Can Math Solve The Packing Problem?
My 4x4x4(ish) Road Trip Experiment

That’s the question that sent me down a rabbit hole a few weeks before heading out on a recent 15-day driving adventure. Apparently, I decided what my road trip really needed was math.

Not to make mileage calculations. Or estimate what gas would cost. And not to figure out how many hours we could spend at Crater Lake and still reach the next hotel before dark. Wardrobe math, because I was facing the most important dilemma of the trip: what was I going to wear?

The Challenge

Packing for a two-week-plus trip wasn’t exactly new territory for me, but this one presented some interesting challenges. We’d be in one location for most of the first week, with more of the road-tripping part happening in the second week, changing locations every day or two. There would be a bit of time traveling in the car most days, with sightseeing along the way and dealing with temperatures that could vary quite a bit from one stop to the next.

And of course, I wanted options. Though when a car is carrying the suitcase, “maybe I’ll need this” can multiply like coat hangers in a dark closet. So I wouldn’t be constrained by airline luggage limits, but I knew it wasn’t realistic to pack clothes for every possible circumstance of the trip. Since there would be no fancy occasions or highly athletic outings to be prepared for (except one), most of what I was going to take could/should work for most days of travel.

My rabbit hole started with the 3x3x3 “Sudoku” packing method that had been making the rounds on social media. The basic idea is simple enough: choose three tops, three bottoms, and three layering pieces that can all work together. With perfectly chosen coordinating pieces, there are potentially 27 different outfits. Nine pieces, plenty of combinations, very tidy math. More than enough to cover 15 days. But is it, really?

To better conceptualize the possibilities, I posed the challenge to ChatGPT.  I already suspected that a 3x3x3 capsule wouldn’t feel like enough for me, though I did consider other variations for it, like adding a 4th top or a dress. Since luggage space wouldn’t be an issue, there was no reason not to allow myself more freedom, and I expanded the grid to a 4x4x4. The discussion centered more on the opportunities for variety than on wardrobe theory related to color, function, and style.

Then, my exploration moved on to the what-ifs with a self-imposed rule of not wearing any item on consecutive days. The potential number of unique outfits (4x4x4=64) doesn’t change in this modeling; it simply sets a parameter for a potential order in which the outfits are worn. The same is true if the no-repeat rule is increased to two days. I only needed outfits for 15 days, so even if some of the potential 64 outfits were truly not optimal looks, there would still be plenty to choose from, right?

Absolutely, and at some point I began to realize the complete irony in this train of thought. Why was I concerned with limiting myself to there being at least two intervening days between wears for each item in the capsule? Realistically, hadn’t I often happily worn the exact same “wow, I really like this look” outfit two, even three days in a row while at home? What was different about planning for this trip?

Go ahead, make a guess. Maybe take a minute or two if you need to think on it.

Was your guess “because there would be pictures”? If it wasn’t, what were you thinking? I mean, after all, you’re not reading this just for my witty prose, are you?

Besides the opportunity for writing about the trip, I knew there would probably be photos taken every day that would be shared in blog posts and on social media, and surely I should be wearing something different in each one. Because heaven forbid photographic evidence existed of me wearing the same shirt two days in a row. 😂

Once I recognized my true concern, my focus changed. I wasn’t really trying to create 64 distinctly different outfits. I was trying to pack enough variety that I wouldn’t feel as though I was wearing the same few things throughout the trip, without packing more clothes than I actually needed.

My 4x4x4(ish) Solution

Before making my actual choices, I first had to account for two things the math didn’t know about: the weather and my personal preferences.

This trip would take us from Southern California north to Washington state and back, so I’d have to plan for quite a range of weather. Forecasts across our route called for overnight temperatures as low as the high 50s in some areas and daytime highs reaching the upper 80s or more in others. There might even be a smattering of rain during the first week. That made layering important, but my own wardrobe preferences narrowed the field in another way. I don’t wear shorts, and tank tops and T-shirts aren’t really part of my wardrobe either.

So my version of a summer travel capsule was never going to look like the typical assortment of shorts, tees and a light jacket. I needed clothes that would be comfortable on warmer days, layers that could handle cool mornings and evenings, and enough flexibility to cover everything in between.

With those parameters in mind, I settled on four bottoms, four layering pieces and…five tops. Apparently, after all that math, I was already cheating. Why wouldn’t I? Honestly, it wouldn’t be the only time. 😉

I opted for one of the four bottoms to be a skirt, which gave me an alternative to pants without adding another category of clothing. And the fifth top? I could have left it home and stayed faithful to the formula, but since I had the room and knew I would wear it, that seemed unnecessarily rigid.

On paper, this gave me far more combinations than I would ever need for 15 days. But theoretical outfits are one thing. I wanted to visualize what the rotation in action might look like stretched across the trip.

Not only does this theoretical schedule provide at least a two-day break between wears for each item, but it also avoids repeating any two-item pairings.  Each item would be worn at least three times and possibly four. Even allowing for combinations I probably wouldn’t choose in real life, it became fairly obvious that there would be no shortage of possibilities. The bigger question was whether all that theoretical variety would translate into options that actually worked once we were on the road.

What Actually Made the Cut

The math may have told me how many combinations were possible, but it couldn’t tell me which pieces I would actually want to wear for 15 days. That part required a little more consideration.

As I started making my choices, I first considered what my color palette would be since that’s what the ‘experts’ advise when it comes to putting together any kind of capsule. As is typical for me, I initially began with black as well as denim. However, as I looked through my options for tops, blue started to become a more prominent choice. It was then that I pivoted away from black and started looking through my closet again with blue in mind.

One of the first items I picked was the teal track pants I’d found on clearance a couple of months ago, knowing they’d be comfortable to wear on long-drive days. The olive-chartreuse knit top is one of my favorite pieces to wear with them, so it was pick number 2, and I had my day one outfit figured out. I know that neither is blue, but stick with me, and you’ll see it all come together. Next, I settled on my jeans with the bleached floral design, which pairs wonderfully with my white eyelet shirt, my beachy-themed linen-blend shirt, and my light blue shirt with embroidered floral design. The blues are a-rollin’.

Then on a whim, I pulled out the Johnny Was kimono I’ve had for three years (the darkest color is blue, not black) and noted that I could wear it with at least three of the already selected tops as well as the jeans. Now, what about some more print mixing opportunities? How would the kimono look with my blue floral patterned skirt? I was giddy with the possibility. A white denim jacket would be a great layering option across the board for chillier days, but let’s go for the one with stars on it.

If you’re keeping track, nine items had been chosen thus far. In searching for another bottom, I came across a pair of blue chinos with tags still attached that I’d never worn. Why that was, I’m not sure, but they fit and would go with all of the other already selected items, so they were added to the growing pile on my bed. All I needed was two more layering pieces to fill out my 4x4x4 grid.

Normally I might have selected a blue denim jacket, but that felt a little redundant considering the white one I’d already picked. Then I spied another not-yet-worn item in my closet: a lightweight barn-style jacket with blue floral embroidery that seemed to fit into the capsule nicely. Last pick was a cardigan with yet another floral pattern.

Considering the trip’s itinerary, the likely weather, and my desire for OOTD variety, I reasoned that it wouldn’t hurt to add one more top. That’s how my long-sleeved striped button-down made the cut as well. Oh, but wait, I broke the 4x4x4 guide in yet another way.

The ‘highly athletic outing’ I alluded to earlier was golf. For a bit of background, a few months ago, our son had mentioned that he and his fiancée were planning to visit her family near Portland and then see our daughter, who lives about two hours north. He asked whether we wanted to coordinate a visit at the same time. We did, and after comparing the cost of flying and renting a car versus driving, we decided to make a road trip of it.

When visiting our daughter, we typically stay at a nearby resort that has an on-property public golf course. Our son and I have been playing golf once a week for the better part of six months now. Maybe we could play golf there? There’d be enough room in the car for two sets of clubs, so why not? Our son thought it was a great idea and my husband was good with it, so the plan was set.

However, this presented a slight problem with the 4x4x4 capsule. Could I include my golf outfit in the capsule (select pants and a shirt that would be suitable for both golf and daily wear) or should I bring a separate outfit? Oh, no! 😱

As part of our packing considerations, we knew we’d have an opportunity to do laundry at our daughter’s place, so whatever I wore golfing could be washed afterward and be fresh for future wear. However, since most of my usual golf attire is built around a black palette and would be difficult to work into my capsule’s blue-based one, I decided to pack an extra outfit just for golf (see Day 4 in photos above). The outfit became an exception to the capsule altogether: tropical print pants, a black polo, and nary a thought that either would coordinate with the rest of the wardrobe. We had a morning tee time, and though I had anticipated changing afterwards, I never did. Fine, whatever.

Also worth noting: I broke my no-consecutive-wears rule right out of the gate on days one and two by a repeat wearing of my teal track pants both days, as evidenced in photos above. (Did anyone catch that?) So much for that particular piece of my wardrobe math.

So, can math solve the packing problem?

At least on paper, it certainly looked promising. I had enough clothes to handle the weather, plenty of possible combinations, more than enough variety for 15 days, and even a little room for rule-breaking along the way. The numbers certainly suggested that I wouldn’t run out of different looks to photograph.

Of course, a calendar full of possibilities doesn’t guarantee that every piece will feel equally useful once the trip is underway. And that’s where the next question comes in: after all this careful calculating, did I still manage to overpack?

We’ll get to that next. But until then, what method do you use when deciding what to pack for a trip?

Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Photo credit: MMPerez

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