The joys of packing!

[Orphena]

So over the last few days (when work was slow!) I did some reading through older posts about getting ready for faire, and the rigamorol we all go through - but this aspect of packing wasn't covered so much! ...and as I am packing tonight for 2 - 3 days of faire and a hotel stay, I am wondering how others do with this? I am a big list person, and enjoy packing... but.. do you pack too little, or too much? Is there something you habitually forget to bring? Is there something you usually bring, but rarely use?

I'm talking garb, props, toiletries, mundanes, etc..

[PhoenixRose]

I always forget a toothbrush. No matter where I go, I always seem to forget one. I tried leaving one in my toiletry bag, but then the thought of it sitting there for a month before being used again grossed me out, so that didn't work too well for me.

[Sitara]

I tend to overpack garb and forget something obvious and important like sunscreen or contact fluid.

[sloth]

I tend to majorly overpack.  I want to make sure that I have everything for every possible occasion, which tends to leave my poor little Focus full to the brim with stuff.

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

I actually have an Excel spreadsheet (even though I am the most un-computer savvy person I know).  I created a basic spread sheet and depending on where I'm going and for how long, I customize it for that particular faire.  Like, if I'm going to a faire in the South, I probably wouldn't bring my heavy wool cape (blew this theory in TN in May, it was freezing!   lol)

In one column, I have things that I bring with me every time, like toiletries, pajamas, undies, socks, with a space next to each item so I can write how many I need.  Also clothes to wear at night after faire closes, when I'll be going out to eat or whatever, including a jacket.

Then for every day I will be gone, I have a different column for whatever garb I will wear that day.  I start with the hat and work down to the feet.  This will include what pouches and/or baskets, goblet/tankard, etc., that  I will use for this particular outfit.  Hopefully, I can overlap on some of the items (like maybe the same pouch for different outfits or shoes or something like that).

Then in another column I write things like camera, cell phone/charger, GPS, tickets, etc.

And then, I save the spreadsheet and name it for the faire and year I went.  So I remember what I wore.  How geeky is that??!! 

But I'm pretty good at remembering usually everything, and if I do forget something, there's always Wally World.  I have to admit, if I'm going on a plane, the list is very small, and I usually just bring a bodice with different skirts for the different days and different accessories and jewelry, one hat, one pair of Willin Sole's absolutely bestest shoes in the world, because we don't check baggage, we carry on everything.  Including wearing a cape and a Cavalier hat through the airports!   

[Lady Kett]

I fake it. I am always trying to pack in under an hour and inevitably when Sidekick isn't home. So when he walks in the door I go through a "laundry list" of what I have packed to compare mental notes. Occasionally we forget something but it's usually not major. We have bins for garb accessories, a separate suitcase for actual garb vs mundane stuff, and two bags for various and sundries (one for toiletries and one for electronics).

I always tell him if we forget something major it just means I get to go shopping. That keeps HIM on his toes when I run through the list!

[LadyFae]

I tend to underpack. I bring bare bones basics and try to fit it in as little space as possible!

[DonaCatalina]

I make a list about a week beforehand and DH and I go through it to make sure that we're not forgetting anything. Then as we load the suitcases and the car, we mark off the list. We've gotten pretty good at packing just enough garb. But we overpack just a little because weather is unpredictable.
Invariably we forget something. In the past on different occasions we have forgotten:
R/F pins
sunscreen
hat
contact solution
gloves
cloak

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

Last week, I didn't make my list.  I decided I knew what my noble garb was, and that was fine.

We drove 3 hours to the faire, got there, put on the socks, boots, chemise, hoop skirt, go to get the underskirt with the forepart - it's not there.

I called home.  It was sitting in my closet.  So I changed back into my shorts and tee shirt, went into the faire, went to Ophelia's and bought a split skirt in black silk, went back to the parking lot and changed again. (I had wanted a split skirt but had never gotten one, so I decided to buy it instead of a regular skirt).  Put the split skirt on backwards, put the overskirt on top, and went back into the faire.

Our friends said I had it all planned so I could go shopping!  But this week - back to the list.

[Trillium]

I make a list and start making piles early in the week.  As I remember things I forgot, they get added to the pile.  A list is especially important if we are camping!  The night before I take what I need from my purse and put it in my pouch so i don't forget important things like my ID and the tickets.  The morning of tends to be chaotic with not only getting myself ready but also ensuring the hubby and boy child have everything they need.  We managed to forget my hubby's monstrous "hammer of wo-sht" once, not sure how we did that....  That is why i have a list!

[maeven]

I usually overpack and I'm always forgetting either a toothbrush, hair serum, shampoo, toothpaste or my hair brush-I'm notorious for that! lol

[Capt Robertsgrave Thighbiter]

 Contrasts - my wife is natural born list maker - when we go anywhere, she makes copious amounts of lists - even to the point of making lil drawings of the items to pack.  Me - I am an inveterant non-list maker, and we pack up not only our kits ( garb, costumes - what ever you want to call it) but all of the sound equipment and wires and instruments etc etc by memory.  Only failed us once, when we forgot all the heavy bases ( we call 'em cookies) for the microphone stands.  Oh and once forgot all the sticks ( swabs, spongers, powder scoops etc) for the cannons!  But in both cases we came up with work arounds for the missing items.  For me , life is too short to make lists, and it's better for your memory to have to remember stuff!

[LadyStitch]

I am a natural scatter brain which is why I believe in making lists and planning ahead.  After we went on a trip and the PP forgot to pack his underwear, even if he gripes about my lists, I make a list.
I even go so far as to do the 4 page list.

• Things to do before you pack
• Things to pack
• Things to do before we leave
• Things to do when you get back

Before you pack list has things like, all items you want to take clean, & repaired. Any supplies you need to buy IE food, fuel, booze ECT.

Things to pack I have a 3x5 card for each family member.  We write what we want to pack on those cards.  If it isn't on the list, it won't be packed.  This is handy because sometimes the spouse will pack for the other one. It also means if the PP wants to take a different character I can make sure all the bits are packed.  (IE is he wearing Full Jean?  Is he wearing the warm weather Jean?  The Scott? Sir Roland? Mudge? Bastien? ) Each of those requires specific bits.  If the outfit is on his card, I know what to pack in the garb tub.

Things to do before we leave are things like make sure the dog is taken care of.  Are the fridge and freezer shut, and piece of tape over it. (When in panic you can walk by and know they are closed. This saved me this past TRF.)  It will remind me to make sure the bed linens are changed out.  I like having fresh bed linens to come home to after a long weekend at faire.  Also I will have a casserole, or such in the freezer, so that when we get home there is a meal I can toss in the oven and not worry about how to feed us when we get home.  I can just crash.

Things to do when get home list is typically.  Laundry, pick up the dog from kennel, put food in oven.  Things like that.  Just a list of things I have to do to be ready to go back to the mundane world the next day.  My brain is fried from the weekend, so having it helps.

Yes this seems like a pain in the backside, BUT last year it paid for it's self.  We were loading the car when a wind gust caused our front door to close, locking us and our friends out of our house at 11 at night. Thankfully we had our wallets and car keys in our pockets. Unfortunately no house keys.   Long story short, we couldn't' get back into our house until 8AM the next morning.  Thank all things holy we have wonderful friends!  Because I had the list of things to do before we left, and what was still needed to go in the bags soon as we walked in the door we knew exactly what was left to do, and pack.  We were gone, and packed in the car in 30 minutes.  Even though we left 2 hours late for faire we got to TRF with everything we needed, and still came home to a house that was not in chaos. 

[maeven]

  I like having fresh bed linens to come home to after a long weekend at faire.  Also I will have a casserole, or such in the freezer, so that when we get home there is a meal I can toss in the oven and not worry about how to feed us when we get home.  I can just crash.

What awesome ideas! I'm going to have to try that when we go next time!

[Adriana Rose]

I should really do the list thing lol I forget every thing.

For us during the season we are at the shop for at least 3 nights. So we just keep our suitcases packed and just add the stuff that we took out the last weekend. For my kiddo he has to have like 5 of everything keep that in mind new mommas it is bound to happen they will make a mess! He had 4 complete changes in the span of 4 hours! So pack extra everything from underwear up! So once all the bags are done those go by the door and get loaded in the car. His blanket and stuffies in their bag the day we leave so we dont forget them, that would be bad lol

Our garb once its clean goes into the clean laundry bag and that gets parked by the door and loaded up with the water jugs and other odds and ends that need to go in.
Cooler and the stuffie bag gets loaded the morning we leave.

Dont put off loading the car till the morning you leave because then you are bound to forget something! I forgot the kiddos suitcase and allergy medicine on the last weekend go me right?

Keep warm stuff or a change of cloths with you incase of sudden rain or when the weather desides to go back to september weather or winter at a drop of a hat!