I spent this past week helping my young adult pack up her life to go off to college. Amongst the tears, both hers and mine, we had to figure out how to get her entire life into a sedan for the road trip to school. With over 15 years of travel experience, often for 6-8 weeks at a time, I am ready for the challenge! As we get started, I am reminded of all the crucial packing accessories (and tips) I have picked up along the way.
Packing for college isn’t exactly like packing to travel but there are many similarities. In both cases, space saving is still of the utmost importance. I have tested many different products and these are the travel accessories I cannot live without.
1. Packing Cubes
I love products that offer some kind of organization, especially while on the road. These Travel Wise packing cubes do just that! They are like mini suitcases that unzip on three sides and are meant to put inside your suitcase. They are lightweight, come in several sizes and allow you to see what’s inside without opening them. In addition, each family member can have their own set in a different color. I use the smallest ones to keep undergarments and socks in an easy to find spot. The larger ones store my tops and bottoms separately and generally keep wrinkles at bay. When my kids were small, I used them to separate outfits so they could dress themselves in the morning. The college girl used them this weekend to organize her clothes by style.
They are especially useful if you are planning to move around to different locations. Packing and unpacking while on the road can be a drag, but with these organizers I find it to be much easier. While packing cubes are super useful when traveling with a suitcase, they become crucial packing accessories when traveling with a backpack. The one downside to backpack traveling is that everything goes inside from the top and clothing gets jumbled easier. These packing cubes solve that problem.
Pro tip: Pack a spare one at the bottom of the suitcase to house all the dirty laundry in a separate space.
2. Compression Bags
Compression bags are not the same as packing cubes. They are like giant ziploc bags that compress your clothes into half the size allowing for packing more of what you love. I love this 12 pack set of compression bags because you can either share them with the rest of the family or use them all for yourself. I also like that there are only 2 sizes – big and bigger. The first time I bought compression bags, there were three sizes and the smallest one was not useful for anything.
To get the best use out of compression bags, fold your clothing flat and do not overstuff the bag. Then, seal the bag as if it were a ziploc. Afterward, roll the bag from the zipper at top towards the end. A one way valve releases all of the air and creates a vacuum packed seal. The result is a pack half the size you started with!
Compression bags are the right packing accessories for you if you are traveling with bulk or if you are an avid over-packer. I find them especially useful for traveling to cold weather climates as they compress bulky clothes very easily. My teen loved them for packing for college because she could take all of her sweaters, instead of just a handful. Typically, I travel with a combination of packing cubes and compression bags. The only downside to compression bags is that they tend to add wrinkles.
3. Wrinkle Releaser
Which brings me to the third most important of all travel accessories – the wrinkle releaser. I never leave home for more than a day without my wrinkle releaser, or for that matter, my Tide to go stain sticks. Wearing clean and non – wrinkled clothing has never been easier since the invention of these two products. I certainly sent my teen to college with a big bottle of Downy wrinkle release and a pack of stain sticks!
There is nothing more annoying than starting off on a day of touring with an outfit that looks like you slept in it. I spray a little bit of this on my outfit and it works great. It is most effective if you dampen the item first, spray it with the wrinkle releaser and then hang to dry. Sometimes, when I ‘m in a rush, I even put the clothes on while they are still a little damp. While they may not look professionally ironed, I have always been able to clean up my look with very little effort. The product works best on thinner material like t-shirts, blouses and lightweight pants. Not great for jeans or thicker fabrics.
4. Luggage Scale
This digital luggage scale is an absolute lifesaver when traveling and therefore one of my most important travel accessories. Overweight baggage fees have skyrocketed with the airlines in the past few years. Generally suitcases over 50lbs can run between $75 and $200 extra and in some cases the airline will even charge for carry on bags over a certain weight. Don’t ever get caught with extra baggage fees again!
Simply attach the hook to your bag and the gadget will register the weight of the bag and alert you if it is overweight. I had a non digital luggage scale for years that you practically needed to lay on the floor with a flashlight to read it. The backlight and the alert make reading this scale super easy. In addition, it is small, lightweight and easy to store right in your suitcase.
5. A Backpack (instead of a suitcase)
While it is not for everyone, I am a huge fan of traveling with a backpack instead of a suitcase. Here are a few reasons why the backpack made my list of travel accessories that I won’t leave home without.
Over the years we have done many European trips. When the kids were small, we started with spending 8 weeks exploring one country like Italy, or Spain. As they got older, we started to move around more. During an 8 week trip we might see several countries like Croatia, Hungary and Germany.
We found that traveling from place to place was made a lot easier with backpacks instead of suitcases. First, with kids in tow, I love having my hands free. Second, getting through airports is a breeze. Upon arrival to your location, drivers quickly learn that suitcases for a family of 4 rarely fit into the trunk of a small European car. Train travelers find that getting on and off a crowded train that only stops for a few minutes is a lot easier with a backpack than a suitcase. In addition, backpacks are easily watched because they almost always fit in the luggage space right above your head. Furthermore, try pulling a suitcase along a cobblestone street or up a mountainside town in Italy!
Finally, I like backpacks because kids can carry what they pack. My kids started carrying their own packs at the age of 7. This allowed us to travel longer and farther. It also taught them at a young age not only how to pack, but how to be good travelers. Now, as teenagers, they are super efficient at packing whether it’s for a weekend or for heading off to college.
What to look for in a backpack
Choosing a pack can be a challenge. I like a pack with lots of pockets for better organization. I also prefer a front loading pack vs a top loading pack for easier access. A pack with a rain cover is a must – especially if you plan to cover some ground. Finally, make sure your pack has padded hip belts and padded shoulder pads. Size matters – Kids age 6-9 years can typically carry a backpack 18-25L. For kids age 10-14, I recommend a 25-35L backpack. Teens age 15 and up, as well as adults, can usually manage a pack that holds up to 50-60L. I am partial to the Osprey backpacks. I offer suggestions based upon size below.
Kids pack for ages 6-9
The Osprey Hikelite 18 is a good versatile pack that smaller kids can generally manage. Kids clothes are smaller and lighter and that combined with the compression bags makes it relatively easy to pack them in this pack for 1-2 weeks.
Kids pack for ages 10-14
The Osprey Ace 38 is a good option for kids age 10-14 and ticks all the marks I like. It easily holds 1-2 weeks worth of clothes, opens from the top and front and has lots of compartments. I like the added bonus of the zippered bottom pocket to store dirty laundry or wet clothing. For kids who can handle a little more weight try the Osprey Ace 50.
Adult and Teen packs
The Osprey Renn 65 is made specifically for women. It’s the pack that got me through a 50 mile hike in Patagonia , a 60 mile hike in the Swiss Alps as well as countless other European excursions. When I am hiking I try to keep the weight down to 30lbs because I am carrying my pack for long periods of time. When I am just touring and only carrying the pack from one location to the next, I have carried up to 40-45lbs worth of items in my pack.
For bigger and stronger folks, the mac daddy backpack is the Osprey Aether AG 70. Equipped with a large hip belt and harness, this is the pack for the strongest one in the family. It can hold 70L and is well constructed to be easy on the back and hips.
Over the years I have tried so many travel products and these are the packing accessories I cannot live without. Let me know in the comments if there are any additional ones on your must have list!
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These are so cool!
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