@Winslow
I have a whole separate packing list of last minute shit like my Kindle and toothbrush that I clip to my car keys because I can pack literally everything possible in advance and then the day I leave for a trip it will still be straight chaos. Between getting the house and pets ready for the petsitter and grabbing an arm load of “just in case” shit that I never end up needing I know I’ll forget my meds or something!
@Madden
YES!.. I so feel this!
I tend to send myself texts or calendar appointments with "to take’ - usually done when I should be asleep …
What I do
Traveler: 56F, usually fly, some road trips/partial road trips. Most clothes are medium or small size.
Got into one bagging in 2010. Now I aim for personal item only. Current choices are a 28L COR Surf, an MLC mini (30L), and a Kanken/possible knock off (16L). I like compression cubes, I aim to pack loose so the bags squish to fit under the seat. I’m not fond of hanging things from my bag when flying.
Toiletries are a mix of solid and liquid.
Bottles are smaller than 100ml/3.4 oz.
With the sole exception of SPF items, I decant/refill after each trip. I leave them packed. SPF gets decanted the night before, as it’s pickier.
Solid items are soap, shampoo, conditioner, a face serum, deodorant, SPF stick (new, testing).
Liquids/pastes: hair/skin oil, lotion, lip balms (one tinted), homemade cologne, mascara, cc cream. Facial SPF.
I leave two pairs of socks, plus compression socks, in the backpack. I keep five pairs of undies packed. (They fit in a ziploc).
In winter, my extra sandals and my “good” sandals stay in the bag.
I bought an extra brush that stays in the pack. Several hair ties stay on the handle. I leave a couple hair ornaments (stick/fork clips).
When I’m traveling often, less than weekly, more than quarterly, I’ll leave some clothes too. Shirts, trousers, skirt or dress.
My toiletries/cosmetics bag is always packed. I just make sure it has enough supplies for any given trip. What I did years ago was to make a “Things to Pack list” on my computer. Whenever I travel, I go over it for any updates, print it out, cross off anything that doesn’t apply to the trip I’m going on, and check off one by one as I pack the item.
For toiletries/cosmetics I only need a tiny bit of, I put them into clean contact lens containers (the ones that screw on). You can either take double the amount or two separate things in one.
One thing never to repackage is sunscreen. I read recently that the chemicals in them don’t like certain plastics, so you should only have them in the tube/container they came in, so just get travel sizes of them.
One thing I started doing because I have sensitive skin is to cut up a bar of my regular soap and take one or two sections of it with me so I don’t have to deal with hotel soap.
If you don’t have (or don’t want to buy) space bags or packing cubes, 1-gal, 2-gal, and 2.5-gal ziplock type bags from the grocery store work wonders and can be reused.
@River
Thank you- great tips 
I have 2-3 packing cubes that I know what kind of items they store. I have a toiletries travel bag that I pretty much have a smaller or almost empty version of products I use. If everything has a place in your bag you’ll be able to pack more efficiently. I backpacked with my partner for a month changing places every 3-5 days and we were able to get up and out quickly.
I’m a carry-on only girl and have duplicates of everything I need in my toiletries bag. I have a dedicated makeup travel bag that never gets unpacked. And I pack a capsule wardrobe I can mix and match as needed.
@Cory
One day when I grow up- I want to be like you… haha… that’s so well planned.
If you have TikTok, I highly recommend following rileejsmith. She is my go-to for packing videos.
TomHenry said:
If you have TikTok, I highly recommend following rileejsmith. She is my go-to for packing videos.
Sadly no… but thank you, I’ll still try to see if I can watch them (works with some videos on there)
I work in a field where workwear and casual wear is the norm, but I like to have my own toiletries, etc. This is my strategy:
These things stay in my checked suitcase:
-packing cubes with 10 days worth of the following basics/undergarments: underwear, socks, tee shirts
- packing cube with gym/pool/outdoor quick dry type stuff
- silicone reusable “ziplock” bag with 3-4 oz silicon bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face soap and one of those puffy body scrubber things.
These things live in my backpack that goes between home/office/travel (I use bank bags to keep things sorted):
- kindle, notebook, current reading materials
- eyeglasses, sunglasses
- medications and handy toiletries (lip balm, lotion, lens wipes)
- commonly used chargers/adapters etc.
- laptop
When I need to leave I check that everything that lives in my backpack is in there, check if any of my shower stuff needs topped off, pack a couple pairs of work pants and overshirts, a nicer outfit in case an occasion for it comes up, 2 pairs of shoes, and a jacket, and grab my dopp kit (which I use both at home and traveling).