What’s In Our Pack?
I am proud of my ability to pack. My wife even calls me the Packing Ninja. I specialize in utilizing all available space in a U-Haul, fitting all our camping equipment in just one plastic tub, and filling a dishwasher so full you are POSITIVE dishes won’t get clean…but oh THEY do!
So, I was excited to see how we were going to pull off a 3+ month trip with only 4 carry-on sized backpacks. I admit, I am really impressed by these packs. We purchased several different styles from Osprey Backpacks. They are heavy duty with strong zippers and multiple loops for attaching additional items if needed (like a water bottle). There are multiple compartments and they fit really well. I found myself looking at the items differently this time. No longer was it fitting everything into a small space, it was more like how can this item or that item be used multiple ways and then categorizing that info as either “valuable” or “not valuable”. Is this item travel worthy?
Clothing was based on function alone, if they matched that was purely by luck. Pants that can turn into shorts. Long-sleeved shirts that have easy roll-up sleeves. Quick dry shirts, skirts, under garments for everyone. Dresses or shirts that are reversible. To help organize it all we picked up travel cubes. Small zippered packing bags that allow us to easily pack items tightly. They have a divided pouch so I can separate clothes between clean and dirty. We chose 4 different colors so we could designate a color for each person.
I was really interested in handling the bathroom supplies. Toothpaste, hair gel, contact solution, Heather’s makeup, etc. Fitting it all in while staying under the maximum travel size (3.4oz liquid containers within quart-size bags) and dividing it up between all four of us. I think it worked well.
We all packed:
Heather & I have the same style Osprey pack.
Keki is wearing this Osprey pack.
Bam is wearing this Osprey pack.
4 shirts (long & short)
4 pants/shorts or dresses
2 pairs of socks
4 pair of underwear
Scarf (Heather only)
Walking shoes/water shoes
Bathing suit (Heather x2)
Travel Jacket (Heather only)
Pajamas
Light Jackets for kids
Belt
Cardigan (Heather only)
Bathroom supplies – top items:
Toothpaste (kids and adult) Hair gel
Deodorant Contact items (case & solution)
Shaving kit Nail clippers, band aids, aspirin, q-tips etc.
Sunscreen Makeup
Hairbrush
Electronics:
Laptop Kid’s tablets (2 iPad mini)
Cell phones (2) Power pack (2) for phones / tablets
GoPro Selfie Stick
Collapsible Keyboard for iPad
Power converter/adaptor/surge protector with various power outlets and charging cables
3 phone mods for our Motorola Droid (camera, projector, speaker)
Miscellaneous:
Sunglasses (4) Swimming Goggles (2)
Writing Journals (3) Activity books (3)
Colored pencils (2 packs) Crayons
Baseball hats (4) Fleece Towel pack (S, M, L)
Picnic/Beach Blanket Kite (seriously)
Hydro Flask water bottle Collapsible water bottle
Beach Ball Pirate Costumes (2)
Huckleberry Tea (5 gift packs for our hosts)
Fisher Price Toy we offloaded in London (trialing the GRABR program for extra cash)
- Some of these items may have snuck in when I wasn’t looking.
A few items to consider if room permits:
Soap bar/shampoo – We have found that not all homes (HomeAway, Airbnb, etc.) may have that available.
Laundry pod – We have stayed at several homes with laundry facilities. We were lucky that they had laundry detergent left from previous guests. I can wash our clothes in the sink with soap and water (did this quite a bit in Belize) but the time saved and ease of letting the machine do it sure is nice. A nice early 20th-century invention!
I bet there are some saying “You overpacked sir!” and others thinking “No way this would be enough”. As I write this, I noticed there is a pair of pants/shorts that I have yet to wear. Perhaps I could have fit another beach ball or kite in my bag instead Bam…
Perhaps you have ideas/necessities I left off. I would be interested in your tips/tricks/hacks to make packing practical.
Happy Packing!
