Chapter 1: Packing

“Awesome!”


That was Justin’s first reaction when his mother told him back in July that he was going to miss the first two weeks of school to go with her on a Caribbean sailing trip she had booked a month earlier. But now he wasn’t quite so psyched. He felt left out from his soccer team and his friends as they chatted about their up-coming 8th grade year. He wondered what he would do without his cell phone or his laptop. He also wondered what was on his mother’s mind? It was so unlike her to disregard school and send him on such an adventure.


He wanted to go, to be sure. But why now and why with her? Did he have any choice about this trip? He sensed he couldn’t broach the subject with his mother judging by the distracted way she had sent him to his room to pack for the trip. He was both excited and confused at the same time.


In his room Justin reached under his bed and pulled the small suitcase his father had bought. He heard his mother’s cell phone ring and her muffled voice from down the hallway as she must have slipped into the kitchen. He heard her laugh. Who had called?


He was rummaging around his room when his mother called from down the hall.
“Justin, remember to pack enough clothes for the whole two weeks… I won’t be washing anything, ok?”


For many other kids his age this might have seemed like an easy task. But Justin was very particular about his clothing choices. He never wore the same clothes two days in a row, and he always washed his clothes after wearing them for a day. He also never wore a shirt that was the same color as his pants.


This presented him with a serious dilemma, one his mother wasn’t about to deal with in her current state. What to pack? To make matters worse, he was supposed to fit all his clothes, toiletries and a reading book into this tiny suitcase that only measured 24” by 24” by 12”. His father was gone on one of his business trips, his mother was mysteriously preoccupied and he here he sat on his bed frozen by his packing conundrum.

Your task: Create a practical packing plan for Justin. Determine what the reasonable number shirts and pants (or shorts) he needs to guarantee he can follow his clothing routine even on the sailing trip. You will also have to determine if all the clothes, toiletries and book will actually fit into the suitcase he has to use. Assume that his socks and underwear will use up about ½ cubic feet of his suitcase.  Create a detailed and organized list of the clothing items as well as a clear diagram (with dimensions) of how it will all fit in this suitcase.