After writing and re-writing my packing list about four times, I finally did most of my pack-out last Sunday afternoon. I still have a few things to add to my bag tonight before we pack up for good, but doing a pre-pack a full 5 days early allowed me to figure out what I needed and didn’t need, and how it will all fit in my bags.
This is what 10 days in Egypt looks like:
I very deliberately stuck to a limited palette of my traditional “Wilson blue” (a peacock-ish blue/teal), ochre, orange, and tan for almost everything I’m bringing. There’s no combination of these clothes that looks bad together, which makes it much easier to mix and match, and adjust what I’m wearing throughout the day, while still looking good. It’s also a palette that works well in sunny environments, and it will look good against desert colors. Egypt in April can be tricky to pack for, as it can be as high as 95 degrees during the day, and as low as 45 degrees at night, so layers and smart fabrics were the name of the game here. If I were going at a point where I’d need less of a range, this pack-out would’ve been even smaller.
Partially thanks to my traditional use of compression packing cubes, all of my day to day clothes and toiletries fit into the small duffle bag you see on the right, and everything else, including my camera gear, airplane pillow, jacket, vest, etc, fits into the backpack on the left. Now, I’m actually bringing a large, empty suitcase with me so that as I inevitably buy things on the trip, I can have room to put them. I’m unlikely to visit Egypt again in this lifetime, so I don’t want to have to say “no” to something just because I have a small bag. Packing everything into carry-on bags also allows me to make absolutely sure that my luggage makes it to Cairo with me, even if my main suitcase gets lost.
Tonight we’re doing our final, last-minute packing and preparation, as I’m pretty much coming home from work tomorrow and heading straight to the airport down in DC. I have to charge everything, get my electronics bag together, and throw my passport in my bag, and then I’m done! Off to play tourist in Egypt for a little while.
For anyone curious about what my final, complete packing list looks like for this trip, here you go:
Duffle Bag:
- Tan Wicking Long-Sleeve Button Down Shirt
- Off-White Wicking Long-Sleeve Button Down Shirt
- White Wicking Long-Sleeve Button Down Shirt
- Blue Wicking Long-Sleeve Button Down Shirt
- Blue Stripe Linen Long-Sleeve Button Down Shirt
- Light Teal Performance Short Sleeve T-Shirt
- Dark Teal Performance Short Sleeve T-Shirt
- Orange Lightweight Cotton Hoodie
- Teal Fleece Pullover
- Rust Fleece Vest
- Orange Cargo Shorts
- Tan Prana Cargo Pants
- Blue Patagonia Rock Pants
- Khaki Patagonia Rock Pants
- Persian Print Belt
- 8 Pair Underwear (4 regular, 4 wicking)
- 5 Pair Socks
- Birddogs Swim/Exercise Shorts
- 2 Pair Sunglasses
- Blue Cotton Scarf
- Beige Cotton Scarf
- Cooling Bandana
- Keen Sandals
- Keen Oxfords
Backpack:
- Hooded Airplane Pillow
- 6 Travel Detergent Packs
- 2 Pair Earplugs
- 2 Tubes Sunscreen
- Anti-Nail-Biting Polish
- Prescription Antibiotic Ointment
- 8 Bandaids
- Bottle with a few doses of: Aleve, Ibuprofen, Tums, Immodium, Tylenol AM/PM
- Bag of Pens
- Bag of Journaling Supplies (Tape, Scissors, Etc)
- Camera Charger
- 2 Phone Battery Packs
- 2 Extra Camera Batteries
- 6 Memory Cards – 4 x 64gb, 2 x 128gb
- Mini-USB Charging Cable
- iPhone Charging Cable
- Travel Socket Adapter
- Journal
- Planner
- Canon 6D
- Canon 24-70mm f2.8 Lens
- Canon 50mm F1.4 Lens
- Internal Camera Bag Pouch
- 2 Large Containers Baby Wipes
- 2 Bottles Hand Sanitizer
- Shampoo/Conditioner Mix
- Shower Gel/Poof
- Deoderant
- Hairbrush
- Small Jar of Moisturizer
- Chapstick
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