Every time I go for a hike with a group of folks I send out a packing list.

People don’t always follow it, but they can’t say I didn’t try to help keep those trail pack weights down once we’re out there hiking.

I love to travel light.

It is freeing on any trip, but especially on one where you are carrying everything with you every day.

Also when you’re moving to a new place every night, it’s so much easier to pack up again every morning if you don’t have much.

I tend to explode when I unpack, so less is always going to be better for me.

Every time I go these days, I weigh everything and try to get it down a little bit more.

For example on a recent trip I didn’t need a sleeping bag liner, and I decided to leave the rain pants and fleece layer at home when I looked at the weather. So my total pack weight with water empty, and wearing trousers, underclothes, base layer, fishing shirt, boots, phone in my pocket and trekking poles in my hands was 10.9 pounds/4.95kg.

That’s a record I think. We’ll see if I can beat it this summer, but I’m hesitant to go to the Alps in any season without my rain pants. Plus for most mountain huts, you need a sleeping bag liner.

Here’s what I bring on a hut-to-hut hike…

Alison’s Hut-to-Hut Packing List

Gear:
24 liter Osprey Sirrus Pack 1.2kg
Water bottle: 32 oz Nalgene. 120g empty/600g full
Sleeping bag liner: 160g

Clothes:
Black Montane Hiking trousers (w/belt) 195g
Black Montane Hiking shorts (sans belt) 110g
Plum sleeveless wooly tank 80g
Short sleeve wool base layer 75g
Long-sleeve wool base layer 175g
Columbia fishing shirt 145g
Fleece zip up mid-layer 239g
Plum Montane Rain Jacket 200g
Gortex Rain pants 230g
Ultralight Down Jacket 110g
2 pairs of underwear 20g each
1 forclaz black tank 75g
1 icebreaker sports bra 30g
2 pairs of Darn Toughs 115g (together)
Leggings 200g
Thin wool gloves 55g
Blue Patagonia beanie hat 36g
Blackberry baseball cap 63g

Shoes:
Hiking boots 1070g
Xeroshoes sandals 240g

Personal Hygiene:
Small fast drying towel 45g
Small bar of soap
Toothbrush and toothpaste tablets
Moisturizer, lip balm, sunscreen, meds, ear plugs
Total weight for toiletries: 400g

Other:
Trekking poles (not pictured)
Backpack rain cover (included in pack weight)
Journal 50g
Pen 8g
Phone 204g
Charger/charging bank/headphones 340g
Passport 36g

Small wallet with credit cards/etc
First aid kit 400g
1 roll KT tape 100g
Headlamp 65g
Picnic silverware kit 30g (Just the spoon 8g)
2 Protein bars 52g each
1 nut butter 32g
1 tube electrolytes 50g
Deck of cards 75g
Small stuff sack 38g
Swimsuit (I use my sports bra and shorts)
Knee brace 20g
Bandana 30g

Here are a few more photos of what I’ve packed on trips over the last few years.

If you’re planning a hiking adventure soon and have questions about packing, hit me up! I LOVE to talk folks into packing less.

Before you know it, you’ll be back at home and wishing for the simple days of living out of a backpack. Embrace the vagabond energy while you can!

The post Hut-to-Hut Packing List appeared first on Alison Chino.

Packing Light Weekend Edition

Since I usually travel with my backpack whether I am on the road for five days or fifteen, I wondered if I could get it down even smaller the last time I went to London for the weekend.

I set myself the challenge of carrying just a small handbag. And guys! It was so easy!

I put together a layered outfit for the autumn/winter weather mix. Then I filled my purse and headed out the door.

The freedom of walking onto an airplane with nothing but a purse is glorious.

Here are a few of the things I found super handy about being in a big city with only a small handbag:

• Knowing that I would not need to figure out where to stash my backpack while I was in meetings or at a play.
• Not having to check my bag when visiting museums.
• Not having to go back to my hostel to collect my bag.
• Not bumping anyone on the tube with my backpack.

I can’t always manage traveling this light but for two nights away it was totally doable!

So here it is! The Packing Light Weekend Edition rundown of what was in my bag + what I was wearing:

In My Bag:

tissues

rolled up shopping bag

band-aid (I was breaking in new boots!)

head band (Buff)

one book

granola bars/tea bags/1 dried oatmeal

phone charger and headphones

underwear

pen/tiny notebook/headlamp

oyster card

pill bottle full of a cocktail of any meds I need (ibuprofen, allergy meds, vitamins)

weensie toiletries (in a ziplock bag ready for airplane security)

wallet

money belt (which I wear under my clothes with most of my cash/credit cards in it)

Wearing:

a pair of dark jeans + underpants (with leggings underneath because it was super cold!)

a cream long sleeved t-shirt + bra 

a short-sleeved t-shirt on top

a long red cardigan

my winter coat (warm + waterproof)

a scarf (used around my neck when cold, tied up my hair with it when it was warmer)

wool socks and boots

(I used the leggings and short-sleeved t-shirt as pjs and then crammed them into my handbag the next morning instead of wearing them the second day.)

I’m super curious! Would you ever leave or have you ever left home for a weekend with only a handbag or purse??

The post Packing Light Weekend Edition appeared first on Alison Chino.