A Packing Checklist for Men ( a totally "copycat"post idea)

I RECENTLY read in one of the blogs I follow, a suggested "packing list" for men for warm weather cruising. I started following the Life Well Cruised Blog after discovering her on YouTube. I have learned a lot of good information, tips and suggestions from both her blogs and videos and would generally enthusiastically recommend both the blogs and the YouTube channel. Like anything your read online, it is not necessarily gospel and I think it is smart to read things with an open mind and sometimes even skeptically. It is also true that we all come to information sources (whether we are the seeker or the provider) with at least some subject bias, more often than not bounded by our own experiences. Having said that, I want to (gently) challenge some of the points in that blog - and make some suggestions to pare down that list. This post will make more sense if you follow the link about and look at that list (toward the end of her blog).

My shortened list almost guarantees you can get through a cruise with a carryon sized bag and a small personal bag

THE DESCRIPTION in the narrative for "non-formal" nights is perfectly fine for formal nights too. The post implies that you need to have something more for the formal or gala nights - like a jacket and maybe dressier shoes, shirt and slacks. I haven't taken a sport coat or suit on a cruise for years now (and I used to be a full tux guy). I have "chino" or similar pants that I take on cruises mainly for the MDR and nicer specialty dining venues. They are equally sufficient for normal nights and formal nights. I generally take at least one long-sleeved button down shirt which I do wear on formal nights, but I have to say that I see many men in the restaurants with nice golf/polo shirts on formal nights too. I also see guys with sport jackets over T-shirts that I would personally consider inappropriate even on a normal night. But they are wearing a jacket?😒 Based on my experience and observation, it is fine to wear slacks and a shirt without a jacket and I would estimate that 50-60 percent of other cruising men who frequent the MDR agree with me. I see lots of men without jackets. On the other non-formal nights I generally wear a nice golf shirt or a "camp" style shirt that is understated and would pass the "country club" casual test in my mind.

SHOES? I am a 6 foot guy who wears 11-12 shoes. For men, shoes are the single most challenging item to pack as they take up tons of room (and add lots of weight) in bags. These days on a Caribbean Cruise I take a pair of casual shoes that will work for dressier ocassions, and flipflops (I am not a runner/walker on cruises, so no sneakers for me). I am wearing one pair and that makes the flips the only footwear that is in packed luggage.

nobody . . . is going to notice if you wear the same thing more than one time

 MY OWN approach to "formal" dress has nothing to do with disliking dressy clothes or being disrespectful of the rules of the cruise ship. That is why I do try to make my "business casual" attire as nice as possible. My reason has everything to do with packing and carrying. There are two issues I think we face (men and women) when packing "formal" clothing: keeping them wrinkle free, and packing light. When it comes to men, the average male is big enough that packing suits and shirts and trying to keep them wrinkle free; and then adding 2-3 pairs of shoes demands a fairly large bag in my experience. Before the dress codes were relaxed, I carryed the largest rolling garment bag I could buy, along with the largest carryon I could get onto an international flight. If you are flying, that is a hassle. They are ungainly and heavy. When you arrange for shore transportation, they take up scads of space in the Uber, taxi or other vehicle.

IN THE Caribbean, the balance of your time doesn't require heavy dress needs. It is warm weather, so you will generally be able to get along with shorts and T-shirts. The post concludes with a "packing list" specifically for warm-weather (essentially the Caribbean) cruises. I think (and I do) pare the suggested list down considerably. As noted above, I generally bring one pair of shoes that can be dressed up or down. I wear them. I only pack one other pair of footwear - my flipflops. I have several, but still, I am only going to need one of them for the cruise. The list says 3-4 pairs of shorts. I generally bring not more than 3 and could honestly get by just fine with 2. I don't swim or hot tub on cruise ships (another post for another day), and rarely go to the beach. But 3 pairs? C'mon. We are men. With modern cloth one should be sufficient (two if you are the cautious type). Most men I know don't wear pajamas to sleep in (usually gym shorts and maybe a t-shirt). Leave them home. Live dangerously.😄

For men, shoes are the single most challenging item to pack

AGAIN, I don't wear jeans very often, but when I do, I consider them cold weather wear. You are going to be in the Caribbean. Do you really need 2 pairs of jeans? They are heavy and bulky to pack. And in my experience, they don't travel well. On the off chance I will need casual long pants, I take a pair of "Columbia (or similar) ultralight, wrinkle resistant pants. They never come out of the packing cube. A suit? Nah. Not only have we gone casual, but you will be in the Caribbean. See above. Nope on the tie (unless that is important to you personally - likewise the suit and special dress shoes - but they are bulk that you may want, but don't need).

ONE ITEM I personally would add to the list is a couple long-sleeve T's. I usually pack the same material as my regular T's (some kind of synthetic/athletic blend), generally Columbia, Huk, Patagonia, or similar. They are essentially weightless, can be worn out on deck or on shore, and provide good sun protection.

EVERY SINGLE time I travel anywhere for an extended period, I come back and lament how much stuff I packed that I really didn't need (and in many cases use). Each time I get a little smarter and a little lighter. A couple things I have learned. First, and perhaps most important, nobody (well, maybe your spouse) is going to notice if you wear the same thing more than one time (multiple times even). That is why I don't think you need 4 pairs of shorts. I usually have a khaki and a navy blue pair. I do take a few t-shirts as they pack light and are the things for me that seem to get soiled most. The second thing is that we have a wonderful advantage these days with modern, ultra-lightweight, wrinkle free (or at least resistant), stain and sweat resistant clothing. All of my travel T-shirts are the "dry-fit" type (I personally prefer the Under Armor brand), and my shorts are generally the blended fabric that Columbia, and similar companies sell. They can all be handwashed if necessary and will hand-dry very quickly. A plus is that wrinkles really aren't an issue.

Because we don't fly, we are free to bring whatever we want

MY SHORTENED list almost guarantees you can get through a cruise with a carryon sized bag and a small personal bag.

DISCLAIMER: IT is easy for me to preach all this above. I do it when we travel to Europe, but there I generally need more, and greater variety of clothes. For that trip I use a larger (but still not huge) roller bag that is put in checked luggage. I can still get by with that and a hand-carry bag. The Caribbean Cruises have become more of an indulgence for us. We live in Clearwater, Florida. We really don't need that "winter break." Indeed we often find that our friends and family find winter a good excuse to come and visit us in our warm weather climate. Yet we still take Caribbean Cruises. Lots of reasons for that. Except for one time many years ago, we have never just gone on our own on a Caribbean Cruise. We are usually joining others and usually they are seeking a break from their frigid winters. We get it. We once did that too. Because it is an indulgence, and because we almost always cruise from a Florida cruise port, we don't fly. Because we don't fly, we are free to bring whatever we want (within reason, of course) and I do bring a larger bag - and more clothes. Because I can. 😉