Williams Family: Our "MacGyver" Bag

What you see in the photo above is a gallon size plastic bag that our family refers to as the "MacGyver" bag and it goes with us on every trip.

Some background.  MacGyver was a seven-season action, mystery television show from the late 80's where the hero, MacGyver, solved problems using everyday objects.  Our bag is full of everyday items that have come in handy on many of our trips, hence the name.

Items in the bag include wooden clothespins--the pinchy kind.  We use these to keep curtains closed in hotel rooms, hang bathing suits for drying, even hang up towels if needed.  We also have magnetic clips.  These are used when on the cruise ships as the stateroom doors are metal and we use them to hang paper items like excursion tickets, list of cruise activities, etc.  Horizontal space is a premium in staterooms, so this allows us to hang items, even lanyards. 

The roll of duct tape is to repair broken suitcases, broken shoes, and even once, used to keep the toilet lid up.  The hotel had remodeled and installed a shelf behind the toilet, but the shelf was so wide that the toilet lid, when up, did not have enough room to make a 90 degree or more angle and therefore would either fall down after each use or require to be put down.  Let's just say it was tricky and the duct tape kept the lid up. 

In the middle of the duct tape roll is a baby jar with powdered dish washing soap.  The soap is for use to clean any dining items, such as mugs or cups and it's in a glass baby jar to be protected from moisture or leaks.  It can also be used to wash clothing items in a sink or bathtub if necessary.  The fact that it is powder rather than liquid helps with TSA screenings, too.

Other items include samples of laundry pods--a variety of brands.  There are also rubber bands!  Rubber bands have been used to keep the boys pants/shorts up when they have been too small and too big!  One cruise, the boy put on his nice pants for dinner and they wouldn't button!  I whipped out a rubber band and weaved it through the button hole and the button.  Voila!  On another trip, the boy's shorts were too big around the waist.  Rubber band used to cinch up the back belt loops.  Problem solved!  Rubber bands can also keep shoes together and even attach suitcase zipper ends if they won't come together.

You may ask if the the bag goes in our checked or carry on luggage.  The answer is either.  Whatever bag has room.

Our "MacGyver" bag stays ready to go into a suitcase at all times.  We have to be careful not to go to the bag for situations that occur at home as it would be easy not to replenish the bag and be left empty handed while traveling.

Our Pants Problems!

I want to talk about pants.  Specifically the trials and tribulations we had with pants during our recent Disney Cruise on board the Disney Fantasy.

As chief packer and planner, I had made sure that plenty of pants had been packed for all along with coordinating shirts.  And, I had ordered tuxedos after measuring each of the guys—you have to put in the specific measurements into the website when ordering.  But even after all of this, we still had pants trouble.

It began night one when the boy went to put on the pants that had been packed for him in our carry-on bag to avoid any issues changing for dinner if our luggage arrived late in our stateroom.  Thing is, our luggage did arrive later after dinner, so it was a good thing we were prepared.  Anyway, the pants fit everywhere except the waist.  I got out my handy-dandy kit that includes duct tape, clothes pins, and a bit of powdered detergent and found rubber bands to secure the top of his pants—button hole to button with a slip loop.  Worked like a charm and we were off to enjoy our evening.  But it got me thinking that there may be further issues as some of his other pants that were packed were the same size.  Hmm. . .

Night two was formal night and the boy's tuxedo pants fit just fine.  It was the husband who was having difficulty.  He said that he had cinched in the pants as much as he could, but they were still falling down and required hands in his pockets to hold them up.  Rubber bands to the rescue again!  I grabbed the excess waist and put them into a pants ponytail that was covered up by his tuxedo jacket.

Night three the boy put on his pair of pants only to discover that they were too short. He wore them anyway.  At least the wait fit!

Another night, the boy's pants required the rubber band at the waist again.  My gosh, he continues to grow!

 By the sixth night, the pants bit both in the waist and were just right in length.  We hung the up after he took them off and wore them for the seventh night, too!

7th night!

Interestingly, all but one pair--the too short pair--were the same size!  And, the husband had made a declaration that he will only wear tuxedo pants if he has suspenders.  No worries, our next cruise doesn't have a formal night!

As for me, I wore the same "pants"--capris actually, for three nights!  Made packing a breeze!