Packing: the final boss
Your flights and hotel are booked. Packing is the last thing between you and the trip.
You throw things in and zip the case, and you still can't shake the feeling you've forgotten something.
You could look up someone else's packing list. It's thorough, but it was written for their trip, and half of it is stuff you don't own.
Chillwari helps you work out what goes in the suitcase, and you tick items off as you pack.
Not sure what to bring? Answer a few questions
Tap "Not sure what to bring?" and Chillwari asks where you're headed and whether you're checking a bag. It also asks what you'll be doing there: skiing, a beach trip, traveling with kids or your parents.
You can skip any question. Each answer helps Chillwari pick what fits this trip.
Chillwari also checks the usual weather for your destination and dates, with notes like "Below freezing, snow likely" or "typhoon season." A ski week in February and a beach week in August don't share much of a packing list.
You'll see the picks in two groups:
- Your stuff: things you already own that suit this trip
- You might need: things that aren't in your stuff yet but this trip may call for. Anything you add here goes into your stuff as well.
Chillwari has kits for different kinds of trips. If one fits this trip, its items show up under "You might need," and you choose which ones to take.
Carry-on vs. checked bag
If you're flying, you'll see your list in two parts: Carry-on and Checked. Airlines only allow power banks and other lithium batteries in the cabin, so Chillwari puts each item in the bag it's allowed in.
Your carry-on list includes a liquids bag: one clear 1-liter bag, with each bottle 100 ml or less. If you decant into travel bottles, put the size in the name, like "Face wash 75ml," and Chillwari adds up the total for you.
Not on the list? Add it
Chillwari's kits won't cover everything you pack. Add the missing things to your stuff, and Chillwari will consider them the next time it picks for a trip.
Type a name and tap "Guess from name." Chillwari suggests which bag the item goes in and whether it counts as a liquid. You can change anything it gets wrong.
A note on an item can answer a question before you have to ask it. I pack a travel steam iron for my shirts, and its note says "Dual voltage 100-240V." When I travel somewhere with a different voltage, I know I need a plug adapter, not a converter.
A note can also say when you pack something. My skincare kit only comes on long trips, so its note says "Only on trips over a week." Chillwari checks the note against how many days the trip is: a five-day trip leaves it out, a ten-day trip picks it. Right around a week, it may show up unticked, or sit in the folded list of things Chillwari left out. Then it's your call whether this trip needs it.
Next time, don't start from scratch
You can save your own sets. Save this winter's ski trip as a set, and next winter you'll start from that list.
Keep a set for each season or kind of trip you take. Other people on the same trip can't see your stuff or your sets.
Packing to go home
You'll pick up a few things on the trip that need to come home with you.
Once the trip starts, "Packing to go home?" appears at the top of your list. Add what you bought or were given, and Chillwari tags it for home. When you're ready, tap "Start packing." It unticks everything so you can pack again from the same list.
Check the list one more time before you leave.
(I wish I'd built this before I left my electric toothbrush charger in a hotel.)
