first, some thoughts on packing

[snugglekitty]

I'm back! Home safe, had a great trip.

I had so many great ideas from all of you about packing that I think I did a better job than I usually do. So I'm starting what will be an undoubtably long day of posting with some thoughts about packing.

First of all, here's the site I wish I had found before my trip, courtesy of weegoddess:
http://www.onebag.com
Check it out, it's awesome.



So, this time, I did bring about twice as much money as I thought I needed, and about half as many clothes.

What this meant was that I used about two-thirds of the clothes that I brought, and almost all of the money. Which, IMO, demonstrates that I had about the right amount of both. (The clothes I didn't use were rain gear, which I was still glad I had with me.)

Here are the best parts of what I brought:

twice the money I thought I needed, in cash
my cell phone (which I thought I wouldn't use much but actually made things a lot easier)
my wallet
a Ziploc bag, with another Ziploc bag inside it, with travel size toiletries inside that. (This was especially great because on my return trip, I could just let my toiletries travel with someone else who was driving - I knew my regular versions of everything were safe at home. Also, it was much smaller than my regular toiletries bag.)
my nylon excercise pants (they look good on me, don't show dirt, and are great in any temperature. I wish I could find more just like them - cotton versions are super-soft but don't travel as well.)
my cloak (I used it as ground cover, as a sheet, as a blanket, and it was great for cooler temperatures to wear)
a snack-sized Ziploc bag with a few bubbles of the OTC stuff I usually use
an expandable camp pillow
baby Nalgene bottle
Gatorade (next time I'm totally bringing powder)
two jugs of spring water (took way less space than a case of bottles, and I just kept refilling my small one - it was great in that it kept me drinking water. Also, you can get that very close to the end of your journey.)

Here are the things that I didn't use much and could probably have been fine without:

yoga mat (would've been fine just using my cloak)
extra yarn for knitting (I brought extra projects, but didn't need them - next time I would bring one project that I hadn't started yet)
books (I only read two of the five I had brought)
sleeping bag and towel - well, of course I used them, but I'm starting to think that it's worth it to pay extra to be given linens. I'm also starting to be curious about Viscose towels and silk sleep sacks.

Here are the things that I wish I had brought but didn't:

more sex toys dammit! (Especially my floggers. But they take up a lot of room, and they're heavy.)
small bottle/packets of honey. (I really love having honey in my tea.)
cell phone charger (I wasn't sure if I would need it but I did)
travel sized bottle of hair gel (at the last minute, I realized I was going to need hair gel after all, and had to bring a full-sized bottle)
more food (I had snack bags of nuts, dried fruit, and animal crackers, but regular crackers and cheese and sesame twists would have been awesome additions.)
Thermacare stick-on heat pad. (I need to start considering these as a menstrual supply that I should always have on hand.)
Diva Keeper Cup. (Getting one of these will give me the space to carry a Thermacare thing.)
notebook (I had my journal, but nothing I could rip pages out of.)
sarong (I have one, but didn't bring it because it didn't go with my clothes. It would help a lot to get one that was red or black or pink.)



Anyway, I was well-packed. Thanks to everyone for their help, and to opn and an_gadhar for lugging my stuff. The end!

Comments

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

Hey! I do that too! Right after a trip I list the things that I was glad I brought, the things I turned out not to need, and what to bring next time. It really helps for future packing endeavors.


Great minds, careening alike. Glad you liked that website; I'm going to totally follow his advice and see where it leads me.

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

I keep a list of stuff to take with me in my computer; that way I can print out a copy every time I travel and check things off. Of course, there are certain things that I take on a trip to see the parents that I don't take to a play party and vice versa. :-) But having the basic stuff on a list helps lots.

After every trip, if there's an "Oh, why didn't I bring X?" I add X to the list.

Cory