Travelling light is a bag of tricks
Experts weigh in on how and what to pack
Lee Abbamonte is known as the youngest American to have visited every country in the world. His second claim to fame should be “most efficient packer.” Unless he needs expedition gear or a suit, the 36-year-old New Yorker totes a 22-inch Osprey Meridian wheeled bag and a North Face backpack. The two pieces accompany him on trips short (a long weekend in Dewey Beach, Del.) and ultra-marathon (two months circling the globe).
“Bring as little as possible,” Abbamonte said a few days before departing for Madagascar and Mauritius, “but cover all bases.”
Go to any airport ticket counter and you will see that we are country of overpackers. Bags bulge like stuffed chipmunk cheeks. Towers of luggage lean precariously and sometimes come tumbling down. “It’s a suitcase,” Leslie Willmott, a packing expert, admonishes, “not a closet.”
Fortunately, you can teach an old traveller new packing tricks.
PACKING STRATEGIES
Willmott lives out of a 22-inch TravelPro rolling suitcase, which she has pulled all over Europe, including weeks-long trips to France and Italy. She indulges her maximalist side only on cruises, a static vacation.
Her first step to packing starts with a blank calendar page and pen. She jots down the places she is visiting, the forecasted weather in each destination (with updates as needed) and the planned activities for each day. She bases her wardrobe on these categories and never speculates.
“You really need to avoid the ... ‘But what if I am asked to this event’,” said the founder of the website Smart Women on the Go.
Unless you are visiting Cannes, you can don the same articles of clothing several times per trip. Carry a stain remover to erase spills and smudges, hand-wash items in the sink or use a laundering service.
Willmott builds a capsule wardrobe of separates centred on a neutral colour. She recommends medium and dark shades, and is partial to black and tan. She picks versatile pieces that she can combine in a variety of looks. She sticks to a formula of two bottoms (pants or skirts) and four to six tops (tank, T-shirt, light sweater, etc.) for a one-week trip. The algorithm, by the way, is unisex.
Because of advances in fabrics, you can mothball the heavy coats and sweaters. Instead of chunky woollens, pack lightweight merino wools and microfibres. Also forgo the hot press with iron-free shirts. Pile on — or peel off — the pieces as the temperature dips and rises.
The fabrics, however, aren’t foolproof. In tropical climates, some high-tech wicking textiles can feel like plastic on the skin. Iron-free shirts, meanwhile, don’t breathe well in humid environments.
For outerwear, Willmott favours blazers and a trench with a removable liner. Abbamonte eschews coats for a hoodie. However, during a recent trip to Scotland, the rain and wind drove him inside — to a store where he purchased a windand rainproof North Face jacket.
SPORTY MEETS STYLISH
Not so long ago, Americans who tootled around foreign countries in athletic attire earned a tourist badge of dishonour. Now, the sporty style has its own portmanteau, “athleisure,” a sure sign that workout attire has advanced in the fashion world. Leggings and yoga pants are chameleons that can be trotted out for a city tour, hike or dinner. Sneakers are now statement pieces on and off the street.
For many packers, footwear is an Achilles heel.
Men should aim for two pairs: a walking or fitness shoe and a loafer or brogue for more polished occasions. Abbamonte typically packs sneakers and flip-flops. If required, he will “jam in a nice pair of shoes.”
Woman can get by on three pairs. Comfort and support trump flair, says Willmott. For daytime touring, consider a lace-up flat, Mary Jane style or sneakers — basically, a solid strolling shoe. Add a cushy inner sole or foam arch support for an extra boost. If your activity schedule includes long treks on rough terrain, upgrade to a sturdier version by such travel shoe darlings as Ecco and Rockport. The second pair can be a slip-on, such as a ballet flat; wear it on the plane and for casual evenings out. The final pick depends on your itinerary. Perhaps heels for the Vienna opera, bedazzled flip-flops for St. Bart’s or Hunter boots for the Cotswolds.
FOLDING VS. ROLLING
“There are your rollers,” Willmott said, “and there are your folders.”
Most people, however, are hybrids. Abbamonte, who admits that “rolling annoys me,” will break tradition to roll his socks and wedge them into his shoes. Willmott also combines the two approaches. She rolls her knit shirts, nightgowns and workout wear and tucks smaller items into the nooks and crannies of her luggage.
For larger pieces, she practises the art of inter-folding. She layers pants and shirts like a parfait and then folds them over to create a bundle. The technique saves space and also prevents creases. Travellers concerned about elephant wrinkles in their clothes can wrap them in plastic dry-cleaner bags before folding or place plastic between each piece.
Willmott covers each shoe with a supermarket vegetable bag and seals her undergarments in zip-top plastic bags. For larger apparel, she uses Ziploc’s Space Bags, which compress air and flatten the parcel.
To load your luggage, place the heavier pieces on the bottom (by the wheels). Also, don’t stuff the lid with weighty items or the bag could tip over. Willmott purchases travel-size versions and collects free cosmetic samples.
TWO BAGS ALLOWED
The secondary carrier is for highpriority objects, such as passport, wallet, medications, smartphone, chargers and in-transit entertainment. But don’t treat the supplementary bag like a toy chest. For electronics, select the gadget that combines all of your communications, mapping and Internet needs. Also, reconsider that camera that hangs like a kettle-ball around your neck.