How to Pack like a Pro: 5 Packing Tips for Squeezing it all into your Carry-on

My husband’s MO is to grab the biggest suitcase we have and pack liberally.  Mine is to grab the smallest one and sit on it to close the zipper (and then maybe stick a few of my things in his while complaining about his large suiticase.)  Victoria wrote a brilliant post entitled How to Travel with Only Carry-on Luggage and Still Look Great. Assuming you took all of her advice to heart and thus now look great, I’m going to add a few more suggestions for fitting that great wardrobe into your carry-on.

Kirstin with her carry-on suitcase in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

1. Make a list. It sounds silly, but it works. Write down exactly what you want to bring and how many of each item (2 pairs pants, 3 pairs underwear, 1 feather boa). And stick to it.  It’s much easier to limit yourself when you’re thinking about packing than when you’re actually doing the packing.
2. As you are packing, make two piles before you put things in your suitcase. Pile 1 is ‘Must haves’. Pile 2 is ‘Nice to haves’. You can fool yourself into thinking that maybe you’ll have room for those Pile 2′s at the end.  (Never once have I ever fit a ‘Pile 2′ item into a suitcase.)
3. Use Eagle Creek’s packing folders and cubes. These things are amazing – they keep you organized, wrinkle-free and actually enable you to fit more stuff in. I’m not sure how, but trust me, they do. Just start with one folder and one cube. If you’re really desperate (or going on a wintry weather trip, try the compression sacks. Talk about magic..)
4. Roll it up. If you don’t have the Eagle Creek packing folders and cubes, roll it up. Roll up t-shirts and underwear and everything else – it’s amazing that things don’t get all that wrinkled this way.
5. Allow yourself ‘one fun thing’. Just one. One thing that is not practical or not completely necessary. Maybe a pair of shoes. That hard cover book from your nightstand you’ll never read. A bulky sweater. A cute top. An electronic gadget. A feather boa. A bullet proof vest. An extra battery pack. Use your imagination. Just one.