Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Run one, learned a thing or two

I ended up ordering two packing folders & four packing cubes from an online store that will allow me to return them if necessary (got free shipping too!). They arrived on Monday and last night I did a run-through packing to see how well they worked. Though I didn't have a list in front of me, I packed everything I wanted to bring. I also found out a lot about my suitcases and I'm even more glad I bought them :)

I found that my smaller second suitcase was divided into two levels (with a wide flat pocket on the outside) and that one level was a perfect fit for my hiking boots (as I'll be wearing my comfy flats to the airport and when we're not hiking). That same level also has a semi-removable lining so it can be cleaned to an extent if my boots are dirty. The next level I haven't really decided what I want to put there - but that's a good thing because I want to leave room for souvenirs.

My larger suitcase is working out wonderfully. I used two of the packing cubes; filling one with socks and the other with underwear and my extra bra. I also used the packing folder - but only put my t-shirts in it. The size is larger than I thought it was going to be - perhaps a bit too large. Having only my t-shirts in it is not enough to justify bringing it so on my next round of packing I'm going to make sure to pack my pants in that as well (I just folded kind of rolled them and put them in the case this time) to give it some bulk and stiffness. It'll also keep my pants (particularly my cargo pants - that wrinkle easily) in fairly presentable condition - SCORE! The large suitcase has this really nice pocket that is in the top (lid) and it holds my all-weather jacket perfectly! There's also this small inner pocket that fits my slippers perfectly too! All in all I'm just really excited and happy with my travel purchases so far.

The only downside I've found so far is that my toiletry case is just not big enough. I don't want to have to pack it so carefully in order to fit everything because it's time consuming and I don't want to spend a lot of time packing and unpacking. I just want everything easily accessible. I've found one on Amazon that I like that is cheap - so I think I'm just going to pass this one off to Paul :P

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had to laugh when I read this, only because my family made fun of me (in love, of course!), when I told them I had "practiced packed" for our Italy trip! I have to show this to them and say, "I'm not the only one!"

It makes perfect sense to pack well before the trip - you want to make sure you have enough room, and if not, you have time to weed out what you don't think you'll use.

Smart. Very smart. :)

Enjoy your day! Vox bogger - michelle/italianlane

maura_ea said...

Yay! I'm glad I'm not the only one too! It makes perfect sense to me not to wait until I'm already knee deep in traveling before I realize, "Man, I really should have thought this through more."

We're pioneers :P