What is your approach when you’re packing suitcases for a trip: Pack as lightly as possible to limit the stuff you have to lug around with you . . . or cram as much of your closet into your luggage as possible?
There’s a new survey out on Americans’ packing habits, it found that there’s one part of the country that is PACKED with OVERPACKERS . . . Pennsylvania.
For a seven-day trip, the average Pennsylvanian will pack: 10 shirts / tops . . . seven pants / bottoms . . . three pieces of formalwear . . . three sets of pajamas . . . 11 pairs of underwear . . . nine pairs of socks . . . and four pairs of shoes.
Indiana has the second-biggest overpacking problem, followed by Kentucky . . . Mississippi . . . South Carolina . . . Louisiana . . . New York . . . and Alabama.
The state that packs the lightest is . . . Minnesota.
For a seven-day trip, the average Minnesotan will bring: Eight shirts or tops . . . five pants / bottoms . . . one piece of formalwear . . . two sets of pajamas . . . eight pairs of underwear . . . seven pairs of socks . . . and two pairs of shoes.
Oregon is the state that packs the second-lightest, followed by Washington . . . New Mexico . . . Utah . . . Colorado . . . Nevada . . . and Hawaii. In general, the West packs lighter than the East, particularly the Southeast.
Overall, the average American will pack: Eight shirts or tops . . . six pants / bottoms . . . two pieces of formalwear . . . two sets of pajamas . . . nine pairs of underwear . . . seven pairs of socks . . . and three pairs of shoes.
(Shirts and pants might depend on the trip, but everyone has a go-to ratio for underwear-to-days, and socks-to-days.)
(Minnesotans are 1-to-1 on socks, and just pack one bonus pair of underwear, which is light, but reasonable. Of course, these are averages, so some people are STRETCHING THEMSELVES THIN.)
45% of Americans say they purposefully overpack, while about 10% say they try to pack lightly. 25% of people say they “always” return home with clothes they did NOT wear at all on a trip. 8.3% of people say that “never” happens.