Packing Tips and Travel Style: PACK Gear

There are lots of different travel packing styles.  Some travelers roll their clothes.  Some use packing cubes.  Some fold their clothes in an intricate overlapping fashion which could rival origami.  Some just throw everything into a suitcase and sit on it until it zips shut.  We recently tried out a new style of organized packing with PACK Gear to see what kind of difference it could make in our travel packing style.

We can’t tell you one style is right and one style is wrong.  We all have to do what is best for ourselves.  For instance, I’ve used packing cubes for years and I swear by them.  Yet, while we can’t tell you a packing style is right or wrong, I can tell you that Romeo’s packing style is way wrong!!!  Mostly because it involves his clothing exploding out of his suitcase to cover the bed, the chair, the desk, and any other previously empty surface.  I like our hotel room to be neat and tidy and relaxing, so his exploding suitcase results in my exploding head.

Save 15% off your PACK Gear by using the discount code Travel15!

When PACK Gear approached us to test and review their packing product, I turned them down at first.  It looked like a great product, but the website said it was for backpackers, which we are not.  When they explained they weren’t only marketing their product to backpackers and that PACK Gear is very popular with flight attendants, I said we were happy to try it out.  I already had plans for PACK Gear.

PACK Gear is a one piece packing solution.  When it comes out of the package, it is small and as light as a t-shirt.  But when you open it up, you find that it can hold as much, or even more, than six medium packing cubes.  It is designed to fit into a 30L backpack, which means it also fits well in a carry-on size bag or fills part of a larger suitcase. 

The point of PACK Gear is that you can pack your clothes in PACK Gear’s compartments, put it in your suitcase (or backpack) and then unpack in seconds by either putting the whole thing in a drawer or hanging it up in the closet using the built-in hooks.

I wasn’t ready to give up my packing cubes, but I was hoping PACK Gear would be the perfect solution to the exploding suitcase situation.  All of my hopes were pinned on the ease of filling one single item.  My previous attempts of offering packing cubes to Romeo hadn’t worked out for me.

Rome first tested out his new PACK Gear for a weekend trip to Bishop, California.  He actually forgot about the PACK Gear and had already packed his suitcase before I reminded him.  He pulled out his clothes, rolled them, and stuffed them into the PACK Gear.  It was filled within a minute.  It hurt a little as I watched boxers go next to sweaters that went next to socks that were next to t-shirts, but I tried not to let the disorganization bother me.  After all, it wasn’t my suitcase.  It was actually good that he had forgotten, because after he filled the PACK Gear and put it in his suitcase, he had an area of empty space that hadn’t been there before, enough room for his dopp kit which wouldn’t have fit previously.

The miracle of PACK Gear continued when we got to the hotel.  The drawers in the room were far too shallow to hold the PACK Gear.  They were too shallow for my packing cubes as well.  It was just as well because Romeo was quite content to pull the PACK Gear out of his suitcase and hang it from the rod in the closet, above his suitcase which he left open on the luggage rack. 

During the trip, Romeo pulled out what he needed from the PACK Gear.  Sometimes items would be returned into it, other times they would wind up thrown in his suitcase.  The good news is his items were contained to a much smaller area thanks to PACK Gear, and I was able to have clutter free surfaces.  When it was time to pack to go home, repacking was as quick and painless as packing.

We were pretty amazed by how much the PACK Gear holds.  If you’re a traveling couple, then perhaps you’ve noticed how much more room men’s clothes take than women’s clothes, so it was pretty astonishing to see how much Romeo was able to fit into the packing organizer.

We’ve decided PACK Gear is a great packing organizer both for the organized traveler and for the person who simply wants to protect their wife’s sanity.  It takes up minimal room when not in use, it fits A LOT of stuff, and whether you are hyper-organized or not so much, it keeps everything in one place with very easy access.

Thank you to PACK Gear for providing their packing organizer for our test and review and making this post possible.  As always, all opinions are our own.

Don't forget, you can save 15% off your PACK Gear by using the discount code Travel15!

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Winter Travel Packing List: What to Pack for Outdoor Activities

The thing about travel is it’s constantly taking you out of your comfort zone.  Which is awesome.  But it also means that sometimes you have no idea how to best prepare for a situation.  For us, that moment came when we were preparing for our trip to Swedish Lapland.  We live in San Diego, home of some of the most beautiful and temperate weather in the United States. What did we know about winter travel to the Arctic Circle?  Not much.  We were not only planning travel to freezing temperatures, but we were also planning to spend much of our time outside enjoying winter outdoor activities.  What to wear?  It was important to get it right so we weren’t miserable.  We put together a winter travel packing list that served us well for enjoying our winter outdoor activities.

The year before we went to Sweden, we took our first winter trip to Madison, Wisconsin.  Because of that trip, we had a little bit of knowledge about packing for winter travel, so some of our winter travel packing list was the same.  But traveling above the Arctic Circle to experience Swedish Lapland’s winter outdoor activities is a little more extreme. 

The key to packing for winter travel is to pack lots of layers and as little cotton as possible.  Layers are important because they provide insulation and ventilation and allow you to quickly adjust to changes in temperature and activity level by adding or removing layers.  Avoiding cotton is important because cotton retains moisture and will create a chilling effect.

The first layer is the base layer, which goes against your skin.  The base layer manages moisture by moving perspiration away from your body to the outdoor layers, allowing it to evaporate.  Do not use cotton thermals for your base layer.  Your base layer should be made out of wool or synthetic fabrics like polyester.   We wore Under Armour, which is made of synthetic fabric, and a popular wool brand is SmartWool.

The middle layer provides insulation by retaining heat and trapping warm air close to your body.  The middle layer should be made with wool, down, or fleece.  For our tops we chose fleece, which is lightweight, breathable, and can still insulate when wet.  Fleece comes in different weights depending on the weather and your needs. 

For our bottoms, jeans weren’t going to cut it.  I actually wore jeans one day in Kiruna, thinking it would be okay since we were just walking around and would be inside most of the time. That was a mistake and my legs were cold and slightly numb.  The best purchase we made for our winter travel was of Craghoppers' lined winter pants, made with polyester and cotton and lined with fleece.

The shell or outer layer protects you from the elements like wind, rain, and snow.  A good down jacket is the perfect outer layer for when you’re walking around outside in the cold and snow.  Down is lightweight and can pack very small when using space saver vacuum seal bags.  It also traps in warmth. 

For winter outdoor activities like snowmobiling and dog sledding you’ll need more.  The best item of winter clothing for winter outdoor activities is a full-body snowsuit.  Luckily this isn’t something we had to pack.  During our stay at the ICEHOTEL we were provided with a snowsuit which we were able to use for our entire stay.  Also, every tour company provided snowsuits for guest use.

It’s also important to keep your head, hands and feet warm.  Wool socks are essential, and if one pair is good, two pairs are better.  We suggest wearing thin socks with very little cotton underneath your wool socks, which help wick away moisture and protect from the wool itch.  Again, make sure not to wear mostly cotton socks.  My favorite winter boots are my lined Ugg boots, but another good option is Sorel boots.  The ICEHOTEL and tour operators provided boots, but I preferred using my own.  Make sure your boots are big enough to fit your extra thick socks.

Protect your hands with really good gloves or mittens.  It’s important for your gloves to be waterproof as you will most likely be touching snow multiple times.  It is suggested to wear mittens because the insulation works better when all your fingers are together in the same opening.  However, I really couldn’t get the hang of wearing mittens so I stuck with my gloves.  Again, the ICEHOTEL and our tour operators provided leather mittens.

To keep your head warm, pack a good knit hat.  My Under Armour hat worked spectacularly because it had an inner layer which trapped heat in.  Also pack a wool scarf to cover your face, especially when joining in fast moving outdoor winter activities.  You may even want to invest in a balaclava, especially for snowmobiling.

If you use this winter travel packing list for your next outdoor winter adventure, you’ll have a successful winter trip and be warm and toasty while outside playing in freezing temperatures.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase using one of the links it costs you nothing extra and we earn a small commission which goes towards our travels and helps us bring you more stories.  Thank you!

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