hey georgetown, it's not that things weigh more when vaccuum packed or as you said the matter is condensed (your use of 'matter' was fun though).  it is that you are able to fit more stuff into the suitcase because everything is condensed.  wow. 

Mary, is Sheryl Spencer your half sister? You look JUST LIKE HER! 

Rolling clothes is the way to go! 

Also, I'm HUGE on wearing dresses while on vacation. SO easy to pack, SO lightweight, SO simple to deal with---case closed...I just add a coat or sweater in colder climates, or maybe ONE pair of slim/lightweight pants or jeans if necessary. And I try to take no more than three pairs of shoes, if possible. It's tough when you like to match certain shoes to certain outfits, but such is the sad fact of life for us style mavens these days.

And Meghan, I totally get your jive on taking your high school trophies to college with you---I'm abnormally attached to mine as well. Hey, like you said, you worked hard for those and you want people to "know" who they were rooming with...amen to that---I worked damned hard for all my trophies too!!  ;-)

((www.sherylspencer.net))

I also roll my clothes.. all the time. Even when they are in my drawers at home. It saves a ton of space. When I travel I really only bring basics and sometimes I even rewear them over again to save space.

I take the plastic bags from my dry cleaning and wrap wrinkle-prone clothing in them before folding. It really helps.

Also, stuffing your socks or underwear in your shoes or boots saves a lot of room.

I roll my clothes instead of folding them - in my experience, I don't get as much creasing this way, and I find that it actually makes more room in my bag for more stuff.