It's a Weekender Bag thing...

I'm just sooooo totally STOKED!!!

My new plaid Fold-Over Weekender bag has arrived..... and just in time for the weekend!

Anyone who knows me also knows my penchant for plaid. I love it. So, when I saw the newly available plaid pattern of the thirty-one line... naturally, I just haaaaad to have me some.

I discovered the thirty-one bags through my aunt who is always collecting her newest greatest finds be it pottery, fabric, clothes, shoes, sewing machines and more... including her latest obsession with these awesome bags and organizer sets. She had given me a paisley (my other favourite print) tote that I adore and use all the time to carry my boys things and my own things for our day trips out to camp.


The tote that hooked me... made of sturdy canvas and just the perfect size for my boys and I! In the main part bottom I have an extra sweatshirt/heavier pants combo in case it's chillier at the lake topped by the boy's bowls and baggied kibble. On top of the bowls is an apple and a pear for the boys' snack-time along with a couple of toys for them to play with at camp. The outer pockets front/back hold books and puzzle books for me and the side pockets each hold a large water bottle for the boys and I. Roomy yet compact, perfect for day-tripping with the boys and I use it all the time!

So, at one recent Sunday dinner with my family, My aunt just happened to mention that the newest thirty-one pattern was a red plaid. NO WAY!!! Well, guess what the first thing I looked up on the Internet was after everyone had left that evening?!! Yep, you guessed it and I loved it!

Now, I am no stranger to plaid bags... my ski/boot bags stole my heart years ago and I hope to be able to use them again in the near snowy future but for awhile it was really hard to find plaid bags of awesomeness. Boy, am I glad that plaid is cool once again!!

My Ski/boot bags of plaid coolness ready to go just a couple of
winters ago... Lutsen Mountains, we WILL be back to ski you!!!!!

Back to my newest bag, the one I, of course, just had to have... I ordered it and before long yet seeming like forrrrrrrever, it finally arrived!

Helloooooooo my newest BEAUTIFUL!!!

And what would be a Fold-Over Weekender Bag post without actually packing it for a weekend away??? I feel even more fortunate to have a weekend getaway camp now!

So, on to packing we go!

I used to think that packing for every conceivable situation meant packing enough to get me through months even though I might only be away for a few days. I still pack for readiness of sudden situations but over the years I have learned to pack for more with less... Ease of travel makes just so much, well, easier so I thought I'd share a few of my packing tips.

The first thing I do, is decide upon outfits I'll need before laying them out for a roll. Surprise, surprise..... this weekend I will be wearing PLAID!!!

Outfits ready to roll...

Once rolled, my chosen outfits go into the packing cubes... If you don't yet use packing cubes, I cannot recommend them ENOUGH! there are many different types available these days but the ones I most love are my Zuca packing cubes... Zuca bags are kind of my other collecting vice. Anyhow, I have been using and loving these particular cubes for a couple of years now, over and again, and they still look and work as though they are brand new. LOVE them! I use packing cubes no matter what bag or suitcase I travel with and I seriously can't sing praise of them high enough to do them justice.



I could roll the outfits tighter and fit three into one cube but if I can get away with
just two, I do because it leaves a little extra slack room so my awesome
plaid collars don't get too squished and wrinkled.



On top of the rolled outfits I always place a tank/t-shirt/turtleneck for in case I decide I want a
layered, open-plaid look for the day...

 

...and then I top the whole outfit shebang off with a light sweatshirt in case the
weather proves chilly and a little extra layering becomes necessary.





Zip'er alllll up and plaid fashion is ready to go!

I use a packing cube or two (depending on how long I'll be away) for outfits, another for nighties'n'comfies, another for gotchies'n'socksies... and so on. Cubes for ALL!

For travel toiletries, I also found perfection in and ordered the Glamour Case which is
JUST the perfect size for my who-cares-beauty-routine needs...

 Wherever I travel, I am always readily prepared with an airport liquids bag... it's just way easier to have the approved bag already filled and organized than to have to do it at actual airport security and saves me a lot of extra anxiety at the security counter.

Travel sized soap/shampoo/conditioner/gel/spray, toothpaste, lip gloss and hand cream
all in an easy to pull out at airport security bag.



 

My other toiletry travel necessities include a few hair clips and scrunchies, a shower comb (since the ONLY time my messy hair ever gets combed is with applying conditioner), antiperspirant, toothbrush/floss combo, a full sized but super light and compact microfiber towel and for the one rare occasion I might need to dress myself up... some blush and a brush that almost never get any use, poor dears..... have I mentioned I'm lazy when it comes to makeup, as well as interest-less.

 

Once through airport security, I generally just pull the toiletry bag out and add the liquids bag in
with the rest of my necessities and away I go, still neatly organized for the plane trip.

Plenty of room mixed with total cuteness overload... absolutely good-to-go!

Once all the cubes are packin'... into the travel bag they GO!

Ready to go with all my cubes, my glamour case (not really an apt name for what I put in it but whatever)
and the tiny red, zippered pouch on the lower left inside the Weekender is another necessity I forgot to mention
but never travel without... an emergency sewing kit!

You could totally just place the security liquids bag inside the bag atop the cubes to easily pull out at
security check but because this bag is set with a perfect
sized outer pocket I like the ease of just pulling it out at the
conveyer-belt counter with no muss, fuss or holding up other waiting passengers.

Beautiful plaid Fold-Over Weekender Bag... I love you already and our travel fun has only just begun!

Oh... I should also mention that there is absolutely room in this bag to easily add in a hair dryer/curling iron set. I just usually let my hair air-dry when travelling because I prefer to bring less stuff if I can.

Do you have a favourite travel bag? Any tips of your own that could help me get away with taking even less to tote around? Please share your own tips for packing light and organized to help make getaways less stressful and more enjoyable!