in my last post, i wrote about how to choose the minimal amount of clothes for a two-week city/safari vacation in the winter (we just returned from south africa last month). all of the clothes in that post are included here for packing purposes, with the exception of the clothes i wore on the flight (which included my bulkier shoes and jacket). it seemed daunting given the number of clothes i had to bring to south africa, but it worked perfectly!  this week: how to fit all of those clothes into a carry-on duffle bag.  a few notes on the duffle:

1. we were told to bring soft-sided duffles because many safaris do not accept “rollies.”  i did not find this to be true because we saw rollies at both of our lodges.  if you get similar information, you may want to check first before buying a new bag.
2. that being said, it was very freeing to have the duffle because they are so much lighter and easier to maneuver.  plus, they’re cheap.  i got mine at REI for around $30 (currently only available in stores, and not online).
3. you, like my husband, may think i am misspelling “duffle,” and that it should be “duffel.”  both are accepted.  despite previous posts, duffle will continue to be used exclusively on jaunt.

my husband with his carry-on duffle after passing through “security” at the hoedspruit airport.

so how many of you roll your clothes when packing (i.e. roll the actual articles of clothing, not pack them in a rollie)?  this is something i had read about many times (travel bloggers just looooove to talk about rolling clothes), and i kind of thought it was a bunch of nonsense.  how can any packing method save more space than folding clothes flat?!  well, this is why i’m no engineer.  turns out that rolling clothes saves much more space, and i have the photos to prove it.

the clothes after traditional folding – looking tall!

to start the experiment, i folded my clothes like i would normally – simply laying them flat and folding in half (or thirds if a long tunic).  the clothes were bulky (remember, packing for winter with sweaters and pants), and stacked very tall in the duffle, while leaving empty, unused space on the sides.

the packed bag with folded clothes – not bad! everything fits, but not much room for any purchases bought on the trip.

so then i tried the rolling.  i folded my clothes in half (hot dog, not hamburger), and then folded the arms across, as well, and then literally rolled into a little cylinder (see photo at top of this post).  it was shocking how much more room i had in my bag! magical!

the packed bag with rolled clothes – so much more room! tons of space for toiletries, gifts purchased on the trip, and more.

an added perk was that it was extremely easy to pack and unpack at the lodges.  i would just grab the rolled clothes and leave them rolled until i wore them.  i think it prevented wrinkles this way, as well.

all rolled up and ready to go – with room to spare!

do you have a preferred way to pack?  would you recommend rolling clothes?