As a run-up to our January expedition I have been trying to track if anything is missing from my needed inventory for packing. End result, I have been asking myself questions such as “I don’t know if I have enough pairs of long johns” or “Do I have enough outer layers that are presentable for lunch in the main dining room on a day where I am layering so as to rush outside to look for penguins and whales?” Anyway, it ended up being laundry day, so as part of the process I spread my long cruise suitcase out on the bed and as I folded clothing I stacked what I needed carefully or not so carefully in my suitcase and did an assessment. Do I have everything? Will everything fit?
The short answer is I do have everything. The longer answer is maybe I do not or should not pack everything. I put too many heavy shirts in there, too many pairs of jeans, the right amount of khakis, a suit, probably the proper amount of underwear, more than enough running shirts and yoga shirts, and an extra swimsuit. As I have unlimited laundry even though I am packing for three climates I don’t need as much.
It wouldn’t close. It would close when I zipped out the expanders, but even in business class that puts me in penalty zone. It’s still within weight limit (69 pounds, not over 70 pounds) but my winter coat isn’t in there yet. It’s beyond size limit (62 inches total length plus width plus depth including wheels) but not beyond extra size limit (65 inches). It’s clear what I need to do.
I need to remove a quarter of what I packed and I need to add a duffel for extras on the return trip.
Anyway. I am not a fan of packing early, nor am I a fan of practice packing, but this time was helpful. New strategy – plan to go over if necessary, but try not to on the trip outbound. Old strategy – pack a duffel bag.
About my suitcase – $79 at Macy’s Backstage, bought for a thirteen day cruise two years ago (you can see if you zoom in on the label on the side). It may only last a few cruises, but that’s fine. Eventually I’ll get something better.
In Retrospect 