Mike vs. The Duffel Bag

As my travel partner Anna points out, Baloo the bear lived quite happily on nothing but the "bare neccessities." Who am I to argue with such first hand knowledge?

But then women are from Venus, and on Venus they like to pack.

Watching her struggle to cram everything into an oversized suitcase reminds me of freshman year move in day. It also makes me nervous for the lives of her zippers.

She has resorted to calling Lufthansa to confirm the limit of 2 bags @ 50 pounds each. Hakuna Matata! (no worries ladies... you can pack nearly a human's weight in clothing and accessories)

As a male during the packing experience, after checking on the local food in florence, google maps was kind enough to locate the nearest "lavanderia automatica" or laundromat in english. I can assure you it's not far.

Efficiency: effective operation as measured by a comparison of production with cost (as in energy, time, and money)

which led me to http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/womenpacking.htm

The real problem: my luggage is twice the weight it should be... the cause? They don't wear shorts... in the middle of the summer... anywhere in Europe. Baloo's advice was great until now, but then, Baloo doesn't wear pants.