Hey there! It’s travel day again and we’re not at the airport for a long time, we’re at the airport for a good time (which just so happens to be like 12 hours)! So, I thought it might be fund to give you sneak peek inside my pack(s) and what I am bringing along with me to Colombia! I decided to pack in two carry on’s, one large pack and one day pack. The large pack I chose was a 45L hiking pack from REI and while it was an investment, it was definitely worth it. I carried it on the plane with my sleeping bag attached when I flew to Atlanta, but I chose to check it flying to Colombia because it is kind of a hassle PLUS, fundraising bought each of us one checked bag! So it didn’t cost a cent extra! Anyways, without further ado…
Here’s a peek inside my pack!
Wait, 45L is a little small for a month, isn’t it?
You’d think, right? But not when you have handy dandy packing cubes! And not just any packing cubes, compressible packing cubes! If you’ve never heard of these before, you’re missing out because they’ve revolutionized packing and saved my life! For real, ask anyone on my team or anyone whose done the race and they’ll tell you compressible packing cubes are proof of God’s goodness & provision.
“7 pm, an hour before they closed, I made a last minute race to REI to get two more cubes. Without these packing cubes & that last minute trip & the faithfulness of REI to follow God’s calling to enjoy His marvelous creations in the outdoors, I don’t think I would’ve made it to the airport on time for my flight because nothing was going to fit in my pack! Without compressible packing cubes, I would have missed the race! God is so so good!”
– @shelby.whiting | WR Semesters Colombia 2021
The Essentials: towel, sheets, wash cloths, blanket, & Charlie!
What actually made it into my pack? Towel, wash cloths, & sheets!
Sadly, Mr. Charlie did not make the cut, I know—heartbreaking. I chose a microfiber towel because it can be compressed the smallest and dries super quick. I found this one at REI for $8 so I couldn’t really pass it up. We aren’t sure what sleeping situations are going to be in Colombia, so we were told to bring sheets along just in case! Rumor has it we’re going to be vibing with some bunk beds, so I’m 100% prepared. I had hoped to have time to buy more gear straps for my backpack in order to strap on my blanket, but I ran out of time! So the cozy blanket had to stay at home! (I also space bagged everything in this picture, except for Charlie of course!)
Clothes Part 1: pants (x3), overalls (x2), long skirts (x4), & shorts (x3)!
What actually made it into my pack? Pants (x3)—but #3 is not pictured, short overalls, long skirts (x3), & shorts (x3)!
Okay listen, I do not like wearing pants. I haven’t worn pants in about 3 years, but let me tell you these linen pants and the (not pictured) light weight joggers I bought from the Gap may just be the two best clothing items I own. Seriously, I don’t want to take these joggers off, I wore them on the plane to Atlanta and then to Colombia. Seriously, they’re amazing, I may actually link them.
Clothes Part 2: long dress, tank tops (x3), T-Shirts (x6), solid shirts (x4), cute tops (x4), & rain jacket!
What actually made it into my pack? Long dress, tank tops (x2), T-shirts (x4), solid shirts (x4), cute tops (x2), & rain jacket!
Again with the thrift haul! The majority of the things in this picture, and honestly the majority of my pack, was thrifted or might as well have been thrifted because if it wasn’t, it was bought on major sale. Also, I just have to tell you, do not sleep on Facebook Marketplace. This rain jacket was an absolute steal. It is a brand new Columbia jacket, with a hood, completely waterproof, and I got it for—hold onto your hats ladies & gents—$5. I know. Wild, right?
But what about shoes?
Boy am I glad you asked because I forgot to take a picture of them. In case you’re wondering, the shoes that have travelled across the world with me are my Chacos,—a missionary classic—sandals, and my New Balance tennis shoes!
That can’t be all, right?
Of course… there are a few miscellaneous things I threw in, like a swim suit as a “just-in-case” even though Medellín is completely land locked and at least 150+ miles from the coast. I also found these things called laundry leaves which are leaves of paper that when dissolve in water and turn into laundry detergent. They’re honestly a life saver, I’ve already hand washed a few things with them and we did a laundry load this morning but just threw in about 10 of them and it did the job! My day pack is of course carrying my Bible, journal, and all of my bible journalling supplies as well as my laptop for writing blog posts! My sunnies were a must as well as my hydro flask, bucket hat, and a few pairs of earrings if I wanted to dress up.
Oh yeah, and my passport, that’s kind of important.
You might be thinking: Um hello! You kind of forgot toothpaste, shampoo—all the toiletries! That would be correct! I brought all of those things with me to training camp but left them behind to free up some space in my pack. Why, you ask? Since we’ll be in a city, we’ll have access to buy all of those things in Medellín! How nifty is that!
I will say though, I completely repacked & rearranged at the end of training camp. After picking up a few new things, I decided to hook my chacos to the outside of my daypack and ditch a packing cube to simply roll its contents at the bottom of my bag. I love my packing cubes but the problem is when they’re full, they are not as easy to pack. This freed up so much space and allowed me to zip my pack without a problem. This left two packing cubes and a space bag inside and plenty of space on the sides of my pack to stuff the rest of my things in. But I did check my bag this flight instead of carry it on, and since I am a first time racer, I had no idea I should’ve bought an airport bag to secure my pack when it got checked. SO, I had to improvise! Nothing the rain cover and some duct tape couldn’t handle and we were good to go! I may have looked a bit like a ninja turtle, but oh well.
My big pack came in at a whopping 22 pounds. Which is crazy considering I (1) always over-pack and (2) I have never packed a bag that light! I do feel like I am missing a few things, but that just means my teammates and I can go thrifting in Colombia which is even more exciting! I hope you enjoyed taking a peek inside of my pack and what I will be living off of for the next month and maybe offer some help for some future racers out there!
Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog so you can be notified every time I make a post and follow along with all that God is doing in Colombia!
Joyfully, Gracie
Girl, you can write…and you can pack! Looking forward to reading the next one!