Wow. So interesting. I love unpacking. I think it’s the homebody in me. Also probably why I’m an overpacker. I hate being away from the stuff I need/want.
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I do minimalist packing when going to Europe. I can forgo checking luggage. I don’t want lost luggage on an overseas flight. One small rolling bag is a lot easier to manage in the small European rental cars. It’s also easier to manage in the B & B’s where the stairs are often steep and there is no elevator.
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The kids talked us into carry-on rolling bags (plus backpack) for our family Europe trip in 2015. No rental car, but that did make it so much easier around cities and train station etc. We liked it enough that we almost always do carry-on for other trips.
Alas, an upcoming Jetblue trip with budget tickets allows no overhead carry-on. And… it will cost most to check 2 small bags than one large. We are still debating what to do since 1)I like having my own stuff, especially when moving around a lot 2) hubby has a bad back, and single have bag could be too cumbersome getting in and out of trunk 3)hmmm… we may risk going over weight limit with combined packing.
Nest a smaller packed roller bag in a larger bag? Then your husband can handle the smaller one and you can maneuver the larger (and lightened bag)?
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good idea! I have a couple of bag combinations that this would work with, including one rolling carryon that fits inside a bigger checked bag, but mostly this would work with a soft bag inside a large rolling checked bag. Separate them for everything but checking them, then pack them together for one bag fee. I have often traveled with my husband’s large rolling suitcase that is not full in one direction (while helping kid move multiple times over the years, flying Southwest where you get 2 free checked bags) and it is easy for me to handle the large suitcase when it’s not heavy.
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I’m musing here, give me some leeway 
. The OP asked for advice on paring down what she needed in a trip. Because her thought was that she was carrying around a lot of baggage. Literally. That by packing minimally, you are learning to let go of having to having to be in complete control.
There’s a lesson to be learned. I have a person in my life going through a divorce. They want to divest of some of the “stuff” they had, to free themselves of the burden of that responsibility. And debt.
Also the OP was traveling in a vehicle where the car was full and storage was at a minimum. I once took 5 people (3 in their 80’s!) on a trip to one of my kids. We needed to bring a cooler full of food and an air mattress. There was not much room in my Subaru. Imagine my dismay when my mil showed up with 2 large bags, her own cooler and pillow. It was like she didn’t realize there were 5 people stuffed into a Subaru! We made it work because H is an engineer and a master of packing a car.
There’s a time and place for bringing all the stuff and one to only bring the bare minimum.
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Everything is packed. I had to put toiletries in my backpack when I really wanted everything in the small suitcase. I think I could really pare it down more and keep the backpack free…
The packing cubes were fun.
@deb922 is so right. I need to let go and not feel I have to be in control and be responsible for everything and everyone. Footloose and fancy free and all that. 
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I tend to pack a whole pharmacy when I travel. I’m afraid if I don’t bring something, someone will need it and I don’t want to have to find somewhere immediately if someone is having issues (especially stomach!)
I wear ear plugs and love all of the little plastic containers. I keep two in my purse. I can fit several doses of Advil, Tylenol, Benedryl and Dramamine in them. I also have w little zippered wallet that I keep a couple of packets of my sinus meds and stomach stuff.
And then in the suitcase I tend to combine boxes. One box has DayQuil and NyQuil and another might contain my sinus meds, gas X and Imodium. I may bring a lot, but it cuts down on bringing big boxes and bottles of everything.
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I use large ziploc bags, 1 and two gallon. We started using them when ours kids were very young and they could almost pack for themselves. 5 days of undies and socks in one, five days of shirts, shorts, so on…
I do admit packing cubes would have a much longer life and are better for bulkier items. More environmentally friendly too. I never unpack when I travel so I like to have everything organized in my luggage. We do reuse our ziplocks several times.
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And for the environment in the long run. I still use the Eagle Creek ones which we were gifted in 2006 (?) but I replaced many, many ziplocks.
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Yes, I still use an REI field backpack that I got about 1990 and is still very sturdy after much abuse. Sadly, many items aren’t made to last anymore. I did purchase some eagle creek toiletry bags about the same time but they didn’t last as long. They had a rubbery liner that disintegrated over time.
My girls are in their 20’s now. I really should gift them a nice set of packing cubes. And insert a couple of ziplocks inside for sentimental reasons. Now if we could just start traveling again!
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We check out Home Goods, Marshall’s, type of stores and are able to occasionally find 3 packs of packing cubes for under $10. They can be quite expensive at full price. There is a “sweet spot” regarding packing cube size. Some are too small to be useful, and some are too big to be practical. (Wife and I have spent WAY WAY too much time on packing cubes!!!)
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We use 4 to 6 per carry on suitcase. 3 that each take up 1/4 a carry on and then 1 or 2 small size that equal the large size for the last 25% of space. I notice some bundles seem like a good deal, but have impractical sizes. Still
always have room for shoes or blow dryer etc in the suitcase nestled along the cubes. We are big fans 
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@LeastComplicated, I’m still traveling with my circa 1996 REI backpack. The lining is just beginning to go.
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I found Eagle Creek packing cubes at the Container Store for half price recently. I’m guessing they were “last year’s color” or something like that. I use them, and I tend to pack like things together.
My husband does not use them though, and he would say he’s a more efficient packer. (We are BOTH over-packers).
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I too have a backpack from the 1990s. Got it when I started MBA school in 1991, and it’s been MANY places since then. It’s made by NorthFace, but I don’t think that company was “a thing” back then. It doesn’t have all the side pockets and padding newer ones have, but it’s great for hiking.
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Congrats on your lighter packing!! It can be really freeing.
We don’t check bags if flying anymore. My D22 and I have matching High Sierra suitcases that are super versatile with wheels, but also hidden backpack straps (great for stairs or uneven terrain), plus they open like a suitcase. If you don’t overpack they are carry on size. (They do expand). I have some packing cube like things and I sometimes use them, but not always.
I do find that just knowing I could buy something at my destination if needed frees me up from the burden of having to pack for all contingencies. I’d much rather make the rare trip to the drugstore for a forgotten item than be dragged down by lugging multiple suitcases through an airport.
If it’s a car trip we also try to pack light. But we did just pack for a family of four for a week at the beach, taking our own sheets, blankets, pillows, towels (bath & beach), boogie board, and luggage for 4 and get it all in our compact hatchback Chevy Bolt EV. It was tight, but we did it. Usually for a weekend in the mountains we throw some stuff in a daypack and call that good.
Welcome to the more minimal packing lifestyle. Hope you enjoy it.
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All these stories got me thinking about a short essay I’d written after I visited my adult daughter a couple of years ago…
When I was visiting daughter in Portland I needed to buy some laxative, so I bought the smallest container of Miralax powder.
On my way home, I tucked the now open container into my carry on and off I went to the airport. My bag went through the scanner and was flagged.
A nice older (this is a key element) TSA lady called out “whose bag is this?” I raised my hand and she asked me to step aside and asked “Is there something in the bag you might want to tell me about?” Me “Um, no” - she opened the bag and reached her hand in. She pulled out my tiny cosmetic bag…“your liquids?” Me “yes ma’m” she reached in again and pulled out the tiny Miralax bottle and again asked me “Is there something in the bag you might want to tell me about?” Me “it’s laxative” Her “Well, I’m going to have to swab it down on the outside you know?” Me “Sure. Ok. It’s just laxative.” Swab comes out and she is frantically swabbing that plastic bottle. Me “between us, this stuff is a miracle” Her “OH! Do you think it would be ok for kids, because I have a granddaughter who is down syndrome, and needs some “help” now and then” Me “I would ask a doctor, but I swear by the stuff” Her “Thank you! Oh, and sorry to stop you, you’re good to go!” -
I actually was thinking how funny a scene this would be in a movie, with an aging rock star, who once-upon-a-time might have had some actual contraband in the carry on, and now “only” has a bottle of powdered laxative!
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Two years ago I attended a conference in New Orleans and, as a last minute gift for my daughter, carried a box of Café du Monde beignet mix in my bag. What was I thinking?!? Of course TSA stopped me.
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These aren’t what I got most recently, but these are on sale. There are others on sale at the Container Store also. I really like the big sleeve or whatever for folded things. Keeps shirts nice and less wrinkly.
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