The Packing Has Begun

Over the last week we have been doing laundry, shopping, and checking our packing lists so we can make sure we have everything we think we need and it’s all ready to go.

First, was collecting and organizing all the little travel-sized things and coming up with some ways to manage them so as to not be driven crazy by them.  They’re only useful if you know where they are.

I started setting out everything on the bed and while I was off hunting through drawers and shopping bags I came back to find this . . . .

 

Quigley

  

Moving on to what I will wear for 19 days in China . . . .

I started with a general packing list of what to take -- shirts, pants, pajamas, etc. I bought, or rummaged through my closet, to find the thinnest, lightest-weight things that I could layer and efficiently pack in my bag. That helped me determine how many of each thing to bring. Then, for maximum efficiency, I tried on outfits to make sure that as many things as possible could be swapped out and interchanged, giving me more options from fewer choices. Here is what I have arrived at, though there are a couple things that are still proving their worth or they will have to go.

I know it doesn’t look like there’s going to be a lot of successful mixing and matching going on here, but the colors in real life are more compatible than they look photographed.

Starting from the left I have: 1 pair of pajamas, 1 nightgown, and 1 robe. Above that is a windbreaker and raincoat.

Next: A mesh packing cube with underwear and socks, and a bathing suit.

Below: 3 sweater/wraps (black, white, tan), 1 half-zip pullover, 1 turtleneck, 1 long underwear shirt.

Next column: 5 short-sleeve shirts and 1 camisole top.

Pants: 1 long cargo with ties that could push up to make crop pants below the knee, 1 jean, 1 crop pant, 1 pair of leggings.

Far right: 1 dress, 1 skirt, 1 skort.

Not pictured are 2 pairs of shoes and a pair of flip-flops, all of which are lightweight and fairly flat.

Next is my hanging toiletry kit:

Here is how it all gets packed:

Pants & pajamas go in the bottom of the bag; shirts go in a mesh cube.

Here’s how everything fits inside, including shoes and the toiletry kit:

TA-DA!!

It’s definitely full, but not busting at the seams or splitting any zippers. In fact, there’s not even anything in the outside pockets yet. Amazingly, all that thin & lightweight stuff still added up to nearly 18 lbs! But that’s lighter than it would have been in a rolling bag and still under the airline weight limit.

Glad that’s all done and ready to go – only 5 more days!