Journey with Christina

Rushing home with my newly acquired backpack I thought, this is huge, I’m going to get everything I want in there. How naïve I was as to what would actually be able to make it into that coveted space. We decided on the Osprey Aura and Osprey Atamos both in the 50-liter as our large pack thinking that there was no way we would be able to over pack by starting off with a smaller backpack. Boy was I wrong again. It is completely possible and I think we both managed to accomplish the golden rule of not over-packing. Minimalists would be rolling over in their packs.

Being the planner that I am I researched every stich of clothing and item that ended up in our packs. This was particularly difficult as we would be splitting our time between hot and colder climates. Getting everything into one small bag was no small feat coming from a person who considers a jacket and shoes as accessories. Shoes, that is a whole story in itself. I think I went through 5 pairs trying to find the perfect cute and stylish, waterproof comfortable ones out there.  Even wearing a few and returning them as they were “ugly” with my pants. I was completely defeated in this quest and ended up going to a store and saying this is what I’m doing what do you recommend. Of course I ended up with a good old pair of comfortable waterproof hiking boots as my main pair of shoes. Cloths was much easier, I stuck with brands like Athleta and Lole which are stylish, practical and comfortable.

So here goes, every item we managed to squeeze into our packs, looking forward to determining what was not needed and what I wished I had:

Packs and bags:

• 2 50-liter (Osprey Aura and Atamos)
• 2 Sea to Summit convertible duffels (acts as a rain-cover and also as a duffle for our backpacks for travel)
• 1 15-liter Osprey daylight pack
• 1 10-liter Osprey Hydration pack and small first aid kit
• 1 Small cross body purse (fits in daypack)
• 5 Flight 001 packing cubes (two for clothing, one for undergarments, one for miscellaneous items and one toiletry case)
• 1 10-liter dry bag

Clothing Me:

3 Tank Tops (two bra tops)

2 Short sleeve tops (one an unsinkable one from Athleta)

2 Long sleeve tops (one wool)

1 hooded SPF lightweight shirt

5 bottoms (jeans, hiking, legging, lightweight pant and a black skort)

3 Dresses (bra top sundress, short sleeve dress, long sleeve tunic dress)

1 Sarong that can be used as a skirt or as a dress in two different ways

2 Fleece Thermal (top and bottom)

1 Long sleepshirt

1 Lole light ¾ sleeve coat

1 Fleece

1 Raincoat

1 Packable down coat (also converts into a pillow)

7 pairs of quick-dry underwear – all different styles

4 Bras – Convertible, sports, soft bralette, and a strapless bralette

5 Pairs of socks (3 hiking and 2 shorties)

1 reversible bathing suit with 2 bottoms

1 Infinity scarf

2 Hats (one lightweight baseball and one sunhat)

1 Waterproof lightweight glove

4 Shoes – I could not help myself (Waterproof Hiking Boot, Anhu sneaker ballet flat, my trusty Madrid Birkenstocks and Crocs sexi flip flops)

Clothing Jonathan:

4 Short sleeve tops (all quick-dry)

2 Long sleeve tops (one wool)

1 Long-Sleeve Kuhl hiking shirt

1 hooded SPF lightweight shirt

5 bottoms (jeans, lightweight pant, convertible hiking, and two lightweight shorts)

1 Thermal bottom

1 Fleece

1 Raincoat

1 Waterproof pant (can also be used as a sleep/lounge pant – he absolutely insisted on these because he does not like being wet)

1 Packable down coat (also converts into a pillow)

7 pairs of quick-dry underwear

1 Belt

5 Pairs of socks (3 hiking and 2 shorties)

1 Sunhat

1 Waterproof lightweight glove

3 Shoes – Asolo Waterproof Hiking Boot, Keen waterproof sneaker, and Oefos Slides

Electronics:

1 14-inch tablet with keyboard and armor cover

2 Cameras, one DSL with two lenses and one waterproof

1 Mini-Tablet

2 Unlocked phones (one IPhone and one Android)

1 Spot satellite tracker (a gift from my uber cool brother)

1 fit-bit

1 Small electric shaver (for haircuts for Jon as well)

1 Cheap waterproof watch

1 Adapter

1 headphones

1 Small binoculars

Plus, all cords and chargers to go along with above

Miscellaneous:

2 Microfiber Towels

2 Sleep-sheets (Can be zipped together)

1 Steripen

2 Sporks

2 Sunglasses

2 Filtered water bottles

2 Collapsible water bottles

1 Small packable bag for groceries, laundry, etc.

3 Books (Guide book for south America and two books) 

1 Journal

Toiletries:

Disclaimer on this one the bag is massive (for a 50-liter pack) and Jon made me remove several items, all of which I needed of course. All items are travel size unless noted.

2 Shampoo (each our own brand)

1 Conditioner

1 Bar of soap in a plastic baggie, Jon made me get rid of the case

2 Full size deodorant

1  Face wash

1 Moisturizer with sunblock

1 Regular (small) size body lotion

1 Regular size toothpaste

1 Mouthwash

2 Toothbrush

1 Retainer case and retainers

1 Small package Q-tips

1 Nail clipper with file

1 Tweezer

1 Floss and bag of floss sticks (one of Jon’s must haves)

1 Half of a foot-scrub (another one of Jon’s great ideas that I did not need the whole thing)

1 Small bottle of nail polish and remover pads

1 Hair pomade

1 Comb and fold out brush

2 Roll-On Perfumes (Tocca – my favorite)

1 Mascara and small make-up book

3 Carmex lip gloss (Jon originally made me take out 2 but I snuck them back in)

1 Small bottle of hydrogen peroxide (miracle in a bottle)

2 Sunblock – I am as white as can be

2 Bug spray

1 package of wet-wipes

Enough prescriptions and vitamins to start our own pharmacy

Disclaimer: One week in I have managed to lose my retainer case and my baseball hat and destroy one of the filtered water bottles. In addition, my beloved steri-pen which was a gift from my sister was stolen or lost on our first boat trip. I did add a soap case as the plastic baggie was just not working.