The Thorny Topic of Packing

The thorny topic of packing for our round the world family adventure has raised its head today. Our last family holiday is still fresh in the memory, where for one week on the lovely island of Rhodes, we managed to transport more than 40kg of our personal belongings with us. Please bear in mind that this was purely clothing, no household furniture or heavy mechanical equipment was included.

I have been researching packing tips and suggested equipment lists posted by ‘real’ RTW families, i.e. families who have actually completed their trips, who I am massively thankful to for sharing their advice. The general consensus is that we need to condense our packing, for four people, into two travel packs of approximately 60 litres each…assuming that it is probably unreasonable to ask the kids to carry much more than their body weight, especially when they are likely to be heavily laden with sweets and teddy bears.

The method for getting all of our stuff into two travel packs is yet to be tested, but I am already sensing some potential resistance from my three girls! In terms of gear, both Berghaus and Osprey seem to have some good options, but I also love Mammut gear, not least because they have the best logo (woolly mammoth). Further consideration will be given to these options in due course, but I can definitely be swayed by any sponsorship opportunities on offer…too optimistic?