Packing light

[bikenrrd]

A good activity is, when you get back from a trip, go through your suitcase and work out what you used / wore and what you didn't.  Next time you go, only take those items you used.

I'm travelling quite a bit for work at the moment and have managed to get away with a very small suitcase and a laptop bag on each occasion, for a week away.  Flying BA means this is allowed in the hand luggage.

Someone I work with is the Zen master of packing light.  He takes a large laptop case (which contains a laptop) and that's it.  He wears his suit, takes two spare shirts and another change of trousers / jumper, plus enough undies / socks for a few days and then uses the laundry facilities in the hotel.  He's more senior than I, though, so has a better chance of recovering his expenses!

[Mrs Pingu]

Short hair - no dryer, straighteners or brush required. Check.
Lightweight travelling clothes - long sleeve merino undies plus a mid weight on top (possibly not the "give me an upgrade" look) with Techno trousers, wash in hotel for return journey. Check.
1 pair of trousers each for daytime & evening. Check.
All toiletries to fit in a small freezer bag. Check. (If I didn't have sensitive skin I'd dispense with that & use hotel toiletries)
One pair of shoes. Check.
Sleep in one's birthday suit. Check.

Takes a bit of getting used to if you're used to changing clothes several times a day and glamming up, but depends on one's priorities really. I started trying to pack lighter after realising I was either returning with unworn clothes or wearing stuff for no more than a couple of hours.

[Jacomus]

Washing in the sink.

I always wear an undershirt. That means the over shirt can last days because the under takes all the sweat. I wear Nike DriFit running tops - close fitting, light and dry overnight after a sink wash.

Same goes for boxers - lycra. Pack up tiny and dry overnight, you only need 2 pairs to cover any length trip.

Toiletries - small soap bar, roll on deo, small toothpaste, razor, shaving stick, toothbrush, microfibre towel unless I know I'm going somewhere that provides.

[valkyrie]

If you're always going to take a knife on a trip then you might as well take plenty other stuff as you'll always have to put the bag in the hold.

My tip - you can wear things more than once without washing them. There seems to be a generally held belief these days that if an item has been worn (even for a couple of hours) then it's dirty and can't be worn again. Not true.

[Morrisette]

Some good tips here. I used to go back and forth to Wales crossing London in Friday night rush hour, so my packing for these trips centred on being able to easily carry whatever I had with me on the Tube From Hell. It is more difficult to pack truly light if you are going somewhere cold enough to require things like jumpers, down jackets and fluffy boots, but you can wear these things to travel in if you don't mind being a bit too hot.

Decide what bag you are going to take and then just fill that bag.

I second what Jac said about wearing basic vest-tops/under-layers underneath smarter stuff so you can wear the smarter stuff more times - I do that. So for a week take 5x t-shirts but only 2x smart tops. Also good for warmth if you can only pack one cardigan/woolly item. For women, you can wear skirts more times than you could trousers, wear tights and the skirt doesn't actually touch your skin.

Try to coordinate your entire case so that most of the clothes match/go together, that way you appear to have more outfits than you actually do (if this matters - I work mainly with scientists, so they would not care. In a more corporate environment this would be a good tip).

Wear jeans to travel and get them washed in the hotel laundry on your first day - you then have clean jeans for the week and didn't have to carry them.

Shoes - wear the bulkiest pair and pack the rest (obvious tip). I am not a shoe queen so would be quite happy for any length of time with 1 pair of boots (on my feet), light trainers, one pair of 'evening' sandals. If going somewhere hot I would not bother with the boots. It helps to have tiny feet.

Mini toiletries FTW. One good thing to come out of the liquids ban is that all of my chosen toiletry brands now do mini-size bottles. I also have a bag ready to go, if really tight for space I just use the clear plastic 'not-a-bomb' bag. I also have a MINI-mini bag with the tiniest free-sample stuff in that I can find. It's the size of an iphone.

Kindle instead of paper books (boo! but useful for lightness). It helps that my phone charger will charge my kindle so only one of those needed. I don't have many other gadgets.

Travelling within the UK you don't need to take any food with you as it is always available for sale. I'd rather buy a hot cup of tea and a bun in the station.

[Woofage]

Muji does some nice plastic travel bottles in which to decant your favourite bathroom preparations.

[Bledlow]

Muji does some nice plastic travel bottles in which to decant your favourite bathroom preparations.

What's the price, compared to buying mini-bottles already filled, & keeping them to refill as needed?

[hellymedic]

Muji does some nice plastic travel bottles in which to decant your favourite bathroom preparations.

What's the price, compared to buying mini-bottles already filled, & keeping them to refill as needed?

Buy? BUY? BUY???

That's what posh hotel bathrooms supply, included in the price, surely!

To be fair, it's much more difficult to buy small travel toiletries nowadays. Superdrug had a great range.

It seems many people don't travel light. Suitcases seem ENORMOUS as trolley bags obviate carrying and lifting.

[drossall]

I believe that Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouts, gave this advice.

On returning from a back-packing trip, put your kit in three piles. Pile one is emergency stuff that you must have regardless (first aid, bad-weather gear, ...) Pile two is what you used. Pile three is the rest.

Next time, leave pile three at home.

Of course, if you define an elephant gun as essential emergency gear in Surrey, this advice won't help :

[Woofage]

Muji does some nice plastic travel bottles in which to decant your favourite bathroom preparations.

What's the price, compared to buying mini-bottles already filled, & keeping them to refill as needed?

Don't know, but if a particular product is not available in small format it does limit the options somewhat. Anyway, it's a good excuse browse a Muji shop .

[phantasmagoriana]

To be fair, it's much more difficult to buy small travel toiletries nowadays. Superdrug had a great range.

They still do, at least the ones I've been in. IME it's got easier rather than more difficult to buy small bottles of things in recent years (I assume down to manufacturers cashing in on the 100ml bottles on flights thing).

They always seem ridiculously overpriced compared to normal-sized bottles, but at least they can be refilled...

[Andrij]

...
Of course, if you define an elephant gun as essential emergency gear in Surrey, this advice won't help :

Surrey has bears, not elephants.

[Efrogwr]

Shoes/boots take up a lot of space, so I always stuff them with socks and underpants (in plastic bags). Other soft stuff that is non-critical for creasing can be packed around the shoes. 

[red marley]

Kindle instead of paper books (boo! but useful for lightness). It helps that my phone charger will charge my kindle so only one of those needed. I don't have many other gadgets.

You can save a further bit of weight by setting the Kindle to its smallest sans-serif font.

[Andrij]

Kindle instead of paper books (boo! but useful for lightness). It helps that my phone charger will charge my kindle so only one of those needed. I don't have many other gadgets.

You can save a further bit of weight by setting the Kindle to its smallest sans-serif font.

And that also make room for more books.

[Julian]

My tip - you can wear things more than once without washing them. There seems to be a generally held belief these days that if an item has been worn (even for a couple of hours) then it's dirty and can't be worn again. Not true.

This.  Underwear isn't just for decoration, it's so that you can re-wear your trousers.  Assuming you are sightseeing rather than trekking sweatily through muddy trails, a pair of jeans should be good for a week.  A pair of light trousers that pack down small and you can wear those while the jeans are washed and vice versa. 

Undies are necessary.  Three t-shirts is loads.  The universe doesn't melt if you're seen in the same outfit twice.

No need for a glam dress if you take a glam t-shirt to dress up a pair of jeans - this also means you don't have to take glam shoes.

Wear coat & jumper. 

Toiletries - toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner, shower gel, mini hairbrush.  The fifteen types of cleanser, toner, body scrub, hairwash, facewash, bodywash, elbow-wash etc smell lovely but they have been sold to you by cynical manufacturers wanting to make fifteen types of profit from one product, they are not hygiene essentials. 

I reckon I can go away for a long weekend with just a handbag.  My luxuries are disposable contact lenses and a netbook because internet.

[Cudzoziemiec]

...
Of course, if you define an elephant gun as essential emergency gear in Surrey, this advice won't help :

Surrey has bears, not elephants.

I believe this is Ian's EDC:

[Cudzoziemiec]

That bone is the last mortal remain of his estate agent.

[LEE]

Assuming you are sightseeing rather than trekking sweatily through muddy trails, a pair of jeans should be good for a week. 

A week?  One week?

Let me introduce you to my jeans.  I'll see you one week and raise you......err...I'd better not say, it may shock people of a sensitive disposition.

Maybe it's another thread.

[Vince]

You're not alone there Paul!

[perpetual dan]

Assuming you are sightseeing rather than trekking sweatily through muddy trails, a pair of jeans should be good for a week. 

Though commuting in London comes out half way between the two in my experience.

I think the biggest villain here is dirty great suitcases with wheels. They encourage you to shove everything in. Carry your case up and down a few flights of stairs before you leave. If you raise a sweat then take something out. 

That said, I generally reckon on a top and underwear per day plus one in case I spill something / get soaked. If it is an overnight away by plane I check my baggage as:
a) I'd rather not lug it about more than I have to
b) Picking it up after rarely takes a long time
c) I quite like the stuff in my sponge bag and it is unlikely to be allowed through security.
However, I tend to dress smartish for the flight as jacket and shoes are bulkier than the casual equivalent and I quite like having jacket pockets.

What I do need is a bag that will do laptop and camera and ebook and bits and bobs for carry on.

[Kim]

Assuming you are sightseeing rather than trekking sweatily through muddy trails, a pair of jeans should be good for a week. 

A week?  One week?

Let me introduce you to my jeans.

Or mine.  Three days is usually okay if I'm not walking around too much, but after that they get distinctly, well, wiffy.

The lesson here is not to pack jeans.

[ian]

The lesson here is not to pack jeans.

Maybe that's the secret. I neither wear nor own any jeans.

[pcolbeck]

To be fair, it's much more difficult to buy small travel toiletries nowadays. Superdrug had a great range.

They still do, at least the ones I've been in. IME it's got easier rather than more difficult to buy small bottles of things in recent years (I assume down to manufacturers cashing in on the 100ml bottles on flights thing).

They always seem ridiculously overpriced compared to normal-sized bottles, but at least they can be refilled...

I always thought you got small toiletries by snaffling them from hotels. A few business trips a year and I have enough for my hols

[Kathy]

The lesson here is not to pack jeans.

This.

Camping/cycle touring this year, my "evening clothes" (because, post shower, it's nice to not wear Lycra when in a cafe or eating dinner) have consisted of a silk maxi-dress (Monsoon, RRP £240, I paid £24 in the January sales and set it aside for spring/summer) and a pair of pashminas (one silk, one wool). Everything scrunches down small in the bottom of a bag (a pashmina condenses to the size of a fist but keeps you as warm as a jumper - and doubles as a headscarf in the rain or conservative cultures), crumples don't show/matter, silk dries quickly if you are soggy after traipsing through a damp meadow, and you can still look glam enough to go to a restaurant in the evening. Oh, and you get to save on toiletry space because maxi dress = no need to shave.

Of course, if you're the sort of person who doesn't feel that you can pull off the look of a floaty silk dress with mud and sequins then my approach might not work for you.