Packing report -- one week in Puglia in December

Here's what I brought:

In the main compartment of the MotherLode:

(in the big flat mesh zip pocket)
Black Title Nine Clamber pants (fairly lightweight, very durable)
Grey Duluth Flexpedition pants (heavier weight)
Kuhl lightweight trench rain jacket

(in an eBags slim packing cube)
Pink long sleeve tshirt
Purple long sleeve tshirt
Purple long sleeve half zip (heavier weight REI baselayer)

(in a second eBags slim packing cube)
Lightweight cotton PJ pants
Pink short sleeve tshirt (PJs or wearing)
Undies
3 bras
2 Darn Tough merino midweight crew socks
2 Smartwool no show merino socks

(folded in the bottom of the main compartment)
Purple grid fleece pullover hoodie (Mountain HardWear)

(in the main compartment in plastic bags)
Black Keen Presidio walking shoes

(in the main compartment)
Microfiber hair wrap (long curly hair; this works better for me than a towel) in a ziploc
Osprey waistpack for hiking
Toiletry kit (which is an older version of the Osprey Ultralight Zip Organizer)
Coffee/breakfast kit (dried decaf coffee capsules, powdered milk in a Ziploc, couple of breakfast bars in a mini Lewis n Clark cube)
First aid kit (in a mini Lewis n Clark cube)
Tom Bihn 3-D cube with birthday decorations – balloons, banner, streamers (hubby’s birthday was during the trip, so I decorated the apartment)
Lewis n Clark electrolight tote bag for groceries and shopping
WashEeze unscented laundry sheets (sensitive skin; prefer to bring our own laundry detergent)

In the front, larger zip pouch for access during travel (with a small locking carabiner on the zipper):
Collapsible water bottle
Electronics kit in a Tom Bihn cubelet (wall brick, adapter, 6’ USB-C cable, earbuds)
On Board kit for airplane (inflatable neck pillow, lip balm, electronics kit from above goes in here on plane, tissues, Wispa toothbrushes) in a Tom Bihn grab bag and hung from the seat pocket with a double carabiner.
Phone charger/backup battery kit in a Tom Bihn super mini ghost whale pouch (battery, cables needed for battery and car hookups – tossed the kit in the car and/or crossbody for daily use)
Duluth small leather crossbody for daily wear (credit cards, cash, passport, Ziploc for receipts, lip balm, stash of TP, pen, sunglasses)

(in the small zip compartment at the top)
3-1-1 bag (shampoo, hair gel, face cream/sunscreen in contact lens case, lotion)
Contact lenses and supplies in a quart Ziploc bag

(in the full zip compartment at the back meant for laptops/papers)
Black puffer jacket

In the small, diagonal zip pocket in the front of the MotherLode went my passport and phone during security. Once through security, the phone went in my zipped pocket and my passport in my crossbody bag inside the MotherLode.

Wore on the plane:

Duluth NoGa classic boot cut pants
Pink long sleeve cotton henley
Full zip grid fleece hoody (Mountain HardWear)
Darn Tough merino midweight crew socks
Oboz Sypes low hiking shoes

As you can see, I pack in kits. These all stay together between trips, so it’s really easy to throw everything in a suitcase when it’s time to go. This works for me – I really hate having a bunch of individual items floating in my bag; I lose track of what I have and it’s too hard to organize myself. My husband packs that way and I can’t even look at his open suitcase….

What worked for this trip:

• I loved the one bag strategy; so much easier mentally while in transit.
• I brought the right clothes – wore everything except the low socks 2 or 3 times, did 3 loads of laundry during the week (we were hiking and getting muddy, so pants only made it a day). I would have been fine with maybe one more pair of crew socks and leaving the no-shows behind, but at least they didn’t take up much room. I could layer up or down depending on the temperature and activity. No way were we ever going to look as nicely dressed as the Italians, but I still felt respectful and presentable.
• My lightweight grid fleeces from Mountain HardWear were heroes. They took up very minimal room in my bag (pullover hoodie here), and for as light as they are, they were super warm. My full-zip hoodie did a great job blocking the wind on the day I wore it hiking without my jacket.
• I loved the Duluth crossbody bag. It is leather and looks nice (I don’t like carrying around nylon bags, it’s just a me thing), it’s a great size for carrying my minimal amount of stuff, it’s well organized. I don’t have enough in there such that the bag was heavy or uncomfortable; the neck strap is wide and was fine. I bought it shortly before the trip and am now using it at home as my regular day bag.
• I liked my Platypus collapsible water bottle. I could half-fill it and squish it wherever I needed it to go, including rolled up in my Osprey waist bag for hiking. And no leaks.

What didn’t work:
Everything was good! Like I said, I would have loved a hip belt for that longer walk, but aside from that, the MotherLode was the perfect bag. It was a very successful trip!

So , Deb, you put everything in your Motherlode? You didn’t even need a separate personal item? That is impressive! Way to go. I also love the Duluth NoGa pants for airline pants. Very comfy and the zip pocket on my leg is great. The leather crossbody purse is cute, too. Classic and sleek looking. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the packing report! Great job with packing in the eBags Motherlode only. I would love to be able to pack just in one bag, but haven't been able to yet. I have a MotherLode Jr that I might try to use for one-bag travel for a possible trip to Japan in the spring.

Excellent packing report, DebVT! I'm so impressed that you packed birthday decorations!

A detail that caught my eye was the ziploc bag for receipts. I've never thought to plan for a way to store receipts. I usually travel with a file folder and just end up stuffing receipts in it. This makes the folder weirdly bulky and eventually the receipts will slide out anyway. A ziploc sounds like a great idea, but I think I'd prefer something more rigid. I'd love to hear what others use.

Thanks for the great packing report, and appreciate all the links! Glad everything worked so well for you.

This is a thorough packing report, thank you! I'm starting to pull things together for a trip to Spain in a little over a week, and it looks like some of our packing choices are similar. One thing I'm lacking is lightweight fleece pullovers/zip ups. Mine all feel pretty heavy, so I was on the fence about whether or not to pack one, but maybe I need to do a little last minute shopping to look for something more lightweight.

Hi, Lyndash. Yes, one bag! Don't know if I'll ever pull it off again, but it was great for this trip! And I agree about the zip pocket on the NoGa pants -- kept my phone where it belonged on the plane, and I didn't have to worry about it slipping out when I was sitting down.

KRS -- Overall, I like the full-zip fleece better. I'm always taking off and putting on layers depending on my activity level, and full zip is easier than yanking a pullover over my head. Plus that particular fleece has a smooth, non-fuzzy exterior which works way better for me -- my real life is full of animal hair and dirt, which doesn't stick to it. Backcountry.com has some colors and sizes on sale now at 50% off. REI also carries it, tho' I don't know if it's in stock in the store. The Patagonia R1 Air is a similar weight fleece and another alternative to try. Have fun in Spain, my favorite place!

I really didn’t like the way my stuff went into it. I think the main downside for me was that I want to be able to access a few items while in transit

This resonates with me, Deb. There are always hardshell bags that I envision myself using and becoming a carry-on only person -- and then I realize how absolutely crazy not being able to slip something into or out of my bag easily would make me...so I have to go back to only imagining.

I enjoyed your packing report very much and went and eyed most of your Tom Big components.... I am flying myself today but am not so together. Thanks for writing this up !

We just came back from 5 weeks in Florence, and I had the unique experience of packing pretty much whatever I wanted. This included a ceramic tea mug that holds 3 cups (measuring cups) of tea, all of my loose tea and a big tea strainer, a large supply of my morning muesli and a whole bag of oat bran, 7 days worth of clothes, 2 pairs of shoes, 2 nightgowns, too many masks that I didn't even use, my electric toothbrush, my laptop, way too much heavy-duty Aveeno, an actual book, scissors, an umbrella AND a raincoat, etc etc. Felt really decadent. My bag weighed 34 pounds. Next trip, Sicily in March, back to normal packing!