What I Packed for Glacier National Park

For how much traveling I do, packing is definitely not one of my strongest gifts. When it comes to a work trip it's pretty simple on what to pack as I'll be in business meetings most of the day. However, when it comes to an actual fun trip + vacation I tend to either horrible underpack or outrageously overpack.  One of the techniques I've adapted to help this battle of the suitcase is to pre-plan my outfits. Yes yes, this may sound ridiculously type-A but it actually helps determine what you really need.

First, take I take out everything I want to bring: I either lay it out on my bed or in the spare bedroom. Then I bring out all the shoes I want to bring. My philosophy is to BUILD FROM THE GROUND UP!! Ladies especially, we can bring 10 pairs of shoes for a 5 day trip; so start building your outfits up from shoes to the head. 

Pick the first pair of shoes you know you need to bring and start building some outfits from there. My rule is if I can only wear 1 or 2 outfits with that pair of shoes, it's out (unless of course you know you're going to a wedding or a special event where you need heels- that of course is an exception). From there I just start building outfits and trying to reuse as many items as possible to reduce space and unnecessary items in my suitcase. 

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Anyways- back to the matter at hand: packing for Glacier National Park. We went to Montana to Glacier National Park for an 8-day adventure. Here is what I ended up bringing to help give you an idea for your own packing list:

Shoes: 1 pair of hiking shoes, 1 pair of tennis shoes, 1 pair of sandals, 1 pair of slip on Sperry's 

2 hats + 2 headbands

4 pairs of 3/4 length workout pants + 1 pair of workout shorts

5 sports bras + 1 (not pictured) normal bra

5 athletic tank tops + 1 athletic t-shirt

2 long-sleeved athletic zip-ups

1 insulated North Face + 1 cotton Nike hoodie + 1 rain jacket (not pictured)

2 scarves

1 set of PJs (brought both shorts and long pants) - forgot to take a picture

2 bathing suits + 1 pair of water shorts

3 pants: 1 pair of jeans + 1 pair of shorts + 1 pair of lounge pants

6 casual tops + 1 cardigan 

Socks + underwear (not pictured)

We went to Glacier in mid-August and the weather was still all over the place. The day time in town it was in the 80s and at night it would get down to the 50s and 60s. Yet hiking, it would be 70 one minute, raining  and cold the next, and then cloudy and freezing at the top of the summit. 

Check out my next post for some tips for your visit to Glacier National Park!

The Traveling Cupcake: Packing for the Wild West

Just like that I'm off for another grand adventure. Hanging out waiting for my next flight, I have some time to catch up on my life (the one crazy part about traveling so much is your 'normal' life gets out of hand real quick sometimes). This time I'm staying in the States and venturing out the land where the last of the cowboys roamed the range with their horses: Wyoming. This meant it was time to dust off the ol' boots and flannel and pull the suitcase out of my closet. 

Here's a quick look at what I packed for our trip to the Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

2 pairts of workout shorts

3 pairs of workout pants/hiking pants

3 hats (1 cowboy hat not pictured) + 1 headband

4 sports bras

3 t-shirts

2 zip-up longsleeved shirts

6 tank tops

1 North Face rain jacket

1 camel back water pack + 1 krazy kreek chair

3 scarves

1 pair of jean shorts + 2 pairs of jeans

6 shirts for dinner and going out into Jackson 

2 jackets

1 bathing suit

5 pairs of shoes (1 cowboy boots, 1 tennis shoes, 1 hiking shoes, 1 pair of water shoes for rafting and 1 pair of sandals)

So here goes the Traveling Cupcake yet again, for another adventure and more stories to add to the book. Cheers.