Capsule holiday wardrobe - an impossibility?

shopaholictiedtheknot

Lovin' the bikinis as bras idea - I hadn't thought of that, mine are underwired too so will be great!

skintstudentbabe

all the posts so far seem to b relating to beach hols.......what about packing tips for a city break?? im goin on a shopping trip later this yr and need help with my packing......makeup clothes toiletries the lot in one bag?? can it b done? il b goin for a long weekend (friday to monday)

Bex45

Some great advice here! I used to take a huge suitcase filled with clothes and shoes on the 'off-chance' that I might wear them. Never did. So now I lay out my outfits on the bed before I pack and weed them out ruthlessly, doubling up where possible. As for make-up, free (smaller-sized) samples are good for travelling - you can often get them from make-up counters or the freebies board. Or you could decant your shampoo, foundation etc into smaller pots to save room.

ailuro2

LondonDiva wrote: »

Niagra (anything from 5-10 hours on a train & at least one overnight train journey)

Take a pair of flip flops for the maid of the mist boat tour, as it will completely soak your shoes. DH got caught out like this and there are not flip flops or shoes of any sort to be bought in the gift shop (an obvious marketing opportunity they ar emissing out on??)

As for the icefields- they aren't that cold! I just wore my shorts, as did DH. DD had on longer trousers when we went to Columbia Icefield (up the road to Jasper from Banff- it's called the icefileds parkway iirc)

Most hotels you stay in will have washing machines and dryers anyway, so you won't need much.

Lady_S

I am actually quite proud, as we are off to NYC in two days time and I think we have got our luggage as low as we possibly can. The cases are 13kg and 14kg ( and the actual case is 5.3kg on it's own).

I have packed
1 pair brown trousers
6 daytime tops
2 dresses
1 pair lightweight jeans
6 pairs of socks
6 lots of bra and knickers
3 nighttime tops.
1 pair of going out sandals
1 pair brown boots ( wearing on the flight)

Sorted. The cases are so empty all the stuff just falls to the bottom - so much for trying to pack crease free!

skintstudentbabe

ok but i wil b travellin by train so wil be limited to one weekend bag plus a handbag!!(no cases of anykind!!) also only goin for 3 nites....after consultin with my friends iv limited myself to not takin a hairdryer or straighteners, 1 pair of heels, 2 pairs of ballet pumps (1 to travel in) but wat else.........?

skintstudentbabe

ok iv been doin my research into this capsule holiday wardrobe idea and i think i may have cracked it!!!thanks to all who have posted ideas on this btw!! bearing in mind im goin on a 3 nite/4day city weekend break, heres wat i intend to pack and how i plan to combine the said items:
1 pair of cargo trews, 1 pair of black trews, 1 black skirt, 1 pair of jeans, 1 casual tshirt, 1 strappy/shortsleeved top, 1 shirt, 2 sexy evening tops, 2 pairs of flats, 1 pair of heels, 1 lightweight jacket, 1 denim jacket/fleece plus enuf undies and pantyhose to last the weekend. they wil b combined as thus: to travel in;-cargo trews, tshirt, denim jacket/fleece and flats.... evenin 1;-black trews, evenin top1, heels and liteweight jkt...........day2;-cargos, daytime top, jkt and flats.... evenin 2;- black skirt, evenin top2, heels, liteweight jkt...................day3;-black trews, shirt, denim jkt and flats.... evenin3;- jeans, evenin top2, liteweight jkt and heels...........day4 travellin home;- jeans or cargos and daytime top plus denim jkt and flats!!!needless to say il also hav toiletries, makeup and hair stylin stuff too but NO hairdryer or straigteners!!!can anyone beat tht?

Smiley_Mum

Check out this book next time you go to the library or bookstore.

The packing book - Secrets of the Carry On Traveller, by Ten Speed Press.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1580087833/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

Should help you out. I have an ancient copy, 1994.

Something I find useful too is the vacupac bags. I got mine in Debenhams, 3 for £9.99, think it was 2 small and one medium size. I couldn't see them on the website but you may get them at the travel section where they have all the locks, straps, etc on the GO carousel. You seal them up like a ziploc and then just roll the air out. They are great, just don't over fill them. You can press your clothes and just fold them Benetton style and when you arrive everything is crease free.

http://www.householdinnovations.co.uk/shop/pack-mate-hand-luggagebackpack-space-saver-roll-sets-p-31.html

Debenhams also do luggage gauges now, £7.99 so you can ensure your bags aren't overweight.

Get as light a case as possible empty, but strong. I've got an American Tourister (same as Samsonite), a polycarbonate shell with wheels and not a lot else.

Lay out your gear, take half as much clothes and twice as much money. :-)

Wear all your heavy stuff on the plane.

First time I went abroad, I took everything but the kitchen sink. Now, when travelling with two kids, I do my utmost to take one case and one carry on.

This is handy too for toiletries, if just for a weekend, for moisturiser etc.

http://www.boots.com/shop/product_details.jsp?productid=1084298&classificationid=1038880

This looks like a good site to check out...

http://www.onebag.com/

A few ideas here...

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=The+art+of+packing+light&meta=

pavlovs_dog

i never thought i'd be able to manage the whole travel light thing until i flew long haul for a two week stay with only a 15k luggage allowance.

put everything you want to take on the bed. remove any tops/bottoms that do not match anything else. things like bras are easy to hand wash and dry, so you can probably afford to take less of those. same goes for pants and socks if you are really stuck for space.

with a change of top, you can generally wear your travelling out clothes home again. i travel in the heavy stuff i dont want weighing down the case - trainers, jeans and a hoody layered over a vest or t shirt.

toiletries - look for things that will double up, eg shampoo and conditioner in one. a bar or two of soap is generally lighter than a bottle of shower gel but will last just as long. dont scrimp on the important things like suntan lotion. take half empty bottles, and throw away when they are spent, or leave your remainders for the maids. you dont need body lotion if you are taking aftersun.

clothes - you can generally get away with wearing a pair of trousers/shorts/a skirt more than once, but most people like to change their top frequently to feel fresh. so take more tops and bottoms. look out for things that can be dressed up with accessories to avoid having to take extra formal wear. buy a carton of travel wash from the supermarket for 99p - fab stuff. you can pick up a travel washing line for about £1.50. take a cardy/jumper in a neutral colour that will go with everything.

footwear - wear your trainers/shoes out (walking wear), have a pair or two of flipflops in your bag for mooching around and one pair of dressier shoes if you cant find dressy flipflops/sandals. it isnt the end of the world if you wear the same pair of dressy shoes every time you go out (unless it doesnt match your outfit )

dont take a pile of books unless you genuinely intend to sit down and read them. make sure you and your trave buddy both take something the other wouldnt mind reading, and swap when you are done.

do you really want to lose precious holiday time straightening your hair, only for the humidity to ruin it anyway? go for the tussled look or buy a hat. leave the straighteners at home

missyg_3

I take easycare/non iron clothes where possible plus a tube of travel wash, couple of washing machine tablets if I know there's a laundrette, and one of those travel stretchy washing line things. Planning to do one wash a week pretty much halves the luggage.

Have a great time - some fab holidays mentioned in this thread!