Yesterday we talked about what to pack.  I always have a back-up bag in my car to help our trips and outings run smoothly.  It’s a life saver and more than once I have been incredibly grateful that we have the stash.

Today, I’m going to run down a few different techniques and tips for packing.  This will maximize your space and ease multiple stops.

– Clothes.  Roll those babies.  If you’re careful, you can roll them with very few wrinkles, fewer than if you fold them for sure.  You will be able to pack more into less space if you roll.  My hubby is 6-foot-3.  His clothes are big.  They take up lots of space.  By rolling our clothes, we can still share a single – albeit somewhat large – suitcase.

Photo Credit and some more great packing tips

– Shoes.  Stack pairs of shoes, with the soles together.  Then alternate heels and toes so that you stack the heels of one set on the toes of another set.  You can stack shoes in a suitcase with your clothing and not have to worry about dirty soles marking up your clothes before you’ve worn them.  You can also put your shoes in plastic grocery sacks to keep the soles off your clothing.

– Toiletry Items.  Package liquids in zip top bags.  Same with toothpaste or anything else you don’t want to clean up if it spills.  Keep your toothbrush in it’s own baggy to eliminate the need for a toothbrush cover.  Mr. Napping keeps an M&M’s mini tube to hold Q-tips.  I bought a small travel pack of Q-tips once and just refill the pack every time we travel.  Pack feminine hygiene products in a plastic-lined, small cosmetics pouch for privacy, easy access and a water-resistant case.  You can easily take your bag of supplies to the restroom without everyone knowing just what little secrets you’re carrying.

– Hair Stuffs.  Get empty, travel-size bottles for your styling products.  There is no reason to take more than you’ll need.  Smaller bottles are easier to pack, lighter to carry and conserve that precious space.  I use a Bracelet Box to hold a few claw clips, some bobby pins and rubber bands.  Give up your gigantic brush and get a travel-friendly sized brush for the road.  Don’t give up features you like, just think small.  Consider a curling iron/flat iron combo and a travel-size hair dryer.

This isn’t the exact box I use, but this 2 pack on Amazon would totally work.

– Medication.  I use small plastic bags (like those used in jewelry making), labeled with water-proofed labels (a Post-It with packing tape over the top) for my pills.  I include the name of the medication, dosage instructions, and any other pertinent info.  All the baggies get stored in a bigger baggie.  Liquid medications are kept in their original containers.  Most of our liquid meds are for our kids and if we need them, we usually need them for several days.  Those are the one things I would rather have and not need, than need and not have.  Our kids almost always seem to get some kind of bug when we travel though.

– Food.  I pack small, soft sided lunch bags with fruit slices and cheese.  Much better snacks than sweets.  I found small, plastic thermos-style bottles at Michael’s for $1.50/each.  I got one for each of my boys and they were perfect.  I saw similar bottles at Wal-Mart today as well, back in the baby section with the other kid’s eating supplies.  These were the perfect size for little hands – bigger than a juice box (and filled with water instead of sugary juice) but not so big and heavy that their little hands can’t handle them.  We usually clean out the fridge and take a cooler with us too.

I pack dry snacks (like cereal, granola bars, beef jerky, nilla wafers and animal crackers, popcorn, ect) in zippy bags.  I swear by these Munchkin Snack Catchers.  They don’t eliminate all mess, but they sure help keep it under control.  Follow the link to get them on Amazon or I’ve found them at Wal-Mart, also in the kid’s food supplies.  I can fill the snack traps as my boys empty them.  This serves two purposes.  I can monitor how much they are eating and, if they do spill, it’s a limited amount.  Which also means we don’t lose the whole bag of snacks when Gator dumps it in his car seat.

– Kid’s Entertainment.  I will go more in-depth with this in a couple days.  You have got to have things for your kids to do.  It’s hard to sit still, especially if you’re strapped down for hours and hours and hours and hours.  Right?  Whether you choose to go the electronic route of in-trip entertainment, the more conventional method or a combination of both, everyone will be happier if you take the time to plan some fun and a few distractions.

– Momma’s (and Daddy’s) Entertainment.  You’re stuck in the car too.  Make the most of it.  Grab that stack of magazines you haven’t had time to read.  That book you’ve been wanting to read, tuck that in your purse (or on your e-reader).  Read in the car make you sick?  Audio books are fabulous.  But they can get spendy quick.  Check out your local library.  You might be surprised at what you can find.  Mr. Napping has read (actually listened) to many, many books this year.  All while he’s driving (which he does a lot for work).  Those monotonous hours don’t have to be a complete waste of time.  Allow yourself to do some of the things that you are usually too busy to do – (Soduko?  Reading?  Candy Crush Saga?  Go wild and give yourself a pedicure…?)  

Did I miss anything…?  What are your tips and tricks for packing?

Another tip… real quick.
If you are making multiple stops, like we did on our last trip, it can be helpful to pack for each place you’ll be stopping.  That way you will minimize the amount of baggage you have to take inside.  What you don’t need or have already used can be left in the car and cycled so it’s out of the way.  This will, however, usually require more bags, so if space is the bigger issue this method may not work as well.

This post was written by Krista and originally appeared on While He Was Napping.
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Welcome back.  Hopefully you got something out of yesterday’s post.  Although it is the lame and boring part, planning your trip is a huge part of a successful trip.  If you take only one thing away from yesterday, please let it be the Map Tracker (toward the bottom of the post).  Totally a life saver and I will so be doing that again for our next road trip (in two weeks!).

Now this ultimately depends on where you are going and who you are taking with you. Obviously, you wouldn’t take the same things on a camping trip as you would take on a beachfront va-cay, right?!  So, the “what” you take depends, but there should be certain things you ALWAYS take, no matter where you are going.  Even a day trip to Grandma’s or a day at the park.  I call this the Emergency Bag.  It’s all the things I forget from time to time, but are a serious inconvenience to be stuck without.  I usually keep this bag packed and in the car all the time, just in case.  I rotate things out every month or so or as needed (when the items need to be washed, for example).

The things I would never dream of leaving home without:
– a package of wipes (I prefer the Costco Kirkland brand because the package seals quite well and they don’t dry out as badly).  We use wipes for EVERYTHING.  Sticky hands, messy faces, dirty diapers, quick sweat wipe up (icky!), shopping cart wipe downs, restaurant table clean up, and so much more.  We went to church with one wipe once.  Longest three hours EVER.

Photo Credit and additional info on Kirkland Wipes

– extra diapers and pull-ups (Some parents refuse to use Pull-Ups, but I have found them to be invaluable.  Monkey is still mastering the whole potty thing and pull-ups are soo much easier to use on road trips.  We treat them just like underwear, but if he dribbles or has an accident, it is a billion times easier to clean up and you don’t have to carry around wet undies… ew!  And have you ever been without an extra diaper… the reasoning behind that one is pretty self-explanatory.)

– a small, light-weight quilt or blanket for the park, the water park, wrapping produce from the grocery store when we forget the cold bags, the whiny child that insists he is cold, blocking the sun from the other child that thinks he will melt before we get home, wrapping up a mostly-naked child after some kind of bodily-fluid eruption that soils every article of clothing they were wearing, a seat cover to make post-road trip clean up as easy as a load of laundry (who likes to vacuum the car, really?).  We use the blanket.  All.  The.  Time.  Seriously.

– a first aid kit.  You can stay pretty basic with a few band-aids, some antiseptic wetwipes, and some first aid ointment.  Or go all out with one of those mega kits.  We have one somewhere in between the two extremes.  I’m prepped and ready for any minor boo-boo or playground ouchie, but I don’t have a portable medics station in the back of my car.  You can find ideas for a long-term car emergency kit in a post from January 2012.  Or a more expansive kit in the 72-Hour Kit post or the First Aid Kits post.  One of the $10-$20 kits you can buy is sufficient (or make your own, of course).

Photo Credit and Additional Info on First Aid Kits PS… just laugh at the site address.  The info is actually applicable. Besides, I know I’d want a First Aid Kit if zombies were after me…

– extra clothes.  For everyone.  Kids are messy.  They have little radars that seek out dirt, grime, water and everything else that can potentially make a mess.  And then there’s the sick kids and the dirty diapers.  Basically, it’s just better to not have to wear that stuff.  Extra clothes are a must.
– water and snacks.  I’m not talking about food or days.  Just things to get you through that unexpected traffic jam or passed the wreck on the highway.  When errands take longer than expected and the kids are hungry before you anticipated.  In our house, we are very familiar with the concept of “hanger – hungry anger” (not those things you put clothes on…).  If my boys (or Mr Napping) gets hungry, they get ornery, snippy and whiny.  It’s so much easier to carry granola bars and water than reason with a hangry 3-year-old.

This may sound like a lot, but spend a little bit of time figuring how to pack it all up and it doesn’t take up much room in your trunk.  A medium-sized duffel or tote bag is all it takes.  We keep the blanket separate because we use it so often.  Got a stow-and-go minivan?  Total score, just don’t forget about it.  =)

What’s on your must-have list?