How To Pack For Your Next Adventure
I’m writing this from an outdoor cafe in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, Arizona, surrounded by saguaro (pronounced sa-WAH-ro), barrel, and prickly pear cacti.
Gals, I'm in heaven. This place speaks to me at a SOUL-level.
This is what I'm looking at, over my computer screen:
I started packing for this desert camping/hiking trip about an hour before we left, because honestly, that's how I roll. I've got my packing system DOWN PAT, and was able to get everything I need for a week of camping and hiking - all into my carry-on suitcase.
Folks are always curious how I'm able to pack so lightly when I adventure, so I thought I'd share with you what I brought, and why!
TOPS
Camping/hiking in the desert in February means I need to be prepared with warm and cold weather gear. The desert gets really chilly at night, and hot during the day, so I prepared for both!
I brought...
3 t-shirts (for hiking)
3 sweatshirts (for evenings / cool days)
1 polypro top (for evenings)
1 sports bra (for everyday)
1 sports tank (for everyday)
1 pajama top (for sleeping)
1 "nice" shirt (for fancy)
After three days hiking in the same t-shirt, I STILL passed the pit-sniff test. 👃👃👃 I have a feeling I'm gonna go home with a suitcase of unworn clothes! But, only time will tell.
BOTTOMS
I had space in my suitcase, so I packed a variety of bottoms, but of course, I've worn my hiking skort every-single-day since we've been here.
I brought...
1 pair of ankle-length leggings (for hiking)
1 pair of 3/4 length leggings (for hiking)
2 skorts (for hiking)
1 pair of jeans (for travel / cool non-hiking days)
1 pair of long johns (for evenings)
The daytime temps have been SO NICE in Tucson, I’ve worn my favorite (thrifted) skort, 4 days in a row! (I may leave without ever even touching my leggings.) I HAVE worn my Odlo leggings every night though, because day-um the nights have been COLD. I'm talking FROST-ON-THE-GROUND cold.
I also brought...
1 dress (for fancy)
my Patagonia nano-puff jacket (for evenings)
my raincoat (for that one day of rain in the forecast)
my bikini (just in case we find a swimming hole)
Thank goodness I brought my nano-puff jacket because, I'll tell you what... the temps drop about 40 degrees the second the sun sets.
Let's see... what else did I bring?
6 pairs of undies
2 pairs of socks (yes, I wear the same socks over and over again)
1 winter hat (for those cold nights)
1 baseball cap (for those sunny days)
1 pair of sandals (for day use and the shower)
1 pair of hiking shoes (for... well, hiking!)
1 neck gaiter (to keep the sun off my neck during the day, and to keep my neck warm at night)
6 pairs of earrings (I like variety)
sunglasses (for obvious reasons)
1 Turkish towel (for bathing)
my Cold Moon blanket from Dig Co (to snuggle up in the evenings)
my toiletry bag, which includes my Mom's Stuff Salve and Day Face Balm (for skin protection)
my headlamp (an absolute ESSENTIAL for camping)
1 water bottle
1 coffee cup
plus a backpack full of gluten-free food for a long day of travel
That's it. Every last thing that I packed. And it all fit 1) on my body 2) in my carry-on, or 3) in my backpack/personal item.
In case you're wondering... that cool pink van you see in the background of my photos, with that pop-up tent on top? THAT's what we're traveling in, here in Tucson! We rented an Escape Campervan in Phoenix... and after all of our 4-people-in-a-Prius camping trips, this thing feels like a mansion!
Before ANY piece of clothing goes into my suitcase, I try it on to make sure it fits. My body changes on the regular. (Yours too? Yep, that's what bodies do.) I also make sure that all my tops go with all my bottoms. Finally, every item I pack needs to give me the FEELS I want to FEEL, while adventuring.
It takes some doing to find ALL THE RIGHT THINGS for my today-body and my today-feels, because sometimes what I think I want to wear doesn’t FEEL right. Better to figure that out AT HOME, rather than three days into the trip!
Which reminds me... I'm always surprised when someone looks at me cross-eyed as soon as I start talking about how my clothes make me feel.
Truth is, I've yet to meet someone who doesn't know what BLAH, MEH or UGH feels like, when it comes to clothes.
Am-I-right?
What you may NOT know is this: if you can notice what exactly makes you feel BLAH, MEH, or UGH! then you ALSO have all the working radar you'll need to figure out what colors, styles, and accessories make you feel BOOYAH!
Learning how to dress to feel STRONG, BRAVE, CREATIVE, BADASS, ADVENTUROUS, or [fill in the blank with EXACTLY HOW YOU WANT TO FEEL], is a game-changer. (And for me, that's a massive understatement! Ha!)
I used to feel frumpy in my clothes every. damn. day. I blamed my body.
Sister, body shame is a crying shame.
That same body that I used to BLAME is the very reason I'm able to camp, hike, and adventure in the Arizona mountains, breathing in the freshest air, and snuggling deep into my cozy sleeping bag come nightfall.
This body of mine is a GIFT. A wonderful vehicle for all of the adventures that I've already lived, and many more that await. In fact, that Escape Campervan up there's got nothin' on this body of mine, and the same's true of yours.
How about you? When was the last time you really NOTICED how you feel in your clothing? When was the last time you blamed your body for feeling BLAH, while wearing a stained hand-me-down-from-your-honey-tee-shirt with holes, too-small jeans, or your nursing bra from 12 years ago?
When was the last time you RELISHED living in your body? And dressed like it? I wanna know if this is something you're ready to learn! And... if not, what's holding you back? Now there’s a question worth answering!
xo Stasia
PS If dressing to FEEL how you want to feel intrigues you, then check out my other blog posts on Inside-out Congruency!