Tips for Packing for a Gatlinburg Vacation (for Everyone Who Doesn’t Really Like Packing)

For many people, packing is the worst part of preparing for vacation. If you’re anything like us, you really just want to pick out your favorite Gatlinburg cabin rental, hop in the car and make it to the mountains. Sometimes it feels like packing just gets in the way of your vacation time. Well, we’re here to help. We want packing to be simple and stress free, so we’re sharing a few things to remember when you are choosing what to pack.

(Also Popular: Everything You Absolutely Can’t Forget to Pack for Your Gatlinburg Cabin Vacation)

Less is More

You’ve heard it time and time again–less is more. In this case, less really is more. When you stay in a Gatlinburg cabin rental, you will have a washer and dryer right inside your cabin. You won’t have to pack a lot of clothes because you’ll be able to do a load of laundry and re-wear a few items. If you’re hiking on a couple of the days of your trip, you can pack a single outfit and wash it to re-wear on your next day on the trails.

To learn more about hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you can visit this site.

Dress Down, Wear Lighter Clothes During Your Trip

When you’re taking a vacation to the Smoky Mountains, it’s always great to dress in layers, no matter the season. In the fall and winter months, whether you’re hiking or spending time at attractions in Gatlinburg, it’s great to have layers of clothes. Sometimes you may want to have a light jacket, and other times you may want to be able to walk around in a tee shirt. If you wear multiple lighter layers, you will be much better off for packing.

Wear Your Heaviest Items While Traveling

Most people drive to the Great Smoky Mountains, but if you happen to be flying into the area, it’s best to wear your heaviest items on you. This way, you don’t have to pack your larger items in your suitcase. This will save lots of space.

Leave Non-Essentials at Home

If you know you aren’t going to use an item while you are traveling, why do you need to pack it? Leave all of those ‘what if’ items at home and pack only the essentials.

Take Advantage of Space-Saving Packing Tools

When you’re packing, you want to keep your bag as small as possible. Leave the huge bags at home and pack in a single, small bag. Instead of tossing everything into your bag, you should use Ziploc bags for small items to keep everything organized. You can also save space by using small bottles for toiletry items like shampoo and body wash. Don’t pack the full-size items, just take enough for your trip.

Pack Items Inside of Items

It may seem strange, but to save a lot of space, pack things inside of other things! For example, if you are packing 2 pairs of tennis shoes, you can pack smaller items inside of your shoes. This way, you are utilizing even the smallest spaces in your suitcase.

Pack in Layers

When you pack in layers, you can save space in your bag. This way, you can still choose a smaller bag and still have all of the clothes and shoes you want to take. To pack in layers, put your shoes and larger items like bulky jackets or sweaters on the bottom of your bag. You can roll your jeans or sweaters to save a little space as well. Then, to layer your clothes, roll them and place them in with the heavier items closer to the bottom and the most lightweight items along the top and sides of the bag. Anything like makeup bags or electronic devices should be placed on top of your clothes.
Are you ready to pack up and head to the Smoky Mountains? We’re ready for you to visit! So go ahead and take a look at our Gatlinburg cabin rental specials and give us a call to book your stay!