This is our packing for a 15-Day trip to France with my brood. It is winter there so we are packing more warm clothing for the kids and the wife (we are Equator dwellers, so our bodies aren't as acclimatized to cold weather).
Still, I am rather pleased with how efficiently we managed to pack.
My clothes are in the Aeronaut 30 (weight: 6kg, about 13 lbs). This includes all the jackets and sweater consisting of Icebreaker merino wool stuff, Uniqlo down jacket and a Columbia softshell.
My camera gear and iPad Air are in the Co-Pilot. I am debating whether to take the Night Flight Travel Duffel instead. It has double the capacity of the Co-Pilot but the latter is more compact.
My two younger ones age 9 and 11 carrying the Synapse 19 backpacks. The Synapse 19s contain their winter wear and one set of spare clothes. About 2.5kg (5.5lbs). I reckoned they should be able to handle that load. Their school bags are already more than double that weight (weight is a problem with SIngapore school bags, kids carry way too much). The key is to ensure that they have something to wear the moment we touch down. So even we lose our one checked luggage, or it is delayed, they still have a set of clothes and all their winter wear.
Faith isn't going on this trip, and is staying home with my mom. Her sensory issues don't deal with 13-hour flights very well. But Mom is taking her to Malaysia for a 4-day road trip with our helper. So she will have a ball.
I gave the missus the Dyneema Aeronaut 45, the bag on the far right. She has most of her clothes in there. About 6kg (13lbs) too. The bag is like a cave, swallowing all her belongings. This carry-on legal bag can be carried by the handle, by slinging or by the hidden backpack straps. The wife carried it backpack-style to leave her hands free to handle the kids.
We have one checked luggage. The mid-sized suitcase is carrying the balance of the kids' clothes, some toiletries and cosmetics that belong to the wife that won't pass the TSA 3-1-1 test (one does not argue with the wife about her toiletries and makeup) and the wife's high boots.
I tried suggesting that the wife wear the boots on the plane but she wanted to wear something lighter. Again, one does not question the wife when it comes to what fashion is needed on a trip. Hey, it's Paris, she wants her boots, she gets to pack it.
Not too bad for a family trip for half a month. We used to pack at least three suitcases for something like this.
And you don't realize how OCD you are until you are responsible for packing not just your own stuff but for the family. Color-coordinated packing cubes anyone?
I made a pre-trip run to NTUC Fairprice before we left. One must always have the right meds and other random stuff like Travel Wash and wet tissues. I usually use Dr Bronner's liquid soap for my own travel washing but I thought this time, I'd try the Dylon one for the family.
It is the first time the kids are on such long flight (13 hours!) and going to somewhere this cold. They asked me if the movies on the plane are free and if the meals are free too. They are used to budget flights where everything is extra. I explained to them that the stuff on this flight isn't "free" per se, just included in the price.
