Packing for 14 days (what to pack and what to pack it in)

[KrzyKtty]

Ok. So this is a two part question.

First, my family is going on a 14 day WDW trip this summer (late June). It is 2 adults and 2 children (13 and 9). We are flying even though we live in SC (got two free tickets from our CC). So the luggage we can bring is limited. I get to check at least 2 bags for free. So the plan was to bring two larger suitcases that we can check, and two smaller ones that can be put in overhead.

How many days would you pack for to minimize how much you need to bring while also trying to avoid spending every third day at the laundry service? I don't' want to waste all my resort days doing Laundry. However, packing 14 days worth of clothes for 4 people seems unrealistic (I'm not sure any of us own 14 days worth of clothes TBH). Also, considering how hot it is, re-using clothes seems unrealistic because they will get to sweaty. Thoughts? I was probably going to pick up compression cubes to help save space (have packing cubes, but they aren't compression).

Also, the two larger suitcases we are are old soft side (nylon?) suitcases with standard wheels. Are there any larger hard shelled suitcases that you recommend with 360 degree swivel wheels that don't cost an arm and a leg? We have two carry on size like that and they are so much easier to travel with.

 

[KrzyKtty]

I love packing cubes from eBags...I can get at least 1-week's worth of clothing packed and usually if we take our biggest bag, I can pack both my DH and I in one bag. We have 2-sets of Traveler's choice luggage (love that they nest when we aren't using them so they take up less space) and we've had them for almost 10 years and everything still works great on them
View attachment 629903

Oh those look nice!!

 

[MickeyCB]

I think what you might be thinking of is a "weekender"-sized bag, which I would consider to be the kind of thing one would take on the plane as a "personal item," and place under the seat in front of them.

What I was referring to is a standard-size rolling carryon suitcase, usually in the neighborhood of 21"x14"x8", give or take an inch here or there. It's within the maximums for most domestic carriers in the U.S. for carryon luggage that will fit in an overhead bin. They can hold quite a bit.

As an example, here's a photo of what I packed in a 21" suitcase (the Delsey model I described in my earlier post) for a 10-day visit to Scotland in the fall. I had one laundry stop planned in the middle of the trip and one night I needed to "dress up," so I planned for 6 outfits, total. I had 2 medium packing cubes with about 3 long-sleeved tops and 2 pairs of pants each, 1 slim packing cube with a nightshirt, underwear, long underwear, and washcloth, 1 slim packing cube with "miscellaneous" things like my phone charger, plug adapter, and some gifts for a friend I was meeting with, 1 pair of slip-on shoes (stuffed with my socks), a folded laundry bag with detergent pods, a foldable tote bag (for souvenirs on the way home) a 3-1-1 bag, and my toiletry case (the big, flat red case strapped to the lid). The black hobo purse was my "personal item" for the plane (in fact, I could have taken a personal item 3 times its size, but I didn't need the space), and had my wallet, documents, phone and charger, a mini-umbrella, a book, a pashmina scarf and hat, and a couple of granola bars. I've used this same suitcase and hobo purse for Disney trips as well: given that I'm packing much lighter clothing for Orlando than I did for Scotland (and don't need to pack things like washcloths, electrical adapters and gifts), it can hold much more clothing when I'm Florida-bound.

View attachment 629464

Ok,

We've a lot to learn!!

And for everyone worried about wrinkles. We use the "mom" dewrinkling method in my house. The kid puts on whatever wrinkled shirt they are wearing, they come see me. I wet my hands from the water faucet, run it up and down their shirt, wrinkles disappear, and it dries before they get to wherever they are going. Voila! Primitive but effective.

 

[nickys]

Ok,

We've a lot to learn!!

And for everyone worried about wrinkles. We use the "mom" dewrinkling method in my house. The kid puts on whatever wrinkled shirt they are wearing, they come see me. I wet my hands from the water faucet, run it up and down their shirt, wrinkles disappear, and it dries before they get to wherever they are going. Voila! Primitive but effective.

I don’t worry about wrinkles period. Unless going to a posh dinner. Who cares, especially at Disney?

 

[NelleBelle]

I pack a travel size downy wrinkle releaser for my 2 teens who wad their clothes up in their suitcases and think that's "folding" As for my sundresses or Hawaiian shirts DH wears, I usually take the iron to them first thing when I'm unpacking and give a quick press. If we're in a DVC or something with a dryer--I throw a damp washcloth in with the boys' clothes and get the wrinkles out while they shower and voila, clothes are dewrinkled!

 

[Patcheslee]

For wrinkles when rolling, I usually stack an outfit together: shirts bottom, shorts, underthings, then socks. Roll it all as one.

 

[RememberWhen]

@Weather_Lady, do you offer packing services?! We could sure use the help.

 

[nickys]

Packing strategy - flat or roll?

I’ve heard the saying that rolling allows you to pack more into the space. But does it? Seriously, what’s the evidence for this?

When I pack, every layer in the case is flat. Shoes and toiletries at the bottom, with the gaps stuffed with socks, undies, bits and pieces. Then a towel over the whole area and I start again with the trousers, tops etc. But say I put 4 per trousers in, then again round the outside go more undies or, yes a rolled up tee or swim shorts. And so on. With a towel over everything at the top, tucked in and the straps fastened.

So will rolling up a bundle of clothes and laying each roll side by side save space?

 

[Dreaming of Disney World]

I would pack for 1 week and do laundry half way.

 

[NelleBelle]

Oh those look nice!!

The smallest one fits in the overhead nicely. If DH and I go somewhere just the two of us, we'll each pack one and just carry-on.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Packing strategy - flat or roll?

I’ve heard the saying that rolling allows you to pack more into the space. But does it? Seriously, what’s the evidence for this?

When I pack, every layer in the case is flat. Shoes and toiletries at the bottom, with the gaps stuffed with socks, undies, bits and pieces. Then a towel over the whole area and I start again with the trousers, tops etc. But say I put 4 per trousers in, then again round the outside go more undies or, yes a rolled up tee or swim shorts. And so on. With a towel over everything at the top, tucked in and the straps fastened.

So will rolling up a bundle of clothes and laying each roll side by side save space?

It sounds like you're already thoughtfully using every inch of space, and rolling wouldn't make a difference.

I think rolling (or bundling, which was popular a while back) is just helpful for those who otherwise would have extra unused space due to inefficiently stacking folded items of different sizes. I've tried rolling and folding, and have found no difference in the amount of space things take up.

I will say that regardless of whether it saved space, rolling complete outfits together into little "clothes burritos" like @Patcheslee describes above was really helpful, especially when my kids were young at WDW. They could just grab a "roll" from their packing cube each morning and get themselves dressed - no hunting for socks and underwear, or worrying about mismatched items. Everything was there in a nice little package, and they liked being able to get dressed all by themselves.

 

[KrzyKtty]

I like rolling or stacking in combination with packing cubes simply because it makes it easier to see what clothes what clothes you have to select without having to mess up half of your suitcase to get to the clothes on the bottom. Oftentimes we will live out of the suitcase.

 

[carriebeth]

So we always do a 14 day trip every September. I have 8 kids plus my husband and I. I do not want to do laundry on vacation plus my kids dress in character costumes each day and if we are doing character dinners they change and dress like the characters at dinner as well. I say just pay extra for more bags. In the overall cost of vacation the extra you are spending for more bags isn’t all that much and the ease of packing and more importantly, repacking to come back home and not worry about trying not to buy too much that won’t fit the return trip….the extra luggage space is invaluable.

 

[KrzyKtty]

So we always do a 14 day trip every September. I have 8 kids plus my husband and I. I do not want to do laundry on vacation plus my kids dress in character costumes each day and if we are doing character dinners they change and dress like the characters at dinner as well. I say just pay extra for more bags. In the overall cost of vacation the extra you are spending for more bags isn’t all that much and the ease of packing and more importantly, repacking to come back home and not worry about trying not to buy too much that won’t fit the return trip….the extra luggage space is invaluable.

I'm not sure anybody in my family owns 14 days worth of clothes . Trip to Tanger Outlets!

 

[Weather_Lady]

I like rolling or stacking in combination with packing cubes simply because it makes it easier to see what clothes what clothes you have to select without having to mess up half of your suitcase to get to the clothes on the bottom. Oftentimes we will live out of the suitcase.

That's my favorite thing about packing everything in cubes and pouches. Living out of the suitcase -- or plopping your cubes in a drawer or on a shelf to "unpack" in seconds -- becomes so easy and convenient and orderly, it makes my little obsessive compulsive heart skip with delight.

Apropos of nothing, I always find these discussions so interesting, because they showcase all of our different attitudes about what it means to us to relax on a vacation. For those like @carriebeth above, it's about being able to dress in a way that's festive and meaningfully tailored to each special event, and not having to spend hours doing laundry for 10 people (10 people!!!) on vacation, even if it means packing more. For someone like me, it's all about unburdening myself of baggage, not just in the emotional sense but in a literal one, even if it means tackling a load of laundry some morning while I lounge by the pool (such a Proverbs 31 multitasker, LOL!).

I don't know why I find the topic of packing-for-vacation so fascinating, to the point where I sometimes Google around to see other people's packing tips and hotel room hacks, and scan their proposed packing lists and capsule wardrobes just to see all the different approaches, but I do. I'm glad that when all is said and done, there are sufficient baggage allowances, and laundry rooms, to let us all tackle the packing dilemmas (which are unique to each destination, party, season, and age) in the ways that make us happiest.

 

[KrzyKtty]

That's my favorite thing about packing everything in cubes and pouches. Living out of the suitcase -- or plopping your cubes in a drawer or on a shelf to "unpack" in seconds -- becomes so easy and convenient and orderly, it makes my little obsessive compulsive heart skip with delight.

Apropos of nothing, I always find these discussions so interesting, because they showcase all of our different attitudes about what it means to us to relax on a vacation. For those like @carriebeth above, it's about being able to dress in a way that's festive and fun and meaningfully tailored to each special event, and not having to spend hours doing laundry for 10 people (10 people!!!) on vacation, even if it means packing more. For someone like me, it's all about unburdening myself of baggage, not just in the emotional sense but in a literal one, even if it means tackling a load of laundry some morning while I lounge by the pool (such a Proverbs 31 multitasker, LOL).

I don't know why I find the topic of packing-for-vacation so fascinating, to the point where I sometimes Google around to see other people's packing tips, and scan their proposed packing lists and capsule wardrobes just to see all the different approaches, but I do. I'm glad that when all is said and done, there are sufficient baggage allowances, and laundry rooms, to let us all tackle the packing dilemmas in the ways that make us happiest.

I am very much the same way. I always spend a lot of time researching how other people pack and what they bring. Honestly, I could use some recommendations on what sort of clothes to buy for myself for this trip. But I'm not even sure where I would post that on these threads. I want lightweight clothes that are easy to pack, Quick dry, and water wicking (I'm a sweater ) . I fall into the mommy trap that I only tend to buy new clothes for myself once a decade and it's been awhile. I don't really have any shirts or shorts for this trip .

 

[Weather_Lady]

I am very much the same way. I always spend a lot of time researching how other people pack and what they bring. Honestly, I could use some recommendations on what sort of clothes to buy for myself for this trip. But I'm not even sure where I would post that on these threads. I want lightweight clothes that are easy to pack, Quick dry, and water wicking (I'm a sweater ) . I fall into the mommy trap that I only tend to buy new clothes for myself once a decade and it's been awhile. I don't really have any shirts or shorts for this trip .

If you're looking for something to add to your wardrobe, my personal recommendation would be to consider adding a few staple pieces of clothing that are moisture-wicking, like the sorts of tops, shorts and skorts marketed to golfers and hikers. (The downside: some of these fabrics tend to be a little bit shiny and very thin, which for some people, feels too much like "gym wear," but the styling doesn't have to: when I was supplementing my wardrobe for WDW in August during a week in the high 90s, I gravitated toward moisture-wicking tops that were ruched or had an interesting neckline, and boating/hiking shorts that were quick-dry but tailored, with pockets sturdy enough to hold my phone, so I could go bagless if I wanted.) In fact, my new favorite piece of travel clothing is a simple black "hiking skort dress" from Athleta that I bought for a steal on eBay, which is practically weightless, but completely breathable, can't wrinkle, dries in no time, has 2 zipper pockets big enough for a phone, and can be dressed up or down in myriad ways.

These kinds of fabrics have become very popular, and you can find such items at Walmart, Old Navy, JC Penney, or if you want to spend a little more, Eddie Bauer, L.L. Bean, Land's End, etc. Just look for terms like, "moisture-wicking," "dri-fit," "performance fabric," etc. If you find it's not really your style, you can never go wrong with lightweight, light-colored cotton or linen.

 

[KrzyKtty]

If you're looking for something to add to your wardrobe, I highly recommend a few pieces of clothing that are moisture-wicking, like the sorts of clothes marketed to golfers and hikers. (The downside: some of these fabrics tend to be a little bit shiny and very thin, which for some people, feels too much like "gym wear," but the styling doesn't have to: when we visited WDW in August during a week in the high 90s, I gravitated toward tops that were ruched or had an interesting neckline, and boating shorts that were tailored, with good pockets.)

You can find such items at Walmart, Old Navy, JC Penney, or if you want to spend a little more, Eddie Bauer, L.L. Bean, Land's End, or Athleta. Just look for terms like, "moisture-wicking," "dri-fit," "performance," etc. If you find it's not really your style, you can never go wrong with lightweight, light-colored cotton or linen.

That sounds perfect. Maybe I'll shop around on the target website and see what they have.

 

[NelleBelle]

That sounds perfect. Maybe I'll shop around on the target website and see what they have.

Just to add, I really love Columbia and Athleta's travel/athletic clothing. Generally doesn't wrinkle to badly, dries really fast from water rides, keeps you cool. Some of it's expensive if paying full price but you can often find it on sale on each respective brand's website or even finding items new but significantly marked down on eBay.

 

[correcaminos]

Rolling definitely for the win! Trust me on this!

Maybe it's me, but I think you'll be fine. Summer clothes really are easier. I tend to waaaaay overpack for our trips. We had a 9 day trip last summer and I think I had 20 outfits and a dozen different sandals. Some of the shorts I had were even denim and I had a half a dozen dresses in my luggage. Of course a couple swimsuits too. The sandals all fit in a tote and the remainder of my clothing fit in a roller carry on. Unlike some, I hate packing cubes. They take up too much extra space and really don't allow you to move things around as needed. That was my entire luggage for 9 days. I did not do laundry except our last night to come home with as many clean clothes as possible. And yes, I had clothing with me I did not wear. I think if I can pack each of us in a roller carry on and one personal item, you can easily do 2 weeks with that and 2 checked bags.

I actually do everything to avoid checking bags now though, but I do think a 14 day trip with your limitations is completely possible. Only issue for some are shoes if you do tennis shoes and have big feet.

 

[KrzyKtty]

I really don't mind checking bags. Because of our credit card, I get to check a free bag per traveler. So I don't tend to mind the Larger luggage since I don't have to pay for it. It does mean I have to wait to get it back though.