How to Pack for 6 Months on the Road

The Challenge: Warm weather. Cold weather. Casual clothes. Hiking clothes. Six months. Two suitcases. Go.

The next big challenge for this adventure ... what do I pack?

A better question ... what do I NOT pack?

The Luggage Situation

If you've ever traveled with me, you know that I only travel with a carry-on bag. I hate checking a bag so much that Amy isn't sure whether to believe me when I tell her I'll uber home myself after a long trip rather than wait for her at baggage claim. :)

But packing for roughly six months on the road, with both warm and cold weather, with both casual and outdoor activities, definitely introduces a challenge I've not met before. This time, I'll be checking a bag!

Luggage

My plan is to take two suitcases. First, one large bag that I will use as a "closet" and leave behind in the car with out-of-season items. Brianne kindly lent me a 28" hard-side spinner. It is ENORMOUS. Well, I thought that until I put all my clothes into it, and boy, it fills up fast!

Second, I'll take a carry-on size bag to take into hotels / airbnb's that includes toiletries, in-season clothing, etc. For this, I have my trusty 20" hard side expandable spinner. This bag has been all over the world with me and I love it.

And finally, I'll take my laptop bag, which has a strap that fits around the handle of my roller bags, so at most I'll need to handle just two bags at a time.

Organizers

I bought a giant ziploc bag for my winter parka. Normally, this takes a TON of space, but once I put it in the ziploc bag and squeeze all the air out, it is flat as a pancake.

I also bought packing cubes from The Container Store - perfect for a big trip like this! I bought 5 cubes for undies, socks/bras, toiletries, medicine/wet wipes, and all my charging cords. I've never used these for shorter trips because I don't usually have that much stuff with me and I can deal with chaos for a couple days. But for a trip this long, it will be super easy to keep all these loose items organized and I can easily take them in / out of my bag.

The What To Pack Dilemma

Clothing

Here's how I handled the clothing situation. My closet is split into two parts. A couple weeks ago, I put all the clothes I think I'll need for my trip on the TAKE side that I will take with me. I put everything else on the LEAVE side that I'll leave in storage.

The next step: I went through the Take side again and took out half of it. Went through it again and took out even more. Do I really need that many jackets? I haven't worn that shirt in a year, what makes me think I'll wear it on this trip? That sweatshirt I wear all the time? Definitely taking that.

Then, I closed up the Leave side of the closet. Any time I took something out, I asked: do I need this for my trip? Or can I get by without it? Generally, I can get by without it.

The Plan

In a nutshell, I packed 3-5 casual outfits for cold weather / warm weather, 5 warm weather hiking outfits, 5 cold weather hiking outfits, and kept shoes to a minimum. I resisted the urge to pack any heels or dressy clothes - especially because I haven't dressed up for a year now!

Also, I haven't bought new clothes in a couple years, so the plan is to throw away whatever gets worn out and buy whatever I need along the way.

I kept taking more and more things out until I was able to fit everything into the large 28" spinner. Now I am able to easily split everything between the large suitcase and the carry-on bag without playing a game of Packing Tetris every time I pack up to move to a new location. Plus it gives me room to add things here and there ... portable computer monitor, extra sweatshirt, new jeans ... whatever I find I need along the way.

The Packing List

Shoes - the secret to packing light is to start packing from the shoes up. Less is more!

-- hiking boots

-- running shoes

-- casual sneakers (I will wear these through the airport)

-- flip flops (for the pool)

-- sandals (for "dressy" occasions)

Street Clothes

-- 2 pairs of jeans (I will wear one pair to fly)

-- 2 sweaters (I will wear one to fly)

-- 1 long-sleeve shirt

-- 3 short-sleeve shirts

-- 3 sleeveless shirts

-- one sport jacket (to throw on for client-facing video calls)

-- 3 sundresses

-- 1 jumpsuit (that can be casual or dressed up)

-- earrings, necklaces

Activewear

-- 5 pairs short stretchy pants

-- 2 pairs long stretchy pants

-- 2 pairs hiking pants

-- 3 t-shirts

-- 5 tank tops

-- 5 long-sleeve workout shirts

-- 1 sweatshirt

Outerwear

-- 1 light puffy jacket

-- 1 medium puffy jacket

-- 1 parka

-- 1 rain jacket

-- stocking cap + ear band

-- thick gloves, thin gloves, wind resistant gloves

-- quick dry scarf

Undergarments

-- 15 pairs of undies

-- 2 bras, 5 sports bras

-- swimsuit + cover up

-- 7 pairs of socks

Toiletries

-- standard toiletries, in a mix of travel- and full-size containers since I'm checking a bag!

-- sunscreen (because I have it, will buy more on the road)

-- hair dryer, curling iron

-- ponytail holders

Work Stuff

-- laptop, charger, mouse, airpods

-- phone and apple watch chargers

-- small notebook, pens, highlighters

Keep It Clean Stuff

-- hand sanitizer

-- wet wipes

-- face masks (thank you for the N-95 masks, Keyvan!)

-- tylenol, nasal spray, decongestant

Other

-- backpack for hiking

-- hat

-- mesh laundry bag

-- passport (you never know!)

-- audio books / podcasts

-- rosary from my Grandfather

-- professional microphone to record podcasts with Brianne