Berlin Packing Post-Mortem

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Oh, if only I knew then what I know now. I could have packed lighter and had less trouble lugging everything around. But it’s actually pretty difficult to evaluate my packing choices because of two major factors that I didn’t know about going in: the unprecedented heat wave in Berlin in the 34 days we were there, and the appearance of a washing machine in our AirBnB that was not in the pictures or description of the apartment. Neither one of these factors could have been predicted, so my packing regrets are a bit skewed- I definitely wouldn’t have been so far off in my choices if I’d been able to take either of these things into account. But just for sheer drama, let’s look at what I actually wore in comparison to what I brought. I actually made a chart in my bullet journal with all my clothing items listed and the dates of our trip across the top to keep an accurate account; then I made the chart above with the results.

First up, I did alright with shoes: I wore my logger boots 13 times and my Adidas 19 times. Because I was wearing shorts and linen pants more than expected, the Adidas did win out. I could have gotten away without the boots at all, but I did like having them as an option style-wise. The running shoes got 28 wears in 34 days, so they were definitely an essential.

Now onto pants and shorts: Each pair of shorts got 4 wears, so I probably could have just brought one pair since we had the washer. My linen pants got 11 wears- they were great in the heat, especially when I wasn’t up to shaving my legs or having my thighs stick to my cafe chair. Both pairs of men’s pants did pretty well at 5 wears for the grey and 6 wears for the blue. I might have just brought one pair, but I tend to favor the blue ones and there ended up being an issue with them: By the time we got dressed for the plane home, I was afraid they would fall down when I took my belt off going through security. It’s high time to replace them, or else just stick with the grey ones for now. My grey joggers only got 3 wears, so they could have stayed home. I suddenly found them wholly unflattering after catching my reflection in a shop window. They may be on the chopping block altogether sometime soon.

As far as T-shirts: Each one got 2-4 wears, except for one J. Crew tee that got 6. I easily could have cut back, maybe bringing 6-7 instead of 10.

Now the major flaw in my packing was bringing so many warm layers, since it was almost always too hot for anything more than a T-shirt. I never wore the cashmere sweater or the scarf, and I only wore the jacket once. My green corduroy shirt and my hoodie each got 5 wears, but I usually just ended up stuffing the green shirt into my backpack once I left the apartment, so I would have been fine with just the hoodie.

As far as workout gear, my fleece was the most glaring mistake. It got exactly 2 wears, so my hoodie easily could have filled in for it, especially with the washer available to wash out the sweat. The navy leggings got 12 wears, the black 11, but only 5 wears for the Under Armour ones. I discovered that when I run in them, they slide right down my slippery underwear and fall down if I don’t hold them up with one hand. They were reserved for strength/walking days, or else I just didn’t wear them. I could have left them behind. Each of my 2 sports bras got 7-8 wears, so they were both necessary.

One place I couldn’t really have cut back was on pajama/workout tees. They each got 5-9 wears, usually back-to-back sleeping in one and then wearing it the next morning to work out. After working out, they were drenched with sweat and definitely could not be reworn.

Three pajama shorts got 8, 9, and 10 wears, although the Russell cut-offs only got 5. They were essential, however, since they act as my “period shorts,” providing an extra layer of protection while sleeping.

I could have gone without my purse since it only made an appearance on its own 3 times. It was usually stuffed in the bottom of my backpack, so I guess I could have stuffed its contents into the pockets of said backpack, which I used a total of 28 days. But the purse acted kind of like a little organizer inside the backpack, plus it was handy for museums, so maybe it was justified.

And finally, jewelry. I wore my brown beaded bracelet 3 times, my blue studs twice, my silver hoops once, and my pink studs not at all. I wouldn’t have bothered with jewelry if I’d known how little I’d wear it, but it doesn’t take up much space, so no big deal. The belt was worn only with the blue men’s pants, so 6 wears there.

I didn’t keep track of bras, but I definitely didn’t need all 6. I think I only wore 3, favoring my 2 white sports bras over the lace bralettes. Underwear was fine at 9 pairs- not too much, not too little. Socks were a bit excessive since we had the washer. I could have cut back from 18 pairs to 12: 4 for working out, 4 for Adidas, 4 for boots.

Toiletries were pretty much okay. While some things didn’t get used, they are small and I’d rather be over-prepared in that department than not. Items I could have left behind include my hair gel (which exploded on the flight anyway), my hair clip that doesn’t work with my new haircut, and my unopened bottle of Elta MD sunblock since the Vichy and La Roche Posay lasted me the whole trip. I didn’t need the hanging laundry rack since the apartment had a huge fold-out one. I never used a couple of cloth shopping bags since we just used our giant grocery bag instead, or else the Urban Outfitters one. And strangely, I didn’t use my water bottle at all. All the cafes provided water and glasses, and at home we just drank mineral water in glasses. One more thing I didn’t need was my old SIM card for my phone- apparently they stop working if you don’t use them for a while, so I ended up getting a new one instead.

Pills and vitamins worked out perfectly- I had some extra in case of travel delays, which we didn’t have anyway. Plus I had them in my carry-on so they didn’t get lost with the checked bag.

Edited packing list: *indicates worn on plane

Toiletries:

Miscellaneous:

Medications and Vitamins (41 days’ worth)

Electronics:

Books:

  • Latest notebook and 2 blanks

  • Poetry notebook and 1 blank

  • Bullet journal

  • Meds calendar

  • Crossword puzzle book

Pants/Shorts:

  • Blue men’s pants with black leather belt*

  • Grey men’s pants

  • Grey linen pants

  • 2 Black shorts

Shoes:

  • Logger Boots*

  • Running shoes

  • Adidas sneakers

Tops:

  • 3 ASOS black/white/grey tees

  • 1 Gap Factory black tees

  • 1 Gap Factory navy tees (no)

  • 2 J. Crew navy tees

Layers:

  • Navy blue hoodie*

Underwear:

  • 9 pairs underwear

  • 2 white sports bras

  • 2 lace bralettes

Socks:

  • 4 Puma black workout socks

  • 4 Puma white ankle socks

  • 1 Solid crew socks

  • 3 Marled crew socks

Pajamas:

  • 4 Blue pocket tees

  • 4 Grey (workout) tees

  • 4 jersey shorts

Workout:

  • Navy Danskin leggings

  • Black Calvin Klein cropped leggings

  • 2 black sports bras

Items eliminated:

  • Grey joggers

  • 1 Shorts

  • 3 T-shirts

  • Jacket

  • Green shirt

  • Sweater

  • Scarf

  • Fleece

  • UA leggings

  • Jewelry

Well, if I knew then what I know now, I could have cut down on some bulk and eliminated the need for that little emergency carry-on (a freebie Urban Outfitters shopping bag tied up by the handles). But in terms of dealing with the unexpected, I was definitely prepared. Maybe a bit over-prepared weather-wise, but I wasn’t lacking anything and didn’t have to make any emergency purchases.

Without a European-sized carry-on, I don’t see how I could have avoided the lost luggage crisis. I am, after that ordeal, thinking of getting one of the little mini carry-ons, but I don’t even know where to get one in the States. All the luggage I’ve seen at American shops or online is way too big to get onto a European flight as a carry-on. I’ve heard a lot of people recommend Away luggage online, but even their smallest carry-on is too big. I’ll have to do some research and compare sizes with the rules of airlines we usually fly with. Then again, an overweight carry-on doesn’t work either, and I’m not sure I’m quite enough of a minimalist to keep it to 7-10 kilograms for a month or more, especially when you factor in the weight of the luggage itself.