10 days in a carry-on

How much stuff can you stuff in a carry-on?

Could you pack all you needed for a ten-day trip in one carry-on bag? Flight attendant Heather Poole can. See the packing slide show on the New York Times web site.

I’m a sucker for tips on how to travel ultralight. Heather takes a lot more clothes for ten days than I took on my last two-month trip, but she travels without all of the stuff that weighs me down: netbook, camera, tape recorder, notebooks, books, and hair products.

Here’s what she packs:

• 3 pairs of shorts
• 3 pairs of dress pants
• 1 skirt
• 3 pairs of casual pants or jeans
• 3 nightgowns
• 3 bathing suits
• 1 sarong
• 3 lightweight sweaters
• 4 dresses,
• 10 casual shirts
• 6 dress shirts
• a clutch (men-this means a small purse)
• toiletries
• 2 pairs of shoes.
• She wears the third pair of shoes, as well as jeans and a longer sweater.

That’s a lot of clothes (and I’m amazed that she needs 16 shirts, not to mention 3 nightgowns!). Her secret is that she rolls everything tightly. Wish I could roll my computer and my books into a tight cylinder.