This Packing system works

Posted by Steve Mills - STAFFORD, United Kingdom on 24th Feb 2009

I used to be a great rucsac packer when I had no money, not much stuff, and a need to carry everything eventually on my back up and down the hills and then mountains of first Europe and then as a student, North America. With most domestic trips now involving cars, with stuff I cannot actually get into my pack or suitcase thrown in the back, my packing habits have long deteriorated to being poor to non-existant. But now that I fly more than I once did, and as luggage limits start to bite, I find my failure to plan my packing was starting to undermine the enjoyment of my travelling abroad. Then I discovered Eagle Creek cubes at the Rohan stores in England. I think I bought the first couple because they were on sale at an almost giveaway price, and anyway, I like bright red stuff. I found I could separate my sox from my underware, even when on business trips, and move the cubes intact from suitcase to drawer without making my chaos worse. Then I bought a couple more, in black this time, and somewhat smaller, which encouraged me to take fewer sox and less underware and use the larger cubes for sweaters and larger stuff in general. And then I discovered the shirt packing kit. Now this had to be plain stupid. I was now packing shirts in my large cube, and though the didn't come out particularly sharp they did at least stay under my control. In a fit of consumer madness I bought a shirt packing cube, and even read the instructions (this product has a way with encouraging good habits that my wife and my employer have long both failed to impose ujpon me). I folded the shirts, packed the sweatshirt and trousers in the large red cubes, and stowed the sox and underware in the small black cubes. This as getting unusually systematic, and is not generally what I am known for. In a trip from the UK going around Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and back to Ontario I found packing and unpacking was a breeze, in bed and breakfasts, boutique hotels, chain motels, or even when I thought I'd lost something, on the floor of a bemused provincial airport. Previously opening my suitcase at customs or check in would have been more like the opening of Pandora's box, anything and everything might just spring out and scatter across the floor/table/baggage carousel. Now my stuff is tamed. I'm not sure I really believe it myself, but after a second such trip, the verdict is in. Even for slobs like me, this packing system works.