Second Draft of Packing List
Axing time. After all the suggestions from folks and my own editing, here is the new and, hopefully, improved list. Sorted this time, because a flat dump of seventy things is how you end up packing three of something.
Clothes
Footwear. Hiking boots, worn on the plane so they are not eating pack space. Sandals. Flip-flops for hostel showers.
Outerwear. Rain jacket. Lightweight overcoat. Fleece. One of the first two is probably expendable and I will find out when I pack.
Socks and undies. Four pairs of each, merino rather than cotton, on Chris's advice. I had five and could not defend the fifth.
Shirts and trousers. Black button-down. Two long-sleeve tees. Three t-shirts. Two pairs of convertible trousers and one that is not. One thermal undershirt, which could still go, since it is not like I am there in the dead of winter.
Other. Swim trunks. Sarong. Cap and sunglasses. The silver and black tie, which survives because one decent shirt and a tie gets you into anywhere.
Gear
- rucksack with zip-off daypack, fitted properly with weight in it
- money belt
- padlock for lockers
- string clothesline, pegs, universal sink plug, bar soap in a box
- sleep sheet, quick-dry towel, earplugs and eye mask
- water bottle
- LED headlamp
- Swiss Army knife, in the hold, always
- sewing kit, safety pins, duct tape wound round the water bottle
Tech
Five devices became one. This is the single biggest change between the list I wrote and the list anyone would write now.
- phone, charger, power bank
- plug adapter, remembering Britain, Switzerland and Italy are their own thing
- short multi-way charger so one dorm socket serves everything
- headphones
- hardbound journal, a wee notebook for the back pocket, and pens
Money and documents
- passport, plus a photo of it stored where you can get it without your phone
- debit card for daily use, credit card tucked in the money belt for emergencies
- some cash, and enough local currency to get from a station to a bed
- rail pass, which is in the app now
- travel insurance details and bank emergency numbers
Gone from the original: the traveller's cheques. Gone with them, the paper tickets, the paper passes, the printed timetable and the address book.
Toiletries and first aid
- bar soap for washing and laundry, in a baggie
- toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, razor, nail clippers
- plasters, painkillers, anti-shite drugs. Buy most of this there rather than hauling it
- anything prescription, in its labelled box
On the train and in the hostel
Not things I pack at home so much as things to remember to have: deck of cards, corkscrew, and fruit, bread, wine and cheese bought at the station before a long one.
From this list I can go ahead and pack. How heavy is it? How much room is left? It is much easier to chuck out what you do not need once you know what it feels like on your back, so weigh it, walk a mile, and cut whatever you resented.
The packing list saga: 1. First draft · 2. Feedback and thoughts · 3. Second draft
Posted 23 July 2003 by Ant in Eurail Planning, Packing · updated by Chris