TriStar for 10 day Trip?

[dclawyer]

By way of background I own an Aeronaut and like it. I have traveled with it many times. I like the one bag concept. I am wondering if I could make it on a ten day trip with the Tristar. The Aeronaut is good but fully loaded is really heavy on my shoulder. I won't need a suit on my trip. Two pair of pants are enough plus shirts and some workout clothes. Anyone made it 10 days with a TriStar?

With either bag I will take my iPad and incidentals in the Cadet.

[Frank II]

The key is how you pack. Saying how long the trip is means nothing. The question is how many days of clothes are you packing?

If packing for a ten days, then no, you will have a hard time unless you are tiny. But if you pack for a 4-5 day trip, and do some laundry, it won't be a problem.

My standard packing, whether it be for a four day trip or a forty day trip is:

2 pairs of pants
3 shirts
3 sets of underwear and socks.
1 sweater/jacket depending on the weather. (Sometimes two lightweight sweaters.)
1 pair of gym shorts to either sleep in or wear in my hotel room
2 t shirts for sleeping or lounging
Toiletries
1 quarter size packing cube full of misc. stuff
One pair of dual purpose shoes (look like dress shoes, feel like sneakers.)
One pared down electronics bag.

And that's all in ONE bag. It doesn't include an additional set of clothes that I'm wearing.

With that, I could technically go for months. I'd just replace things as I wear them out.

[lonestar6]

Frank II provides the best answer. You can if you do a little laundry. Depending on your gear, this can easily be accomplished in a sink or on a large ziplock bag which stashed neatly at the bottom of the center section of the TS. If you can do this there really is not a limit to how long you can go in a TS. I routinely do this and the bag usually weighs 15-20 Max.

[capncat]

it can very easily be done! i've done several trips of 10-14 days with my tristar, including having to lug around a not-small laptop and some safety gear if the trip is for work. if you don't mind doing laundry and depending on the style of shirts you fancy, a couple sink-washable shirts and pairs of socks/underpants* (although i usually bring a third set of unders+socks, since sometimes i don't have much time to launder). i'll usually bring this plus sleep in whatever shirt i wore on the first day of travel, one spare pair of pants (wearing a second during travel), a black icebreaker skirt, running shoes + clothes and a pair of flipflops for walking around in the hotel. toiletries, meds and electronics all go in my imago, which i can slip into one compartment of the tristar if necessary. if it suits your situation, i personally prefer to wear the bulkiest things i plan to bring, rather than packing them (like jeans, sweatshirts, winter coats, etc).

*my absolute favorite shirts and unders for light travel are from icebreaker, and smartwool for socks. a lot of travel/quick-dry clothing is made of synthetic fabrics whose textures i'm not fond of. they pack down small, resist wrinkles and make a lot of pieces that can be dressed up or down, depending on your plans. a few clothespin hooks (like these guys: Amazon.com: Whitmor 6211-982-5 Fashion Color Collection Hanging Super Hold Clips, Set of 5: Home & Kitchen) and whatever soap is available at destination does the job.

[Lani]

I'd add a pair of flip flops in the list, as well as some girly things. I also only wear very thin (liner) socks so I don't need take three pairs of socks.

[Lani]

Oh and speaking of packing lists, I just reviewed the Packing (+TO DO!) and Packing Pro iPhone apps from Quinn Genzel over at MousePlanet today. And our own jannilee added her own thoughs on the app. Enjoy!

App Review: Packing (+TO DO!) and Packing Pro (More Mouse) by Lani Teshima

[jannilee]

Yes, and i said that one of the great benefits is being able to post to TB forums more easily

[plume]

I'll add my "yes." I recently used my Western Flyer for a 9-day trip to England and packed for no washing (it was a romantic trip, and I didn't want wet clothes hanging around). Granted, I have clothes sized for someone 5 ft 3 inches with size 8 feet--my partner probably couldn't fit a pair of shoes in the WF. The trick for me was taking basics for fairly energetic day hikes plus evenings in nice restaurants. I confess to taking more than I needed, which is something of an amazing statement, given the small size of the bag. List, in addition to what I wore on the plane (jeans, Icebreaker top, Smartwool cardigan sweater, hiking shoes):

1 rain jacket, very small umbrella
2 pairs of pants (black jeans, black dress slacks)
3 long-sleeved shirts
3 Icebreaker short-sleeved shirts
1 dressy black sweater
1 silk nightgown
underwear and socks
toiletries in TB bag, which the security folks at Heathrow made me empty into a ziplock!
Kindle, camera, chargers, maps

If I can get that in a WF, you can pack the TS for 10 days! Good luck.

[JLE]

I have used my TriStar for up to 8 days without washing. It just takes some planning and some careful packing to ensure the bag is not overloaded (too much bulging makes it harder to carry comfortably).

@Plume - your experience with the WF is really encouraging - I am planning to use mine (with my Imago) on a 10 day trip next year and a bit worried that I might not be up to the challenge!

[adrian65]

I visited with the Tri-Star and another small back pack. I would have selected my small moving brief-case instead of the second back pack, but I required the other back pack for a brief opera that I was going to do in African

[dclawyer]

Thank you for all the helpful responses. I see that I can do it with either minimal or no washing. Either way is fine. This is a great forum.

[Kinsale]

Like Plume above, I had to empty my 3D organizer bag at Heathrow when transferring from T-5 to T-3. It's the only Security checkpoint that has made me do that. The checker gave me a really bogus excuse but he was being quite horrid to everyone.

I just did a 6 day trip with the Tri-Star and it was quite comfortable. A surgical rubber clothes line is a must for those in-room clothes washings, it makes the drying process much easier.