thursdaysd

"For a 2 week trip I would have at least 5 pair of pants for day (a couple mid weight and a couple warm assuming you're talking winter) plus 3/4 outfits to wear out to dinner." - wow - we certainly travel differently! For a ten-month RTW trip I took less than that! (3 pair and 1 evening outfit.)

Barb_in_Ga

In cool weather I have very successfully done 2 weeks with 2 pair of plain black slacks. I wear regular underpanties with disposable panty liners, and medium to heavy weight tights or panty hose, so the fabric has not absorbed any body odors. I also take a small spray bottle of Febreze fabric freshener in case we have been somewhere smoky.
I find the basic black works fine for day or evening, and with a change of top, jacket and scarf, totally changes the look.

This year, I added a plain black skirt in the crushable travel knit, as it takes up almost no space, doesn't wrinkle, and makes for a slightly dressier look for dinner or shows.

nytraveler

Well- I prefer to take what i need with me rather than rely on (and pay for) the hotel to do all that laundry and dry cleaning. (The cost is outrageous, they're often not very quick - and once ruined a silk blouse by washing it.)

What I mentioned was for a vacation.

If it's a combo business/vacation trip I have to take much more - since I need at least 3/4 suits with silk shirts and a couple of pairs of pumps for meetings plus a couple of semi-formal outfits for concerts or foo foo dinners entertaining clients etc.

I've never understood the mania to travel out of a large handbag.

I've checked a normal size suitcase (usually 26" - 28" if business plus vacation) hundreds of times and never had it lost (but do take one extra outfit in my carry-on for safety). And I need my carry-on for cosmetics, toiletries, camera, books, computer, work documents etc.

thursdaysd

I don't pay for the hotel to mess up my clothes either. I hand wash and drip dry them - and I don't take clothes I haven't test-washed first. If I were still traveling for business, and only staying in one hotel, with taxis to/from the airport I might pack differently - although I did several business trips with one Travelpro and a computer case. But I'm traveling for pleasure, on a budget, moving around by train, and I don't take more than I can carry since I know I'll have to. One Eagle Creek convertible backpack/suitcase, carry-on size, and one day pack.

suze

regardless, even the smallest carry-on suitcase (~19&quot has room for at least 2 pair of pants!

LoveItaly

NYTraveler, julies will be travelling by train from Rome to Venice so the fact that she packed so light is the smartest thing she could have done. No traveller using the trains in Italy have been known to state after their trip "I wish I had brought along a bigger and heavier piece of luggage", trust me!

Different trips, different modes of transportation, different activities etc., all call for different packing of wardrobe items.

Challiman

Julies, I think you have posted a very sensible question and received many good replies. I often travel with a group of women friends and our "rule" is "if you bring it, you carry it." Taking into account I'm not quite 5'2" and don't have much upper body strength to hoist heavy bags into overhead bins or even into trains or metros, I try to pack as light as possible. I've got my list down to a bare minimum, using outfits from Travel Smith and Chico's Travelers collection, and Cuddl Duds underwear, with a few accessories. I think 2 pants plus plane wear would work, but you can take more if you use the very lightweight, non-wrinkle fabrics available now. And they wash and dry very quickly and require no ironing. Very cold weather would make it more difficult to use these fabrics, but then two heavier pants would be sufficient. Good luck.

Danna

I don't think I could do less than three pairs of pants for any trip. I think it's good to have time to either air out or clean clothes. I can however travel many weeks with three pairs of pants.

I just stopped by Goodwill to finalize my clothes for Paris. I found a lovely light and small packable vest that I will tuck into the corner of my carry on. All this along with two tops and a pair of pants, all for $16.

nytraveler

Well - I admit we usually do road trips - or city trips where the bags just go in a cab or limo. But have done several long train trips and had no trouble with the luggage - since the beau is large and can handle it easily - and we always go First - for the extra room/comfort.

As for laundry, I don;t do it at home - and there's no way I would do it on vacation. (Everything goes to the cleaners - for cleaning or wash by the pound - except linens and undies etc - which the housekeeper usually takes care of.)

LoriS

Wow! I take more than 2 pairs of pants for a weekend trip.

StCirq

No, but I did a kind of hellish packing experiment for 2 weeks in Kenya and Amsterdam in late November this year and did fine with two pairs of slacks, one skirt, one dress, and lots of tops. And (shhh, don't tell anyone), I brought one pair of boots and two pairs of shoes, which is one more pair of shoes than I normally take. It was a dizzying packing exercise, trying to pack for semi-rainy season but also major heat in Kenya and sleet and rain and freezing temps in Amsterdam, plus safari clothing and business clothing and party clothing....but I managed it in a 22" rollaboard plus a large carryon.

But for your plans, yes, I'd take three pairs, or add a skirt.

mclaurie

A pair of leather pants (that are comfortable) are the best things I've taken on a winter trip. You don't have to worry about dirt or wrinkling, they're warmer than wool and they can be dressed up or down.

Mimmel

Happy New Year!

I never got the point of packing light, just for the sake of packing light. I know people who save their old underwear to bring on a trip so they can throw it away after they wear it - all to save a little room in the luggage. If I can carry it & I think I might use it, then I bring it. The only time I would do a carryon only would be for a weekend trip & then I bring more than I ever wear, just because I can‘t predict exactly what the temperature will be or what I‘ll feel like wearing . I travel fairly often & I often find that a piece of clothing I think I’ll wear a lot I rarely wear, & the item I wasn’t sure about is the exact thing I need. I’d much rather bring it & not use it than leave it home & want it. Unlike some, I do all my own wash at home but I don’t want to do it in the sink in a hotel.

Usually, I only have to carry ( roll) the luggage to the shuttle & then to the hotel room or apt. If I can carry it down my stairs at home then I can carry it up stairs at a hotel if I need to. When I visited my daughter, who lives in Paris, I brought my large suitcase, a smaller one for taking short trips, a large suitcase filled with stuff for her, plus a carryon bag for stuff I use in the plane. All the checked luggage was misdirected to Munich & delivered to me in Bayeux 5 days later. I managed to transport it by train back to Paris, take the metro & then walk back to her apt. I wouldn’t want to do that every day but I’m glad I brought what I did & don’t wish I had packed lighter. If you are physically unable to carry the luggage, or are changing hotels every day then you may have to go lighter. Or, go lighter if you prefer, but lighter isn’t necessarily a goal or benefit for everyone.

janisj

Why do people who don't want to pack light so often bring up the "they take old underwear and toss it out as they go along" canard? Or "who wants to wear the same thing every day?"

It isn't necessary to insult people who do prefer taking less stuff. Some people want to take a LOT - some don't. There are many reasons to pack light - but it isn't for everybody. Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean those who do are slobs, or fashion disasters.

Celticharper

I've carried the 28" suitcase for a weekend in NY and a 21" carryon for 5 days in London.

Having done both, I can tell you I find traveling with only the carryon to be so freeing that I will never travel with anything large unless we are doing a car only trip, then it will be nothing larger than the 24".

Even for 2 weeks in Ireland I carried only a 24" suitcase and that was half filled with travel books and included room for a few sweaters for the return journey .

I dress well but with all coordinating pieces, so noone ever notices that I have on the same black slacks because my tops, scarves and accessories are all different. I've never felt I've not been dressed correctly for the weather or appropriately for the occasion.

The ability to mix and match creating many outfits out of a few pieces is the greatest fashion skill that we envy in European woman. So try to dress like a local and make the most out of a few prime pieces.

Mimmel

I did not insulted anyone or implied anyone was a slob, or fashion disaster, nor did I say anything about wearing the same thing every day. I know people can be very creative with making a few pieces look varied but my wardrobe just isn't set up that way.

I brought up the underwear thing because I have heard it so often as a good "trick" for packing light & I think it is an example of taking things to an extreme. I was only expressing a different & evidently a minority point of view. Is that not allowed on this board?

SusanSDG

Am I the only one who wants to burn the clothes they wore on the trans Atlantic flight? It takes me several days to be willing to look at that pair of pants again-thus 3, not 2.

Sally30

I agree with SusanSDG. No matter what pants I wear on the plane, after 6-8 hours of my sitting in them, they look like a pair of baggy sweatpants. Also, pants are the one thing that really hits all the elements (sitting on dirty benches, cuffs in the puddles, etc). I wouldn't feel too clean with only two pairs of pants.

karens

Where do you all do your laundry? When we went to England I tried to find a hotel with laundry facilities, but couldnt' find any.

I also started to bring a few older pieces of clothing and throw it away - likewise with my boys clothes. I'll bring a few of their T-shirts that are starting to get a bit too small, and leave them behind. I've even saved older running shoes to do this with.

I also have a great thrift shop where I can get $2 sweaters, so I don't mind if they don't last.

I always end up bringing too much, or just wearing the same thing over and over.

I've found it's the hardest to pack for skiing - all those layers.

persimmondeb

Bring knits, roll them, and pack very tight. You'll be amazed by what you can get into a carryon. I'm both a member of the "one small bag" set, and the "I take more pants than that for a weekend" set. Choose the least bulky items possible, and don't waste space. Jewelry in pockets, small items in shoes, and roll, roll, roll. Press down as you pack, too, to get the air out. Sounds stupid, but my family thinks I travel with Mary Poppins' carpetbag. Only caveat, it does make the bag heavy, so it's a less suitable strategy if you're more concerned with weight than volume. Also might not work with very structured or wrinkly clothes. By the way, I would think that two pairs pants for 2 weeks was a really good idea only if I wanted an excuse to buy pants in Italy.