If you pack for a week (or more) using hand luggage only...

[lucysmam]

HOW on Earth do you do it?

I've just packed my (cabin case) bag for my Guides residential later today & it's almost full with just 3 days worth of stuff in it, plus a few extra bits like snacks and cleaning things .

Maybe I just don't pack light!

Interested in all this - I struggle with this every time! Googling hammam towels & packing cubes - I think unless you know you’ll be able to get your hands on a Hoover the vacuum bag idea could be tricky - a great idea though if you’re going somewhere where there will be one.

Using the right case helps too. I have an It World's Lightest, which is bang on the limit for Ryanair and well under for just about any other airline and the handle goes around the side of the case rather than through the middle on the back, so the internal dimensions are larger than other cases.

It's also light, as the name suggests, so you have more of your 10 kg allowance left for actual luggage. Cost about £30 from Argos.

I've also just bought some packing cubes, used them a couple of times and they did seem to help even though they wernt the compression kind.

I've done 8+ nights with hand luggage only. I don't take towels because we always do city breaks, so the hotels provide them. I also tend to buy cheap toiletries when we arrive and leave them there. I wear my trainers and heavy clothes to travel in and roll everything else to take up less space. Luckily most hotels also have hairdryers so I don't have to take mine.

I empathise as I can do small for personal trips but struggle massively for Cub Scout trips....(and as the "Mammy" Leader, I also end up carrying the spare wet jacket and sleeping bag and blankets for Cubs who forget or have theirs thrown in the lake....). Luckily, I normally drive my estate car to camp....

OK, to be serious.
Wear Uniform travelling. Wear boots if you are bringing them, or decent trainers.

Actually I just googled uniform - it's really changed!! So wear a pair of either sports leggings or hiking type trousers under the tshirt and hoodie over your shoulders.

Pack:
3 knickers (2 to wear, 1 spare) and at least 4 pairs socks (you ALWAYS need spare socks!).
2 or 3 tshirts - rolled.

Spare bra.
1 spare trousers.
Have your pac-a-mac trousers in there in case of rain.

1 extra warm layer (a long sleeved top to wear under tshirt in evenings, or an actual thermal layer).
And a hat if you will be outdoors in the evening (are you camping? Then DEFINITELY) - may also want a sun hat if sun expected, but could wear this while travelling.
PJs.
Wash kit - toothbrush and paste, shower gel, shampoo (and conditioner if you really need it), moisturizer, deodorant, sun cream. If possible at least decant into airline sized bottles (I find 30ml size is fine for a weekend, I only use 100ml for a week or longer trips). Preferable is any sachets you have scrounged from magazines or similar - shampoo and conditioner, shower gel, body lotion, sun cream etc.
Hairbrush.
Towel - a camping style one or hamam version as they take up a LOT less space.

You might want a book for some downtime/while you wait for the darlings to settle to sleep before you can retire - always late on night 1, FAR earlier on night 2!).

Small Day pack includes Torch, small first aid kit, whistle (VITAL!), matches for campfire/gas stoves, rain jacket can go in there if you're not wearing it, snacks, water bottle, phone charger etc., as well as any paperwork you need (including a list, on paper, of the contact details of each girl going on the trip at least even if you don't have a contact list printed off for the whole Group generally). (Compass, small swiss army style knife, map, pack of cards, pencils and small notebook or blank paper are useful optional bits for the daybag.)

I also use the large (6l or 4.5l) ikea Ziploc bags to squash down clothes and to keep either a whole outfit or sets of things together (so a tshirt, knickers, socks for morning of day 2, same for day 3, and extra layers for evening in another; OR all my knickers together and all my socks together in another).

When you have filled them, close the top mostly (3/4 of the way), press down to squash air out and close fully.

The bags can be reused to hold dirty clothes for return and keep a wet pair of socks/trousers away from still dry things and are easily squashed down again.

I think you can do similar with vacuum bags for return, just squash and then fully close the "zipper" while still holding pressure on the squash, they won't get as squashed as with a vacuum but better than nothing.

buy a small bottle in Duty Free then use the duty free bag as an overflow for all the extra knickers and tops and socks and toiletries you have stuffed in your jacket pockets. Because airlines allow Duty Free Bags and they’re really roomy!

I'd love to know this too, even re-wearing clothes I still find it impossible to get everything I need down to 10kg.

Also, how do packing cubes help?! I can see how they help organise your things, but it's still the same things, so how does using them help keep the weight down?

Packing cubes help similar to vacuum bags or Ziploc bags, both in organizing by group or by outfit - but also by being able to squash things together a bit more. I use packing cubes for airline travel a lot, and they organize me having a full outfit (dress, bolero/jacket, tights (unsnagged), underwear, jewellery) together to just pull out and save time when knackered. 1 pair of shoes to suit the 2/3 dresses/outfits I will wear. But also much more squishable in the case than individual bits, and if I was going on summer holidays, I tend to overfill them and squash closed so I get more in.

It depends on what you're doing. For a week-long business trip I always just pack carry on and have never been short on clothes or shoes.

However, we're about to go on a week's holiday with lots of hiking etc but nice dinners in the evening. Our hiking boots alone would take up the bulk of a carry on case.

I've packed a carry on case for two weeks in Spain.

• pick a couple of colours and coordinate your wardrobe. A light neutral, a dark one and something colourful to coordinate. In my case I wear navy a lot, so my case was primarily navy, white, and blues in varying coordinating hues. To save on underwear I pack nude bras - one multiway and nude underwear that will go under anything - a weeks worth is loads as you can hand wash them.
• daytime wear it's bikinis (pack two) 2 pairs of shorts, a light maxi to throw on after the beach, and a couple of very light muslin wraparound skirts. A pair of lifeguard type flip flops are ideal as well.

-evening wear its one of 4 strappy chiffon dresses with either silver or gold sparkly flipflops and a cardigan.

Wear the biggest items on the plane - so that's hoodies, shoes, jeans and so on. roll up everything tightly and you will fit far more into the case, heavier stuff pack at the wheels end, lighter or more delicate items at the top of the case.

Sorry - back with vacuum bags answer (woohoo!). As PPs have said, you just squash/roll the air out. It's not the best for preventing creases, but I find stuff gets a bit creased however it's packed!