over-packing

It’s Tuesday evening, and I’m happy to say that I am all packed for vacation! I really hate packing, and I’m a bit of a procrastinator so the fact that my suitcase is full and ready to go a good twelve hours before I have to leave the house is a small victory.

I have always been an “over-packer” and this time around I tried to remedy this by making a list of outfits for each day I will be gone (this may or may not have also been a procrastination tactic yesterday when I was trying to force myself to pack… making a list seemed more fun). In theory this is a great idea, and I did pack everything on the list… I also packed a number of things not on the list. I know it is completely irrational… I will be gone for a total of four days, so it is not logical that I need to pack 5 tank tops especially since I think I only have tank tops figured into two of my outfits. But when packing, I am filled with the “what-ifs” and the “Ready-for-anything” mentality. What if I spill red wine all over myself? What if I need to layer? What if the outfit I’ve envisioned in my mind actually looks terrible in real life and I have no alternatives? What if the weather suddenly changes? What if I need alternatives?

In the end I know over half of the things won’t be worn, and in 5 days I will be unpacking the suitcase cursing my tendency to over-pack. But a girl likes to have some options! Plus I have a track record with under-packing. The few times I have actually brought the exact amount of things I needed are always the times that I spill something, get messy, or discover giant wardrobe malfunctions. Once on a weekend trip to Seattle I only brought the pants that I was wearing (who needs more than one pair of jeans for 2 days?) 20 minutes after I arrived, I tripped and managed to rip a GIANT whole in my pants… my efficient packing lead to an embarrassing few hours spent at a museum (it was a class trip, and we were on a timeline… indecent exposure or not) and an unplanned stop at Macy’s.

I also tend to over-pack when I’m going on a trip, because half the time I throw on outfits here that I probably shouldn’t… a few weeks ago my mother commented that she noticed I had been dressing like a hobo… which was a little true. I tend to have a lot of bright clothing, and don’t always plan for outfits to coordinate and if I’m headed to Portland for a weekend with friends I often just throw stuff in a bag and go. The result is often questionable. Hot pink leg warmers, yellow sweaters, green hat, red scarf… some weekends I look like the color wheel threw up on me. And I’m totally ok with that, but sometimes I do like to coordinate. So I put in a few extra tank tops, and leggings, and an extra sweater for good measure, and a blazer, and an extra pair of jeans and two sweatshirts…But come on, how am I really supposed to know what I want to wear in the next few days? I like options! (which is slightly hilarious, since I am currently stuck in the biggest clothing rut of my life… I cling to my down vest like a security blanket, add jeans, a long sleeved tee shirt, and my dansko clogs, and you have my uniform for life)

And then there are the yoga clothes… and the mat… that is shoved in my suitcase. But I’m going to classes while I’m gone, and I’m going to need to plan classes while I’m gone… ok the mat might be excessive… but it fits in the suitcase!

I’ll probably be up three times tonight taking out excessive items, and putting them back in… but at least for now I’m packed, and almost officially on vacation!