Packing help needed!

[waterbug123]

Interesting article, thanks for sharing! My skincare is very basic. I'm acne prone so I use a cream from my dermatologist for that and I bring Cetaphil travel size moisturizer and cleanser. All my cosmetics and such will fit in the toiletry kit I ordered.

 

Even the 97 kajillion hair potions you previously listed? :D

 

I realize how heavy it will be. I filled it last night, put it on and walked up and down the stairs. It was no problem. The plan is to use the wheels except when I'm doing stairs. As I mentioned earlier, I'm into lifting. I have a power cage and Olympic barbell set in my workout room at home in addition to a gym membership. I do my squats with a barbell on my upper back......

 

Thanks but I really didn't need a detailed schedule of your workouts. I just offered a suggestion about making sure the backpack works. If the suggestion is un-needed, so be it. :rolleyes:

 

Frankly, I'm surprised that you have been able to minimize your packing list to only enough that will fit into this ONE backpack-that's-only-sort-of-a-backpack, after previously needing 3-4 bags for all your stuff. That's quite a feat after listing everything you like to take with you.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

Even the 97 kajillion hair potions you previously listed? :D

 

 

 

Thanks but I really didn't need a detailed schedule of your workouts. I just offered a suggestion about making sure the backpack works. If the suggestion is un-needed, so be it. :rolleyes:

 

Frankly, I'm surprised that you have been able to minimize your packing list to only enough that will fit into this ONE backpack-that's-only-sort-of-a-backpack, after previously needing 3-4 bags for all your stuff. That's quite a feat after listing everything you like to take with you.

 

I don't take full size of everything, many items are travel size. ;) I believe the list I provided was what we took on our last cruise (although I'm not going to look through all these posts to verify that), not what I plan to take on our next one. On Carnival we had two formal nights, which created a lot of extra luggage for us. The more I've thought about it, I don't even think I'm taking a curling iron, which eliminates hairspray and styling spray too. :) I don't see the point since I won't be dressing up.

 

I just mentioned the workouts because I think some are concerned I can't handle a 50 lb backpack.

 

I didn't say that was all I was taking. I may very well need another small suitcase, or just part of our sons. Okay, most likely I will. Since I have bought enough cubes and folders for all of us, surely our son can spare some space in his suitcase, which will be much larger than ours. I can self assist with two bags, with one being a backpack (which I will wheel when possible). ;) It looks like for all 3 of us we will need 4 or 5 bags (2 are these backpacks), which is much better than taking 7 for 2 and very manageable for the 3 of us to self-assist which is our goal.

 

By the way, I just placed another order. lol This time I bought two more of the Eagle Creek kits with a medium folder, full cube and half cube, as well as a large folder. I would have never known about these without the help I've received on here. I really do appreciate it, even though I've been blown a lot of crap about our packing habits. :o

[slidergirl]

One thing about packing a convertible; you must pay attention to where you place things in the bag. If you cannot evenly distribute the weight, be sure you have the heavier weight at the bottom of the bag (bottom while standing up on end wheels). If you do end up putting this on your shoulders, you don't want the weight at the top!!! Just offering some info in case you didn't already think about it.

[waterbug123]

I don't even think I'm taking a curling iron, which eliminates hairspray and styling spray too. :) I don't see the point since I won't be dressing up.

 

That's good progress! ;)

 

I really do appreciate it, even though I've been blown a lot of crap about our packing habits. :o

 

I think people were just getting mixed messages.... it sounded like you wanted to take the same amount of stuff, or nearly so, but somehow magically pack into half the number of bags. And some, myself included, did see many of your "needs" as "wants" and felt like your were resisting any efforts to reduce, despite suggestions that were made. But that is all neither here nor there now; clearly you have re-thought a lot of things and begun to see that you CAN take less, and that approach will serve you well in the future, especially if you ever do decide to fly to a cruise or other vacation. :)

[NCteacherlovescruising]

Yay! We got our new toiletry bags today. Everything fits inside mine, besides my make-up (I have several small bags for that), even full size shampoo and conditioner. (They aren't that big, but I may take smaller bottles if I can find them. I don't believe I've ever seen them in travel size but I will check next time I'm at Ulta. I have had travel size in Aveda before, which I like even better, so I may just buy those.

[Viv0828]

You can buy empty plastic bottles lots of places and fill them with whatever you choose.

 

 

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Edited April 27, 2016 by Viv0828

[NCteacherlovescruising]

You can buy empty plastic bottles lots of places and fill them with whatever you choose.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

 

True...I'm so weird about my hair products. I think I'm scared I would run out or a cheap plastic bottle would break or something. [emoji16][emoji15] My hair is so carefree at home. I only wash it every 3-4 days and wear it up a lot. When we cruise though, I'm always in the water and wash daily. I'm not sure if that's the problem, or if it's the ship water or humidity, but whatever the cause it's a dry, frizzy mess. [emoji32] Hence, I pack all sorts of hair products...conditioner, deep treatment, Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum (I use this every time I wash, even at home), and shine spray to make it look better. This will be my first trip anywhere without my curling iron. I feel like that's a big deal for me, as my hair looks much better curled. However, I usually on bother with it on formal nights since its time consuming and NCL doesn't have them.

 

Maybe I will look into something like that if I can't find travel size products in one of my favorite brands. Although, my products aren't in large bottles to begin with and easily fit in the new toiletry kit I bought. The guys can deal with bringing the sunscreens.

[slidergirl]

Washing your hair everyday when you normally do it every 3-4 days (I'm a 4-5 day person) will definitely introduce the frizz! Your hair is used to that healthy bit of oils that keep in in control. By washing it everyday, you are stripping all that oil out and gives nothing to the hair to "hold onto". I try to not wash, but either just thoroughly wet it when I shower or just run a little conditioner in it.

 

For the bottle issue: if you want to do high-end bottles, look at the GoToobs. If I have to transfer to a small bottle, I'll use these most of the time. Just don't put argan oil in them - it will be absorbed!!! Or, buy some Nalgene bottles - available at places like REI or The Container Store or Magellan's. For all of my bottles, I add a piece of plastic wrap to it. For screw tops, I'll put the plastic on top of the bottle and screw it in with the top. For those that have the flip tops, I'll just put a piece across the top and close the lid on it. It's just added protection. I'll bring another piece of plastic wrap, folded up, in my toiletries bag. At the end of the trip, I'll re-do the bottles with pieces of the plastic torn from the larger piece.

[NorthernLite]

I wouldn't worry about travel brand plastic bottles for reducing your regular shampoo and other liquids size when packing. I'd stay away from cheap packs you find at Walmart or a drugstore. I still have some of mine that came with my travel zip tote I bought in 1983 in a Boston travel store before my first tour of Germany. It got at least 2 daily trips in the barracks for 30 months and the bottles at least spent a 2 or 3 day trip a month as well as two 2 weeks of leave away. I just wish that store was still around because my bright yellow toiletry bag held a ton of stuff needed to start my day from showering and brushing teeth to contact lens and make up. I do put all things that may leak if a gorilla sits on it in a Ziploc anyway though.

 

Having humped rucks with 40 pounds for days at a time you'll do fine if you make sure to pack the heaviest stuff at the bottom, maybe the folders against where it will lay against your back and something like a workout top or two at the very bottom between where it will hit your back and the weighty stuff.

[SadieN]

REI (your new favorite store ;)) has bottles and pots in the camping/backpacking section. Puny to large.

 

Couple of ways to figure out how much you'll need.

-Fill the new bottle and see how many uses you get.

-Weigh your full size bottle. After the number of uses weigh again. We did this for DD. She got 4oz into a 3oz REI flip top bottle.

Edited April 28, 2016 by SadieN

[CruznRagtop]

True...I'm so weird about my hair products. I think I'm scared I would run out or a cheap plastic bottle would break or something. [emoji16][emoji15] My hair is so carefree at home. I only wash it every 3-4 days and wear it up a lot. When we cruise though, I'm always in the water and wash daily. I'm not sure if that's the problem, or if it's the ship water or humidity, but whatever the cause it's a dry, frizzy mess. [emoji32] Hence, I pack all sorts of hair products...conditioner, deep treatment, Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum (I use this every time I wash, even at home), and shine spray to make it look better. This will be my first trip anywhere without my curling iron. I feel like that's a big deal for me, as my hair looks much better curled. However, I usually on bother with it on formal nights since its time consuming and NCL doesn't have them.

 

Maybe I will look into something like that if I can't find travel size products in one of my favorite brands. Although, my products aren't in large bottles to begin with and easily fit in the new toiletry kit I bought. The guys can deal with bringing the sunscreens.

 

What product do you use?

[NCteacherlovescruising]

What product do you use?

 

 

My shine spray? Redken Diamond Oil

[NCteacherlovescruising]

Thanks for all the suggestions for my hair products!

[CruznRagtop]

My shine spray? Redken Diamond Oil

 

Thanks!

[NCteacherlovescruising]

Thanks!

 

 

You're welcome!

[NCteacherlovescruising]

I just made a trip to Ulta. I don't know why I've never noticed before, but they had my shampoo, conditioner, deep treatment and Chi iron guard in travel size. I was so excited! I guess I never noticed because I had never considered buying them before. I'm not sure there's enough in them for a whole week though. I have long hair and typically wash daily on a cruise because I'm always in the pools or ocean. I recall someone on here mentioning she uses them. How many washes do you get out of one bottle? I suppose I could use them to find out for myself.

[SadieN]

I just made a trip to Ulta. I don't know why I've never noticed before, but they had my shampoo, conditioner, deep treatment and Chi iron guard in travel size. I was so excited! I guess I never noticed because I had never considered buying them before. I'm not sure there's enough in them for a whole week though. I have long hair and typically wash daily on a cruise because I'm always in the pools or ocean. I recall someone on here mentioning she uses them. How many washes do you get out of one bottle? I suppose I could use them to find out for myself.

 

 

Two ways to test how much product---

Use it and see how many uses you get out of it

OR

Do one use, weigh it, then divide.

 

Most of these bottles are reusable, even tubes can be refilled with syringes etc. (kitten feeding syringes work well)

 

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Edited April 30, 2016 by SadieN

[NCteacherlovescruising]

I tested the travel sizes of shampoo and conditioner. I barely got 3 uses out of the shampoo and only 2 out of the conditioner. I think I will just stick with my normal bottles of those and take a travel size of the treatment.

[AdoraBelle]

And between chlorine/wind/salt you end up needing the conditioner bad (or at least I do).

[Hoyaheel]

I tested the travel sizes of shampoo and conditioner. I barely got 3 uses out of the shampoo and only 2 out of the conditioner. I think I will just stick with my normal bottles of those and take a travel size of the treatment.

 

Were those 100ml bottles? (that's the max size for TSA liquids) Dang. Even when my hair is long, I can get at least a week from shampoo & conditioner from those bottles. Actually, I have a 2oz bottle I refill for short trips and take the 3.4oz bottles for longer trips - so I can get 2-3 weeks. And that's showering at least once a day.

[slidergirl]

Were those 100ml bottles? (that's the max size for TSA liquids) Dang. Even when my hair is long, I can get at least a week from shampoo & conditioner from those bottles. Actually, I have a 2oz bottle I refill for short trips and take the 3.4oz bottles for longer trips - so I can get 2-3 weeks. And that's showering at least once a day.

 

I could not figure that out, either. I've got curly hair that is several inches below my shoulders I can get 2 weeks' worth of shampooing/conditioning out of those TSA-compliant bottles, too… I could get more of the shampoo; I'll shower every day, but I don't shampoo every day, but I will just add a little conditioner to the hair to get rid of the tangles when I rinse it. Those hotel bottles I can use for about 5 nights (did this last month at a beach resort!)

There was an article in Cosmopolitan lately that showed up on my FB page - had the thing that women shampoo their hair way too often with way too much product. Since I've changed my shampooing habit to once every 4 days (a few years ago), my hair has actually started to grow more and my stylist says (as currently as last week) my hair has never been healthier.

[SadieN]

Many of the travel size products that are in the Target travel aisle are under 3oz. More like 2oz.

 

At home I decant the store bottles into pumper bottles. Use less product than when squirting it out.

Edited May 12, 2016 by SadieN

[Hoyaheel]

Many of the travel size products that are in the Target travel aisle are under 3oz. More like 2oz.

 

But OP said she got hers at Ulta, and the ones I've bought there (esp the higher end product) seem to be larger. But it's hard telling not knowing....

 

As someone somewhat lower maintenance, I can often use some of my kippie bag for liquor minis :D

[NCteacherlovescruising]

And between chlorine/wind/salt you end up needing the conditioner bad (or at least I do).

 

 

Me too! My hair is awful when we cruise.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

Were those 100ml bottles? (that's the max size for TSA liquids) Dang. Even when my hair is long, I can get at least a week from shampoo & conditioner from those bottles. Actually, I have a 2oz bottle I refill for short trips and take the 3.4oz bottles for longer trips - so I can get 2-3 weeks. And that's showering at least once a day.

 

 

No, the shampoo was only 1.7 ounces. I think the conditioner was about the same.