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Bag/Suitcase/Backpack Packing Techniques?

Malakaiii
edited April 2007 in General
I'm preparing for my Thailand trip (we're gone for 46 days, starting next Saturday... whoo!), and as I'm piling up what I want to cram into my big backpack, I realize that it's going to be a pain to not only pack it all in but to pack it in a way that makes things accessible and functional...

I got a few stuffsacks and some small mesh bags that I can use to separate things, so that should help.

Does anyone have any special clothes folding techniques that would help make things more compact? Or other suggestions?

Anyone who has been on a long trip overseas before, give me some tips! :smile:

Comments

  • siuying
    edited April 2007
    i have been known to pack over excessively.. =P whether it's a 3 day trip or longer i'm always the one who has the most baggage or the largest backpack... and what i've learned over the years is to only pack what's neccessary.. that means no more different daily outfits if you have a habit like mine... i usually pack my clothes at the bottom because normally i won't have to grab those till i hit the hotels or get settled down.. but things like meds.. flashlights.. snacks.. etc etc i try to keep them on top.. the weight from that compresses the clothes plus they act as a cushion so your lower back gets a break from the load of the pack.. also.. rmb to put your shampoo and conditioner in a plastic bag.. i didn't do that once i guess the bottle broke when they threw it into the plane.. it was... disastrous.. =.=" and if you're going with a buddy try to decide who's gonna bring what.. so things like toothpaste and blowdryer.. 1 will be enough for both of you to use.. hmm.. that's all i can think of on top of my head for now.. hope it helps.. =D
  • Bhambra
    edited April 2007
    make sure you pack lots of pointy metal objects like scissors, and nail files, knitting needles, box cutters in your hand bags. Oh but make sure you don't put bottles bigger than 100 ml in your carry on, thas a big no no.
  • Jimmy
    edited April 2007
    packing clothes, my technique is to like fold them in half then roll them as tight as possible is it looks like sausage rolls; i hope that made sense
  • Malakaiii
    edited April 2007
    Thanks Siuying for the tips! I'm a notorious UNDER packer. I usually get there and realize all the stuff I either forgot or purposely left out cuz I was too lazy to carry it. I'm trying to pack off a list this time, so maybe I'll have more luck? At least my boyfriend overpacks so he'll have whatever I miss in his bag, I'm sure! And great advice about the liquid bottles in bags. I've had that happen to me before too and it was not pretty trying to get sunscreen out of all my clothes. Yuck!

    Yeah, I don't know what kind of weird explosives people can make from their shampoo, but this no liquids in the carryon thing is a total joke!

    And yep, Jimmy, your technique made sense! I read that somewhere else and gave it a try. So far so good! Everything seemed to fit really well when it was rolled.
  • Goonish
    edited April 2007
    Oh boy, this is going to be fun... I went backpacking in Europe last summer and ended up playing Tetris with my backpack most of the time. Everytime I stopped at a hostel, I had to rearrange everything to find THE perfect arrangement.
    tetris.jpg

    The rolling technique works well and that's what I would recommend as well for clothing.
  • Malakaiii
    edited April 2007
    Yeah, I have a feeling that's what I'll end up doing too because we stop at each location for 2-7 days then move on. So I'll be packing and repacking a LOT.

    Thus far I've crammed everything in there and it's only half full. So even when my packing method gets lazy and I buy a bunch of things, I should still be able to pull it off. We'll see!

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