Archaeology Magazine - March/April 1985 - 67

articles of clothing in the evening and
have them ready to wear in the morning
even if you're making a string of onenight stays. Take a small plastic bag
along to pack any damp things in, if you
must leave before your "wash" is dry. A
plastic bottle of detergent will give you
the cleaning power you need, and a couple of plastic-covered wire clothes hangers will help in the wrinkle-free drying
process. Sure, doing laundry takes a couple of minutes each evening, but your
clothes are always clean and available.
Both my men and womentraveling friends
swear by it. Taking a bigger supply of
clothing means more weight to carry,
more luggage, and dirty clothes to pack.
These days even small towns boast
laundromats, for a thorough laundry job.
Or,if you'll be staying in one pláce awhile,
use the services of the hotel laundry.
Do you really need dressy clothes? If
you do, or simply feel happier wearing
them, pack those that are not wrinklefree with the tried and true tissue paper
method. Fold them the way department
stores do, and put a sheet of tissue in
every fold. It works. It will avoid wrinkles, and adds no weight or bulk. The
cardboard and plastic bags that shirt
laundries use work well to keep both
men's and women's shirts and blouses
laundry fresh.
Shop if you must
Shop for any clothes you'll need, or
that you don't have in the colors you
need.
Unless you want to splurge, remember that to the people you'll meet on
your trip, you and all your clothes are
new, so you can keep clothing expenditures at a minimum. Try wearing any
new clothes before your trip, so you'll be
aware of how comfortable they are. Don't
take anything that you don't feel perfectly at ease in- chances are you won't
wear it more than once, but you'll carry
it the whole trip.
Consider clothing that can be worn
for several different purposes. My best
example is a fingertip-length light terrycloth pullover that can quadruple as a
swim suit coverup, bathrobe, top over
pants or skirt, and a nightie. Avoidheavy
bulky clothing (like long, heavy terrycloth robes ) that you can get along without. Let a cheap plastic raincoat take the
place of your expensive, bulky trenchcoat unless you're going to be wearing it
all the time.
Now you're ready to make a list of
exactly the items that qualify. Actually,
I like to take them out and look at them
all together. Check to see that the colors
do go together, that they all fit well, that
all buttons, zippers, hems, and so forth,
are in good order. Think about how you'll
be wearing them, in what situations, with
what shoes. Then eliminate whatever you
can- make yourself do it- to lessen the
load.

Toiletry

items
Join us in the remote
hill towns of Tuscany
...
Verdi Country...
pastoral
and the mystical
cities

Make a list of toiletries- aftershave,
makeup, sun preparations, and prescriptions and medications you'll need. Clear
see-through plastic toiletries bags let you
find what you're looking for easily, and
are fairly leakproof . Don't take full bottles of shampoo, aftershave, detergents,
if you don't need them. Pour just what
you figure you'll need into plastic travel
bottles, put each in a thin plastic bag
and close with a twistem, then put into
your toiletries bag. Include manicure
scissors, tiny sewing and first aid kits.
Inspect your luggage
Examine your luggage to see if it's
ready to travel. Are the zippers, locks,
hinges, and so forth all in good working
order? Any tears or dents that might
give way if the bag is dropped or manhandled? If you have any doubts, invest
in a new bag. Losing the contents of
your bag, or having items damaged, or
having to buy a new bag in the middle of
your trip is an unnecessary evil.
My own rule is, the fewer bags thè better. So if I'm going on a longer trip I take
a large bag (mine is about 24' 'xl8' 'x8' ' )
with wheels and a leash, and a smaller
carry-on bag, rather than several small
bags. I favor flexible bags of tough cloth
or plastic, that look good but not elegant-I don't want them stolen. Now
it's all coming together: you have your _
essential clothing and toiletries, and your
well-selected luggage.
When you're going by air, pack in your
carry-on and hand bags anything you
can't get along without for even a day that includes anything that can't be
replaced, and anything that's easily damaged. That means jewelry (try to take as
little as possible), makeup and essential
toiletries and medications, breakables,
camera equipment, passport and other
essential papers, travelers checks, and
bathing suit. I put my travelers checks
"ID slip" and any large bills in my shoe.
I always pack snacks (cheese, nuts, dried
fruit) in case of emergencies and delays,
and have had to share them with others
who hadn't thought to do this.
When packing your larger bags (which
you'll probably check ) picture what the
contents will look like when the bag is
being carried. Put your heavier items
(shoes), and non-wrinkleables on what
will be the bottom when carried. Stuff
shoes with socks, hose, or other items.
Roll whatever you can: tee shirts, night
clothes, cotton shorts and pants, and fit
them in the corners, edges, anywhere
they can fill the "cracks" as you go along.
Place your tissue-papered, carefully
folded "dressy" clothes on the bottom
layer, and layer other clothing with as
few folds as possible, with more rolled
items on top. Put in last the things you'll
need first- nightclothes, beach items,
continued on page 80

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1985 67
March/April

Archaeology Magazine - March/April 1985

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - March/April 1985