I’m Packing It Up

Today marks another milestone in my life, and yes, admittedly it’s a bizarre milestone to mark. Today’s flight will mark another million miles flown. Whoopee!  Actually, I’m really not at all excited and have been procrastinating on packing.  I leave in 2 1/2 hours for a 14 day trip – I suppose I really need to pack now.  But this is my issue – you’d think after two-million miles flown I’d be an expert packer.  Over my last few trips I’ve started to think I’m getting worse at packing the more I fly!

I hate my suitcase – something I never thought I’d actually say. It’s a Tumi, and I love Tumi, but not this one.  You can check out this post about how I came to own it. I don’t hate it for the colors or design, I hate it because even though it’s a “lightweight” hard-sided suit case, it’s not actually as lightweight as it should be when it’s packed full.

TumiVapor

It’s huge – its an international sized suitcase and holds a lot. When full, it typically weights around 55-60 lbs.  That’s fine for international business class as the weight limit is usually around 60 lbs. But for domestic flights, it creates an issue, especially when I don’t have status (as in my upcoming Jet Blue flight.)  I have a Briggs and Reilly Suitcase that is the exact same size, but is fabric, and with the exact same contents weights 51 -54 lbs.  I stopped using the Briggs because it’s not a spinner and that is a must for me with such heavy bags.

So then I come to the actual packing part.  I dread it.  How much should I pack? Should I over-pack “just in case.” Should I under-pack and be limited to wearing the same things over and over.  Do I have the right types of clothes? I have no idea on these trips what types things I’ll be doing in terms of business obligations, so I have to bring a variety.

Why is this so complicated all of a sudden. I’ve been packing for 10 years now!

So I made a decision today – I’m packing up the Tumi and saying goodbye to it.  I’m putting it up for sale. I’ll use the Briggs on this trip and then, when I get back, buy a new spinner suitcase and sell the Briggs too.  (If you’re in the market for lightly used Tumi or Briggs, stay tuned!)

Well, I guess I’ve procrastinated enough, I have no more excuses, I better pack so I can make my flight today!

9 Comments on "I’m Packing It Up"

  1. Great timing with this post. I’m leaving in 4 hours for a 15 day trip and am excited that this is our first Asia trip WITHOUT big suitcases ! Amazingly, we fit everything into 21″ rollaboards + an eBags backpack each (with plenty of room for souvenirs). We went down to 24″ and 25″ ones from the “monster” bags, but this is truly exciting for me.
    I also have packing anxiety/dread every time. Do men have it too ?

  2. @PatMike – first, it was great to meet you in DC! I doubt men have the same issues 🙂 I’m so tired of big bags…it’s carryons from here on out for me! Have fun in Asia!

  3. The Deal Mommy | May 4, 2013 at 2:18 pm |

    I went with a Heys 22 inch Spinner…will be “rolling” it out for Europe. Will let you know after a month how I feel about it!

  4. dotti cahill | May 4, 2013 at 9:11 pm |

    get one with the 4 wheels

  5. There’s also the option to not pack 40+ pounds of stuff in a bad, right?? 😉

  6. @Wandering Aramean, no. there’s not an option to not pack that much stuff. On a business trip, gone for weeks at a time, you need things. Men have it easy…a few black suits and white shirts and set!

  7. Just pack an empty suitcase. Then go shopping and buy new clothes for work at the destination. That is what I plan on doing on my next trip.

  8. Notice why Tumi does not display their suitcase’s weight.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*