With just 10 days to go before we jet off and away from San Francisco, it’s time to test pack and document everything we’ll have with us on the road.

The biggest lessons I learned from our last trip were:

Bring only what you LOVE (LIKE isn’t good enough, OK = wasted weight) Bring less than what you think you need

Her Packing List

Long sleeve chambray button down – 1 Icebreaker Merino T Shirt – 1 Black racerback cami – 1 Marmot down jacket – 1 Marmot rain jacket – 1 Columbia Just Right hiking pants – 1 Olive casual pants – 1 Under Armour black leggings – 1 Gym shorts – 1 Strap sandals – 1 Salomon hiking shoes – 1 Underwear – 5 Hiking socks – 2 Sock liners – 2 Regular bra – 1 Swimsuit – 1 Sun hat (not pictured) – 1 Ear plugs Eye mask Tweezers/Nail Clippers/Mirror Toothbrush/paste/floss Contact lense + backup set + backup glasses Contact solutions (3oz Clear Care x4, 3oz Boston Solution, dry eye drops) Body butter – 3oz Razor – 1 Lip balm Soap (bar form sliced into single-use pieces) REI Pack Towel Small supply of pads Thermos water bottle Platypus 3L Water bladder Medication – Advil, NyQuil, Anti-Malarials, Anti-Itch, Probiotics, Altitude N-95 Mask – 1 First Aid – Bandaids, Neosporin MacBook + charger iPhone + charger Hard drive Power bank Travel Adapter Earbud headphones – 2 Headlamp Freshette Tumi crossbody purse (replaced with REI Stuffable pack) Sleeping bag liner Moleskine + Pen Wallet Sunglasses Passport Selfie stick

One of the biggest aspects I missed while being abroad last year was feeling comfortable in what I was wearing/carrying. I’ve since discovered that I must LOVE every piece of clothing I’m bringing and LIMIT the number of options so each item gets wearing time that justifies its weight.

Icebreaker Merino T Shirt (Harmony Short Sleeve) – I had been looking for a merino wool replacement as the Smartwool T felt itchy and didn’t fit right. I barely wore it on the trip. I walked into an Icebreaker store and noticed their fabric felt smoother with less itch. I decided to give this shirt a go, and once I tried it on, I decided this was the one T shirt to rule over all T shirts. The color, fit, pocket detail, and fabric all rated highly. I can wear this T shirt everyday and still feel great. This is the only T I’ll be bringing.

Thermos water bottle – this winter has been a chilly one, and I’ve discovered the comfort of hot water. 16oz to keep my hot water hot, and cold water cold.

Shoes – With the goal of using less this year, I’ve decided to go with walking sandals and hiking shoes only. As much as I would love to bring a pair of walking shoes (like my loafers or a pair of Sperrys), I would rarely use my hiking shoes, thus adding more weight to my pack.

Selfie stick – this version connects to my iPhone. Not a “necessity” item, but also a necessity item :). Luckily, it’s a cheap version I can always ditch if it ends up being too much.

His Packing List

Icebreaker Merino T – 1 Regular T – 1 Striped tank top – 1 Underwear – 2 Grey running shorts/swim trunk – 1 Marmot rain jacket – 1 Patagonia down jacket – 1 REI Convertible pants – 1 Hiking socks – 2 Merrell hiking shoes – 1 (not pictured) Flip flops – 1 REI Pack towel Eyemask Razor Earplugs Tissue packets N-95 mask – 1 100% Deet Nail clippers Lenovo + charger iPhone + charger Nikon DSLR + charger Hard drive Travel adapter Headphones – 1 Headlamp Point It Book Medication – Anti-itch, Anti-malarial, Diarrheal, Allergy Condoms REI Stuffable Pack Chapstick Water bottle Platypus 3L Water bladder Passports Wallet Sunglasses

And so here we have all of the items that we’ll be living with for the foreseeable future. Other bags and packing lists online range from super minimalist 20L to super heavy 60L.

One of the toughest questions to ask is “Do I actually need this, or do I just think I need this?” I find it helpful to make several iterations of lists, pruning out items each time.

#10days