Weight Reduction Plan

[CherylannJohn]

So what do you really need for 5 days on a boat?

We are going to be chartering for 5 days out of La Paz, Mexico in mid February. Getting from Colorado to La Paz involves at least 4 stops which means 5 (?) possibilities for us and our luggage to take separate flight plans. I''m sitting here thinking about how to take only carry on luggage. Any words of wisdom from prior experience would be greatly appreciated.

Does it really have to be a case of braking your back with gear to be prepared for any and all contingencies?

What''s essential? Anybody ever taken just enough stuff?

[TejasSailer]

Cheryl and John,

My wife and I joined a 14-day flotilla in Greece via Dallas and London last year and went carry-on -- each with a soft-side wheeled bag and a mesh day-pack. Half-way through the flotilla we did laundry, but that would not have been necessary. We vacation two-weeks every year in Europe and always go carry-on.

We have a spreadsheed we''re willing to share plus a few tips for light packing.

[p32]

We did a 7 day charter in the BVI''s in May. There were 4 of us: 2 adults, 2 kids (girls age 7, 10). I played mean/evil daddy and only allowed 1 carry on for each of us. My fam thought this very harsh, but we still came back with stuff we didn''t use. With 20/20 hindsight it was the right thing to do. "Carry on only" also allows you to bypass the luggage claim/recheck line (long) that was required between countries. We just walked right past.

One bulky thing we brought were towels which we didn''t need or use, they were supplied by the charter co. Check with your charter co to see what they supply, be sure NOT to bring those things.

We/I chose not to bring any foul weather gear, figured BVI''s in May would be warm even if it was wet. I''m not familiar with the weather at your dest at that time of year so that may not be a logical choice for you.

We also chose not to bring anything other than shorts/t''s/bathing suits, ie no "dress clothes" for the nicer places to eat. Again your dest/tastes may dictate different.

I believe limiting our luggage to carry on improved our overall experience. I read stuff from this site before we went, I found it helpful.

http://www.sailonline.com/charterers/What_to_pack.html

The best tip on the site is to lay out the stuff you want to bring, then put half of it back!. It worked for us.

Brian