How can you – pack light?, and go everywhere?

We all have our secrets. Be they big or little – they're things that we're not proud of but serve to sadly define who we are. No, I was never a fan of the Bee Gees (even the early years), nor do I loudly chew on a pen in meetings or habitually whistle some annoying little Disney song.

But I will admit, when it comes to traveling, I can't pack to save my life. With the exception of the skycaps and bellhops whom I've tortured with 800-pound bags full of sixteen pairs of shoes and shirts I haven't worn in years, few in the world know my dark little secret.

Until now.

Knowing that it's long past time for a change, I did what any (even a nonnative) Californian would do: I sought out a therapist and found the right doctor for the job. Dr. Doug Dyment is a scientist, engineer and consultant and just the guy I needed to cure me. From his office in San Francisco, Dyment is the creator of a Web community known worldwide as “One Bag – The Art and Science of Travelling Light.”

I wasn't three minutes into my conversation with the good doctor when he described the archetype of the worst kind of traveler – the man or woman who packs everything in case, he says, the traveler “just happens to be invited for dinner with the Queen.”

I was stunned. In less than 180 seconds he had me nailed. I am the pack-for-any-possible-eventuality-regardless-of-how-remote. I've packed swim goggles on ski trips, Hawaiian shirts for treks to funerals and wool socks for the Caribbean.

What could the doc do for me? He had some advice in the form of five smart tips for travelers – even ones as hopeless as me. Before we began, Dyment, as good doctors do, shared some sage advice: “People are always looking for the one big secret, but it's really about a whole bunch of little things that make a huge difference.”

And with the whole world seemingly boarding an airplane this week, how can you lessen your load? Here's how.

THE LIST

Dyment insists that smart packing only comes from the use of a smart packing list. He cautions about using the commercial ones available in stores – they are intended to prompt you to buy more stuff you don't need. Instead, a packing list should be no more complicated than a grocery list. Do it right, says Dyment, “and you will use a good list for the rest of your packing-light life.” He goes on to advise that “a packing list is a constraint list – it's a pact you make with yourself – the maximum amount of stuff you will pack in your bag. If it's not on this list, it's not going in this bag.”

COLOR UP

Minimize your color schemes – pick two colors and everything in your bag should work together. His choices are blue and gray. It doesn't matter which color scheme you select – as long as you stick to it. Heading to Palm Beach? Pink and green all the way.

ROLL, FOLD, STUFF OR BUNDLE?

This is the age-old question in packing. According the Dyment, the answer is bundle (see graphic at left). Packing this way eliminates folds and creases. He cautions against rigid folding, as it adds tension to the clothing. Travel is tough enough – more tension is the enemy.

DE-FEET THE PROBLEM

Dyment acknowledges that “shoes are the single most difficult packing problem.” His advice may be easier said that done, but he champions: “First reduce the number. ... Most people can get by with two pairs of shoes – dressy and casual. Pack one and wear the bigger pair on the plane.”

STEP OUT OF LIQUIDS

Dyment turns the pesky question of liquids upside down. “I resolved the problem years ago. The secret is to eliminate liquids – they're heavy, they leak and take up space.” Add to the drawback list the Transportation Security Administration's 3-ounce restrictions.

What most people don't know, Dyment says, is that liquids are “just not necessary.” He advises to look for equivalent products that don't have water – solid shampoos, soaps, perfumes, deodorants, sunblocks. There are a host of “perfectly acceptable equivalents for everything, including toothpaste,” he says. Dyment's mission with liquids is to “avoid the silly little plastic bag.”

Aside from the tips, tops on the doc's list of contributors to our national packing malaise are the rolling suitcases. It's not that he's an anti-wheel Luddite, it's simply that the technology has turned the suitcase into a rolling wheelbarrow. People have a tendency to pack more than they can carry when they know they can just pull the trailer behind. You don't need to give all of your wheeled luggage to Goodwill tomorrow, but it might be wise to think about how much you would pack if you actually had to lift that load and carry it 50 yards.

As for me and my dinner with the Queen, the good doctor had told me what I needed to hear: “If it happens, rent a tux.”

All Terrain Thinking

A Compendium of things I think are Important

Generally Speaking, Think on this...