Travel Tip: How to pack for a week in a 19″ carry-on. {Using the Delsey ‘For Once’ Suitcase}

How to pack for a week using a 19″ carry-on:

I’m sure for some of you, just reading that title makes you cringe.  How on earth can you possibly get enough clothes into a 19″ carry-on bag?  Don’t worry, ladies.  It can be done and there will be plenty of room for extras.

Step 1:  Choose Your Luggage

Obviously you can’t pack an entire week’s worth of clothes in just any ‘ol bag.  You have to be sure you choose the right luggage.  One of my main concerns when choosing luggage is the weight.  I can assume that I will be shoving the absolute most that I can get into my luggage so I always choose bags that are super light.  Right now I’m loving my radiant orchid FOR ONCE 19″ Carry-On Spinner Trolley by Delsey.  Delsey Luggage has always worked well for me in the past so I’m going to continue to stick with them.

The FOR ONCE Spinner Trolley is easy to maneuver with just one hand thanks to the four spinner wheels.  Because of this feature I’m able to push a stroller with one hand and my Delsey luggage in the other.  The middle of this bag features two tie-down straps to keep your clothes secure and multiple storage pockets for organization.  This bag fits perfect in the overhead storage bins of Southwest and Airtran planes as well as most other airline storage bins.

Step 2: Lay Out Your Clothes

Put your dresses in one pile, shorts in another, pants in another, etc.  This will make the next step easier.

Step 3:  Roll, Roll, Roll!

Here’s the trick.  Once your have your piles made, begin rolling them up as tight as you can.  This will ensure that there is no wasted space in your luggage and will help you to be able to bring extra clothes.  Here is a picture of my five dresses rolled up:

In the picture below you see that I was able to get all of my clothes for one week into a 19″ carry-on bag.

 Here is the official count of what I stuffed into the bag:

9 shirts

5 dresses

4 pairs of shorts

3 pairs of pants

2 pairs of pajama pants

2 pajama shirts

5 swimsuits

5 bras and enough undies for the week.

What you can’t see are:

1 pair of Nike running shoes

3 pairs of flip flops

1 light jacket which I wear around my waist or put in my backpack

I was able to shove the shoes in the outside zippered compartment and the swimsuits and undies on the inside zippered pocket.  I’m still amazed at how easily I was able to fit everything into a 19″ carry-on.  This will definitely be the new way I travel, especially when I have to go through customs.  The process of going through customs going to and from Mexico was so easy with carry-ons.

If you’re wondering where I put my cosmetics and toiletries, I put them in my backpack.  I always travel with a backpack that carries my iPad, toys and diaper for my daughter, my cosmetics, toiletries and personal belongings. I always leave some extra space in my backpack to bring back souvenirs.

Shop Delsey

Head over to http://shop.delsey.us to shop the FOR ONCE bag and all of the other great bags and accessories that Delsey has to offer.

Do you have any packing tips?  Please share them with us using the comments form below!