31 days until we leave the country.
18 days until we leave Vermont.
12 days until we transport our kitties to their temporary guardians *sniff, sniff*, this one is particularly hard for us to deal with.
4 days until our last set of visitors arrives in Vermont.
How is it possible that we have only one month to finish the, oh, million items left on our giant “to-do” list??? 31 days. It doesn’t seem possible! We have been super busy here in Vermont and trying to balance enjoying where we are with making sure we are getting everything prepared for a year away is a bigger task than one might imagine. We’ve done a pretty decent job so far, and we have checked off many things on our list. The thing is, it seems like for every item we check off, at least one or two more come up to take its place.
The hardest part right now is just trying to figure out exactly what we are taking. We’ve looked at lots of other RTW travellers’ packing lists. We’ve bought some new gear, and chosen some of our old favorites that we think can make the trip. Now it’s down to the nitty-gritty, and when you are trying to carve it down to 5 shirts for the whole year, to span a climate range of 30-100 degrees as well as making sure the items are both hiking and city appropriate, well, let’s just say I’m surprised my head hasn’t exploded.
What are your favorite pieces of travel gear?
The Parallel Life 
Layer, Layer, Layer. And good shoes are a definite must. Also, take one or two colors that can be worn with anything. Light weight, multitask fabrics work great in heat or cold—those with spandex are the best and remain comfortable if you should gain a few pounds eating the local fare. Lightweight fleece is a godsend. Light weight gloves and ear bands will help a lot with the cold and don’t take up much room. Convertable pants are great and versatile.
I sympathize with your dilema. We just spent a week in the mountains and a week in British Columbia. Of course, we took all the wrong things both times and I didn’t follow my own advice! Good luck, and plan on buying a few items there.
The line about your head not exploding… hilarious. I’m sure the woman on the other side of my cubicle wall wonders what I am chuckling about.