Packing SA for 5 days trip?

[ludovicus]

Hi all!
I have a few questions for my trip in November 6th to Memphis from Detroit Michigan. I'll be traveling by train.

I'm thinking of taking my newly acquired SA (with UMP) but I'm wondering if I need something like NFTD to spread the weight. I'm 4'11" guy on skinny side.

I'm thinking about getting Traveling Laundry Stuff Sack, but I'm wondering which size of the TLSS would fit into my Smart Alec, which will likely to be carrying my Macbook Air 13 in Cache rail. I also want to know how many T shirts & underwear/undershirts can fit into those Laundry Stuff Sack. If anyone who are around my size could post a picture of how many of their T shirts could fit into traveling laundry stuff sack, it will give me some ideas. Also, I'd like to know how much room I'd have left with the 13" cache & loaded Laundry Stuff Sacks.

Also, I'm wondering what kind of clothing (other than my undies) I'll be needing for the trip. I have never traveled to southern part of the States. I get hot easily and so I don't think what I might be wearing in Michigan at November may not be the way to go in Memphis. (like warm hoodies if it snows... etc.) Do I need hoodies there, what kind of jackets, can I just be okay with T shirts & Mariner's Jersey with half pants or would that be too cold? Any suggestions are appreciated.

I will be sleeping in sleeping bag at near by church during the conference with other scholarshipped young adults. (It saves me money that way). So, I will have a sleeping bag. It's called selk'bag 4G Lite Kids. (Yep, I fit into K2 Kids size). I'm thinking I might tying that in bungee section of the smart alec.

Thanks in advance for all your advice!

[bchaplin]

I would look at weather.com, or add Memphis to your weather app if you have a smartphone. Mine says that the temps are currently in the 60's or 70's during the day, but go down to the 40's and 50's at night. So you should probably bring at least one hoodie for warmth. Will it rain? Maybe a light rain jacket too. Other than that, layers should be useful.

[moriond]

Hi all!
I have a few questions for my trip in November 6th to Memphis from Detroit Michigan. I'll be traveling by train.

I'm thinking of taking my newly acquired SA (with UMP) but I'm wondering if I need something like NFTD to spread the weight. I'm 4'11" guy on skinny side.

I'm thinking about getting Traveling Laundry Stuff Sack, but I'm wondering which size of the TLSS would fit into my Smart Alec, which will likely to be carrying my Macbook Air 13 in Cache rail. I also want to know how many T shirts & underwear/undershirts can fit into those Laundry Stuff Sack. If anyone who are around my size could post a picture of how many of their T shirts could fit into traveling laundry stuff sack, it will give me some ideas. Also, I'd like to know how much room I'd have left with the 13" cache & loaded Laundry Stuff Sacks.

@ludovicus Congratulations on your beautiful new Smart Alec. I only have the A30 size (5 liter) TLSS, but I would guess that if you are using this with your Smart Alec, the larger 9 liter TLSS for A45 would work best. Read the thread by @Vecturist that compares packing the two sizes of TLSS, and perhaps some of the participants in that thread who have used this size Travel Laundry Stuff Sack in Smart Alec or similarly sized backpacks can comment with more advice, including about the clothing capacity. @Badger may also have some insights/recommendations.

HTH moriond

[Vecturist]

I'll add I can stick the A45 TLSS into my backpack which is slightly smaller than the SA along with an 11" Air in a skinny sleeve, plus a 7x10x3 packing cube, my Canon SX50 camera and a 3D organizer cube if that helps.

[bermudajes]

My two cents? I'd do a test pack to see how much the SA weighs with your load. If it's comfortable, then I'd stick with the one bag. Of course, if the weight is too much and/or you need a smaller day bag at your destination, the Night Flight might be a nice companion

As a fellow Michigander, I'd pack for the Tennessee weather and probably wear a fleece jacket during the train trip - that way I'm not too chilly when leaving/arriving, and I'm prepared for nighttime or cooler weather in TN.

[Badger]

I'm afraid that I can't give you an exact number of T-shirts that will fit into the A45 TLSS, but I can generally cram in 6 or 7 men's size M or 4-5 men's size L/XL. If you're wearing size XS or like a Youth L, I imagine you could fit at least 8.

You may also want to consider the Tri-Star Medium Packing Cube. It's rectangular rather than cylindrical, and the benefit to using a cube is that you can roll your clothes or pack them in flat. Of course, the TLSS has the nice benefit of being able to contain and separate clean/dirty clothes.

I live in Wisconsin and occasionally travel to the south in winter. The advice to wear a fleece as you're leaving/returning to Michigan is spot on, and yes, layering is your friend since temperatures are variable. It will be chillier in November down there than it is right now, so unless you're engaging in many high-output activities, I'd advise wearing or at least bringing some pants. You didn't say exactly what you'd be doing down there, but I've found that I fit in better (at least in Kentucky) if I dress a little bit preppier than I might at home. If you're doing anything like going to dinner or out for drinks, you'll probably want to wear jeans or trousers and a smart shirt (like a polo shirt—just something a little more formal than a T-shirt with a graphic on it).

I looked up your sleeping bag. I was not expecting it to be human-shaped, so I was a bit startled. Having recovered from the shock, I'd advise you to look into the gatekeeper straps: Smart Alec Modular Pockets & Straps - Modular Pockets and GateKeeper Straps - TOM BIHN
There's this webbing handle on the side of your sleeping bag when it's rolled up, and you could thread the straps through that if the bungee cord isn't doing a good job of keeping the sleeping bag lashed down.

[ludovicus]

Thank you all so much on advices! I just received e-tickets from the NPO I work for and just put it in my passbook app! I'm very excited already about the conference trip.

Thank you @bchaplin for your advice. I did look up both weather channel & accuweather. It seems quite warm down there. (But then again, it might be "Michigander's" feel about the temperature. lol (To me anything around 10 Celsius degree or beyond is "Oh it's pretty darn warm there")

Thank you @moriond for your advice and directing me to past thread as well! I also had email exchange with Tom Bihn Staff there today, they suggested I might have to go with A30, because "A45 is a bit too long for tapered top of the SA" was the response from them. May be if I compress it down it might fit, will see.

Thank you @vecturist thanks for your advice! Hmmm seems like you were able to fit the loaded TLSS A45. In case I want to pack more, I guess A45 could be doable! Thank you

@bermudajes Thank you fellow Michigander!! I think I just need to get a fleece jacket! I was wondering if I'd be too cold if I just wear things for Memphis weather while I wait for the train in Michigan/Chicago while I change the lines.

@badger Thank you so much for taking your time to write all the advices! I think I want to do with A45 TLSS. (I like the separation between dirty and clean clothes. I'm very very particular about that. Your advice on packing cube makes sense too. I have DLBP and thinking of using that to pack jeans and a better shirt. (I've never heard of smart shirt, but thank you so much for advice, so I could fit in down there without looking totally like "first timer winter bird tourist".) I'm going to be using that DLBP as my go to bag once I get to conference hall, just carrying my laptop with cache & notepads, pens, etc. So, I wouldn't have to carry all the pack with me.

Thanks for letting me know about gate keeper clips. I was wondering on that. Haha, the sleeping bag is awesome. I can take out my hands and feet, if I get too warm inside. The feet has non-slip grip thing on it, so I can walk around with it, with hand outside, I can still do activity like playing guitar or playing cards before we all go to sleep. I'll be down there for a conference, but I'm one of the young adult leadership member, so I will be busying around and also help host workshops for intergenerational works.

Thank you all for giving me advice. I will sure to upload pictures once I start packing. (It's still more than a month ahead, but I may even post pictures of test packing state to ask for more advise. Thank you all for being so kind.