Innovative Packing Tips/Ideas.......

[natolij02]

Anyone have any neat or innovative tips or ideas for packing when going to WDW?

Here is mine......I get small travel size bottles and fill those with my shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, and what nots and then I pack each individual bottle in a snack size zip-lock baggie. The individual baggies are great because the size is perfect for the travel size bottles and, if you ever have anything "explode" in your luggage (we all know how messy that is!) it contains it to just that bottle and baggie getting yucky, all my other stuff is mess free I also pack all my toiletries in a gallon size ziploc bag, it holds everything I bring and it makes searching for stuff easy cuz you can see everything in the bag. I bring several gallon size bags, one hold all our medicines, bandaids, travel size tissues. One holds all our toiletries. One holds our combs, brushes, and hair products, and one for our tooth brushes, floss, and paste.

So lets hear all of your nifty ideas for packing for a trip.....

 

[Monty]

I pack one suitcase for DS13 and myself for a week. I include a duffel bag to put all our dirty laundry into, freeing up space for souvenirs in the suitcase. :king:

 

[VT GAL]

I have 2 things that have made our lives easier. First, we each have our own collapsable hampers. It keeps the room tidy. Second, I pack our DD's outfits in a ziplock baggies so anyone can get her dressed and I can easily grab a back up outifit.

 

[Fun2BFree]

Make generous use of any side-pockets by filling them first, freeing up space for your main compartment.

 

[Phonedave]

A vacuum sealer is a wonderfull thing.

-dave

 

[Rob562]

Just remember that if you use smaller containers for your soap and shampoo and you're carrying them in your carry-on luggage, the containers need to be 3oz or less. They also need to fit in a single 1-quart sized ziploc bag.

If you're packing extra shoes, don't let the empty space inside the shoes go to waste. Stuff socks or other small items inside them.

If you're traveling with a spouse (or multiple family members), consider splitting your clothing up so that each person's clothing is spread across two (or more) suitcases. That way if one suitcase gets delayed or lost, everyone will at least have SOME clothes for the first day or two, as opposed to one person having NOTHING. (And your odds are good that they won't lose more than one piece of luggage from your group)

Lastly, I'm one of those people who forgets to pack *something* on every trip. So when I'm getting ready for a trip, I lay EVERYTHING out on the bed before anything gets put into the suitcase. That way I can make sure I have everything. And to make things smoother on the morning I leave for the trip, I lay out what I'm going to wear the night before and put the packed suitcase and carryon by the front door. That way I know that I can jump out of bed at the crack of dawn and not worry about drowsily forgetting something as I head off to the airport.
Sometimes a friend who lives close to the airport will be dropping me off, and I sleep at his place the night before. I pack a totally separate bag for the overnight at his place so that I don't have to dig into my suitcase.

-Rob

 

[pacochran]

We pack only some of the close we need for the week as we know we always buy clothes as souvenirs so we wear the new clothes during the week. In fact part of our tradition since we rent a car is we go to the Character Premier Outlet and do most of our clothes shopping the first day. It also helps that we go to the BCV which have washing machines so we know we are going to wash every couple of days.

 

[marni1971]

Pack a small suitcase with items, then pack the smaller case inside a bigger one. Less hassle than taking more cases than you need as you go to Orlando, and extra space to return with all your goodies, without the expense of buying a new case

 

[Southern_Tink]

When we go to WDW we go with a flexible itinerary . We'll pick a different park to start with each day depending on the EMH then when we're done with that park we'll use our hopper to go somewhere else. With that said, we pack occording to our itinery. I lay out one outfit per day, with an extra 1 or 2 for hot days or to switch to when I get on a wet ride. We always drive so room or extra bags aren't really a problem but my husband and I usually pack all of our things in one large suitcase. I pack a few trash bags too to put our laundry in, then I stuff them in the suitcase on the way home.
I also carry a shoulder bag to keep up with my souvenirs. I also pack tiny plastic baggies to keep up with small souvenirs from the park like pixie dust and pressed pennies!

 

[lac628]

We often visit WDW and Tennessee for vacations. We go at different times of the year. I have packing lists on my computer in Microsoft Word.... Warm Disney/Cold Disney/Warm TN/Cold TN. That way, when I am ready to pack, I just print the list I need and highlight items as I put them in the suitcase. I put everything I MAY need to pack on the list and after I print it, I cross off stuff in black that I know I don't want to bring. It really helps me to not forget anything.

 

[Disneykidder]

Before all of this baggage limitations, weight limit stuff, we used to always pack a suitcase within a suitcase. Then we had less to carry to the airport and a suitcase for souviners on the way home. Now, we use a big suitcase for my son (since his clothes are small and fit with mine) and put some snacks in it and then on the way home it serves for all of the things we purchase.

Another tip is to roll all of your clothes. They stay wrinkle free and take up a lot les space in your suitcase.

We also take along a lot of extra large and small ziplock bags. They are great for wet clothes, dirty clothes and small things you don't want lost. They are also great for when packing snacks into your backpack for when in the parks.

 

[colleen2997]

I have 2 things that have made our lives easier. First, we each have our own collapsable hampers. It keeps the room tidy. Second, I pack our DD's outfits in a ziplock baggies so anyone can get her dressed and I can easily grab a back up outifit.

What is a collapsable hamper? Sounds like a great idea but I have never seen one. Our rooms become a mess with dirty clothes so something like that would be great!.

 

[imamouse]

What is a collapsable hamper? Sounds like a great idea but I have never seen one. Our rooms become a mess with dirty clothes so something like that would be great!.

Some have wires spiraling around so that it stands upright and you can squish it flat. You can buy them almost anyplace - try Target or Bed, Bath and Beyond. They are out now for the college kids to use in their dorm rooms.

I bring a netted, drawstring laundry bag and hang it in the closet area of the room (doesn't take up valuable floor space in the smallish PC rooms). Since we drive to WDW, I just toss the laundry bag into the trunk of our car and drop it in front of the laundry room when we get home.

As for packing - I use plastic grocery bags to pack extra shoes/sandals and for ponchos. We each carry ponchos inside a plastic bag so they can be put away damp w/o getting other items in our backpacks wet. Of course, we hang them up to dry as soon as we return to our room.

 

[One Lil Spark]

Here's a picture of a collapsible hamper. :wave:

 

[coltow]

I bring my 1/2 used stuff like toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, hairspray, etc. I then simply throw them out at the end of my trip so I don't need to carry them home. I also even bring my old toothbrush and thow it out. For the kids I bring them their old and new sneakers (in case 1 pair gets wet and cannot be worn for a day or 2). I then throw those old ones away too.

Our luggage consists of duffle bag for kids clothes, large suitcase for adult clothes and small suitcase for diapers, wipes, snacks and misc stuff. I then wll have 1 completely empty suitcase for our return for all the stuff we purchased.

 

[gettingsmaller]

We packed snacks/quick breakfast items (granola bars, etc.). Worked great for a quick start in the morning and freed up space for souvenirs, etc. on the way back.

 

[blackthidot]

I just usually pack my soaps, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste/brush, hair gel, razor, shave cream all in one big zip lock, or shopping bag.

Other than that I bring...

- A pair of socks, and underwear for each day.
- 3 or 4 pairs of my AF cargo, or regular shorts.
- A T-shirt for each day.
- 1 pair of my FAV AF sweat pants JUST in case we get a chilly night.
- 2 or 3 pairs of my AF sweat shorts to sleep in with 2 old T-shirts (I end up taking them off anyways) :shrug:
- 2 pairs of swim shorts because I keep my bedroom SO cold that the one pair never dries and putting on cold wet trunks kinda sucks.
- My laptop to transfer my pictures over at the end of the day.
- Phone charger.
- Camera charger.
- Sandles
- 2 Pairs of Air Max 360's!
- Birnbaums guide. (I NEVER use it there but when I leave it home, thats when Ill need it).


Believe it or not I can get all that into one suitcase with a little room to spare. But I do bring an extra suitcase with an empty one inside it for all the insane amount of money I spend on gifts.

I even make a list starting around 30 days before I go of all the stuff I want to bring just so I do not forget anything.

 

[Boray]

As has been said, lots of zip top bags. Everything that goes with me into the parks is in a bag - this makes the security checks go very fast. Also, lists for everything. I have a list for what clothes I need, toiletries, food stuffs to bring and buy when we get there (we drive and eat breakfast and snacks in the evening in our vacation home, so we have a full kitchen at our disposal) and a list for all miscellaneous items needed.

The best advice I have is for the driver who will be taking 2 days to get to Orlando. We pack a separate pilot's-size suitcase for the hotel. It has a change of clothes for all 4 of us, plus our toiletries bag. That way, I take one LITTLE suitcase into the hotel, rather than all of our clothes (at least 2 big suitcases). It makes the process of being in the hotel faster that evening and faster getting out the next morning (no one has to decide what to wear - there is only one outfit for everyone in the bag.) for the last few hours of drive-time to the World!!!

 

[WickedQueen22]

I just usually pack my soaps, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste/brush, hair gel, razor, shave cream all in one big zip lock, or shopping bag.

Other than that I bring...

- A pair of socks, and underwear for each day.
- 3 or 4 pairs of my AF cargo, or regular shorts.
- A T-shirt for each day.
- 1 pair of my FAV AF sweat pants JUST in case we get a chilly night.
- 2 or 3 pairs of my AF sweat shorts to sleep in with 2 old T-shirts (I end up taking them off anyways) :shrug:
- 2 pairs of swim shorts because I keep my bedroom SO cold that the one pair never dries and putting on cold wet trunks kinda sucks.
- My laptop to transfer my pictures over at the end of the day.
- Phone charger.
- Camera charger.
- Sandles
- 2 Pairs of Air Max 360's!
- Birnbaums guide. (I NEVER use it there but when I leave it home, thats when Ill need it).


Believe it or not I can get all that into one suitcase with a little room to spare. But I do bring an extra suitcase with an empty one inside it for all the insane amount of money I spend on gifts.

I even make a list starting around 30 days before I go of all the stuff I want to bring just so I do not forget anything.

I'm sorry but do you get paid to be a typing promo for AF?? :ROFLOL:

 

[Crazy4WDW1]

I have a WDW packing list on my computer. I update it right before we're ready to leave. I also carry a duffle bag in my suitcase. It's great for carrying home the breakable gifts, etc. I also am a firm believer in Ziplock bags. They are great for a wash cloth in the parks, wet ponchos, etc. Also, I read somewhere about packing binder clips. I've found that they are great to clip on the drapes in the room to keep the light out.