Jenny in Florida Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I need to prod my son into packing up some clothes tomorrow to take with him to campus. I just realized tonight that I have no idea how to advise him about how much to take. He'll be only about 90 minutes from home, and the plan is for him to come back to town fairly regularly to work with his local dance teachers (prepping for a competition this fall) and touch base with friends who aren't graduating until spring. If he gets there and figures out he's missing anything important or that it would be convenient to have more stuff on hand, it's not a big deal to make that happen. My daughter went much farther away to a place with actual seasons and had to take a lot more with her. However, my thought is that the more stuff my son has, the harder it will be to keep it all in order. It's a lot more tempting to allow the laundry to pile up if you still have clean clothes in the drawer. So, I'm kind of thinking of suggesting he take enough casual stuff (jeans and t-shirts) to get him through two weeks, plus dance gear and swimsuits (Florida college not far from the beach with a couple of pools on campus). He'll also take a couple of light jackets and his suit and a couple of dress shirts to wear as necessary for performances. Does that sound reasonable? How much are your dorm-dwellers packing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I think it sounds reasonable, but I really have no idea! I do think you are correct in that the more stuff they have, the less likely they will do laundry! I understand where you are coming from - I would like a list like ds had for sleepover camp: 10 shirts, 8 shorts, etc., all spelled out for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 I would like a list like ds had for sleepover camp: 10 shirts, 8 shorts, etc., all spelled out for me! Exactly! I did a little searching online last night before and after I posted, and I just kept coming up with advice about not taking "too much," but no definitions for what that meant. I did find one article addressed to young women that encouraged them not to take too many pairs of shoes. According to the writer, women should not "go overboard." They should bring "only" nine pairs (ranging from black flats through brown and black boots to another couple of cute pairs). Another comment on the same site suggested women not bring purses that cost more that $500 so that it's not a big deal to replace them if they get lost. Clearly, my son is operating on a different frequency from those ladies. I mentioned to him this morning that I was thinking he should plan to take about two weeks' worth of regular, going-to-class stuff plus the assorted specialty items, and he said that's what he was assuming, too. So, I am somewhat reassured that we each independently came up with the same thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I did find one article addressed to young women that encouraged them not to take too many pairs of shoes. According to the writer, women should not "go overboard." They should bring "only" nine pairs (ranging from black flats through brown and black boots to another couple of cute pairs). Another comment on the same site suggested women not bring purses that cost more that $500 so that it's not a big deal to replace them if they get lost. One of the first things my daughter learned when she went to college was the term 'flats.' She learned it from her roommate who brought more than nine pairs of shoes! (I don't think said roommate brought a $500 purse though.) Your two week plan sounds good to me. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Ds is taking pretty much what he has that fits him, which I hope will be enough. He has about 7 pairs of shorts, 12 short sleeved casual shirts/T-shirts, 3 SS button down shirts, 6 pairs of jeans/casual pants, 2 pairs dress pants, 8 long sleeved casual shirts, 3 LS dress shirts, all-black concert outfit, formal tux, sports jacket (he really could leave this at home), light jacket, heavy jacket, athletic shoes, hiking boots, brown casual shoes, black dress shoes, white and black socks, underwear, white t-shirts, sweatpants, sweatshirt, pjs. Surely that's it? :) He will only be an hour away, but does not have a vehicle and will not likely be coming home except for major breaks - Thanksgiving and Christmas - when we will go pick him up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Ds is taking pretty much what he has that fits him, which I hope will be enough. He has about 7 pairs of shorts, 12 short sleeved casual shirts/T-shirts, 3 SS button down shirts, 6 pairs of jeans/casual pants, 2 pairs dress pants, 8 long sleeved casual shirts, 3 LS dress shirts, all-black concert outfit, formal tux, sports jacket (he really could leave this at home), light jacket, heavy jacket, athletic shoes, hiking boots, brown casual shoes, black dress shoes, white and black socks, underwear, white t-shirts, sweatpants, sweatshirt, pjs. Surely that's it? :) He will only be an hour away, but does not have a vehicle and will not likely be coming home except for major breaks - Thanksgiving and Christmas - when we will go pick him up. This is probably similar to what my ds will take, though not quite as many "bottoms." I keep trying to get him to buy another pair or two of shorts and jeans, but he just doesn't think he needs them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Ds1 wanted enough to go 2 weeks without laundry. I think, as he packed it all this morning, he had 1 dressy outfit, 6 pants, 6 shorts, 14 T-shirts, socks, underwear, rain jacket, 1 fleece, 1 hoodie, two button down shirts. Flip-flops, converses, dress shoes and boots. He will get random gear for swimming. He traveled for six weeks with one pair of pants, one pair of shorts, 4 T-shirts and a jacket, so he is amazed by the amount of stuff he taking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Nine pairs of shoes sounds about right ... if you're not counting shower shoes, and slippers, and ... My dd is definitely not a minimalist. I wouldn't even begin to count items of clothing. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I'd guess DS took enough to last about two weeks, assuming he wears some of his shorts more than once. He took shorts, his nicer tee shirts, several polos and long-sleeved casual shirts. And two pairs of dressier pants (Docker/khaki type), two dress shirts, ties and his blazer. His dorm has a pool, so he took swim trunks. And a lightweight rain jacket. He's less than 90 minutes from home and has his car, so he'll have plenty of opportunity to get jeans and jackets and things like that before he'll need them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Dd packed two medium sized boxes last night. I'm guessing there is another box to go. She may need to prioritize once she gets there. That won't be a problem because we are taking her to help her move in so the overflow can be carted home. The next 48 hours are going to fly by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 DD20 took one suitcase initially to school. Half of that was concert dresses, skirts and jackets (music major), so she ended up with about 10 days worth of clothes. It kept her inspired to keep up with her laundry. DS18 is planning to take barely-enough clothes to make it through 1 week without laundry -three pairs of jeans, 8 t-shirts and 2-3 button up shirts and his swim trunks. I told him he needs to pack his black dress pants just in case. Most of the rest of his load will be his winter gear. Where he is going, he is going to need his really good coat, snow pants, boots, wool sweaters, hat and gloves. He has one large duffle bag he plans to put everything in for travel and call it good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyomarie Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 My son will take all he has, which isn't much. Something like 3 pairs of jeans, a handful of t-shirts, a couple of polos, a couple of hoodies, and some underwear and socks. I will also insist he take his suit (probably won't need it at all and has only worn it for a funeral but he'll be more than 500 miles away with no way to get it if he does need it). I'll also make him take the one pair of khakis he owns, but only because I made him get them for his graduation photos. It's not much clothing but I learned long ago that it wasn't worth buying a range of clothing styles for him because he won't wear anything other than what I've mentioned. Somehow, I also need to buy him a winter coat. He has refused to wear a coat for years even though it gets very cold here. Since he'll now be walking to class in snow country, he's realized that a coat could be a good thing. However, it can't be "poofy." My eyes bugged out at the price of "non-poofy" high performance gear, so we haven't come to any conclusion yet about what to get. He'll need it by mid-late Oct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMom Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Dd had to take a lot of clothes. She has to wear business attire for class so she basically needed two wardrobes plus her debate tournament suits plus her soccer gear. Once we got there, we did a good job organizing it all. We got all of her casual clothes and soccer stuff into her 4 dresser drawers and all of her suits and business attire into half of the closet she will share. We got an over the door shoe organizer. She and one of her roommates will share that. Again, dress shoes, casual shoes, sneakers, cleats, and one pair of boots. It sure added up to a lot of clothes! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I'm taking Calvin down in my Ford Focus hatchback, and he is bringing at least one guitar and his practice amp, so I can't imagine that he will have more than a single suitcase for clothes, and a squashy bag for bedlinen/towels. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Ds has started actually packing clothes now, and after seeing the big group of dress shirts and pants from the dry-cleaners, has asked me "do you really think I'll need this many dress shirts and pants?". No dear, I don't expect so. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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