My Extremely Lightweight Packing Challenge

All the items you've taken off your list could easily fit into jacket pockets (with the possible exception of the extra dress), and a jacket could double as a blanket on the plane. You could put them into your personal item once you've boarded, although that would only help if you're more worried about weight than size, but those few things barely take any space anyway.

Jean, are you sure that it will be so cold that you'll need many warm layers? I was in Ireland in early May and though it did rain and was windy it wasn't remotely "cold" by my internal PNW temperature gauge - since you're used to N. Idaho weather you might find it is rather balmy in late summer. I myself might drop the 32 degrees long sleeve in favor of a thinner long sleeve shirt better for layering. Most important is an outer layer that is wind and water proof and has a hood (umbrellas are useless if it is windy). And I know you love your Keens but if they get soaked do they dry out overnight? I'd be worried about getting blisters if they don't.

Can you wrap the pastels box in saran wrap to keep the dust contained? The clothes in ziplocks will help but it might be wise to belt/suspender the situation especially with your ultralight clothing list.

If anyone can make it work, I'm betting you can!

CL, good questions. The layering was just to wear on the plane to enable me to bring another clothing item - the dress, with me when there’s no additional room in the suitcase. I will only be wearing either the 32 Degree with a scarf & pants, the dress with a scarf, or one of the tops with pants when I am in Ireland and have a hotel room or at the school site. My wonderful raincoat is waterproof and very light and has a hood.

The wood pochade box will be inside its cardboard box, but there’s a good chance TSA is going to want to open it for inspection because the rows of chalk pieces sometimes look like rows of bullets in their xray check. I want to give them easier access in that case.

Is the prochade box too big to be considered your personal item? Better still would be if it was in a lightweight tote bag or has its own strap. My recollection is that you have an Allpa35L, which would easily hold everything else.

Looking forward to the suggestions you get and what your final pack looks like.

I would put the pastels in a ziploc bag (or double bagged) to contain any possible dust. Easy enough to open for TSA if requested and it keeps the dust contained to the plastic bag instead of all over the inside of your luggage and the outside of any other organizer bags inside your luggage. And I'd bring (or purchase there) some extra ziplocs for the re-packing in case of dusting. To me it would be easier to use a new bag than try to clean the dust off the old one.

You could probably stuff some of the items from your dropped list in the pockets of the raincoat. Hopefully it has zipped pockets. If not, safety pin them shut.

My 2 cents.

Jean, I have some 10 gal ziplock bags that I brought to the meet up last time. Are they big enough to contain the pochade box? The box gives the dimensions as 2ft x 20 inches. Don't remember if your pochade is more square than rectangular.

Here’s some additional dimension details. Thanks so much for thinking through this with me!

The tripod w the center disassembled has a length of 18.5”. That sounds like it would easily go into the suitcase, but it would have to angle into it, and it’s bulky, especially with the two pieces (it’s a very nice, sturdy one)

The pochade box dimensions are 16x13x3”. Where it goes will also be where the backboard for the easel, stack of pastel paper & portfolio will be stacked to protect everything that needs to be flat & unwrinkled. The box dimensions don’t fit inside my current personal bag backpack.

I’ve set out 1 pair of pants, 2 shirts, 1 dress, underwear, a pair of flats shoes, and my lightest toiletry kit filled with normal European trip contents. This formed rectangular cube measures 19x11x3” pressed down. That leaves a skinny 2” down the length x 3” high for a raincoat, nightgown, extra reading glasses, misc. extras that need to come.

My Cotopaxi has nice mesh dividers in it to separate the two sides like a clamshell. The box would rip the mesh, plus I love my Cotopaxi & don’t want any pastels near it. The 2-wheel will keep the pochade weight off of my back.

@Pam, the dimensions for my pastel pochade box/easel tucked inside the cardboard box are 16x12x3”.

@khansen, smart idea to not try to reuse the same Ziploc bag on the way back home!

Jean, would it help to place a printed/ laminated label on the outside of the wooden pastels box that includes a picture of the inside of the box and the words “ Fragile: Artist Chalk” additionally? Hopefully, the screener may be less rough with handling the box? I would label it “chalk” rather than “pastels”, as most people would know that term better than pastels. Just a thought.

@Mustlovedogs, yes, the pastel artists recommend to label the box “Very Fragile Artist Chalks”. Good idea to include a photo printed, too.

I also will loosen the 3 knobs on mine that allow the box to swing up and out for the easel. Someone messing with them could easily break the moving arm otherwise. Fortunately mine isn’t a 2-sided box, so I don’t have a risk that half of the pastels get dropped opening it incorrectly.

If it wasn’t so much fun to use pastels, this would be a big hassle. As is, I’m very excited for the week of class experience, plus painting outdoors at sites they take the 11 of us!

I hope you have so much fun! I think taking a trip that includes your artistic passions is really wonderful. Whether it’s cooking, painting, sketching, knitting…doing the hobbies you love outside of your own space just makes it even more special.

I hope the pastel box - and all your belongings lol- arrive in pristine condition. My son dabbles in art and I remember so well how expensive his supplies were. Most Christmases had at least one or two items that grandparents and us went in together for them.

Have a ball!