Get a sneak peak into my suitcase!

Well, actually my backpack! Today Jessie and I embarked on a trip to Alaska! We are going to Sitka, Alaska (AKA Ryan Reynold’s hometown in The Proposal) for six days/five nights.

Of all of the the trips I have been on since starting this blog, I have never thought to post about what I pack. But, as I was asked by my friend Alex, I thought a trip to Alaska would be the prefect time to start.

For reference, here is a the weather forecast for our trip. We will be there Friday – Wednesday.

As you can see, cold and rainy!

To start, Jessie and I both decided to use backpacks for the trip. We felt that a backpack would be the best way to carry everything we needed without having to check a suitcase. Also, we both thought it would be a good opportunity to test out our packs, as we want to go backpacking in July. I grabbed my Deuter ACT Lite 45 + 10 and got to work.

Since it is going to be cold and rainy, I knew I would need some solid outer layers. I opted for a big down Jacket from a.n.a. that I have had since my 2007 trip to London and a rain jacket from Columbia.

For my middle layer, I grabbed a Columbia long sleeve and a North Face fleece.

For my base layer, I opted for four long sleeve tops from Forever 21 and two pairs of Joe’s jeans.

Since Jessie and I will be doing some hiking, I also brought along a pair of Victoria’s Secret PINK yoga leggings (which I will also sleep in and can layer under jeans if I am really cold) and a Montiel cami with a built-in sports bra.

I grabbed a pair of my trusty Rainbow sandals (I’ve had these babies since 2004!) to protect my feet from fungus in the hostel showers and my new Vasque boots (waterproof!).

Some extra pieces include my Marc Jacobs sunnies, my gloves, my Stance socks, and my beanie (or as they call it in Ireland, where I made the purchase, my woolie cap). I brought four pairs of socks. “One to wear, one to wash, and one to dry,” as my dad says…I added in “one to sleep in.”

With clothing sorted, I swapped over to toiletries. Although my hostel sells a towel for a dollar a day, I thought it would be nice to bring my own. I then grabbed a travel hair brush from Conair, some Q-tips, my REN face wash, and some travel perfume. Toothpaste, shampoo, and deorderant are always a necessity. I decanted some conditioner into a bottle I swipped from a hotel and grabbed some Klorane dry shampoo for those days when it might just be too cold to walk around with wet hair (notice I am not bringing a hairdryer…thank God I cut my hair so short, it dies so much faster!). To protect my skin from the cold temperature and 20 daily hours of sunlight, I grabbed my Aesop face oil and Shiseido sunscreen.

Keeping with the pattern, I brought only minimal makeup. I plan to use my Physican’s Formula powder as both eyeshadow and bronzer. I grabbed my MAC eyeshadow and Maybelline gel for my brows and my Covergirl mascara (waterproof for the rain) to finish off my eyes. Because I am not bringing a foundation, I packed my Maybelline concealer in case I need to cover any spots. I also decanted a few pumps of my Becca highlight into an old Sephora sample jar.

I also brought a few brushes along from Sephora, MAC, Real Techniques, and Sonia Kashuk.

And because I don’t let something normal and natural like my period stop me from exploring, I also packed some feminine care items. I like the slim packaging of the U by Kotex tampons and the individually wrapped cloths from Summer’s Eve (which are great to have anytime you might be sans bathroom in the great outdoors).

Here is the final overview of everything that was going into my backpack!

I am going to be wearing my hiking boots and down jacket on the plane to cut down on space in my pack. Everything fit really nicely in my backpack and I didn’t even have to use the extra 10L of space. It ended up weighing in at under 11LBs, so I am pretty stoked.

*Revision*

After sleeping on it for a night and talking it over with my dad, I decided to bring along a pair of Nike sneakers (wrapped in a plastic bag – it never hurts to have one handy in a rainy climate) and swapped out my Stance socks for more performance-driven Ecosox ones.

I thought it might be nice to have a pair of less-intense shoes for walking around town, especially on the days when it isn’t raining. And although my Stance socks are warm, they are better for day-to-day activities in cold climates rather than hiking through the Alaskan wilderness. I brought one Stance pair to sleep in. Jimmy and Quincy were disappointed that they could not come along.

I also brought along extra cash and a checkbook, because it seems that Sitka doesn’t have much card-reader technology from what I have seen online. As I love to read, I just purchased AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller to keep me entertained on the plane.

As you can tell, I really aimed for simplicity while packing. The goal of this trip is to be connected to nature, not about being fashion forward. My clothing is practical, even being used for multiple purposes. And for those of you that wrinkled your nose when I said that I would be using my yoga leggings for both hiking and sleeping: fear not, Sitka does have a laundromat.

I am so excited for Alaska! Wish us luck!

-TM

What would you bring to Alaska? Let us know below.