friday five: packer or pack rat?

Ah, it's a Friday Five after my heart, or should I say my packing gene. 

1. Are you a sorter or a pack rat? What I mean by that is, do you select what you are taking with you (on a trip, a new assignment, a vacation), or do you pack with abandon (overweight suitcases be damned!)

I would be a sorter.

2. Who first helped you learn how to pack? Or did you just come into it by osmosis or natural gifting  (and need)?

I come by my packing expertise naturally, through both sides of my family! My maternal grandmother was the queen of packing, such that my grandfather dubbed her The She Master (in the most affectionate way, of course). My father was an ace packer, and my mother quite well, too. At home I'm known at the Space Queen, and not because of anything lacking in my head.

3. What's your favorite kind of suitcase? Duffle? Soft-side? Wheels? (I am personally a fan of my "expanding zipper" wheelie suitcases. Saved my bacon on many a return trip home!)

I like different bags for different occasions. For airport travel, wheels are a must. If I'm traveling by car, a suitcase works for clothing, but everything else goes into a tote of one description or another (I'm also the Tote Queen--it's all about containment). Totes are very forgiving when you need to arrange odd sizes together for optimal fit. Anything with a shoulder strap is a plus when you want to carry as much as possible at one time.

4. Do you have that "packing gene" -- or do you pack and cram what you need into every available space?

As noted above, I do have the packing gene.  This is a disadvantage after a trip to the grocery store: my husband always defers to me to put things away because I can find space for things that he somehow misses (or so he says). I also repack the dishwasher after he's made an attempt (not that I want to discourage him!). Who, me? Compulsive about wasting space?

5. What's one thing you've learned in traveling, packing or storing your belongings that you think everyone should know?

Pack the big stuff first, medium sized next, and small items last.  As seen above: pack the "hard" containers on the bottom, soft stuff on top. And if you're traveling with a kilt, roll it and "slide" it into pantyhose.