How To Pack It

Useful Packing Tips

If you've done a good job of selecting what to pack, the task of actually packing it should be a fairly straightforward one. Nonetheless, here are a few ideas that you might want to consider...

Organizer Pouches

An excellent item that has become more difficult to find of late (since Outdoor Research ceased production of their fine versions) is the "organizer pouch", a flat, rectangular, often multi-compartmented, nylon bag with zipper closure(s). They sometimes incorporate see-through mesh panels, and are available in a variety of colours. These are terrific for avoiding what could otherwise be a cluttered mess in your bag. Use a little thought to organize your belongings into categories, and store them in the pouches; this approach also makes smaller items less likely to be lost or forgotten. Cartom Products manufactures four sizes of good, basic, single-compartment pouches with mesh fronts (pictured at right); they range from 5 × 7 inches (13 × 18cm) to 14 × 18 inches (36 × 46cm).

By way of example, one of my pouches (a blue one) contains all of my laundry-related items (i.e., sink stopper, detergent, spot remover, viscose towel, travel clothesline, inflatable hangers).

An appropriately-sized organizer pouch also makes an excellent core object for the bundle wrapping method of packing clothes. Cartom's large-sized pouch (the red one in the above photo) is well suited to this purpose, as is the multi-compartment, equally large-sized "Deluxe Pocket" (made by On Sight Equipment, and pictured at left). Both of these pouches are about 10 × 14 inches (26 × 36cm) in size; the latter version comes with tabs/clips in the top corners, which should be removed for use as a core object.

Packing Cubes

So-called "packing cubes" may be something of a misnomer (they are rarely cubes, but rather rectilinear zippered fabric containers, often with mesh panels to reduce weight and make the contents visible), but they, like the above pouches, can be very helpful to organize the contents of one's bag. Your choice of cubes will depend on how you choose to organize things; fortunately, they come in a wide variety of sizes. I normally carry two, adding a third for business trips.

The first, used mostly for toiletries, is a Pack-It® Quarter Cube (from Eagle Creek, and pictured at right). A mere 7.5 × 4.5 × 2.5 inches (19 × 11 × 6cm) in size, it is dwarfed by the giant "Dopp kits" (and worse) that many people seem to consider necessary for this purpose. But mine quite handily holds all of my toiletries, plus vitamins, medicines, etc. with considerable room to spare.

I also employ a Pack-It® Tube Cube (also from Eagle Creek) to carry miscellaneous items, things that don't logically group in other ways (such as my flashlight, Jakstrap, whistle, compass, alarm clock, sunglasses, eyeglass retainer, water cup, garbage bags, etc.). This bag is 13 × 4 × 3 inches (33 × 10 × 8cm) in size, and fits neatly along one side of my carry-on. Sort of my "junk drawer".

On business-related trips I additionally carry a small packing cube (one no longer on the market, but similar to Eagle Creek's Quarter Cube) to hold miscellaneous laptop gear: power supply & cord, mouse, network cables, flash memory card adapter, earphones, and a remote control for presentations.

The use of packing cubes also increases the likelihood that your belongings will remain tidy and well organized should you be singled out for a bag search.

Coping with Shoes

If you're packing shoes (in addition to those you're wearing), consider the use of shoe bags: lightweight, inexpensive, drawstring bags designed to keep any residue of Parisian streets away from the rest of your belongings. Magellan's sells nice ones. A posher approach comes in the form of tailored neoprene Shoe Socks™, which eliminate the annoying drawstring, leave the shoe opening more accessible for packing things inside, and come with a lifetime guarantee, but are also costlier, bulkier, and heavier, a medium-sized pair weighing 4.4 oz (125g), compared with 1.7 oz (48g) for the Magellan's bags. Or consider the budget solution: a pair of the plastic bags in which (many) newspapers are delivered: they're sturdy, long, not too wide, weigh 0.3 oz (9g), and when their days are done, you can simply dispose of them.

Shoes are perhaps the most difficult items to pack, given their typical weight, bulk, and awkward shape. Minimize the number you take, and try to wear (rather than pack) the bulkiest pair when reasonable. It is usually best to pack a pair of shoes tightly together, soles out, with the heels at opposite ends. Also, don't neglect the spaces inside your packed shoes; they're great for fragile items, or anything else that will fit, for that matter.

Sorting Out Souvenirs

In my view, the very best souvenirs are friendships, photographs, and fond memories: those who travel lightly are not typically looking for more stuff in their lives. If you feel the need for something more concrete, though, or can't pass up a flea-market bargain, you might want to put some thought into what to get, and how to get it home (or haul around with you).

Locally-produced items tend to make the best mementos: "Made in China" is fine if you're visiting that country, but it's otherwise suggestive of a lack of imagination. If you're in Belgium, think lace or chocolate; when in Ireland (or Portugal), think hand-knit sweaters; and so on. Functional souvenirs are usually preferable to purely decorative ones: clothing is often a good choice, and can even replace something you've brought. Readers will enjoy local books on topics of interest, and music-lovers should consider recordings of local musicians they've enjoyed.

I always leave some space in my bag for gifts, souvenirs, and other items that I might want to bring home. Should that prove insufficient, I have the option of using my daypack or lightweight duffel to carry additional stuff. On an extended trip, I will mail items home.

Buddy Packing

If you have an extremely compatible travelling partner, you might consider packing half of each person's things in the other's bag. That way, in case of a bag being lost (much less likely for the carry-on traveller), each of you will still have half of his/her stuff. This method has the downside of providing something in the way of a disincentive to pack minimally, however!

Whether or not you do buddy packing, it should be obvious that when two or more travel together, many of the packing list items (alarm clock, guidebooks, repair supplies, etc.) need not be replicated for each person!