What I Packed
(and what I forgot, and what could have done without)
The packed Nissan Rogue, gleaming at Lake Champlain, NY.
Like Emily Post before me, and like most people probably, I packed too much — and I didn’t learn between the first and the second trips. That’s the delight and danger of traveling by yourself in a large vehicle—anything goes. Usually, everything does.
Last summer, I packed primarily warm-weather clothes, plus a sweater or two. A few nights in the Utah desert after a 100-degree day, I had to borrow a parka to keep from freezing. This time, since I started in early May and am traveling mostly across the northern U.S. and southern Canada, I packed two suitcases: One for cool weather, one for warm weather. For good measure, at the last minute, I threw in my long down coat, which could double as a sleeping bag.
Warm-weather clothes
Several hundred short-sleeve t-shirts (okay, maybe 20) and a couple of workout tops. When it’s hot and you’re walking around all day, let’s be real, you’re gonna sweat through some shirts. Maybe two a day even. Also, maybe 1/6 of the places I stayed had laundry facilities. For bottoms, 3 skorts, a pair of shorts, heavy sweat pants, workout leggings, parachute-material pants with pockets for hiking (should’ve brought 2) and 2 pair of jeans. A swimsuit. A couple of dresses, in the unlikely event that things get fancy. Unlike Ms. Post, my travels do not include invites to swank social events —but you never know. Of course I brought all my underwear and socks, 8 bras (probably overkill on that): again mindful of hot weather and the lack of laundry facilities. I also brought a large laundry bag, new this year and very handy. The suitcases served as closets; I had a large duffel bag for carrying one or two nights worth of clothes and toiletries, plus a small plastic grocery bag for dirty clothes, which I’d dump into the large laundry bag after my stay.
Cold-weather clothes
Two sweaters, 4 long-sleeve shirts, a packable down parka, jean jacket, 2 more pair of jeans, and corduroy pants. Pajamas. Jewelry. (Too much. A few necklaces would have done it.) Flat sandals, dressy sandals, water shoes, 2 pair of sneakers, Doc Marten boots for looking tough in the city, and hiking boots. The aforementioned parka, thrown on top of the load.
Then there’s toiletries. I’m not too much of a girlie-girl, but I did end up having a surprising number of these: shampoo, conditioner, 2 hair products, makeup remover and pads, sunscreen, and four bottles of my skin care potions. Makeup. Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss. A giant bottle of hydrogen peroxide, which I use as a mouthwash/disinfectant, but also good for cuts and such. And spares of all of the above. Plus meds.
Food. And not just snacks. I enjoy eating out on the road. It’s a great way to strike up conversations, or to eavesdrop. Still, I don’t enjoy having to forage for every meal. So I bring basics that serve as meals when I’m just too tired or anti-social or lazy to go out: Protein bars, yogurt, apples, peanut butter, popcorn. Also canned soup, as just about every Airbnb and motel room has at least a microwave. Ground coffee and milk. I can always replenish at grocery stores along the way. And let us not forget several 12-packs of flavored seltzer, an environmentally unsound and ultimately expensive habit which I have yet to kick.
Camping stuff: sleeping bag, backpack, tent, blowup camping pad, pump for blowing up pad, folding chair, 2 flashlights, silverware, sharp knife, wooden spoons, cutting board, 2 bowls, 2 cups, coffee press (I know—I’m bougie), garbage bags, ziploc bags, dish soap, paper towels, dish rag. If you don’t have camping equipment, you can usually borrow some. My tent was nowhere to be found when I was packing, so my friend and Utah adventure group guide, Amanda, loaned me a tent and backpack, and provided a camp stove, cooking pots, and a handy table.
Other stuff
Two cameras, 2 camera battery chargers, Cell phone and charger, laptop, small notebook, pen, paper U.S. map, 2 books, 2 magazines.
What I forgot
Arnica gel for bruises, of which I have plenty already.
Band-aids, for all that walking
Wide-angle camera lens. What self-respecting photographer/trip documentarian travels to big sky country and the American Southwest without a wide-angle lens? The same person who did it last summer. This time, though, I cleverly packed two of the exact same lens.
A comb or brush. Kinda major, even when not expecting to attend swank events. Yet here it is, almost halfway through my trip, and I’m still finger-combing my hair. Cf.: Not too much of a girlie-girl.
A proper water bottle, so I can smugly refuse the plastic bottles that most Airbnb hosts provide. Also indispensable for wilderness hiking or city walking or just driving.
