I also did an excel document for a while, trying to figure out how much my pack would eventually weigh. Everything I bought was a give-and-take of price and weight. When I had bought about half of what I planned to for my trip, I did a run-through of what my pack would weigh if I filled in the rest of my needs with items I already owned which were ordinary in weight. My pack would weigh about 35 lbs. That was when I really got serious about paring down my items.
But... I still go back and forth between wanting to be ultra-minimalist and being attached to the items I own. Making a few six-hour-long journeys to visit my friend in Rochester, carrying a heavy (granted, not ergonomic) backpack has given me a healthy fear of overpacking. I know that if I bring too much I will be wary of leaving things behind or scrapping things from my pack. Because what I spent good money on (or which items have monetary value) are the things I may or may not need all the time.
I am a thrifting goddess and have tried to spend as little as possible on quality gear. Most of what I purchased should certainly outlive my trip and take me into the future, so I consider them to be an investment. (Also, I'm in love with smartwool, hence the wooly things. I like that wool doesn't smell bad after one wear, and that was the main selling point, as opposed to buying cheaper polyester things.)
I could have easily saved money by purchasing a fleece jacket instead of a wool one, polyester/capilene baselayer tops and bottoms, regular socks, and a cotton skirt instead of a wool one.) So there is a lot of wiggle room depending on your budget and personal preferences.
I stretched out my purchases over the course of almost a year which was how I was able to afford what I did. I would normally NEVER spend $40 on a jacket, $30 on Mary Janes, $30 on a skirt, or $60 on boots! But because I knew these items would keep me comfortable in Europe, last the entire trip, and would work for me in the future I could justify these costs. Keep in mind, also, that all of these items I consider 'expensive' retailed for 2-3x the cost I paid for them (the jacket, I believe was a whopping $200, the mary janes - $90, the skirt - $70, and the boots $150).
I am just an extremely cheap shopper (and not afraid of used items), and had time to wait for the right deal to come along.
Here's the current status of my clothing I have set aside to pack. There are still a couple of things I need -- a hat, buff (scarf), swimsuit top, t-shirt, and perhaps another pair of underwear -- but this is mostly complete!
Alrihght... Shall we get started?
Yes. Let's be honest:
Holy SHIT that is a lot of stuff. And it frightens me just looking at it.
Here are the bottoms I am bringing.
2 Skirts:
- Cotton skirt with ties at waist, so it can double as a dress, even. (Patagonia)
- Fineweight wool skirt (Icebreaker)
- Purple leggings from Lands End
- Midweight Wool leggings from Smartwool
- Blue Eastern Mountain Sports Poly-Wool blend tank dress with pockets
- Jedzebel (maker of the "magic skirt") patterned silk-nylon blend dress.
1 pair of Columbia packable shorts, which look exceedingly wrinkled because I've stored them rolled up for the last 6 months. They aren't as bad as they look, I swear!
- 1 Gray Old Navy Cotton-Poly blend
- 1 Purple Smartwool Midweight baselayer top
- 1 featherweight Silk Top (see-through, but would work great layered with either dress, or as a baselayer)
Two tank-tops, both from old navy. I will probably wear them to death during my trip, and may not bring them back with me.
See-through patterned mesh top, very lightweight. Just another option for wearing around with a tank top underneath, or under my blue dress... and really the only non-plain top I have chosen to bring!
- Purple Addidas bike shorts - for when my legs get all red and chafed wearing skirts or dresses around all the time... possibly!
- Red boxers - for pajamas and running around the hostel at night.
Very un-sexy underwear I've got here, I know. The goal is utility.. not looks!
- 2 bras - purchased at walmart for something like $4 a piece! These are a stretchy nylon-spandex blend -- just like the more expensive travel brand bras -- easy to hand-wash and dry. But at a much cheaper price!
- 3 pairs of underwear - all easy to wash and dry.
- 5 pairs of smartwool socks - 1 thick hiking pair, 2 medium weight pair, 1 lightweight pair, and 1 anklet pair. I will probably give one of the medium weight pairs to my travel partner - I do not need five pairs of socks!
1 Knit sweater - Columbia. Gradient colors to match with different things and a little funky. When there's a breeze I can throw this on.
This is a pretty substantial wool zip-up jacket from Smartwool. This is a really nice jacket and I like it a lot. It's very warm and keeps the wind out, but also doesn't cause me to overheat... gotta love wool! It has big pockets for putting things in. When it gets reaaallly cold I can layer my sweater underneath it. I will probably carry or wear this while traveling so that makes up for the slight bulk of it.
And I'm not to be left without a packable raincoat! And if I'm in a really, really dire situation and it's freakishly cold outside, it can be used to guard against the wind when layered with my smartwool jacket, sweater, smartwool baselayer, silk baselayer....... Yes, I've really thought this through.
All my clothing looking extremely bulky and impossible to pack. I'm going to order some packing cubes in hopes of making it all go smoothly!
No comments:
Post a Comment