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Vacation Packing List for the Overwhelmed

vacation packing

That’s me. Right now, I’m extremely overwhelmed. We are leaving in a few hours and I have a house full of clean clothes and that’s about it. I have a few lists scattered here and there, but all is not lost forever. I finally organized my Camping Packing List just for tent or travel camping. Now all I need is a general vacation packing list to use when we travel to races or family vacations and stay in hotels, cabins, or condos. For camping vacations, I will use both of these lists. One note: When I travel, I usually have 3 bags of various size: Clothing, Racing, and Tech gizmo. For longer trips than a 2 night weekend, I have a Miscellaneous basket in the backseat with easy-to-grab stuff of all varieties. I listed those below, as well.

Clothing (consider the weather)

  • Running shoes
  • Trail shoes
  • Hiking boots
  • Shower shoes
  • All purpose flip flops
  • Base layer for sleeping in cold
  • Tanks for moderate temp sleeping
  • Buffet britches (those flannel lounging/sleep pants)
  • Wicking/dry fit layers
  • Flannel/fleece
  • Rain jacket
  • Poncho
  • Travel robe
  • Jeans (I hate jeans. Too itchy. I’m a yoga pant/running pant girl)
  • Compression socks for long road trips or air travel
  • Gloves, hat, head buff
  • Sleeping beanie for cold
  • Wicking socks
  • Wool socks for cold
  • Tshirts and sweatshirt
  • Underwear. I strongly encourage wicking fabrics.
  • Shorts
  • Swimsuit
  • Laundry bag to keep dirty clothes contained

Racing/Workout Gear

  • Running/workout/cross training/lifting shoes
  • Sports socks
  • Sports bra
  • Wicking layers
  • Running tights/pants/tempo shorts
  • Running jacket
  • Head gear: hat, buff, beanie, neck warmer
  • Post race clothing: sweatshirt and sleep pants/yoga pants and flip flops.
  • Jump Rope
  • Exercise bands
  • Sports beans, gels
  • Nathan hydration bottle
  • Straw drinking bottle (camelbak)

Tech Bag

  • Garmin and charger
  • Iphone, cube, charger
  • Ipod, charger
  • Camera batteries, chargers
  • Camera lenses
  • Camera SD cards. Keep extras. Nothing kills the magic more than a dead battery and full card.
  • Computer/laptop and charger
  • Gertrude…our rude GPS and charger (I want to push this one off a cliff)

Toiletries

  • Soap
  • Face stuff
  • Contact lens container and solution
  • Shampoo/conditioner
  • Hair styling stuff
  • Pony tail holders/clips
  • Pic/brush/comb
  • Sunscreen
  • Bug repellent in the form of 2 things: Avon Skin So Soft and Neutrogena Body Oil. Both of these are excellent bug repellents and smell better than Deet.
  • Deodorant
  • Toothpaste/Toothbrush
  • Body lotion
  • Razors
  • Makeup
  • Blow dryer

Miscellaneous

  • Medicine/First Aid Kit
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Tissues, Toilet Paper
  • Feminine products, hygiene
  • Glucose monitoring kit/test strips
  • Q-tips, cotton balls
  • Reading material/magazines/audio books/iTunes
  • Towels, washcloths
  • Travel snacks
  • Quarters/cash for parking, roadside stands, vending, laundromat
  • Major cash for bail money or out-of-state speeding tickets. I’m not laughing. On our honeymoon, we got a speeding ticket. We had to cough up cash right there on the side of the road in Michigan. A lot of cash. Most of our travel cash. I’m still not over it, apparently.

Any other ideas I left off? I will add to it as I pack for Colorado 2013!!