Just got back from a 2-week trip in the far NW corner of China (XinJiang & Gansu provinces). This was the first time in my adult life that I'd taken a tour...with 38 other people. I don't think I'll do that again, even though the people were nice enough, the itinerary was good, and the tour guides were funny and informative. But that's for another post.
This random thought is on packing light.
My roommate packed changes of clothes for 14 days, and her suitcase was more than twice as big as mine both in size and in weight.
My clothes probably occupied half of a standard carry-on suitcase, and weighed, at most, 10 pounds. When the suitcases were arrayed for packing onto the tour bus, mine always stood out 'cuz it was so small.
Coincidentally, upon returning, I read a newspaper article about packing light.
I have certain advantages: first, I am a small person. Second, I'm not much on appearances. Third, I'm willing to wash my clothes daily. This tour was in May, to a hot desert region, to China, where people don't dress up, and it was a TOUR - i.e. I didn't need special equipment or clothes for hiking, rafting, going to a French restaurant, etc. So that made things easier still!
So, here are my own random thoughts about packing light:
Nylon zip pants - my best travel friend, serving both as long pants, and shorts.
Nylon shorts w/lots of pockets - since I was going to a desert area in China
Nylon culottes with pockets - last minute throw-in since it was light - when slightly more coverup was needed.
Cotton/silk 3/4 sleeve thin button-front shirt with two pockets - worn every day over my tank tops! My mother offered to let me borrow hers right before I left. I tried it on, loved it, and wore it every day!
Two tank tops
Two T-shirts - worn as an extra layer on cool evenings, or if the cotton/silk button-front shirt was being washed.
Sweater (not used, but we were told that the temps could go to 45 degrees F)
Light jacket (used on the rare chilly mornings or evenings, and on the plane)
Shawl (per tour recommendation as we would go to a mosque, but we didn't need it)
Underwear - 4 days (I think I'll carry 5 days in the future to take the pressure off for washing)
Bra - I brought one but never wore it (tank top and thin shirt worked fine for me and was modest enough)
Hat - for the hot sun
Sunscreen - essential
Tiny packet of laundry soap - most days I used the body wash or shampoo provided by the hotel. One hotel didn't have enough so I used part of my packet of laundry soap.
Clothespins - the kind that can be hung from shower bars if necessary
Croc sandals - these look like cute slip-on sandals (not those ugly clogs w/holes) - they were light, very washable, provided cushioning and support, had a small heel (I don't like being in Chinese squat toilets with very flat sandals!?!), and I wore them all day, every single day, and even climbed a sand dune and the eastern outpost of the Great Wall with them on.
Running shoes & socks - didn't need them as the Croc sandals were better, but if I'd had time to go jogging, they would have come in handy. I did wear them on the plane.
Small laptop computer, charger, Chinese cell phone, charger, camera, charger.
That was about it, along w/some odds & ends, and snacks and an empty water bottle.
In China, and when I travel in general, pockets are very important to me. I keep money and passport in zippered pockets, toilet paper, kleenix, and a tube of liquid soap in non-zippered pants pockets, and often a pen and notepad in my shirt pocket.
I washed underwear daily - I found, on this trip, that the body wash provided by hotels was terrific for washing clothes - like using Woolite, IMHO! I washed the tank tops, shorts/culottes, and the thin 3/4 sleeve button-front shirt every other day or as needed. The shirt was great - the fabric was very thin, and the style was "Indian wrinkled" so it was quick & easy to wash, and dried in a couple of hours. The nylon pants all washed and dried very quickly too. The tank tops were cotton knits so I wrapped them in a towel, stomped on them a bit, then hung them up. They took a little longer to dry than nylon but they always were dry by the next morning. Ditto for the underwear (simple cotton panties; nylon undoubtedly would have dried faster).
Since I didn't wear the shoes on most of the trip, there was no need to wash socks. From past experience, though, socks can take surprisingly long to dry. Cotton knits seem to dry relatively slowly, and the thicker the sock, the longer it takes to dry. Thanks to those wonderful comfy Croc sandals, though, I didn't need shoes. I simply washed my feet (and the plastic sandals, too, if necessary) at the end of the day.
I've been on cold-weather trips, too, and travelled equally light. We went to Italy in the winter. The advantage of cold weather in Europe is that you don't get dirty and sweaty, so I had only one of everything - layers, all color-coordinated, and a pashmina shawl for extra warmth or used as a scarf.
I read somewhere, and found it true, that one of the bulkiest and heaviest things to take, are shoes. Thus, I choose my shoes first (and coat, if it is winter), and coordinate the clothes around them. I do my best to bring no more than 2 pairs of shoes, plus a pair of lightweight rubber slippers ("flip flops" in mainland parlance) to wear in the hotel or on the plane.
When you travel light, you are much more free. In Europe, we took the trains or walked. Even on car trips, small bags make it easier to take things in and out of the trunk, and minimal clothes, pre-matched, keep things simple and quick. My husband travels frequently on business, and he's a master of packing only the essentials. I don't travel as often as he does, but I've been away from home for as long as 2 months at a time.
One final note: I usually carry small tubes of hotel body wash with me in my pocket. I prefer the screw-top (vs. flip tops) as those are less likely to leak. In China, soap in bathrooms was very rare, so it was handy to have these in my pocket, along with TP and a sturdy paper towel (not really necessary in that desert environment, though). This body wash was also great for hand-washing my clothes every day - I used to carry a small bar of soap for underwear, and a small packet of powdered detergent for other clothes, but I think a tube of body wash is more effective, and far easier to carry around, too!
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