A Pilgrimage

Request: How do I pack like a rockstar?

You might say I’m fairly expert travel packer. Things are rarely forgotten, needs are met, and emergencies are handled.

You can have this too.  I think my system is fairly simple.  I always have two bags - one large bucket purse for my hand-carry, and a roller bag.

First, the roller bag:

I use the Hideo Wakamatsu Tarpaulin Carry-On Red.  A constant delight, nipping my ankles across airports and fields with equal ease like a tiny red nylon puppy; One must agree this bag is ruggedly handsome, Mostly water resistant, exceptionally sturdy (I’ve taken on four years worth of monthly trips, and it is in near-perfect condition functionally), and versatile. 

Alright, now that we have the perfect bag, how do we pack it?  The folks at Flight001 came up with their SpacePak line.  It is amazing, and I highly recommend it to anyone that does any traveling.  It’s changed my life.  I’ve used it religiously for the last five years or so.  I cannot recommend it highly enough.

With SpacePak (or even just separate bags you already have or make) you will now have separately labelled bags for the entire contents of your suitcase.  These bags are made of nylon, are impervious to my occasional hair dye, perfume, or other disastrous spills, and don’t smell awful after weeks of outdoor camping. One of the best features of the bags is that they  have openings on the front and the back, so that as your clothes get dirty, you put them back into the same bag, but on the opposite side from the clean clothes. The two sides are divided by a nylon wall, so that your dirty clothes do not touch your clean ones.  

For my carryon purposes, I have the following containers :

• Toiletries -four compartments, makeup, general care, perfume, and first aid.
• General clothing bag - with a reversed section for dirty clothes and a couple packets of detergent
• Lingerie - I keep panties, bras, nylons, and fragile stuff in here.  The reverse side has a little delicates wash bag and I keep woolite in here for hand washing.
• Shoes - one bag per shoes, - I usually wear boots to the airport and pack heels and flats.
• Jewelry - Two complete sets of rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. And then I wear the biggest to the airport.
• Souvenir Bag - A compact bag that folds out and can fit nearly the contents of my bag.
• SheMergency Kit - A bag of fashion emergency fixes.

The reason for the individual bag system is simple and assists with remembering essentials, ease in packing and unpacking, as well as keeping your bag sorted during security checks.

I always keep my carryon suitcase filled with the empty (or pre packed) bags you see in the above photo.  When I am ready to leave on a trip, I already have all my bags ready to be packed and placed back into the bag, so all I need to do is choose my clothes, jewelry, and shoes, and I am ready to go.  This is how the system allows me to make sure I always pack everything I need.  My toiletries bag and Shemergency kit are always restocked after every trip and returned to my suitcase directly after a trip, so I never have to fuss with it while packing.

With this system of pre-chosen empty bags, it is easy to see that if a bag is empty, then you haven’t yet packed it.  When it is full, it is easy to place into your suitcase.  The brightly colored fabric assures you that it isn’t lost amongst your other belongings in your home while packing.  The shoe bag keeps my shoes separate from my nice clean bag, The clothing bag is easy to unpack back into my closet at home or my hamper, as well as ito unpack into my hotel closet. The lingerie is nice to keep fragile things separate, and makes late morning underwear hunting fashionably simple.  The jewelry bag keeps my things nice and organized.

Once you’ve arrived to your destination, you can either unpack the bags and put them back into the suitcase awaiting repacking, or just live out of your suitcase.  Both work for me depending on the length of the trip. 

Once you’ve arrived home, it is easy to place all the dirty clothes into the bin from the ‘dirty’ side of your lingerie and clothing bags, and then put your clean clothes back into your closet, and your jewelry back into their boxes.  Simple unpacking!  Throw all the bags and your toiletry bag into your carryon and store in the closet until your next trip.  Easy!

I leave my toiletry bag always filled and ready to go.  I make a note if I’ve used something and it needs to be refilled or replaced. I have a full skincare regimen, tooth care, eye care, first aid, and mostly makeup samples.  It is simple and works for me.  I found that my toiletry bag needed too many things for me to reliably repack into a small bag every trip, so now my bag is a set of completely separate items.

Inside my carry-on bag pockets, I always pack a folding bag in case I need to bring back something large while I am traveling, and I find that I use it quite often.  I also pack and maintain a Shemergency kit in my roller bag for any types of fashion disasters, and it has been invaluable. 

I always make sure I pack clothes that are not wrinkle or static prone, so that I don’t look silly when I arrive.  No need to buy anything special - many fashion brands have styles that tolerate packing and folding.  The rolling up method is bullshit.  I did it for years until I found spacepak.  Now I just pack smarter.  

Now, my bucket bag contents:

• My in-flight bag (I’ll go over this later)
• a small pinch emergency bag
• sunglasses
• small jewelry case
• Passport
• USB fast-charging brick
• A charged mophie juice pack with two usb ports
• A charged solar usb battery
• headphones
• Evernote moleskine with pen
• makeup bag and brush
• small bag with cash and can hold passport, phone, and wallet
• change purse
• wallet
• vitamins
• ipads and iphone.

These are all pretty easy to figure out.  I carry my devices (I never travel with a laptop, so I am serious about charging things) and chargers with me in case there is no in-seat power on my flight.  

This is the basic set of things I carry with me, the things I’d be hosed if I lost somehow.  Occasionally on puddle jumpers you are forced to check your roller bag, so in case of this, I make sure I have my valuable essentials with me.  This is also the bag I’ll carry around for a day out on the town.

Now.. for the real magic.  The thing that has changed in-flight travel for me forever.  If you listen to any of my advice, this is the thing to listen to.  Get the Seat Pak from Flight001 and pack it well.  It will make every flight and landing into a thing of magic.  

It features four pockets, and this is how I currently have it packed after four years of heavy regular use:

Comfort pocket:

• compression socks - for long flights, these can keep toes warm and reduce swollen feet and ankles while on an long-haul coach flight. 
• Eyemask
• Kava tea
• Hair tie
• deodorant
• A bunch of eye creams, serums, lotions, and hand creams
• hand mirror
• sewing kit
• nail file
• hair spray
• nail polish (works to stop runs in nylons!)
• breath drops
• eye drops
• tweezers
• teeth whitening strips
• cleansing wipes
• extra contacts
• tampons
• face cleaning wipes
• girl part wipes
• toothpaste and toothbrush
• eye wipe
• bandaid and Neosporin
• Advil and ibuprofen
• chewing gum (helps equalize ears)
• Peter Thomas Roth VIZ-1000™ 75 percent Hyaluronic Acid Complex

ID pocket:

• Passport
• Global Entry Card (in RFID Blocking pocket)
• Clear Card (in RFID Blocking pocket)
• Priority Pass
• Pastport (just for fun!)
• Tiny pen for forms

Tech pocket:

• noise canceling headphones with adapters and extra batteries

Aerostuff pocket:

• A sample of major currencies - generally enough for a snack and a cab if I can’t find an ATM at the airport
• Including Berkshares, because they are gorgeous!

So!  This is what I pack in my carryon.  I hope you’ve found this useful. If so, leave me a note and tell your friends! Am I missing anything that you think is spectacular and should be included?  Tell me that too!

• 8 January 2014
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