Light luggage, travel clothing and travel accessories are the three ingredients everyone must pack when traveling and ultimately determine if you will be able to pack light. Think about it--Traditional luggage stores and web sites seem to forget this, but when you break down what every traveler must have on every trip it is quite simple really: You have your baggage, your clothes and your "stuff".
Let's start with your baggage. Eighty percent of the the luggage made today is lighter than it used to be because manufacturers have examined every component they put into their lines. First, they have lightened the luggage frames by making them honeycomb and with high-tech plastics. Plus, they have taken the frames out of the suitcase all together. Second, hardware such as telescoping handles, kick plates, corner guards, zippers, zipper pulls, d-rings, etc. have been made lighter with advanced improvements in the high tech plastics, metals such as alumininum and fiberglass, and textile products such as nylon and polyester. Third, manufacturers have improved their designs by removing big bulky frames, made features such as garment fixtures and hanging toiletry bags fully removable, and they have carefully chosen luggage accessories as standard equipment only when the consumer has demanded it. For example, the garment fixtures, the toiletry kits, large zipper coils, heavy-duty d-rings and full, complete "kick-plates" on the underbelly are all items we see less and less each year as travelers continue to ask for the "lightest bag we have".
The next category of products we know will lighten your load are lightweight travel garments. Travelers can lighten their baggage by 70% if they pack featherweight pants versus packing denim jeans such as the Ex Officio's Explorer Pant, Royal Robbins Cardiff Stretch Pants, Columbia Sportswear's Go Easy Trousers or Nomadic Traders lightweight rayons. Garments such as these weigh in at three to four ounces a square yard lighter (versus jeans at 10 ounces a sq. yard)! Un-lined raingear and warming layers are critical too as is quick-drying underwear. The travel underwear is of tremendous importance because we can't pack ten pairs of underwear if we want to pack light. Pack two or three pairs and two or three pairs of easy-care socks and travelers will lighten up considerably. Finally, mix and match your wardrobe to ensure a lot less clothing in your baggage.
The third major category of goods we pack are travel accessories and personal items such as books, camera gear, MP3 and DVD gadgets, Aunt Harriet's newly finished quilt, etc. Travelers have to look into perhaps using U.P.S. or the postal service for gifts and large items. Books, Digital Cameras and gadgets must be as small as possible and deemed essential.
The travel accessories PackingLight.com provides such as packing aids (Eagle Creek cubes, folders, sacs, plus Pack Mate Compression Bags), compact hair care appliances, lightweight and packable cosmetic or toiletry kits, tiny travel clocks, featherweight purses and day packs, and other travel essentials must be as small and lightweight as made today. The key is to not purchase travel gadgets because a store, a catalog or a web site with three "bullet points" says a product is helpful; rather, travelers must scrutinize, weigh and measure every single item they pack just like a backpacker heading off into the wilderness. If they find a vendor does not weigh and size products, is not truly interested in selling the essentials you need, and does not discuss luggage size options which reduce your load rather than temp you with more packing space and baggage than you absolutely need you should look elsewhere.
Finally, packing correctly is indeed important and we have adjusted our decade's old packing method to meet the needs of travelers. Our single or multiple bundle method allows our flock of loyal customers to pack for weeks in a single carry-on bag--and it allows them to shop to with our expandable shopping bags. So yes, packing FLAT is the way. Rolling is NOT as efficient and we have pack both ways with the same amount of clothing and bundling will allow more garments and they'll be less wrinkled--especially woven fabrics.
Next, planning in advance of a trip is crucial because you consider every item you pack and make choices on what to bring far ahead of the journey. Last, not panicking and throwing everything in the suitcase at the last minute is imperative. Most of all, going to PackingLight.com is a pretty good idea!
more...http://www.travelusinfozone.com/fairbanks-travelOriginally Posted on 31/08/2005 11:37:47 PMContent source: http://www.packinglight.net/plight/
