My strategy is to pull out the suitcase a couple weeks ahead and do a rough packing where I throw in stuff I want to wear. I count out underwear and socks enough for the number of days traveling. I through in the outerwear jackets, etc that I won't be wearing around the house until we leave. I put in the shoes I'll need and any special bathing suit, pool wear, fancy dresses etc if its a cruise we're packing for. Then during the next two weeks when I think of the obscure item I might forget - like the keycard lanyard, or my sunglasses cablez for a cruise - I quick grab it and throw it in. When its time to do the final pack a couple days before; I pull out everything and usually leave behind many items, just add more cash to the wallet and zip it up.
There are a couple important considerations one must make when packing for a camping trip where you have to carry all your gear - weight and size. We would be out in the woods for five days so clothing should be a relatively small part of our gear, but of course you want to be comfortable too. Weather must be considered and the smartest way to prepare for all weather is to bring clothing that can be layered.
Our recent trip to BWCA, we had pleasant weather between 50F and 80F with no rain, but of course you must bring raingear otherwise you could be miserable. We love our #Columbia clothing. Just like last year I wore the same basic clothing all week,
- my Saturday Trail zip off pants and
- my OmniFreeze short sleeve, and long sleeve Columbia Shirts.
- I brought the green Tamiami short sleeve shirt but didn't even wear it.
- I also had a couple shirts for colder temps, the long sleeve Bonehead Shirt, and the Omni Heat long sleeve zip front shirt which I wore around camp in the evening.
- I also had a pair of Kestrel Ridge Shorts, which I only wore one day.
- I packed some Omni Heat tights for warmth on the coldest nights when it was near 50F.
Its also important to wear proper footwear, so I wore my Columbia Trail meister hiking boots. I did have a pair of sandals that I wore around camp also.
Now I have to brag here. We packed perfectly. We didn't have too many clothes, or miss having anything. The weather was pretty ideal granted, but we still were amazed at the comfort in our clothing. The Omni Freeze shirts have this magic material that keeps you cool when it is damp from sweat, or when you dip in water and get it wet. We learned this when we paddled in Florida where its like Africa desert hot. We put our shirt in a zip lock bag, poured a bottle of cold water and massaged it in to get the whole shirt wet, and then put it on. It was like wearing an air conditioner for many hours. I am not being sponsored or paid or compensated for my opinion here.
This was also our first chance to wear the Omni Heat tights and shirts that we had purchased earlier in the year. The temps got down to about 47F the last night and those Omni heat clothes have another magic material with aluminum thermal reflective properties that actually warm you up from your own body heat. They are lightweight and thin, buts its like wearing a sweatshirt. If you notice from our packing, we didn't even need to pack a sweatshirt or fleece to keep warm. The Omni heat layer under a bonehead long sleeve shirt with the rain jacket was toasty warm!
So, that's it. Easy peasy to pack. Now next year I just have to refer to this blog entry and I'll know how to pack.
