Making a (Packing) List, Checking It Twice
While digging around for the products to include in this year's holiday gift guide, I discovered some great travel-related Web sites. One I stumbled across doesn't sell travel products, but rather sells the notion of traveling light. OneBag.com founder Doug Dyment packs his site (pun intended) with all kinds of practical advice, from how to choose a bag to how to travel light with kids in tow.
But half the fun of OneBag.com is Dyment's cantankerous rants (wheeled luggage = bad) and well-researched endorsements for various products (like packing cubes) and methods (like "bundle packing"). He avoids the usual harping about TSA requirements, airlines and other obvious targets.
One thing I love about the site is his packing checklist (PDF). The printable list, called "What to Pack (on a Trip of Any Length)," is not only incredibly practical, it also reminds me of trip prep from my childhood: getting ready for sleep-away camp, checking off things like "hunting knife" and "bandana" for the wilderness trips, and counting out socks and underwear before loading them into my backpack. (Of course, I also get sentimental when I see those August circulars from the Container Store and such, with "What Every College Freshman Needs" checklists.)
On the OneBag.com checklist, the products recommended run from the everyday (dressy jacket, belt, swimsuit) to the specialized (calculator, restaurant lists), with some fun, rugged suggestions thrown in: duct tape, whistle, compass, spork. I think about all the times I've been stuck without the easily-overlooked essentials on the list (nail clippers, bandages, stain remover, safety pins), and how I felt like a hero when I handed a firebuilder a matchbook or offered a sewing kit to a travel companion with an unraveling hem.
I'm planning for a big trip abroad in January, and I'm determined to only bring a carry-on bag, so I keep pulling out the checklist to see what else I need to remember to pack. Travel towel? Check. Flashlight? Yup. Extra passport photos? Okay, that goes on the to-do list.
Check out the OneBag.com packing list. Is there anything you would add to or eliminate from it? Do you have other packing lists you use for every trip?
By Christina Talcott |
December 13, 2007; 8:03 AM ET
| Category:
Christina Talcott
Previous: Are You More Stupider Than a Fifth-Grader? |
Next: A Little More Leg Room, Please
View or post comments
Posted by: BxNY | December 13, 2007 11:23 AM
I keep packing lists for each trip saved in my Google Documents. Then when I am taking a similarly lengthed trip to a similar destination, I pull up the previous list, make any necessary edits and save as a new one. This saves me from forgetting a lot of the mundane things.
Posted by: Mary | December 17, 2007 10:30 AM
The comments to this entry are closed.
My only gripe about this list is that it might not be realistic given today's (Kafkaesque) security regulations. I'd love to be able to bring a "multipurpose tool" with me in my carryon luggage, but they're pretty much verboten, either because of included blades or because the TSA person doing your screening thinks they should be verboten. Then there's the whole 311 business and the God-help-you-if-you're-flying-through-Heathrow rule of thumb that both need to be kept in mind...