Packing for a Weekend

Every time I pack a bag lately, I am mentally taking notes.

In some ways, all my summer packing has been preparation for packing for our upcoming trip to Europe.

I am looking to find a balance between a very minimalist approach and including enough ensembles to make it fun to dress for dinner.

I took this Eagle Creek carry on sized bag to Europe 8 years ago, and I would like to fit inside of it again this time.  I took it last weekend to a conference and made a lot of notes about what will and will not work about this bag for me next time around.

I used these cubes and folders from Eagle Creek, which they graciously sent me to try out on my trip to Europe.  I have read a lot of packing advice that recommends using packing systems like these, so I was anxious to try them out.

I divided my clothes into days for each cube.  Everything I needed for that day was in one little package.  I loved this for staying organized at the conference.

Dividing my clothes into days also helped me not to overpack.  I only took what I needed for each day.  I also used one cube for workout clothes and a swimsuit.

Little tiny pouches were full of extra underthings and headbands (I use a LOT of headbands for this crazy mess of hair).  Usually these little items are buried in the bottom of my bag on a trip.  I really enjoyed being able to get right to them instead of dumping out my entire bag to find one little lace headband.

I took two of these packing folders on the weekend trip because I was trying to look somewhat presentable.  These folders would be so great for business travel because they really do keep your clothes from having to be pressed.

They come with this nifty board that you fold your shirt or dress around. This floral dress was ready to wear when I pulled it out from this folder.  The white pants I packed in the other folder also did not need to be ironed.  I went ahead and folded my cotton shirt in with the pants so the whole outfit for that morning was in one compartment.

Probably my favorite packing system item was this Wallaby Toiletry Bag.  I hung it in the bathroom and had easy access to everything in it.  I kept jewelry in that little zip pouch at the bottom. I love to change earrings every day but I usually don’t bother taking extra earrings on a trip because I am afraid I will lose them. It was a happy shift to have all the jewelry I wanted and to know right where it was.

As we were leaving our cabin on Sunday, I did a sweep through the room and found one of Sarabeth’s earrings on the bed.  I think she needs one of these.

I will definitely use these cubes to organize as I pack for Europe.  They will probably be a little fuller this time around, but I will also wear the same things for several days in a row so I can try to keep to this smaller sized carry on.

I’m curious what others’ experiences with packing cubes and packing systems are, so please share in the comments.

Note:

Big thank yous to Whitney, who took all of these lovely photos for me of my luggage and to Eagle Creek for providing all the packing cubes and folders for me to try out.