The best packing advice I can give you is this: NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO PACK. I was that person that printed out about 10 different WR packing blogs, highlighted them, made lists, discussed things with my teammates, and still freaked out the day before launch because all of my stuff was not fitting in my pack. Good news is that if this happens to you, you are not alone. It’s day 2 of launch and all of my squad mates are still deciding what is “necessary” and what isn’t. But you are an individual, and what is necessary to you won’t be to others! One squad mate is adamant about bringing a straightened so that when she gets the chance to dress up, she will be able to feel good about herself. That’s important for some people! I wear contacts. So I have a good bit of space taken up with contacts, solution, and glasses. Some people have daily medicines they need to find room for. What works for others won’t always work for you. So don’t convince yourself that someone else must know the best way for you to pack; only you do!
That being said, I still took comfort in seeing other racers’ packing blogs to see what they found important and what they didn’t. So without further ado, here is everything I’m taking for 11 months!
7 bottoms (1 yoga pants, 1 yoga Capri, 1 leggings, 1 jeans, 2 shorts, 1 maxi skirt)
1 dress
7 shirts (2 solid color V-necks, 1 solid color quick dry, 2 graphic tees, 1 tank)
1 cami
1 sweatshirt
32 pairs of underwear (I’m not sure why I need this many, but I read several blogs of people saying they brought 20 pairs and wished they had more…. so I’m heeding that advice).
8 pairs of socks (7 regular, 1 wool pair)
3 sports bras
1 regular bra
1 swim suit
1 pair of tennis shoes (wearing b/c they don’t pack easily)
1 pair of shower shoes (old navy flip flops)
1 pair of keens
1 pair of flats
2 bottles of contact solution
4 months of chloroquine (malaria meds for central America)
7 months of doxy (malaria meds for everywhere else)
1 tube of toothpaste
4 sticks of deodorant
1 pack of face cloths
1 pack of Summer’s eve cloths
2 things of nail polish
2 washcloths
fingernail clippers
Tweezers
4 toothbrushes
Baby wipes
2 steripods
Razor + 4 cartridges
200 capsules of probiotics
Advil
Neosporin
Band-aids
Imodium
Dramamine
Hydrocortisone
Around 60 tampons and 38 pads (I am on birth control so I only have a period every 3 months. Some girls are carrying 200+ tampons – sorry for the TMI, but future female racers want to know!)
So also, a years supply of birth control
Hand lotion
Cuticle cream
3 things of lip balms
Small tube of sunscreen
Hand sanitizer
Nail file
1 pack of eyeshadow
1 thing of eyeliner
1 thing of mascara
3 journals ( 1 currently using, 1 extra, 1 planner type to write a memory from each day. Plus I taped some pictures and bible verses in it, so it’s almost like a scrap book)
Small NIV Bible (not like pocket small, but like “real easy to carry in a purse” small)
7 pens
1 pencil
13 handkerchiefs (I have one from everyone close to me that they wrote on, so I plan on pulling one out each month)
Some pictures from home (of family, my boyfriend, and my doggy)
Eno hammock
Tennis ball (I use it to massage my back)
2 cameras (one digital waterproof, one nicer digital)
1 surface tablet + keyboard
iPod (80 gb loaded up with sermons and music)
iPhone
Plug adapters
Power strip
Extra batteries
Tent (a Eureka 2 person tent)
Sleeping pad (A Big Agnes one)
Sleeping bag (Marmot brand)
Sleeping bag liner (North face brand)
My airporter (Sea to Summit one)
Nalgene with some ducktape around it to use
Mini lighter
Swiss army knife
Spork
2 carabiners
Headlamp
Travel compressible pillow with a pillow case made out of an old pj shirt.
Large camp towel from REI
My pack is a 65 liter North Face Terra and my daypack is an Osprey Celeste and I wanna say it’s 29 liters. I definitely wanted to fit more in my pack-pack (as in, not my day pack) but… it wasn’t fitting. So my daypack is bursting at the seams. But that’s okay! (I guess).
I only had 4 packing cubes. 1 for most of my clothes, 1 small one for all of my underwear, bras, and a swim suit. And one for my “convenience store” as in extra medicines, contacts, deodorant, etc.
Although I haven’t officially left the country yet, I think I do have some solid advice to offer. Put everything in your daypack that you will need for launch and up until you will be at your first ministry location. So for me, launch started on Saturday. I will arrive in Panama City on Tuesday night, but won’t be at my ministry location until Wednesday. So I packed two outfits in my daypack (yes, that’s 2 outfits for 4 days). The outfit I wore to launch I sent home with my parents today when they left. Then any toiletries and medicine I will need. Plus my electronics (mainly because they wouldn’t fit in my pack), journal, wallet, Nalgene, and odds and ends like hand sanitizer, lip balm, etc. And having it packed this way has been wonderful! That way I’m not constantly digging through my pack for things. It’s put away in my airporter, ready to fly to Panama. Everyone else seems to be unpacking, reorganizing, and packing every night and morning. It stresses me out just watching them. So I would recommend that, but again it’s up to you!
I’m not sure if all of this is helpful or not, but I hope it is! Feel free to ask me any questions you have 🙂
