May Travels: Packing For London, Paris, Belgium & Amsterdam

Jake: your list looks good; I'm sure you can dress just like you do at home as the weather in May in the north countries is pretty similar to ours. Just tell girl friend to remember the baths may be shared and are down the hall so wear sleep wear that can be seen by strangers. I wore a tee-shirt dress. Comfortable well made broken in shoes with rubber-like soles are the most important thing. Most of the 1st world countries dress the same now...so you'll blend right in. Remember your knit hats!

Are you going to be doing a lot of hiking or will you mainly be in cities? I’m not sure which Sorel boots you have but they may be more shoe than you need. Just basing this on my winter boots which are Sorel.

Pam,
They are a basic Moc Toe Sorel more for city and light off the beaten path wear, not a trail hiking/winter boot like some of my others.
Here's a link!
https://www.sorel.com/mens-madson-moc-toe-waterproof-boot-1767231.html

Thanks!

The average May temperatures are 47 degree lows and 63 degrees high. The region will see rain 10 days out of the month (average) but it is not nearly their wettest month.
I agree about dressing like home. A real backpacker can dress down a little--t shirts and jeans are normal. I would be looking for a lighter waterproof jacket vs. a down coat.I
We are going to be in Ireland during your trip, and I'm packing 1 pr. jeans, 1 pr. khaki pants (both heavily starched) and 5 golf shirts--plus the clothes I'm wearing. Every trip I swear the next trip is going to be lighter in the carryon.

I'd go with a down vest instead and then a nice rain jacket/wind breaker. More versatile - gives you 3 different choices/combinations for different conditions: cold, warmish, rainy - and everything in between.

I travel primarily shoulder season and always pack one warm layer and one water proof layer. If I'm going to a cooler place or the long term forecast is cold, I'll add another warm layer. In your case the down jacket would make an ideal warm layer that can double as outerwear on a dry, but cool, evening. I've used a down vest but decided the tiny bit extra for a jacket gives me a better outerwear option. I'd forget the wind breaker and substitute a non-insulated water proof rain shell. That will give you both wind and water protection. If you want/need a second warm layer, add a not bulky wool sweater that is nice enough to wear outside but can be worn between a shirt and the down jacket.

After that my pack list is five shirts (a mix of long sleeve button up and t-shirts), two pants, one light warm up bottom ideally with zip pockets (good for laundry day, working out or pjs), three pair non-cotton underwear (my favorite are boxer jocks from underarmour) and three matching pair of socks (in case I lose a sock or two along the way). Sometimes I splurge with four pairs each. I pick one pair of shoes that will cover all my needs (walking, dinners, etc.) and add a light pair of flip flops in my bag. I don't think the shoe needs to be water proof but something that can stand a little rain is good. Socks in non-cotton is more important. Non-cotton are easier to hand wash and dry and retain their insulation value/friction protection when they get wet (from rain or sweat).

My wash kit is dry laundry detergent sheets from REI and a large plastic bag (sometimes you need the bag to contain the mess). I wring with a large chamois (now I use a fake one) which doubles as a travel towel when needed. I'll wash socks and underwear almost every night and stop at a laundromat once every couple of weeks to give everything a good wash.

Make sure to add a good pair of sunglasses too. I used to pack a mid size Swiss army knife that had scissors, corkscrew, blade, nail file, tweezers and toothpick but 9/11 came along and banned those from carry on. Lately I carry the basics (not blade) in my dry bag and add a plastic fork for picnics (add a spoon if you eat a lot of yogurt).

I take a smart phone instead of all the electronics I used to pack plus one charger and plug converter. I bring a car charger but I've found most rentals have a USB port now. The phone works as my travel alarm, camera, GPS, calendar for my reservation information and includes Kindle versions of travel guides. I try to get down to one quart bag of liquids and a second quart bag of dry things as my "shave kit". My bag now is a shoulder bag that fits anything down to Ryan Air and weighs about ten to twelve pounds.

Once I pack, I'll play with it a little but I set a limit at 12 pounds. I just feel comfortable with that. Even adding a bottle of wine for a few hours makes it noticeably less fun to carry.

Those look nice Jake and I think they will do well for you!

Brad,
Thank you! This is all great input to have before my first trip. I will definitely be taking note and keeping this all in mind!

Take a "Puffy Coat". Leave the Sorrels at home, too heavy and you won't be walking through water, all the cities have good drainage. You want the puffy coat with a waterproof shell/windbreaker that goes over it. Bring a knit hat. I've traveled a lot in early May and the puffy coat gets a lot of use. Don't get a bunch of stuff for your trip, take whatever you wear the most when you are not working because that's what you are comfortable in. Don't over think it and take less than you think you need, it'll give you a good excuse to do a little shopping.