In less than an hour, I will be flying from DTW to Philadelphia to begin staging for Peace Corps service. I’ve been slowly collecting the things I need for service over the past month and now it’s time to pack everything into my bags and say my final goodbyes.
PCVs are allowed 100 lbs of checked luggage, a carry on and a personal item. You also have to be able to carry all your luggage. For my checked baggage I am bringing a 28″ shelled suitcase and a 26″ Adidas duffel. I am also bringing a 35L Cotopaxi Allpa for my carry on & a Fjallraven backpack as a laptop bag.
When I was starting to pack, somewhere along the line I read to lay out everything on your bed and then put back half. This is a tall order for me. I’m an overpacker and I like having many different clothing options. Seeing everything laid out helped me though, I was able to put back just about half of everything.
Below is my comprehensive packing list. Something I focused on was having articles of clothing that could have double uses, like using dresses as skirts or having shirts that could be casual or formal. I have 10 packing cubes and those were essential to fitting everything in compactly. So no folding or rolling involved. Just stuffing.
After packing everything, my suitcase weighed 44 lbs and my duffel weighed 39 lbs. I used 83 out of the 100 lbs of luggage I was allowed– plenty of room for souvenirs.
CLOTHING
PANTS
- 2 pairs of jeans
- 1 pair of wide leg pants
- 1 pair of light-weight linen pants for summer
- 3 pairs of shorts
BUSINESS CASUAL
- 3 pairs of dress pants
- 2 professional dresses
- 2 blazers, navy & black
- 4 blouses
- 1 sweater
OUTERWEAR
- LLBean Down Puffer
- Jean Jacket
- Rain Jacket
- Cotopaxi Fleece with a front pouch I can zip I loooove this fleece
SHIRTS
- 1 flannel
- 1 collared long sleeve
- 1 collared linen shirt
- 1 light weight shrug
- 3 tank tops
- 7 short sleeve shirts
- 1 PC shirt
- 3 long sleeve tops
SHOES
- Adidas Gazelles
- Converse
- Waterproof professional boots
- Professional flats
- Mary janes
- Hiking boots
- Heels
- Running shoes
SWEATERS
- 1 sweatshirt
- 1 wool hoodie
- 1 cardigan
- 1 soft sweater
FITNESS
- 2 pairs of leggings
- 2 sports bras
- 2 work out tops
- 1 hiking shirt
DRESSES
- 1 long special occasion dress
- 1 casual sun dress, knee length
- 1 above the knee summer dress
- 1 dress for vacation
PAJAMAS
- 1 pair of boxers
- 1 pair of flannel PJ pants
- 3 pajama shirts
- Lightweight cotton PJ pants
UNDERWEAR
- 3 bras
- 14 pairs of smartwool socks
- 20 pairs of underwear
- 2 thermal tops
- 2 thermal bottoms
- 1 smartwool base layer
MISC
- 2 pairs of gloves (one of my pairs has the color of the Armenian Flag, I call them my armenamittens)
- A few of my favorite jewelry pieces
- Balaclava
- Scarf
- Belt
- Sock-slippers
- 2 bandanas
- Sunglasses & an extra pair of glasses
ELECTRONICS
- Kindle
- Laptop & charger
- Mouse
- Webcam & microphone
- Universal power strip with extension cord (having a feeling I might not use this)
- 2 outlet converters
- 6ft apple charging cord
- Extra charging cord
- USBC charging cord
- Travel sized power bank
- Headphones
- Heating Pad
- Toothbrush charger
TOILETRIES
- Travel shampoo containers
- 1 extra set of shampoo and conditioner
- Body wash
- Exfoliating cloth
- New bottle of facewash
- New bottle of moisturizer
- Facial oil
- Makeup
- Hair brush
- Headbands
- 3 hair clips
- Ponytails
- Aquaphor
- Sunscreen
- Glasses cleaner & microfiber cloth
- Toothbrush, extra brush heads, floss & toothpaste
- A 2 year supply of American deodorant because you will not catch me smelling bad!!!!!!!!
- My preferred period products
- Razor
- Like 30 razor heads oops
- A laundry soap bar for stain removal
- Trader Joe’s hand cream
- Trader Joe’s healing balm
- Extra large tin of Tiger Balm
- Nemat sandalwood perfume oil
- I wear a unique scent when traveling so when I smell it, I remember my time there
- My bite guard because I grind my teeth at night lol
- Medications
- My EpiPen
- Asthma inhaler
- Ibuprofen, eye drops & Midol
- Vitamin C packets
HOBBIES
- Probably like 200 embroidery skeins
- D rings to make keychains
- Embroidery floss container
- Clip board
- Scissors
- Exacto Knife
MISC
- Pen case
- Copic markers
- Sketchbook/Journal
- 3 Field notes journals
- 2 Notebooks for my Armenian notes
- Cutting Pad
- My favorite mug
- Wolf LPS from my little sister
- Journal with encouraging messages from people in it, and their addresses
- Postcard book
- A couple ziplock bags
- Keychain
- Cards from my aunt with my hometown on them
- Umbrella
- Lavender Eye pillow
- Water bottle
- A photo album of my family, friends, pets & my home
- Loop earplugs
- A calendar
- Sewing kit
- Gifts for my host family
- Michigan Tea towels
- Michigan stickers
- Michigan keychains
- Uno & Slamwich
- 2 bars of soap made in Michigan
That’s two years of my life packed into two bags.
As I go through service, I’m curious to know which things I use and the things I don’t. I’ll be sure to update later on. Here’s some photos of me the day I left:
- Me and my dog, George
- Me and my other dog, Hudson
- My family dropping me off at DTW (Dad, my sister, Mom, myself & my brother who hates photos)
- Me with my baggage
mary-go-round 
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