How to pack a carry-on suitcase: women’s version
Posted October 22nd, 2009 by Sheila Scarborough
Two professional conferences, two different climates (Seattle WA and Tulsa OK) for six full days.
I’ve written here before about how my husband was a Suitcase Swami by getting everything into a carry-on for one of his conferences – could I do it myself?
You bet, because these days, it’s me versus the airlines.
No way will I pay American Airlines to check my luggage, only to have it possibly lost or abused when I really need to look well-dressed (and I was giving a keynote presentation and workshop at the second conference.)
The video below was filmed with my Flip camera as I unpacked the suitcase from the trip. Here’s what I took:
- 3 pair of trousers
- 2 skirts
- 6 tops
- 4 cardigan sweaters (rather than stiffer, hard-to-pack suit jackets)
- 1 jersey knit blazer-style jacket
- 3 pair of shoes
- 1 lined windbreaker
- 1 T-shirt to sleep in
- scarves, jewelry, spare glasses, toiletries kit, quart-sized bag for liquids
Light, light, light. Pare down the shoes. Pay for a light, well-constructed suitcase (I use a Travelpro Rollaboard.)
Here’s the URL of the how to pack video if you’re an RSS reader or can’t see the box below.
Related posts:
- How to be a Suitcase Swami: one week, one carry-on
- The Banishment of the What-If Corkscrew
- The Things We Carry
- The ExOfficio shirt off my back
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:16 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Sheila Scarborough, Travel Maverick. Travel Maverick said: How to pack a carry-on suitcase: women’s version http://bit.ly/17rakq [...]
July 15th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
[...] not normally big on travel gadgets or special travel clothing (hey, the biggest problem with packers is simply too much crap and too many shoes) but I do like my new ExOfficio travel [...]
August 3rd, 2010 at 6:59 am
[...] and I had a great time visiting with her. One of the things she has put together is this fantastic video that shows her packing for a business trip. If you have ever wondered, “How do you fit all [...]
October 7th, 2010 at 7:51 am
[...] light on planes and heavy in her car. She generally refuses to check luggage because she knows how to pack a carry-on, but on family travel road trips the minivan is stuffed (sometimes even with a fold-up futon for [...]
October 13th, 2010 at 1:22 am
[...] it’s time to get it all into a carryon suitcase, I travel light….but when it’s time for a road trip in our minivan, I pack everything [...]
April 15th, 2011 at 10:33 am
Sheila, what size is the carry-on you used? I need to pack for an eight day class and am expected to dress professionally each day. My carry-on is only 20″ X 13 1/2″ X 7 1/2″. I’ve already decided to wear black dress shoes on the plane and not pack any shoes besides a pair of flip flops for the hotel. Any other ideas besides getting a larger carry-on?
April 28th, 2011 at 10:32 pm
use the biggest carryon you can find but the airports have a limit. most airlines have the measurements on their site.