Packing Spotlight: 10 Days in Iceland
Several people have found it hard to believe I packed for a ten-day trip in a carry-on and backpack, but I’m a pretty low-maintenance girl. The trick is to pack all your clothes a week in advance, and then weed out what you’re not going to need as you think it through. I guarantee you’ll find things in your suitcase that will make you go, “Mmm, I can probably live without that.”
This is what I packed for ten days in Iceland:
Black silky camisole
White t-shirt
Striped long-sleeve
Flannel button-up
Three sweaters
Thick cardigan
One canvas jacket, one rain jacket
Two pairs of jeans
One pair of black stretch ponte skinnies
Sweatpants
Hiking socks, crew socks, no-show socks
Hiking boots, black ankle booties, my favorite sneakers
One linen scarf, one warm weather scarf
Two cold-weather hats
Bella Luxx camisole
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Here’s the deal. I wore the silky black camisole under everything and slept in it; super easy to spot-clean and quick to dry (just make sure you don't get it in actual silk material). I wore the t-shirt on travel days to and from the airport. For city walking, I layered a sweater over the camisole and wore my light jackets with a scarf, tucking a cold-weather hat in my purse just in case. For night time, I layered the cardigan under my jackets and switched to ankle boots.
I didn’t have to change it up much for the road. My uniform was sneakers, skinny jeans, and a sweater. I kept my hiking boots in the backseat and wore them out for a couple treks. Honestly, the trick is to just pack things you can layer with each other. Don’t pack your orange printed this or your pink splotchy that. Don’t pack the sweater you can only wear with “those pants” or that shirt that doesn’t quite tuck into your jeans right. Only pack the things you love, and you won’t struggle to get dressed in the morning. You want to get out in to the city, out on the road, out in the world—not sit in your hotel agonizing over what to wear. We all do that enough at home.
Abercrombie, Forever 21, Bella Luxx
Vans, Modern Vice, CAT Footwear
I’ve traveled enough that I have my light packing pretty much nailed down. It all depends on how you travel. It makes me laugh, but as a style blogger it’s my job to dress well now...however, I don’t want to spend hours a day trying to look like a million bucks (I don’t know how other bloggers do it). I like to be prepared, but you won’t catch me in snow pants and a parka on an August day like every other tourist you’ll see in Iceland.
Packing light is more than just folding things the right way and trying to smash as much as you can into a petite suitcase. It's being smart about your pairings and taking the time to plan and coordinate your outfits. Feel free to share some of your tips for packing light in the comments!
