Just Packing the Essentials

Just Packing the Essentials

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As we get closer and closer to leaving, the excitement is beginning to build. Unfortunately, along with the excitement, stress is also building. All sorts of questions are popping into my mind. Did we remember to book all our accommodations? What snack/food items are the smallest but most sustainable for living out of a camper van for a week? Which dry shampoo is going to work the best in case I have to go 7 days without a shower? Did I remember to tell my bank I'm traveling so they don't freeze my cards?

But one of the biggest question marks about traveling is...

"What should I pack???"

Things to consider while making a packing list:

• How many days are you traveling?

• What is the weather expected to be?

• How often will you be able to wash your clothes?

• What type of activities will be occurring?

• Will you have access to power outlets for your electronics?

• How much does it cost to eat out at restaurants?

• How accessible are grocery stores?

• What modes of transportation will you be using?

**Disclaimer - Most of our planning that I discuss is specific to Iceland. We will be spending the majority of our trip there, and we are less concerned about the details of the Norway portion because we will likely have more access to wifi and we'll be staying at AirBnB locations that have showers & laundry options**

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After considering all sorts of details regarding the trip, I eventually came up with a packing list. I did a trial pack last night to see if things would fit in my suitcase and it seemed to work out rather well. The above picture is the majority of the clothes I will be bringing on the trip.

Included:

- Waterproof pants for when it randomly starts pouring rain on us (Thank you 5.11 Tactical Gear for being a waterproof option that I happen to have due to work)

- Jeans

- Leggings... because living out of a car for 7 days means comfort clothes :)

- Cropped leggings for if we go on longer hikes when the weather is nice

- Shorts. If you look at the weather forecast you'll probably think I'm crazy for bringing shorts, but the weather in iceland tends to change drastically in short periods of time. Better safe than sorry.

- Short sleeve shirt x5

- Long sleeve shirt (including a thermal) x4

- Flannel shirt

- Fleece jacket

- Rain jacket x2

- Puffy vest x2 (because are you really a pacific north westerner if you don't own these in every color?)

- Scarf x2

- Beanie

- Gloves

- Hiking boots

- Vans

Not included in picture:

- Socks for every day

- Underwear for every day

- Pajamas

- Bathing suite for the blue lagoon

- Flip flops for shower shoes and walking around the blue lagoon

"I'll probably bring like 4 suitcases of clothes. Iceland is going to be the perfect place for photoshoots, so I'm bringing all the clothes I own"

- Tim Janson

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Electronics

- Car power adapter

- Phone chargers

- Handheld battery packs for phones

- Headphones

- Waterproof phone case

- Camera and camera accesories

- Camera

- 50mm lens

- Wide-angle lens

- Macro lens

- Telephoto lens

- Battery charger

- Extra Battery

- Extra storage card

- Rain cover

- Tripod

- Microfiber cloth

- Remote timer

- Selfie stick

- Lens hood

- Lens filters

- Camera backpack

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Other items to pack:

- PASSPORT! and other travel documents. We won't be getting very far without this one.

-Food! The food in Iceland is expensive so Tim and I have opted to bring food and buy food at the grocery store. We plan on cooking most of our meals while traveling around the Ring Road in our camper van. We plan to stock up on protein bars, oatmeal, ramen, beef jerky, instant coffee, tea bags, and other items that we can take with us so we don't pay crazy prices for our meals.

- Hand warmers - Though the highs and lows on the forecast aren't too drastic, if we spend chunks of time outside staring at the sky waiting for the norther lights, our hands are bound to be chilly.

- Microfiber towels - quick drying will be a plus since we will be in cold weather and the towels will be hanging to dry in the van most the trip.

- Toiletries - the normal travel toiletries, plus a few specific to our trip...

- Dry shampoo - We might be going days without showers, depending on which campsites are open. Dry shampoo will be a must.

- Wet wipes - Again, going days without showers will require makeshift cleaning options like wet wipes to clean ourselves up a little.

- Toilet paper - We are still skeptical of the bathroom situation that we will be running into while traveling around Iceland. If campsites are closed due to it being the off season, we will be using a lot more "camping" practices. Hence the toilet paper.

- Trash bags for our food waste while driving.

- Sleeping bags for our camper van rental. Most rentals have the option for renting a sleeping bag from the company, but we have opted to bring our own. We decided this factor pretty early in our planning. It was early enough that I tried out my new low temperature sleeping bag in the midst of 90 degree weather in my living room. What can I say, I was excited for the trip!

- Extra blanket - Sleeping in a van in Iceland is likely going to be pretty cold. We can use all the extra layers we can fit in our luggage.

- J̶a̶c̶k̶s̶o̶n̶ I tried to add him to the list but apparently I can't bring my cat on the airplane :(

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I'm sure in the next 7 days leading up to the trip, I will remember other things that need to be packed, but for now I'll leave you with this list. Sometimes the planning aspect of vacations begins long before the exciting day of departure. We have been planning for a few months now, though I'm sure we will still be scrambling to finish things at the last minute on Saturday 9/23/17 before we rush out the door to the airport.

Finding a balance between not packing enough, and completely overpacking, can be a delicate task. I'll keep you updated as we discover whether I have mastered that balance, or whether I've over or underestimated the items I will need. Stay tuned!

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