All our stuff

When we began to think about this trip, I was so curious how others who travel longer term with kids handle the mechanics of the packing, the stuff, the luggage, etc. I thought I’d share our strategy thus far and how it is working out.

All 5 of us have a piece of luggage that is international carry-on size (around 22” x 14” x 9”). Carl this 35L backpack, I have a carry on/backpack hybrid (the Osprey 45L Sojourn), the boys have this eagle creek rolling case, and Willa has a collapsible 4-wheeled number dubbed Violetta that can be pulled like a doggie on a leash, though it does fall over a lot. Everyone also has a regular backpack. Lastly, we also have one big rolling duffel (the Osprey Shuttle), which holds all the off-season stuff, my art supplies, extra gear and meds, etc. In all, it feels like a lot of space, and we are bringing far more than is absolutely essential.

With the carry-ons, we have the option of leaving more things at a home base and going on shorter trips by plane, car, or train with less luggage.

All of this stuff just barely fit in the trunk of the car we rented for the month so that we could pull the cover over it all. For the entire car trip, the big duffel stayed in the car with all the things we didn’t need. The rest fit in the carry-ons. I ended up putting all the kid’s cubes in boys’ suitcases, and Violetta has now become our shoe bag. We brought a couple of lunch sacks from home, and picked up an insulated grocery bag for picnic items and food storage. Willa has an inflatable booster seat that fits in her carry-on backpack.

Most valuable players so far: packing cubes (a combo of regular and compression). Luckily the boys wear the same size clothing so they share everything. I like having an organizer for all the cords and chargers and converters. Quick dry materials, which are way better than cotton. Lightweight dry bags, which are great for carrying wet swim stuff and laundry. A packable extra backpack. These flat pack toiletry cases. And fully on team roll vs. team fold.