urn, coffee and filters, water (the water there sucks green donkey balls), electric kettle, snacks for the road, and a roll of paper towels. Bag with my pillow, and since the last trip, hubby’s pillow. In winter, a bag with my heated throw in it, 'cause I get cold. Cooler for milk and drinks. And a special travel pillow for my hubby to use while he sleeps when I drive. Good thing we have a station wagon. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/24 "2006-01-13T01:16:17Z")
> [@](#): > > I always think “Well, what if we need THIS and don’t have anywhere to get it?” Where are you going, that has no shops? My principle is that if I have my reading glasses, credit cards, and passport (if going overseas) anything I forget I can buy. Buying one or two redundant things is better than taking 99 things I don’t need “just in case”. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/25 "2006-01-13T01:36:09Z")
It has been proven that most people only use about 70% of what they bring anyway. Are you going to the South Pole? If not, you can probably buy some cold medicine there if you really need it. I over-pack but that’s ridiculous! ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/26 "2006-01-13T02:40:42Z")
The only thing I started packing due to my experiences traveling was a first aid kit. This all goes back to the impossibility of getting a bottle of pseudoephedrine at 2 AM in Berlin. So I always throw a first-aid kit, with a couple doses of OTC meds to meet any reasonable contingency as well as a couple small bandages and maybe a tube of lip balm. I cram it all into a Training Aid, Personal Decontamination Kit, M58A1 case I picked up somewhere (I think it was a gun show.) It’s a small case, so I can’t put much in it, just enough to be able to use it on the plane, in the hotel in the middle of the night, and so on. It just gets thrown into the bottom of one of the pockets of my school backpack. Speaking of backpacks, having to carry everything with me on my back taught me to pack lightly real quick. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/27 "2006-01-13T03:01:48Z")
> [@Cheez\_Whia](#): > > Welcome, **Lissa**! My name is Cheez\_Whia, and not only do I overpack, I bring my own pillow to the hotel. > > My hubby and I travel around every three months to a neighboring city so he can see a specialist, and we stay overnight, as one way takes around 6 hours and we ain’t gettin’ any younger. We take: > > His suitcase, stuffed. > My suitcase, stuffed. > Toiletries bag. > Medication and vitamin bag. Yes, they need their own bag. > Grub box containing: peanut butter, bread, utensils, coffee urn, coffee and filters, water (the water there sucks green donkey balls), electric kettle, snacks for the road, and a roll of paper towels. > Bag with my pillow, and since the last trip, hubby’s pillow. > In winter, a bag with my heated throw in it, 'cause I get cold. > Cooler for milk and drinks. > And a special travel pillow for my hubby to use while he sleeps when I drive. > > Good thing we have a station wagon. 😛 Hehe… I forgot the pillows (usually 2-4), the portable dvd player, the laptop (sometimes) DVD’s, possibly a video game console (depending on mood) and books (at least 15). Now if we take the dog, then… ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/28 "2006-01-13T04:40:49Z")
Yikes, I simply cannot fathom bringing anywhere close to that amount of stuff with me when I travel. I almost never check luggage when I fly unless I go skiing. If you can’t fit it in a carry-on, you don’t need it. The sheets, comforter, a drugstore full of medicines etc, are so far from my realm of existance that I would hesitate to call they my idea of “travel” with the same name as you. Enjoy, have fun, but, it just boggles the mind. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/29 "2006-01-13T05:43:47Z")
Wow, you live in a different world than me. My packing list, be it three days to three months is: 3 pairs socks 5 pairs undies 3 tank tops w/ shelf bra 3 button up shirts 1 sweater 1 light packable rain jacket 2 pairs pants (one cropped for tropical countries) 2 knee-length light skirts 1 small ziplock bag of makeup (eyeshadow palatte, mascera, lipgloss, a couple necklaces) 1 small ziplock bag toiletries (Doc Bronner soap, toothpaste/brush, razor, contact solution, birth control pills) 1 sarong (acts as blanket, sheet, shawl, skirt, cover-up, pajamas depending on occasion) 1 pair sandles 1 pair light walking shoes 1 small flashlight 1 deck of cards 1 book 1 bag of crumbled cookies 1 bottle of water 1 ball of string 1 small first aid kit (band-aids, disinfectent) 1 camera 3 pens and small pad of paper 1 guidebook, with places I don’t plan on visiting ripped out and thrown away to make it lighter. 1 tube mosquito repellent, 1 small bottle hand sanitizer (you rarely need it, but when you do…thank god!) 1 travel towel- an auto shammy is the cheapest way to do this. Ideally all the clothes will be made of quick-dry synthetics because I will be washing and drying them in the motel rooms. I’m a recent convert to Hanes Perfect Panties for travel- they are made out of nylon type material. Ideally all my clothes will go with each other and can be dressed up with a nice necklace. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/30 "2006-01-13T21:11:55Z")
> [@Helen's Eidolon](#): > > I’m not quite as bad as you with the clothes, but I’m a book over-packer. My rule of thumb is one book for each day I’m away… That’s me, too. As I do a lot of business travel, my rule is one book per day, plus one book per flight. And I usually _still_ finish them too early. :eek: Otherwise, I allow for one (1) extra of each item of clothing, plus a tie. I’ve got travel toiletries and medicines always packed (one large freezer baggie), anyway, so that’s no problem. I’m also kind of quirky about putting everything into baggies – lotions, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. Sometimes double-bagged. The checkers give me odd looks, but I learned my lesson with one exploding toothpaste tube – never again. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/31 "2006-01-13T21:35:43Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > I’m also kind of quirky about putting everything into baggies – lotions, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. Sometimes double-bagged. The checkers give me odd looks, but I learned my lesson with one exploding toothpaste tube – never again. The secret to preventing leakage is to stick a small square of strong plastic wrap over the wide-open bottle, and then screw the lid in. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/32 "2006-01-14T00:13:13Z")
My beloved spouse and I often get away for 3 days at a time, but seldom fly. But just last month we flew to Vegas for 3 nights, and as usual, we shared a suitcase. We got to the curbside check-in at the airport, and the skycap said…hmmm…feels a bit heavy…and put it on the scale. **72 lbs** It turned out to be cheaper to buy a cheap duffel bag & split up our belongings, out there on the sidewalk, then to pay the overweight penalties. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/33 "2006-01-14T01:06:22Z")
> [@](#): > > When I went to Seattle for four days last year everything I took fit into my son’s school backpack. I raise Kansas city for four days and add a laptop in that ‘school’ sized backpack. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/34 "2006-01-14T12:13:19Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > Hotels don’t wash the comforters after every use-- who knows what’s on them. (Haven’t you ever seen those “expose” news stories where they send a comforter to a crime lab to see what’s on it? It’s gross.) > > . Duvet. Just put it on their comforter and take it with you when you go. And about the jammies - they see just about everything … don’t sweat it. Heck, one time back when I was young and silly we had the housekeeper walk in onmyself and 2 guys in a 3some. They managed to live. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/35 "2006-01-14T12:37:38Z")
I agree with **even sven**. Whadda you all like? Just got back from 2 weeks’ vacation (in a hot country, returning to a cold one). I took: 5 pairs underwear 2 T-shirts 2 short-sleeved button-up shirts 2 pairs shorts Sarong Flip-flops For my return I also packed: 1 pair travel pants Boots 1 pair socks 1 fleece Other stuff: Wash kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shaving cream, deodorant, all-in-one shower gel/shampoo), basic medical kit (ibuprofen, aspirin, band aid, inhaler, antibiotics, antiseptic cream, antihistamine), Leatherman, Maglite, shortwave radio, 2 books. Total weight including bag: \< 20 lbs. Wash stuff in the sink in the evening, leave it out to dry while wearing the other stuff. Use the sarong as a towel. Use a pair of shorts as swimming trunks. If you want to look ‘smart’ combine a button-up shirt with the travel pants. Before that I was travelling round the world for nearly a year and I had scarcely more apart from a laptop (except when I was in Tibet). ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/36 "2006-01-14T14:08:54Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > Hubby and I are going away for a long weekend-- we’ll be gone a full three days. I started packing this afternoon, mentally kicking myself as I did it because I know, dammit, _I know_ I’ve packed too much again, but I just can’t seem to help it-- the luggage for this trip will involve three large suitcases. > > I start with underwear and socks for the two of us-- four pairs each for both of us, because what it one of us has . . . uhm, an _accident_. You never know-- a bad burrito on the road . . . > > I need four sweaters. I may spill something. Two pair of jeans for the same reason. I’ll need a “nice” outfit, because what if we want to go to a nice resturant. Better bring two. Same for Hubby. And we’re going to a hockey game-- better bring extra over-sweaters in case we get cold. But what if he doesn’t like the one I packed? He’s not home to ask, so I better pack an extra one, just in case. > > I’ll need my jammies, and a bathrobe in case it’s cold in the room, and I better bring slippers for both of us because you never know what’s been on those hotel room floors. I’ll bring our sheets and down comforter, because those ones the hotel provides are like sleeping on sandpaper. > > Then it’s on to the Drug Bag. I take every single medication from our cabinet. Our prescriptions, of course-- which are bulk in of themselves, and you have to bring the original bottle in case you’re pulled over and for some reason the car is searched. Don’t want unidentifiable pills putting me in the pokey. What if one of us gets a headache? Better bring both aspirin and Excedrine because there are some headaches that aspirin won’t fix, and you don’t want to have to take Excedrine if it’s just an aspirin headache. > > What if one of us gets cold symptoms? Don’t want to have to go out looking for a drug store, so I better take cough syrup, and cold pills and Vicks. While I’m at it, I better take the IcyHot in case one of us gets muscle aches. And of course, the first aid kit in case one of us gets a blister or a cut-- bandages, alcohol, anti-bacterial cream and anti-ouch spray. > > I’ll take the body wash-- both kinds, “girly” and the stuff my Hubby likes, along with the pouf. A big bottle of shampoo, because the hotel’s may suck. Hairspray and gel, a brush and two combs (because one may get lost) our toothbrushes, mouthwash, floss and OraGel in case one of us bites the inside of our lips. > > I better take snacks, too. Cheese crackers, chips, cookies and a can of nuts. You never know when one of us will get the munchies and there may not be a convenience store nearby. I’ll throw in some cans of Coke, too, and some bottles of iced tea. > > By the time I’m finished, half the house will be piled in the hallway, ready to go. Anyone seeing this mound of luggage will assume we’re going on an Artic expedition. I know it’s stupid. I know it. But I just can’t seem to help myself. I always think “Well, what if we need THIS and don’t have anywhere to get it?” Even if it’s highly unlikely we’ll need it-- I mean, come on, what’s the chances we’ll get sunburn in January? But into the suitcase the aloe vera will go. > > Just in case, you know. . . . I share your pain. I’m a “but what if?” packer. 😃 I find that making a list of each day I’ll be gone & what I’ll be doing really helps to cut down on the excess. That cliched “little black dress” is a lifesaver; you can dress it up or down (God - I sound like this month’s “Vogue” - but it’s true!). Same thing with a good pair of microfiber or silk blend trousers. Accessories generally take up less space than clothing, so you can really get a lot of bang for your buck. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2006, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/37 "2006-01-15T09:31:57Z")
In an ancient copy of Europe On Five Dollars A Day (that should give you a clue how old the copy is) Eric Frommer suggested packing your suitcase, putting it on your bed in your bedroom, and then leaving the bedroom and have a trusted friend go in and throw out at least half of what you have packed. A wise idea. I moved permanently from Berlin to Los Angeles with only a small duffel bag. However, when I moved 10 years later from LA to Las Vegas, it took the biggest U-Haul they had. If I were to move from Las Vegas, I think a cargo plane would be in order…or most likely, I would sell it all and pack a small duffel bag and start over. I cannot imagine packing more than a few things for a short trip…there are stores in most places on earth, should you really need an extra sweatshirt, socks or new underwear… ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2006, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/38 "2006-01-15T09:55:44Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I agree with **even sven** Before that I was travelling round the world for nearly a year and I had scarcely more apart from a laptop (except when I was in Tibet). I lived on and off out of a small backpack for 5 years when I was travelling around China and Tibet. JJIMM - how’s about starting a Tibet thread? I’m going back for the first time in ages during a company offsite to Zhongdian aka Gyalthang aka Shangrila in mid Feb. I pulled out slides from the monastary and will digitize them and make some big posters. I’ve got photos of the then 250 monks in one big group, as well as the reincarnate Jawa Rinpoche who had come back from India for 6 months. I expect a warm welcome back after 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2006, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/39 "2006-01-15T10:22:52Z")
My backpack trick is I lay out everything I think I need and put on my backpack. Then I have a friend place the items they think I need in one by one. It doesn’t take long to say “What the hell was that! Whatever it is, I don’t need it!” ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2006, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697/40 "2006-01-15T15:28:33Z")
My husband and I went to Las Vegas, flew in Monday, flew out Thursday, packed everything in my uni backpack. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-my-name-is-lissa-and-im-a-compulsive-over-packer/339697.md?page=3)