What do you do with the puffy coats during the flight? Almost all flights I have been on lately do not allow you to put coats in the overhead bins.
I use my coat as a pillow.
My S Cube coat rolls into a small pouch. 
Love it. Mr’s Patagonia jacket can also be squished into a small space. Of course, this would not work for a very heavyweight puffer.
definitey do carry on only. I did 7 days Rekjavik a couple weeks ago with carry on only. Bring 2 pairs of pants, shorts you can wear for bed or work-out. I packed running shoes and wore by boots on the plane. tops/underwear and bathing suit, toothbrush with lots of room left for souvenirs. Steal some room from spouse if you need more (haha); that’s the secret.
Usually I wear mine as I’m always cold on planes. If I should get hot, I squish it into my big tote bag which I stash under the seat.
Thanks for all the great suggestions! We’ll be staying with our son most of the time so probably need very little in the way of toiletries. I’ll have to look through my makeup and lotion/creams. Do face creams and foundation count as liquids? I don’t expect to take too much either way. We will mostly tour the city, spend two days in Napa, and may do some hiking.
I was thinking gym shoes, flats or short boots, and maybe my hiking boots, although they are pretty big and heavy.
@maya54 - I love all the links and clothing suggestions. Exactly what I was hoping for. I just picked up a gray cardigan and have a few tops that I think will work for dressing up or down.
@MaterS - Wow, that woman did it her way! In my dreams, I would bring all sorts of shoes as they are my favorites, but just no! I know how fast 6 days will fly by and will probably spend most of the time walking, so no need or use for too many cute shoes this trip.
@happymomof1 - good advice to experiment with the ziplock.
I wish my weight loss journey had been a little more successful this past year, but as it is, I’m probably sticking to jeans and black pants. I’m jealous of those who can wear leggings and tights. Even in my lighter years I was never built right for those. They are so cute with so many ways to wear them! Blah!
"Do face creams and foundation count as liquids? "
Yes. They do.
I noticed you are flying Alaska… make sure your carryon is the right size!
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/travel-info/baggage/carry-on-luggage
“What do you do with the puffy coats during the flight? Almost all flights I have been on lately do not allow you to put coats in the overhead bins.”
Use as pillow, blanket or seat cushion ( spread out). If musable can go under seat in front of you
I would also recommend a puffy coat- lightweight/thin is the key!
Here’s an (expensive) example…
https://www.patagonia.com/product/womens-nano-puff-jacket/84217.html?dwvar_84217_color=PST&cgid=womens&isSearch=true#tile-3=&q=nano+puff&start=1&sz=24
A no so expensive but still nice looking example:
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/119954?page=women-s-katahdin-insulated-pullover&bc=12-27-610&feat=610-GN1&csp=f
Inexpensive but would work just fine (and in stores they have ones with no “plush”:
https://www.costco.com/32-Degrees-Ladies’-Mixed-Media-Plush-Jacket.product.100398182.html
They fold up to nothing and don’t take much room. Make an excellent pillow or lap warmer on the plane.
I’ve never tried packing cubes!
I use packing cubes and love them. One cube gets - puffer jacket, noise cancelling headphones, contacts/glasses, any meds or vitamins needed during the flight, a pashmina or Turkish towel shawl, cover socks for when shoes come off and reading material. Once boarded, I pull that cube out of the carryon. It always fits under the seat along side my personal item. Everything needed for the flight is at hand. After we’ve landed the whole thing gets shoved back into the carryon.
Can someone link to packing cubes you’ve liked that are reasonable in price - like from Amazon or Target? (then I’ll know what to look for at TJMaxx!
We had these for 15+ years, and they look like brand new despite being used almost every couple of weeks (Mr’s travel).
https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Creek-Travel-Luggage-Pack/dp/B00F9S85CS
I live in the Bay Area and travel often, almost exclusively with carry on only. Just returned from a 14 day trip with carry on only. So here are a few additional thoughts:
- Our weather is pretty predictable so check the weather a few days before you go. No need to bring an umbrella if rain's not expected. In the event it comes up unexpectedly (unlikely) you can buy an umbrella here. Same goes for a rain jacket.
Also, common weather in early March is high 50s - low 60s. The outfit I wear most often through our winter is a pair of jeans/black pants and a merino wool or cashmere pullover sweater. Or, a cotton long sleeve shirt with a wool cardigan sweater. Unless the forecast shows unseasonably warm weather or you happen to run very warm yourself, I would not bring sweaters that aren’t wool or short sleeve shirts (unless you plan to work out).
- Personally, I've found packing cubes to be more hassle than benefit so you may want to experiment. But here's a link to a sample.
- Don't use a baggie for your toiletries! It's so much easier to use a bag made for that purpose. They actually hold more and won't split.
- If you have a packable down, that would be the ideal jacket. It doesn't take much room and would fit in your "personal item". If not, or you're not a down jacket kind of person, bring whatever jacket you have that will keep you warm in Bay Area weather and take it on the plane. You really should be able to get by with one jacket. No need to pack it. If the forecast for SF (colder than the east bay) looks particularly chilly, you could bring a pair of wool/thin gloves.
- Sounds like you'd like to bring hiking boots and another pair of boots. Wearing your bulkiest boots on the plane works best and you may find that you can fit the smaller boots in the suitcase. You can experiment and see. I have a pair of tailored pair of back merrells that I generally wear on board and are my primary walking/touring shoes while traveling. These shoes are similar to what I have.
I then add a pair of shoes to wear with whatever evening outfit I’ve packed and, often, a pair of booties.
So, I’d pack 7 pair of underwear (I always like an extra pair), 3 pair of pants (jeans, black jeans, black slacks, leggings…just depends on your own personal style), 3 long sleeve cotton shirts, 3(ish) wool pullover sweaters (flat wool that’s not bulky), 2(ish) flat wool cardigans, 6 pair socks, pjs, 1-2 dressier tops for evening that go over black pants, walking shoes (wear on plane), booties (if I really want them/wearable in rain if rain is forecasted), and one additional pair of shoes to wear in the evening (assuming evening activities suggest nicer shoes than my every day walking shoes).
Since you mentioned you haven’t traveled in awhile, think about how you want to keep yourself entertained on the plane. Read on a kindle or tablet? Play games? Will you need a portable battery? Make sure you have your chargers. The only packing cube I use is a pretty small square one that I put all my cords in, including a charger for the car (you probably won’t need that but I just leave one in my bag all the time) and headphones.
My memory of living in SF, over 30 years ago. It was cold! We turned our heat on in July. You could spot the tourists because they were wearing Bermuda shorts and freezing in the middle of the summer. I had to toss my seersucker suits from back east because nobody wore summery business attire in SF, even during the summer.
Search YouTube and Google for “minimalist packing” and then adapt it to San Francisco weather. Never check luggage and your travels will be more pleasant.
The strangest thing I’ve learned so far that I had no idea existed anywhere in the U.S., was that S’s apartment has no heat and no air conditioning. Supposedly this is common with the year round temperatures ranging from 50s-70s? (Or is he renting in a strange place!)
I’m actually quite concerned about keeping myself occupied. I’m deathly afraid and I mean death. ly. a. fraid. of flying. So I’m considering a doctor visit and prescription of some sort to keep my panic at bay. I wasn’t planning on bringing any tech devices other than my phone, but maybe I should think about my iPad.
Sorry to hear you have a fear of flying…that’s really rough.
Do you like to read? Maybe magazines or a good physical book if you’re not one to read or play games on your ipad.
And no heat?? Very surprising. N A/C, not surprising.
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/must-landlord-provide-heat-california-92796.html
Heat is required. Your son may want to check with is landlord…