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How To Pack for Vacation Using Military Packing Tips

Need to pack everything you need for vacation without having your luggage explode? These are the best military packing tips to fit everything you need for your trip.

By Penny NewtonPublished 6 years ago 7 min read
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Planning and booking a vacation is the best feeling, because you're thinking and listing all of the fun activities you'll be doing. But you know what's not fun... packing. Whether you pack days before your vacation or three hours before your flight takes off, packing is seriously nerve-racking. Even though we do know exactly what to pack, we will somehow manage to forget a few important items and remember the second we board the airplane. Especially if it's a necessity, all hell breaks loose.

Even in the midst of packing, some of our packing skills aren't the best. We start off super organized, but then you realized you have to bring this, this, and that and suddenly your luggage looks like the aftermath of an explosion. Then the moment of truth, attempting to zipper up your luggage after stuffing your entire house in there. Good luck.

But now you won't need luck if you follow these great military packing tips to be more organized and pack fast like a professional. Those serving in the military definitely know how to be organized and pack all of their belongings smoothly without any flaws. Through tips and tricks to fold pieces of clothing and where exactly to store them in the bag, soldiers are actual professional packers and we can use a few tips from them.

If you're traveling for a month, you better use a giant luggage. But if you're simply going away for three days, a regular sized luggage is just fine. The right bag depends on where you're going and for how long. Don't think stuffing your average-sized backpack with your belongings for a week at Bahamas will cover you—because it surely won't. Unless you plan on wearing the same outfit four times.

Whether you do own a large luggage or not, you can also bring an extra bag or two with you on your trip. You don't have to stuff everything in a single luggage. However, this luggage by Traveler's Choice is ideal if you're a heavy packer. Take it with you when traveling across the country or relaxing in Hawaii for two weeks. It features multiple pockets and compartments to fit everything you need and it's spacious for storing so many pieces of clothing and other necessities.

Only bring what you need for the vacation.

In the midst of packing, most of us don't really know what we're packing. Sometimes, we're just grabbing pieces of clothing from our drawers and stuffing them into our luggage. Among the military packing tips you should follow, only bring what you need. If you're heading to a warm climate location, why are you bringing your winter jacket? Sure, bring one sweater, but a heavy jacket will only consume so much space and it won't do you any good during vacation.

To know exactly what to bring, make the ultimate packing list of all of your belongings that you'll definitely use on your trip. From your bathroom necessities to your stylish clothing for evening outings, listing what you'll pack makes it much easier to avoid forgetting something as well as the packing process.

Pack in reverse order.

Among the most brilliant military packing tips, packing in reverse order is genius and I'm sure the majority of us haven't thought of this. If you're unaware of what packing in reverse is, you're basically packing what you'll use first when you arrive to your destination. This means, the necessities that you won't need immediately go on the bottom.

So, the clothing you'll wear on your first day of vacation will most likely go on top as well as your pjs. Evening wear and other piecing of clothing that you won't wear until later in the night go on the bottom. This way, when you're retrieving what you need from your luggage, you won't have to dig through and disorganize your entire luggage.

Weight matters when packing.

Weight certainly matters when it comes to packing a backpack, duffle bag, or any other form of carrying bag. If you have an item or two that are heavier than everything else in your luggage, don't stuff them on the sides of your bag, always put it in the center. If you store the heaviest object on the side of your bag, this will lead the bag to pull on your back and cause your back to ache.

Instead, pack whatever is heavy in the center of your bag. This way, it'll balance out the weight and won't cause any aching or pain to occur on your back. This is just one of the important military packing tips you should know about!

Use the fold, roll, and tie technique.

Fold, roll, and tie. Fold, roll, and tie! Soldiers are pros to this technique and it's also among the best military packing tips to teach yourself. Rather than folding and stuffing your bag, consider rolling your clothing after folding them neatly. This will make more room when packing, because you're tightly rolling your clothing and lessening their capacity.

So, stack and fold two to three shirts, roll them together, and even tie them so they don't open up. If you do this to the majority of your clothing, I guarantee you'll have more room in your luggage to store other necessities. This will also make it easier for you to retrieve your belongings once settling in.

Put toiletries together in a zippered plastic bag.

It's the best choice to put all toiletries together in a zippered plastic bag. While nothing will leak or spill on your other belongings, what you'll need for the bathroom stays together and you know where it's located in your bag. Make sure you empty out the air and zip it up to store it better.

From the military packing tips you should jot down, if you're worried about your shampoo or toothpaste getting on your clothing, stuff them together in a plastic bag. This way nothing will get on anything in your luggage and you'll have everything kept together.

A smart way to pack your larger luggage is by organizing the inside and packing smaller bags within it. You can stuff a small bag with electronics, another small bag with cosmetics, another small bag with accessories, etc. This way, you'll have your larger luggage organized well and you'll know where everything is. You can also use containers instead of bags to pack!

This technique is the perfect way to avoid your necessities ruining each other. Meaning, your sneakers won't get onto your clothing, your makeup won't touch your electronics, everything has their own compartments. So, if you want to save more room in your large luggage and know where everything exactly is, use bags like these by Gonex to pack in your luggage!

Fill gaps with underwear, socks, and other small items.

From the genius military packing tips you should really acknowledge, those gaps that are usually formed when packing, you can easily stuff your underwear, socks, and other small items in them! Instead of piling socks and underwear on top of each other and causing your luggage to become more full, you can simply store the smaller items in the gaps of your clothing, extra bags, etc.

However, don't just stuff them in the gaps. First, fold and roll your smaller clothing before filling the gaps. It'll make more room this way and it'll be easier to store them in the empty spots.

Don't forget to pack extra socks!

If you're going on a vacation trip that features a lot of walking, like hiking or visiting historic landmarks, I highly suggest you pack extra socks. Socks are definitely among the pieces of clothing that are a major necessity. While you're traveling, you're always on your feet, and this leads to dampening your socks.

To pack smarter, make sure you double on socks. Now, you'll never run low on socks in case you've been traveling a lot! And trust me, running out of socks during vacation is the worst thing ever.

Always pack light.

Lastly among the military packing tips to follow, pack light! Like I've mentioned earlier, only pack what you need. You don't want to carry your whole house on your back. So, pack exactly what you need and keep it light. If you're going to be doing a lot of traveling and hiking, it's best if you keep your expensive and nice clothing back home unless you'll be going out during the evenings.

However, this also means don't pack 30 purses, 20 belts, and other heavy and unnecessary accessories for your trip. If you don't really know what you'll be wearing during the evenings and want to decide there with the 20 outfits you brought... don't do this. Plan out your days and be prepared for anything on your trip to keep the packing light.

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About the Creator

Penny Newton

Penny Newton: Dreams of honeymooning on the moon. Owns about 20 galaxy dresses and wishes to be probed by aliens one day.

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