Pack Logic

As you all know, I’m on a trip! And I had something pretty cool happen while I was packing everything in my suitcase—something that’s never happened to me before.

My bag was underweight.

Seriously, that's never happened to me before. Usually I'm frantically searching for anything I can take out of my bag so it'll be under the dreaded fifty pound rule. I'm a chronic over-packer. 

So I was talking to my sister-in-law about how light my bag turned out, and she suggested writing a little blog about it, in case any of you guys were interested in my magic methods. Therefore, I thought I’d put together a short list of the things I did to keep my bag almost fifteen pounds underweight... so I can buy some souvenirs on my trip without going overweight on the way back home.

1. Weigh your bag

I don’t mean after you’ve put stuff in it. I mean beforehand. You should know how much your bag weighs, so you know exactly how much space you have. If your bag is more than twelve pounds, I highly recommend getting a new one. Samsonite has some great lightweight bags out there, and Burlington Coat Factory usually has good prices on them.

2. Pack twice

I know, a lot of us don’t even want to pack once. But if you’re going on a week-long (or longer) trip, you’ll definitely need to pack twice. Yes, I'm saying I've been over fifty pounds on a week-long trip. I'm an overpacker, remember?

I guarantee you, the first time you pack, you’ll have put extraneous items in your bag. I can guarantee it, because I've done it. Every. Single. Time.

So weigh your bag after the first pack, take everything out, and remove what you won’t need. Don’t bring a shirt that will only go with one pair of pants. If it doesn’t match with at least three other articles, don’t pack it. Looking at you, ladies. ;-)

3. Get a lift scale

I don’t know if that’s what it’s called, but that’s what I’m calling it. My dad was nice enough to pick one up for us. It’s one of those scales that's basically a handle with a strap on it. You string said strap around the handle of your bag, and pick it up via the scale. It's a much more reliable read than your traditional bathroom scale, and honestly, they're a lot of fun to play with. I've been weighing random things around the house since we got it. You'd be surprised how much things actually weigh.

4. Think about your carry-on

The carry-on seems to be one of the most underutilized methods of packing. Use it! Put books, electronics, and as many liquids as you can into your carry-on. This will keep your main bag lighter and prevent any extra charges at check in from having a bag that's overweight.

That’s what I did, and I have an extra nearly fifteen pounds of space in my bag. Oh yeah, and most of what I packed was fall/winter clothes. And it's including two pairs of shoes. Boom.

Apparently, I know what I’m doing. Even though I didn’t realize it until right now.

For any of you going on trips soon, I hope my little guide gives you some ideas! My next blog post will be from the road, so keep your eyes out!

[love]

{Rani Divine}