I hate packing. I will always hate packing. I packed badly for Sweden and that’s for two reasons.
- I started two weeks early because we were packing bags at Brownies for the World Traveller badge & I wanted to show them a real-life semi-professional bag. But because it was two weeks away and I needed half the stuff during that time, I packed some things that were more example than reality.
- I underestimated the weather. Stockholm’s pretty far south by my standards and I was told that all the snow was melting. It wasn’t. It snowed pretty much every day and it was bitterly cold.
As far as clothes went, I took my light ski jacket. It’s warm but it also fits properly (which, to be honest, I don’t like). If I’d known how cold it was going to be, I’d have taken the Hulk, my huge purple Arctic jacket.
Under that, I had my choice of my grey fleecey Primark hoodie or my Cintamani jacket. I can’t find it online – it’s kind of skintight and made of fabric that’s foamy and sort of fleecey at the same time. It’s much the same sort of thing as 66N’s Vik jackets. It has an asymmetrical zip which comes right up my nose and you can unzip a panel of perforated orange fabric to breathe through, although I never do that. It has inside pockets as well as outside ones and if it’s not minus something-or-other, it’s a pretty warm mid-layer.
Then I took two t-shirts and and a set of thin, light but good Primark thermals, which I’ve said over and over that I swear by.
For trousers, I had my light summer hiking ones with thermal leggings. Should have taken the lined trousers!
On my feet, I had my lesser snow boots. They’re furry and fleecy and have a thick sole to keep my feet raised out of the water. But I didn’t realise until I got back that I ripped out the insoles donkey’s years ago and never replaced them, which contributed to them not being so comfortable.
That’s literally all the clothes I took, except my waterproof trousers (my less good ones; I forgot that the good ones were the ones in the house, not the car), my unremarkable Berghaus fleece gloves and my Viking hat.
Other than that, I packed:
- Phone & cable
- Camera & cable
- European pin 3-USB charger
- Passport & documents in pouch
- Wallet with a few SEK in shrapnel
- Sweden guidebook
- Basic toiletries
- Requested gifts from home: vanilla essence, cream of tartar, Bisto & stuffing
- iPod & headphones
I think that’s it. Oh, headtorch. Painkillers. Foldable bag for days out. Sunglasses. Car keys for getting to/from the airport. Collapsible water bottle for taking drinks out during the day.
It all went into my Osprey bag where it fitted with difficulty but wasn’t too heavy. Good thing because I carried it a lot further than I’d anticipated.
Next time I pack (for Cyprus, where I actually am when this is scheduled to post) it’s going to be pretty different for me – lots of hot weather stuff and no gloves!