TOP 5 PACKING TIPS

From someone who always wants to take the kitchen sink!

This obviously depends on how long you're going for, where you're going and what you're planning on doing whilst there – but as I'm an overthinker I always tend to pack for almost every occasion possible. And because I'm small, and my clothes are small - I can usually do this without taking up too much space!

HERE ARE MY TOP 5 TIPS

TOP TIP 1:

Pack in advance - and lay it all out so you can see what you have - this helps visualise outfits and also gives you time to wash or locate anything you've may need

TOP TIP 2:

Chose your 'hold all' based on your needs for the location/type of travel - nothing worse than struggling to find or access your clothes. More on this can be found below

TOP TIP 3:

Disposable shower caps work great as shoe/boot covers

TOP TIP 4:

Be a goth to avoid colour clashes! Everything goes with black

TOP TIP 5:

Use clear bags to separate items that you want to locate easily such as knickers and socks

(pants fit great in those long clear pencil cases) or I'll separate various days/outfits into suitcase organisers for ease of finding when rummaging in a holdall

BONUS TIP

I also always take extra socks and pants as well as a 'thin' scarf - this saved my life when hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand!

Bonus Top tip for dog owners!

Pack your clothes folded inside out and keep PJs in a separate bag to avoid dog hairs!

For more on what clothes we take click here

More... on bags

Over the years, I've found the key is finding the perfect carry bag/holdall that's right for you. I've got a couple I use for various occasions which I've listed below.

OPTION 1:

My trusty DropDead 'tube' bag which I use for weekend/long weekend camping trips.

I love this bag as everything can be folded and placed in stood 'up right' so to speak - so you can 'scroll' through your items and find them easily - that is unless all your clothes are black like mine so all merge into one another anyway! I also put my pants and socks in a separate bag so again, then can be located easily. As this is a small bag - I also have to take additional 'carry bags' for coats and shoes.

OPTION 2:

The age old favourite 'trolly case'

I find these a little overrated, as due to the mechanisms of the 'handles' you don't get that much room in them. Also if using as hand luggage on a plane to prevent checking in baggage - you may still have it taken off you if the over head storage gets full.

OPTION 3:

The 'back pack'

I struggle with these as there's usually a minimum of 3 different pockets or areas so you can guarantee I'm always loosing things / forgetting which section I've put it in! But they are great when you need to take a lot of stuff and if you're going to be on the move a lot.

We've recently just purchased a 80-120L duffle that is also a back pack, in the hopes it will fit both our clothes in for a week plus and a review on this will be coming soon.

OPTION 4:

The hard shell suit case

obviously a bit overkill for a weekend away - but I love my hard shell cases. We have two sizes, a medium and a large and we took these with us when we hired a campervan in New Zealand for 2 and half weeks. Might sound crazy but it was amazing. They fitted in all the stuff we needed for all the weather conditions, there was room to 'rummage' and find things. Easy to store and move about the van, and the hard shell meant we could just through them outside on the wet/damp grass when we needed more space.

OPTION 5:

The classic 'tote bag'

Obviously not big enough for a weekend away etc but more of a necessity and an extra addition as they're always useful to have on you - I find them especially useful on walks, or at airports as I often find myself getting un expectedly warm with no where to store my multiple jumpers/hats and scarfs that are no longer needed - why not check out the 'Stay Wild' tote we have in our shop?

PACKING: CLOTHES FOR EVERY OCCASION

By When We Wander • June 11, 2022

MY MUST HAVE ITEMS FOR EVERY OCCASION! This obviously depends on how long you're going for, where you're going and what you're planning on doing whilst there – but as I'm an overthinker I always tend to pack for almost every occasion possible. And because I'm small, and my clothes are small - I can usually do this without taking up too much space... So below is a list of the clothes I tend to always pack and why... and by always I mean, whatever trip we go on, whatever the season, UK or abroad, 2 nights or 10nights - you can guarantee I'll have the below with me as long as space allows, along with some top tips too!

LOCAL WALK TIPS

By Freddie Pf • February 27, 2022

There are lots of various apps available to download that can help suggest, direct, and track routes. However - do bear in mind that some apps/maps will be useless when you lose signal, or run out of battery. Therefore, if you are venturing a long way from home we always recommend downloading any maps you may need and taking phone battery charges with you - or even better - go old school and take an actual paper map! Some of the apps we use are: OS maps – as this is really good at showing footpaths and routes that aren't clear on google Google maps Kamoot and All Trails. These last two apps work by you putting in your location - or the location you are intending to start from, and it brings up walks in that area. They are also 'user based' apps - which means some routes are 'official walks' where as others are random submissions from fellow walkers. This means you can find some right gems that you possibly wouldn't of found otherwise - however, some routes are also better than others. We have recently set up an account on All Trails, just search for "When We Wander' and our walks will come up.