How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

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TopHatFox
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How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by TopHatFox »

I'm sure one of you has written on this or at the very least done it!

For a domestic summer, I'm thinking I'd carry this in a suit case:

Toiletries: toothbrush, small soap (toothpaste), floss, baking soda (deodorant), nail clipper/file
Medical Supplies: bandages, rubbing alcohol, band-aids, etc.
Hair-cuttery: a pair of clippers, 1.5", 1", and .2" guard
Mending: needles and black, grey, and tan thread.
Electronics: iphone & charger, laptop & charger + case, HDMI & ethernet cable
Tools: Swiss army knife, pen & pencil + graphite/ink, small umbrella, [headlamp], [laundry bag]
Clothing: two jeans, two shorts, seven shirts, one fleece, seven boxer-briefs, seven sock pairs, sandal pair, shoe pair, a hat, towel
Books: one or two traded as available
Documents: wallet with cash, debit, credit card, & driver's license

-------------------------------
If more self-sufficient:

Food: camping stove, large pot, metal bowl & cup, spork, 6" flip-knife
Shelter: sleeping bag & pad, one-person tent

===================================================================================================

How'd I do? Planning on doing this as I move from place to place, it's mostly all I own anyway, aside from more kitchen stuff, clothing, bicycles/tools, and food. (:

Any tips on packing all this stuff efficiently?
Last edited by TopHatFox on Thu May 14, 2015 3:41 pm, edited 6 times in total.

henrik
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by henrik »

Roll clothes instead of folding
Is your pack water proof? If not, keep at least one set of clothes dry in a small bag
Light (head lamp?) when camping

Tyler9000
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by Tyler9000 »

That's pretty much my exact packing list for my old China business trips (minus the food and shelter items). It would last me for several weeks at a time, and could fit in a single carry-on size suitcase.

The best way to pack efficiently in a small space is pretty simple. Take the time to fold all your clothes.

As far as the list goes, you'll probably want a razor in addition to the hair items. Bring a few back-up razors as well. I use them to clean up the edges of my beard, and they last a very long time.

Always pack all hair-related items in a separate ziplock bag. Nothing is worse than finding hair clippings in your clothes or toothpaste. A plastic bag for dirty laundry is also handy.

You'll want to match the carrying device to the task. I usually split things between a suitcase and a backpack, and would shift things to the backpack that needed to be more mobile. For example, I wanted easy access to the laptop, asprin, book, and pen when on the plane or at a meeting, while the suitcase with the clothes could be stored away or left at the hotel. Likewise, food and shelter may be impractical to transport in a suitcase -- lugging it over a trail sounds silly.

Your biggest packing challenge is always the shoes. Luckily, you're generally always wearing one pair. For the pair still in the bag, use them to store rolled-up socks and underwear. Don't waste all that volume lugging air.

There's a fine line between being well-prepared and over-packed. A few bandages and little packets of alcohol swabs is fine, but it's better to know how to find a local convenience store and buy supplies in a pinch than it is to pack an entire drugstore for no reason. In China, my first task at any new stop was to identify the nearest 7-11 (normally within two blocks of any hotel). Also, if you're staying at a hotel they always have soap.

Depending on where you're going, don't forget electrical adapters for all those electronics. That includes both wall adapters and 220>110 converter if necessary. I also always throw one of these in a bag. http://tinyurl.com/lqx4fme Chargers are useless with no outlets, and this also lets you use one wall adapter for multiple devices. BTW, this device makes you very popular in airports.

For long periods away from an outlet, a portable battery pack to keep the handheld devices running is also very handy.

I'm sure I'll think of something else, but that should get you started. ;)

jacob
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by jacob »

http://earlyretirementextreme.com/how-t ... itcas.html --- everything needed for years.
http://www.onebag.com --- more minimalist but complete.

Chad
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by Chad »


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fiby41
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by fiby41 »

Buy soap, handwash, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, hair oil, sunscreen tissue/ toilet paper and other toiletries (if you use them) on reaching destination instead of carrying them with you.

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GandK
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by GandK »

Add a small roll of duct tape, a few thick rubber bands, 2 sturdy quart-sized Ziplock bags, and a Swiss army knife/card. If possible, also add a water filter.

Some may disagree, but I love packing cubes. I'd get an inexpensive set that fit the measurements of your bag.

Edited to add: if camping is on your agenda, you may want to get a Luci, or something like it.

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C40
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by C40 »

You could probably bring less clothes and hand-wash as needed. As an example, right now I'm wearing a pair of pants that I've worm for at least 8 days straight - including working, then camping and hiking in AZ, and then working more.

At the very minimum, one pair of underwear can be enough (if you're in a hotel, you hand wash it at night, wring it partially dry in the towel, and let it dry the rest of the way overnight. The material it's made from can be important for drying speed).

Do you really need all the different hair clipper guards?

sky
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by sky »

Here was my Fall in Europe packing list for last year:

Slippers
Blue jeans
sweater
sweat pants
khaki pants
polo shirt
2 button downs
2 tee shirts
9 underwear
6 wool socks
coat
gloves
earwarmers
ballcap
soccer shorts
umbrella
small soap
razor
toothbrush
baking soda
multitool
alarm clock
usb cord
220V usb convertor
120V usb convertor
12V usb convertor
usb battery
extra glasses
sunglasses clipons
tissues
needles / thread

riparian
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by riparian »

I'm travelling like this now and here's my list:

1 each jeans, shorts, leggings, merino long underwear
2 short fun dresses for camping, hitchiking, playing in the woods
1 grown up dress
1 hoodie (wish it had a zipper but it doesn't)
2 t shirts 1 tank top
socks and underwear
All those things go in gallon zip locks that I sit on to squeeze the air out, so there's one baggy of shirts, one of dresses, etc.
All the baggies are in one big cloth shopping bag

1 little cloth shopping bag of stuff for photo shoots and such

Shower bag

Tent and good sleeping bag

2 liter plastic water bottle and 1 liter stainless steel water bottle (for cooking and keeping warm on cold nights).

Backpack with laptop, kindle, camera, recorder, calender, journal, pens, etc

too many knives
headlight
floss and needle
2 necklaces

I put all of that along with my empty flattened big backpack into a giant dry bag. That way I can check it or hitchike with it, and also seperate it into the sub-bags and packs. This lets me go from speakino in front of serious people to backpacking to city hostel living to whatever.

I'm gonna go read the links now.

jacob
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by jacob »

GandK wrote:Add a small roll of duct tape, a few thick rubber bands, 2 sturdy quart-sized Ziplock bags, and a Swiss army knife/card. If possible, also add a water filter.
Filed under "Sketchy combinations to bring to the checkout line at Walmart" :D

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GandK
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by GandK »

jacob wrote:Filed under "Sketchy combinations to bring to the checkout line at Walmart" :D
:lol:

Jacob makes a good point, Zalo. You should add a bottle of Hershey's syrup to this purchase so people assume you're a pervert instead of assuming that you plan to take a hostage.

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jennypenny
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by jennypenny »

GandK wrote:Some may disagree, but I love packing cubes. I'd get an inexpensive set that fit the measurements of your bag.
I use 2 1/2 gallon ziploc bags for this. If you zip them almost closed, you can then roll the air out of them and zip it shut. I'm amazed at how small I can roll up the bags. To pack them really tightly, you can roll them up completely, zip them shut while rolled, and put a rubber band around it to keep it rolled.

I like it because then I have the ziplocs and rubber bands with me in case I need them for something else. An added benefit is that TSA doesn't paw through your stuff if they open your bag.

OldPro
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by OldPro »

This may be a good forum to ask about how to retire Zalo but that doesn't mean it is the best forum to ask about how to travel. You might be better advised to ask on travel and backpacking forums.

Before suggesting anything, I would want to know what you mean by a 'domestic summer' (of travel)? Where do you plan to go, what method/s of travel do you plan to use and what do you plan to do in the places you go to? Without knowing the answers to those questions, all suggestions are simply based on guesswork.

As someone who has lived out of a pack (never a suitcase) while travelling extensively as well as having done a lot of wilderness backpacking, I wouldn't try to give you suggestions without knowing more about what you want to do. The more relevant information you provide Zalo, the more relevant responses are likely to be.

For example, suppose you are travelling by car. Then you could obviously carry a lot more than if you plan to hitchhike everywhere. Suppose you do plan to camp (you mentioned stove, tent, etc.) then a suitcase is not likely to be your best choice to carry everything in. You haven't provided enough info for anyone to make suggestions. So what you get instead is suggestions based on assumptions. I don't even know if you are male or female. Lists that include dresses don't sound very applicable to me as a male for example.

I look at some of the suggestions above that are obviously based on assumptions and/or limited knowledge and just shake my head. You need to provide more info on what you plan to do Zalo.

Stahlmann
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by Stahlmann »

Ok, I found one more time old topic so one more time I need to torture you with my questions :P
I probably came not only once as stupid idiot (or nitpicker) who tries of ERE methods from blog without thinking, but give me another chance, hah!

So few thoughts about packing based on famous blog post (assumptions: 1 suitcase which weight about 25kg - I've probably made the task more difficult, main dimensions must equal to 160cm; additional 5kg backpack; washing every 10/12 days; latitudes from 45 to 55, continental climate - geeks don't ask me which one :P):

http://earlyretirementextreme.com/how-t ... itcas.html

floss line - How often do you use it? I got scared after somebody here got 6k $ for teeth

1 Towel - Do you believe that whole body (especially foot and face) have the same bacterias? I think I will just pack second one for my face.

razor - How do you care about them? It seems that I have some minor skin issues after shaving with razor left at the open space (which was used only 2-3 times).

How do deal with razor machine? I tend to use 2 diffrent razors (1 for beard, 1 for pubic areas).
I use also spirit for clean up. Any better bactericidal thing for cleaning machine between "up and" down usage?


I also use

13 pairs of socks - seems reasonable
12 sets of underwear - seems reasonable
12 t-shirts - is this some kind of fashion week? :P I think I need to up my professionalism, because I haven't paid do much details to my look... and hygien up to now.

How is viewed polo tshirt (I mean this: https://www.dhresource.com/0x0s/f2-albu ... -shirt.jpg ) with chinos in workplaces?

I'm starting from famous "Real heterosexual men fashion"-guy level, so don't be mean.

Any thoughts for shirts for people with light pectus excavatum+over weight? I tend to "blow the shirts" with those mentioned qualities. I've never look good in shirts. I think my tits are not so big (BMI=24.69). I protrude my shoulders, but when I try to work on my posture, it's even worse. ARGHH. Yes, I know the proper solution...

Any creative ideas would you iron or make your stuff more elegant? (buying/obtaining iron or paying for ironing is prohibited)

Have you used this?
https://imgur.com/a/bUlD1
I would appreciate proper English name, because I'd order it from AliExpress.
However, this looks like nice DIY...

two, maybe tree, pairs of pants. - seems reasonable

one sweater - For which conditions? I would take one for extreme colds. Point which needs reconsideration, because there the weight can matter.

one jacket - I need to think about it. I am rather used to take 1 special, heavy (and useful in my climate) jacket. One also for autumn/spring and one for summer.

...omitted....


Thanks for any "hacks". Maybe I'll use blog post as a skeleton and the rest will be tried in practice.

Gilberto de Piento
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

It seems that I have some minor skin issues after shaving with razor left at the open space (which was used only 2-3 times).
I'm not a medical professional but shaving with a random community razor seems like a really bad idea due to the possibility of blood borne infection. I buy a bag of the cheap plastic ones and bring one with me.

Stahlmann
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Re: How to live out of a suitcase & pack one efficiently?

Post by Stahlmann »

Gilberto de Piento wrote:
Wed Sep 13, 2017 8:42 am
It seems that I have some minor skin issues after shaving with razor left at the open space (which was used only 2-3 times).
I'm not a medical professional but shaving with a random community razor seems like a really bad idea due to the possibility of blood borne infection. I buy a bag of the cheap plastic ones and bring one with me.
I meant I use 2 personal razors blade (1# face; 2# the rest of body). Open space reffered that I just put them on small bottle cap in my bathroom. There they have access to the air, they aren't hidden.

Infection refereed to: I shave my face with #1, then I disinfect it with spirit, time goes on, I shave one more time my face #1 and now I have some minor issues with my face skin :(

Bottle neck is probably the razor machine.


Edit 2, come back to "stuff":
I've found 2 layer gore-tex (second layer is fleece sweatshirt) jacket (Summit Series, but not the most recent one) in the abyss of Stahlmann's residence. It's probably counterfeited and one size too big.
At the moment it's good. I don't have money to pay 100-300$ for new one (this my guess, I'm not well known expert on that :D ).

Main disadvatages:

Gore-tex part:
- burss/velcros don't work anymore (on handcuffs and on the hood)
- lines of drawcords are almost broken (on the hood and near waistline)
- subtle, inner part of hood is torn (Is it possible to sew it? I wouldn't say this thing could never stop exploring...)

Fleece sweatshirt part:
- no drawcords on handcuffs and near waistline

At the moment I don't have time to learn sewing, I'd like to outsource it to seamstress.

How should I instruct her? I don't think they work with such texitle everyday.
Any ideas to minimize differences in size?
I thought about equpping it with new drawcords on/near elbows.

Edit:
Ok, I see. They call 3rd layer, the part of net (just after gore-tex layer) :D

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