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lutternoodling · 5 years ago

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How I Packed Carry-on For Four Months of Travel

A mostly exhaustive list of what I packed to live in Cape Town and Italy, to be in summer and winter, to feel stylish and able to take on any adventure, and to not buy new things!

My partner, James Martin’s, post on what he packed is here too! https://jameslmart.in/packing/

(Some example outfits! Featuring dresses and layers, boots and go-to sneakers, and some of my warmer layers)

My partner and I spent the last four months living abroad. We spent three months in South Africa, mostly in Cape Town with side adventures to Kruger National Park and a camping road trip in the Karoo (South Africa’s mountainous, semi-desert region), and then a month traveling Italy from Florence in the North to Sicily in the South. Along the way, we were both working remotely, trail running and hiking as much as we could, helping out at local farms, and exploring and soaking up as much of everything as we could. We lived cheaply, simply, and wonderfully, and we tried to pack that way too :-)

Packing Philosophy:

Versatile, functional, classic, able to mix and match

Mostly things that could be sweat in and would be easy to hand wash and air dry

I wanted to feel stylish and professional if I needed to

I wanted to feel like I “fit in” in every place I’d be

I wanted active clothes that would allow me to do any activity (ended up running on trail and road, hiking, farming, swimming, camping, joining a gym, on safari, and taking a dance class)

I wanted to feel like I could run a workshop or work at a co-working space and fit in

I needed pieces that could be layered or used in multiple climates (Cape Town summer and Italian winter)

* I wanted to pack light but I also wanted to feel good in everything I owned and have enough things to make life feel comfortable/me/not limited (the #balance!)

And I didn’t want to purchase anything new for this trip (or on this trip, at least out of necessity)! Everything below I already owned or acquired second hand

A few notes on this list:

I’ve noted the things I acquired after I left.

Most of the items I’ve had for a very long time (I chose a few of them because I’ve had them so long and worn them so much I wouldn’t be sad if I had to get rid of them on this trip).

I posted some links just for reference, a lot of these available second hand or new from sites like Poshmark/eBay, not encouraging anyone else to buy them just a useful idea of what I found to be basic, versatile, and functional

James and I ended up shipping a box home with some gifts and more summer-y clothes before leaving for Italy. This made the second stage of our trip way easier!

(The Osprey 46, empty and packed. Shoes loaded in first in bags, then packing cubes, then rolled clothes. Notes below.)

Bags:

1 carryon, 1 backpack, 1 purse, 1 fanny, 2 totes

Osprey, Porter 46 black. Did so much research on this but these are what swayed me:

Lockable padded laptop compartment

A backpack with hip straps so you can walk with it without carrying weight all on your back

Compressible and able to fit in all carryon sizes

Really easy to keep organized, which is super important if you’re repacking nightly

A front loading compartment

Company with a lifetime guarantee

Had previous version of this bag that I used for longer travels for years, but the newer versions included the padded laptop compartment. I sold mine for $46 and found a second hand bag in the new version locally for $40!

I was definitely nervous that the bag would be too small to fit what I’d need for this trip, but I’ve learned that no matter how big the bag, you will always find a way to fill it, but if you force yourself to constrain what you pack, you’ll be happier. Was definitely true for me on this trip. It was a squeeze and the bag was always packed full, but I didn’t need any more than I had with me.

James got one of these used in red also! Both of us would highly recommend them.

Daily backpack (Timbuktu), my perfect tiny backpack, still fits a laptop, reflective/waterproof

Messenger bag purse (Roots)

A classic, James and I both had one since good unisex design. Great organization and secure for travel. Can wear it more fanny pack style too. Packed this in my backpack on travel days.

Fanny pack (L.L.Bean), great for hikes or day trips, liked being able to see my stuff in the city

Packing cubes!!!!!

These were organizational keys! Made having to pack up and find things quickly in the later part of the trip every night doable.

I like having different colours to make searching for things easier and ideally double zippers so you can access things from either side.

Marshall’s carries good brands of these too!

Canvas tote bags

We used these all the time, for groceries, day trips, etc., and they pack away to nothing

Tops:

Tank tops: 3 nice, 2 running

Basic black tank (Topo designs)

Basic white linen tank

Basic striped tank

Gray running top x 2

T-shirts: 1

Basic white (Madewell)

Long-sleeve: 1 nice, 2 running (brought 1, acquired 2)

Black running top

Neon running top (thrifted in SA)

Basic black long-sleeve (thrifted in SA)

Bottoms:

Shorts: 2 nice, 3 active

Blue denim (Madewell)

Khaki (second hand Patagonia)

Black running (Oiselle)

Navy running (Outdoor Voices)

Pink running (Nike)

Leggings: 1

Basic black (running or casual)

Pants: 2

White jean (COS)

Black jean

Tights: 1

Black (for dresses in winter)

Dresses:

3 (brought 2, acquired 1)

Green maxi dress

Blue travel mini dress (Oiselle) (acquired: my mum left it for me when she visited)

Black floral t-shirt dress (secondhand from my sis, can wear in winter with tights)

Intimates:

Pajamas (tank and shorts)

Bathing suits x 3

Speedo for lap swimming

One piece and bikini

Sports bras x 3

Bras and underwear

Socks (mostly ones that could be worn running or everyday)

Layers:

4 (1 shirt, 1 sweater, 1 jacket,1 scarf)

Denim button-down, thrifted

Basic black sweater (Lululemon)

Black packable down jacket

Gray infinity scarf

Shoes:

4 (1 day sneaker, 1 boot, 1 road running, 1 trail running)

White sneaker, go-to everyday shoe I can walk forever in without aggravating my plantar fasciitis (Nike)

I add silicone heel cups for added cushion

Waterproof boots for farm work, hiking, water, or winter (Blundstones)

Road running shoes, black for running or style (Brooks)

Trail running shoes (Salomon) (acquired: first week in SA when it became clear we were going to become trail runners)

(Top: all of my packing cubes and clothes not in cubes I rolled to pack, Middle: All clothes packed plus what I was wearing on the plane and bags that also got packed / All of the bags and miscellaneous things, Bottom: cosmetics on left / packed Osprey and daypack on right)

Running Accessories:

Hand-held watter bottle (Nathan)

Phone carrier (Koala Clip)

Hydration trail vest (Nathan 5L with bladder)

Anti-chafing stick (BodyGlide)

Gua Sha tool for massaging tight calves etc. (Like this one)

Resistance band

Spiky ball to roll feet out

Electronics:

Laptop

Camera, found a great second hand point-and-shoot that didn’t take up much space but took great photos

Kindle (inherited from my brother, AMAZING to sync with a library and have infinite free books instantly)

Converters for Europe and SA

Misc:

2 hats! (running and casual)

Goggles for swimming laps

Notebook and journal

Sketchbook and minimal art supplies in a pencil case

Reusable water bottle

Reusable coffee cup (Keepcup)

Sporks!

Cosmetics (minimal) obviously, but not going through those fully here :-)

Minimal makeup

Soap tin

Daily cosmetics

Homemade face wash and washcloths

(James wearing the Osprey Porter 46 and his day pack. How we looked on travel days!)

Hope this can be helpful for someone (or to my future self remembering how to travel light and enjoy it) :-)

#packing #packinglight #travel #livingoutofabackpack #livingabroad #packinglist #packingblog #carryon

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