Pressing pause on work. Pressing play on travel.

One of the things I dreaded most was the thought of packing for this trip. We wanted to do this completely in a carry on AND we were going to be traveling from SE Asia for the first part, then go to Europe for Christmas markets before heading home for the holidays. Two VERY different climates! To say I stressed about this was an understatement, but after some research, and a lot of browsing sites, I feel like I’ve got a pretty good grasp on this.

Wool and More Wool

When you read anything from travel pros out there, they all say the same thing about travel wardrobes, wool is the way to go. At first that seemed so bizarre to me, wool is what you wear when it’s freezing outside…right?

Short answer….No!

One of the first things I found out when researching was the people over and over would say that not only is it great for keeping warm, it’s also equally as great for staying cool. Wool naturally wicks moisture away from skin and is very breathable, a win/win combination for hot days. That sounds great and all but surely, it can’t be comfortable in Texas summers?

Wrong again!

The first time I wore some leggings and a t-shirt out in 100+ summer temps, I was surprised at how comfortable it was. Yes, it’s hot, yes I’m sweating, no getting around that, but I didn’t feel like the clothes were adding to the miserableness that is July in Dallas. I also noticed that when I got home, I didn’t feel like I needed to get out of them and into something cooler like I would with other things I owned.

Lastly, I was curious how they held up with the smell test. Another great thing about wool is that it naturally resists odors. Again, this is due to its moisture wicking properties as well as the ability to repel body oils from the skin. While I will say it was odd at first to not immediately put the clothes in the dirty hamper when took them off at night, and instead hang them up to air out, I quickly found out that, yes, you can wear things multiple days without feeling or smelling icky.

A Trial Run

Back in June I went for a week and a half to visit a friend in Alaksa and then down to the Oregon coast to meet up with a group of friends for a girl’s weekend. I packed mostly wool and far less pieces than days I would be gone. Not only did I survive, BUT I also gained valuable knowledge of what does and does not work for me. While I was offered a washing machine, I also decided to also forgo that and practice washing things in the sink/bathtub to see how well I handled and how easily they dry.

Finalizing a List

After research, a practice trip, and countless internal debates, I decided on a slightly expanded 5-4-3-2-1 packing model I had read on a wool Facebook group.

• 5 Shirts
• 4 Pants
• 3 Layers
• 2 Pairs of Shoes
• 1 Dress

I took that and mostly stayed true to it. I ended up doing 6 shirts, 5 pants, and 3 pairs of shoes, a good walking shoe, waterproof sandal, and pair of black flats (I needed something that would work for when I needed to be dressier in colder climates). In addition to this I added other basic items, underwear, swimsuit, jacket, etc. I did a practice pack this past weekend and it all fit! My toiletry bag and laptop will go into my backpack with a few other odds and ends but that will still leave me with plenty of room if I want to pick up a small trinket or two.

Navigating the Climate Change

Layers, Layers, Layers. That’s the plan at least. I’ve got a pair of cold weather leggings, that I will probably wear daily that I can easily wear on their own or under my dress if I want to switch it up, as well as a pair of over the calf wool socks that I can layer as well. For the top half I’ve got a couple of 3/4 sleeve shirts I can wear under a hoodie, a packable puffer coat, or a rain jacket, or all 4 if needed! Will I be as warm as if I was wearing my huge winter jacket, probably not but I’m thinking with all this combined with hat/scarf/gloves, I will be pretty close. Maybe I’m being overly optimistic here with my predictions, but I figure if worse comes to worse I can just hit up a store and buy a cheap coat.

That’s The Plan

So there it is. I’m sure I’m missing something, and I’m sure that looking back after I will say “man I wish I would have packed XXX” but you’ve got to start somwhere!

If anyone reading this has any real-world experience with long term travel and packing, I would definitely love any and all advice you have!