It was December when my work took me to West Africa, and my life took me to Europe. Three weeks, two opposing climates, one 28 litre backpack. I knew that this back-to-back trip would be the biggest test of my packing skills yet.
Now, I’m no slouch when it comes to packing light. My work finds me at mine sites all over the world, via several small trips per year. But this time was different. I had never stuck a personal vacation at the end of a work trip before. The inspiration for this was the method of travel. There are two ways to get to the Ivory Coast: by flying through Brussels, Belgium or through Paris, France. I figured, if I was going to be in Europe any way I may as well enjoy it! Why not spend a week in Iceland on the way home?
Want to hear about this trip?
Listen to Emily’s podcast for details on how she got heat stroke in Africa and explored glaciers and volcanoes in Iceland.
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Extremely Light Packing Tips
Always Take a Warm Jacket
Being a Canadian girl, I knew what my biggest and bulkiest packed item would be; a winter jacket. And that became my first priority. I headed to my local outfitter’s to snoop through their selection and walked out with the PERFECT jacket. It was a light-weight, quick drying, artificial down jacket that was very warm and could be packed into a sandwich bag if necessary. It wouldn’t take up precious pack space while in Africa, and would keep me cozy and warm while exploring glaciers in Iceland.
Compress EVERYTHING!
The next item that made all the difference was my compression dry sack. A birthday present from my sister. This handy item had proven its usefulness 6 months before, when I spent two weeks in the Mongolian country-side. It would be crucial to the success of this next trip, as it can pack clothes down to half their original volume.
Comfy, Practical Footwear ALWAYS Wins
Finally, footwear! I was going to be wandering a mine site then hiking basalt columns and lava fields, so I needed some very sturdy footwear. My old hiking boots were well suited to the task. Though losing some of their waterproofing, my 8-year-old Timberlands were well worn and well loved. My tip to packing light when you require sturdy hiking boots is to wear them on the plane. Yes, they can be a bit of a pain to remove at the airport security gate. But it saves you so much space and weight in your bag.
Do a Little Laundry Everyday
I had a little outside help too. The mine provided me with two high-visibility shirts and steel toe boots to wear while I was at their site. They also provided laundry services as a courtesy to their contractors and workers. While my own clothing had quick dry and sweat wicking capabilities, the African heat (up to 50 degrees Celsius some days!) made me sweat enough to stink them up fast. This laundry service helped remedy that and saved me a tonne of packing space. Admittedly, though, I did have to do some laundry by hand in Iceland as the sock and underwear crisis was real.
Lessons Learned
Though the trip was a huge success if I were to do it all over again, there were a few things I might change. Perhaps a nicer outfit to wear out for dinner in Höfn, Iceland, instead of my long johns and hiking boots. And I certainly wish those old boots of mine had been a little more waterproof.
Equator to the Arctic Circle Packing List
- 1 small flashlight (or headlamp): something I always pack, just in case, as it often comes in handy when you least expect it too. On this trip I used my flashlight everyday in Africa while walking from the camp to the offices in the dark early hours of the morning.
- Plastic bags: great for stashing wet clothes or adding some extra waterproofing on the fly. I always have a roll of small dog-waste bags in my pack, which take up very little space.
- 4 pairs of high-quality hiking socks: Brands like Smart Wool and Ice Breaker will usually dry overnight allowing you to pack far less pairs of socks.
- 6 pairs of good underwear: I brought with me 4 pairs of sweat wicking Knix underwear, and two standard cotton pairs (because I need more Knix in my life!).
- Bathing suit bottoms: I brought a single pair of black swim bottoms to wear with sports bras for Icelandic hot springs.
- 3 sports bras
- Gortex Soloman rain coat
- Gortex Marmot rain pants
- Puffy vest
- Puffy coat: Marmot with 3M Thinsulate technology
- 1 pair of inexpensive leggings
- Sweat wicking long johns: mine are from MEC, but any good pair will do
- 1 pair of quick dry pants
- 1 pair of jeans that I didn’t mind getting roughed up (the African wind blew red sand everywhere, and these jeans may never be the same)
- 2 tank tops
- 1 quick dry t-shirt: mine was from MEC, and has sun blocking technology as well
- 1 quick dry long sleeve shirts: also from MEC
- 1 long john shirt
- 1 merino wool toque
- 1 pair of waterproof mittens
- 1 pair of light gloves
- 1 buff
- 1 cozy wool sweater: I treated myself by bringing my yak-wool sweater from Mongolia, which took up a tonne of space in my pack but is so cozy and warm it was totally worth it!
- 1 pair of sturdy and well loved hiking boots
- 1 Sea to Summit eVent compression dry sack to squish all of my clothes to a manageable size
- And finally, a 28 litre Deuter pack to carry it all.