Packing for 12 Days in Ireland (May) - Post Trip Review
*Image shows my packing list described below*
I just got back from a 12 day road trip around Ireland and thought I’d share my packing list in case it helps anyone else!
I’ve traveled quite a bit, but found this trip harder than most because of the amount of time spent outside, the need for layers, and uncertainty of the weather. I never travel with multiple pairs of boots or coats for instance. Weather forecast showed temps between about 40 degrees to 60 degrees and that ended up being about right. We lucked out and only had one day of real rain but there is no good way to predict that in advance. It was still very windy, particularly in Co. Sligo & Co. Donegal , which made temps feel cooler, especially at night.
TRIP/ACTIVITIES: Days spent mostly outdoors – hiking/walks, later afternoons walking around whatever town we were in, and evenings in restaurants & pubs.
BAG: 40L Gregory duffle backpack + REI Co-op Flash 18 as personal item (water resistant for protecting camera gear). I had a Longchamp foldable backpack packed to use as a purse in town as well. I used 1 large, 1 medium and 2 small packing cubes for clothes, 1 toiletry bag that folded into a "cube", and pouches for organizing the rest.
Also in full transparency – my husband and I were each one bag on the way there but thanks to shopping for bulky things like 2 wool sweaters, a wool coat (my husband), and whiskey, we had to check bags on the way home and get smaller tote bags for carryon.
BASE LAYER TOPS: 1 gray merino wool t-shirt (Dilling); 1 black merino wool t-shirt (Icebreakers); 2 long sleeve merino wool – 1 black and one tan/black stripe (Dilling); 1 b&w AIRism t-shirt; and at the last minute, I threw in a slim fit tank from amazon.
MID LAYER TOPS: 1 black sweater (ANRABESS Women’s long sleeve cropped crewneck – amazon); 1 denim button up (Buck Mason), 1 wool flannel button up (Fjallraven Canada Shirt).
BOTTOMS: Stio Pinedale Hiking Pants; 1 pair black lululemon leggings; Black AYR Secret Sauce jeans; Miramar “jeans” (for the plane and hanging out); 1 merino wool base layer legging.
OUTERWEAR: Helly Hensen Belfast Raincoat & Patagonia Nanopuff. I "wore" the raincoat on the plane to save space.
SHOES: Danner hiking boots (worn on plane), Blundstone Chelsea boot; Rothy’s black sneaker (these weigh nothing)
OTHER/ACCESSORIES: pj’s, Fjallraven beanie; GoodR sunglasses, 1 gold & 1 silver pendant necklace, lightweight merino gloves, 6 pairs merino wool socks – varying weight, 6 quick dry underwear, 3 bras (1 bralette & 2 sports bras).
ELECTRONICS: iPad, phone, Camera (Sony A7 IV + 20-70mm and 70-200mm lenses), universal adapter, charging cables. I was able to cheat a bit with space because I traveled with my husband. Since he had fewer toiletries and no camera, we could split who carried the lenses.
TOILETRIES: For the first time I decanted beauty products instead of travel sized things and it worked out great!! sunscreen stick for face, 5ml and 10 ml droppers for face wash, serums/exfoliant, I have matador liquid flat packs for conditioner, hair cream, shampoo. I love these! I have very curly hair, so I went to a Boots to buy hair gel once I arrived. I also never travel with a hair dryer, but it was too cold to air dry – I got the SUPGALIY dual voltage hair dryer, and it was incredible. Tiny, light, and came with a good but small diffuser. Makeup was limited to tinted serum (typology), mascara, and tinted lip balm.
We got SUPER lucky and had a mixture of a few sprinkles, but mostly clouds and sun every day but one, which made things easier, but this packing list would also have worked in the rain. It was still very cold and windy, particularly in Co. Sligo & Co. Donegal too, so even though it didn’t rain much, my raincoat was fantastic for the wind.
My hiking/active outfit was similar most days because it was warm and worked – one of the base layer merino tops (long or short sleeve depending on temps), wool button up, Stio pants, hiking boots, and raincoat as outer layer (mostly for wind and hood). I definitely wore the beanie quite a bit too. If I got too warm, I could fold the raincoat and put it in my backpack. The Stio hiking pants were wonderful – wind/water resistant, kept me warm but not hot. I got them for this trip and was happy I did. The one day that it was REALLY rainy, I stayed dry and warm too.
During city daytime and evenings, I went between my leggings & jeans, and because I went with a capsule-type wardrobe, it was easy to mix and match tops. The Longchamp backpack was perfect for walking around because it is weather resistant, lightweight and fit right in. The Blundstones were great at night and I’m glad I threw in the sneakers at the last minute since it ended up being dry several days. We had laundry ½ way through and it was easy to air out the wool every day.
There were a few things I ended up not needing because of the lack of rain but I'm glad I had them just in case. This was a tough trip to not overpack for but I'm happy with how it turned out!