What we packed - including for the boys

As the whole issue of what on earth to pack for a long period of travel with two small(ish) children was one that I spent a LONG time deliberating I thought it might be helpful to share the details of what we DID end of taking with us in the end. Over the course of around 4-months, our spare room was turned in to packing ground zero; everytime I came across anything that I thought might be useful to take it was flung in to the mountain of stuff for consideration. 


How we chose the kids backpacks

We knew we didn't want suitcases etc as we'd be moving around too much. 

We already had two big backpacks (65L and 70L) for the two of us from previous travels, and after a lots of research and a few trips to various shops to try backpacks on (because I needed to see what the boys could actually carry in real life!) we finally settled on North Face 'Jester' bags for the boys (28L). This seemed like the biggest pack they could possibly carry (Angus even complained about the weight when he tried it on in the shop, and it was only full of packaging at that point!). Both boys also loved the camo prints which clinched the deal (I managed to get one of them cheaper on eBay too!).


So far these seem to be working well - I really like the stretchy bits of the front that mean that we can attach hoodies/raincoats to them when we need to, and they also stand up when you put them down on the ground which is really helpful when the kids need to pick them back up again!





Are packing cubes worth it?

This is a definite YES from us!

Based on lots of online recommendations we also bought packing cubes - partly to help fit everything in to a (relatively) small space but also so that the boys could easily identify where their tops/trousers/shorts were without having to turf EVERYTHING out of their bags. Again, so far so good with these (we just went for the cheap ones on Amazon but there are also compression type ones that save more space and look ace).


Packing for the boys

This is a complete list of what we packed for each of the boys:

7x short sleeved tops/tees

1x long sleeved tee

4x shorts

3x full length trousers (including two pairs each of Craghoppers Nosilife ones)

6x socks

9x underwear

1x hoodie

1 rash vest

1 pair of swimshorts

1 pair of swim goggles

1 pair of short PJs

1 pair of ear defenders (specifically for Hell and Heaven Festival in Mexico! Hoping to send these home with Granny once we get to Costa Rica)

1 pair of hiking trainers

1 pair of Crocs

1x hat

1x raincoat


The boys also chose to pack the following toys/games:

Dobble

Yahtzee

Sussed

Exploding Kittens

One small takeaway tupperware box of Lego

One Playdoh tub of Trash Pack squishes

2 tamagotchis

2 toy snakes

1 Han Solo figure

1 small cat toy thing


I think this will turn out to be quite a lot, but as we're back in the UK for Christmas I'm going to try to persuade them to ditch a few bits then.


What I packed

I packed WAY more clothes than Steve (which is hardly surprising given the few things he survives on at home even in regular life).


1 pair hiking boots

1 pair of sandals

1 pair of flip flops

1 pair of Cons

8x tops

5x shorts

1x dress

1x playsuit

1x jumpsuit

2x trousers

1x Nosilife trekking trousers

2x bikini

1x swim shorts

1x hoodie

1x lightweight jumper

1x cardigan

9x pants

4x bras (including 2 sports bras for trekking/workouts)

7x pairs of socks

1x hat

1x raincoat

1x lightweight scarf/wrap thing


Steve's Packing List

1x jeans

2x swimshorts

3x shorts

8x short sleeved tees

2x long sleeved shirts

8x pants

8x socks

1x pair of flipflops

1x pair of hiking trainers

1x hoodie

1x hat

1x raincoat


Electronics

On top of the clothes and stuff, we also packed a fair few electronics:

Ideapad

2x Kids Fire Tablets

2x iPods (old school style, with our expletive music deleted for the boys to use!)

2x Phones

GoPro 8 (plus float)

2x Kindles

4x headphones

3x Fitbits

Portable speaker


Plus all the associated chargers and a couple of adaptor plugs.


Misc stuff

Ah, and then there's all the miscellaneous stuff!

4x towels (including two Dryrobe type ones for changing underneath)

Medical Kit - there's technically three of these, one First Aid Kit, one Sterile kit and one bag stuffed full of day-to-day medical bits like paracetemol, Calpol, ibuprofen, sting cream etc.

Insect repellent (some of the Avon stuff plus some fullblown DEET)

Suncream

Shampoo and conditioner bars

Soap bar

Toothbrushes and toothpaste

Deodorant

Mascara

Eyeliner (I don't think I can go anywhere without this)

Razors

Moisturisers of various types for my wrinkles

Travel hairbrush

Comb


Pestect repellent bands

K Tape (for my dodgy limbs)

Sunglasses

Snorkel

2x torches

2x mobile battery packs

Metal straws

1x cloth bag

1x wetbag

Plug in mosquito repellent

2x mosquito nets (plus hanging kit)

Writing pad

Notepad

Pencil case

White Rose Maths workbooks for the boys (x5)


The way we're doing things - with a quick trip home for Christmas - does mean that we'll have a chance to re-evaluate and ditch some stuff and add in any other bits that we think we're missing. So I'll come back and edit this post later with an update on how it's going!

I have to say a massive thanks to a couple of online travel blogs for so, so many tips on this: World Travel Family and Travelynn Family

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