This summer I am taking a trip to Texas for our Mary Kay Seminar. I am checking one piece of luggage (which is shared with my daughter), but I wanted to pack as much as I could into my carry-on to avoid having to check a second bag, and to make sure that I had all my essentials, in case my baggage got lost. What I found is that I could fit much more than I expected into my little carry-on bag!!
Here is my bag, in the seat of a small recliner, with a remote added for scale. Not a large carry-on at all!
Here's what it looks like when you open it up...
Under the folded jacket, you see what REALLY makes up the inside of the suitcase...
Under the jeans I have several pairs of shoes packed tightly, with the spaces between them stuffed with underwear.
For the first time ever, I utilized the Travel Space Bags I have. I used two in this suitcase. They are nice because you don't need a vacuum to remove the air; you just roll them up to press out all the air and when you unroll them they are vacuum packed. It's pretty amazing!
Even more amazing is how much I was able to fit in each Space Bag. I rolled my clothes first, then put them into the Space Bag to maximize space and minimize wrinkles. It worked surprisingly well!
The first bag included a sweater and long skirt...
Knee length dress and two slips...
Skinny jeans and black yoga pants...
And 6 tops...
Here's what the bag looked like after I removed the first Space Bag:
The second Space Bag included several more items of clothing...
An after 5 dress...
A beaded after 5 dress along with a velvet bolero jacket...
A long formal gown...
Two business skirts...
3 tops...
A cardigan sweater and a swimsuit...
There was also a pair of shorts stuffed along the side of the Space Bags, that I tucked in as an afterthought. Here is what the carry-on looked like without the clothing items:
After going through security, I also tucked my ziplock of liquids into the top of the bag, so I had shampoo and conditioner, lipstick, mascara, mascara primer, hand lotion, hand sanitizer, and a couple finger nail polishes with me as well.
As for my shoes, I managed to pack 4 pairs of shoes in my carry-on as well. If my luggage got lost, I could survive with these 4 pair (plus the pair I was wearing) without too many problems. There's a pair of black walking flats, black business wedges, navy sandals, and gold dress wedges. Remember, I'm headed to a business conference with 3 semi-formal events and lots of walking, so I had to be judicious about what were in my "essentials" list!
I also had some accessories tucked away in my carry-on. I had 2 belts (one narrow, one wide), a flat iron, and a bag that could double as a clutch if needed.
Then there was my jewelry... Some people just have a couple accessories that will do for them, but I love my bling!! Here's my jewelry case and headband...
Now, I'm sure I could have packed my jewelry in a smaller space if I'd been willing to, but I like my jewelry organizer, even if it is a bit on the bulky side. It has clear zippered "pages" that flip so I can see everything and organize it however I want for the trip. No worries of jewelry getting tangled!
So... It turns out I can fit a LOT into my little suitcase!! I have enough clothing for 2 weeks, and even when my checked bag didn't come out with the rest of our flight's luggage, I wasn't worried. Thankfully, the reason it didn't come out with the rest is because it arrived on an earlier flight, but still... it felt great to be prepared!
