This isn’t the first time I’ve had to downsize my closet for nomadic living, but this time felt different for sure. We’ve come a long way with our attempts to live as minimalists. A few years ago we were in a 5 bedroom house. We had a two car garage and a detached shed for additional storage. Now, we have a small storage unit in Austin, Texas and everything else we own has to fit within our 2016 Honda Odessy (or on top in our JEG roof cargo.) This is how I packed for my family on a 6+ month road trip.
The very first thing I did to start the packing process is make a do-to list:
- First, we needed to find our road trip vehicle. After we knew what space we would have in the car, I could start to get an idea of what we might be able to fit.
- Next, start an organized list of what to pack. I started a list of what to bring in our suitcases based on the weather we might encounter. Then I started a second list of extras to pack. That list was organized from most to least important to get into the car. That way when we started to practice pack the car we could easily put the “must haves” in first, and knew what would have to go into storage instead.
- Start researching. I started looking up anything that might help me prepare for our trip. I used youtube mostly. These are some of the links I found most useful!: best way to pack a suitcase, backpacking essentials, weather at each destination. Google and Reddit are also good tools to find out what to expect weather wise.
Packing cubes vs. vacuum bags
While packing I used both packing cubes and vacuum bags in multiple sizes. I started out with a multi size assortment of vacuum bags and three sets of packing cubes; one for each of us. This way I could experiment with both packing tools and figure out what worked best for us. In the end, I decided that the packing cubes would be my best asset to getting the most out of my suitcases. I used all of the packing cubes, but still needed to use a couple vacuum bags in Valeries suitcase so we technically used both for our trip.
I decided that I the vacuum bags were most useful for the clothes we ended up putting into our storage unit. They just felt bulky in the suitcase and didn’t fit as snug as the loaded packing cubes did. I would also say they are generally harder to use. When you want to get something out you have to open, and then shift things around to make the bag pack even and re-seal and roll the air out to repack. While that might not be a big deal when we are staying in one spot for a month or two, it does not work well for overnights in hotels while traveling from one spot to another. And because I have both an infant and two dogs, things need to be as easy as possible!
Everything we brought with us while van living for one year
The big family road trip called for us to get new suitcases. Each of us had the one suitcase as our space allowance in the car for clothing and shoes. Both Bryce and I each got a 29″ X 19″ X 12″ mint green Calpak suitcase. Valerie got a 24″ X blank suitcase. Bryce and I each have one backpack to bring our personal laptops and notebooks in. We also had one bag for our bathroom “necessities and one small carry-on size suitcase for electronics we were bringing. (It fits some extra extension cords Bryce uses for work, as well as the playstation and controls, extra switch parts and a few other small cords.) Other than her suitcase, Valerie got to have one small office storage size Tupperware box full of toys & books to bring with us (See picture) and the dogs things were just added to the car.
Without further ado, here is the list of things we brought with us on our family road trip!:
BRYCE SUITCASE:
3 – Sweaters
1 – Winter Jacket W/ light down insert
1 – Down jacket
2 – long sleeve cover up
9 – pair pants
7 – gym shorts
4 – shorts
4 – collared shirts
15 – t-shirts
4 – pair sweatpants
2 – bathing suits
17 -Underwear
1 – Belt
1 – Neck tie
2 – Beanies
2 – Hats
Lots Socks
Lots Long socks
Tennis shoes
Mexico shoes
Slip ins
Skate shoes
Rock climbing shoes
Chalk bag
BRIANA SUITCASE:
1 – Long nursing friendly dress
1 – Medium length nursing friendly dress
3 – Baby wearing/nursing sweatshirts
1 – fancy knit sweatshirt
2 – flannel cover up
1 – jean cover up
1 – vest
4 – nursing t shirts
2 – nursing tank tops
2 – nursing friendly blouse shirts
1 – bodysuit
2 – non nursing friendly blouse shirts
1 – non nursing t-shirt
1 – non nursing tank
2 – Mumsie Overalls (One Pants, One Shorts)
3 – Pairs of pants
1 – black leggings
4 – Jean Shorts
2 – Cloth shorts
1 – Squart
5 – Lounge t shirts
2 – pair sweatpants
1 – pair sweat-shorts
4 – Pair yoga pants
1 – Yoga shorts
3 – work out tanks
2 – sports bra
3 – nursing bra
2 – lounge nursing bra
7 – underwear
Lots of socks
1 – Winter coat
2 – Swim suits
2 – Hats (one trucker hat & one beanie)
1 – Belt
Hiking boots
Vans
Frye Flats
Mexico slip-ons
Birkenstocks
Tennis Shoes
VALERIE SUITCASE:
6-9 months:
2 – pajama footie
3 – sweaters
10 – long sleeve onsie
7 – short sleeve onsie
9 – overall outfits
4 – top/bottom outfits (2 shorts, 2 pants (one long sleeve one shirt))
7 – blouse shirt/rompers (2)
12 – pants
1 – shorts
2 – bathing suits
2 – swim diapers
Pair of moccasins
Pair of sandals
9 months:
2 – footie pajamas
2 – jean jackets
5 – sweaters
9 – long sleeve onsies
5 – short sleeve onsies
2 – tank top onsies
2 – long sleeve dresses
4 – long overall outfits (1 long sleeve, 3 short sleeve)
3 – shorts overall outfits (all short sleeve)
2 – top/bottom outfits (short sleeve)
1 – long sleeve shirt
2 – tank tops
2 – t-shirts
5 – Pair of pants
2 – bathing suits
2 – swim diapers
Pair of moccasins
Pair of Vans
12-18 months:
1 – footie pajamas
1 – sweaters
19 – short sleeve onsies
1 – Fancy tank top onsie
1 – long sleeve dresses
3 – top/bottom outfits (2 short sleeve/shorts, 1 short sleeve blouse/Jeans)
1 – long overall outfits (1 tank top overall)
2 – long sleeve shirts
1 – Long sleeve blouse
2 – tank tops
1 – tank top dress
9 – Pair of pants
4 – pair of shorts
3 – bathing suits
2 – swim diapers
Pair of Air Jordans
18-24 months:
1 – short sleeve pajama set
1 – short sleeve onsie
1 – top/bottom outfits (Long sleeve)
1 – long overall outfits (1 long sleeve/dress overall)
1 – long sleeve flannel blouse
1 – pair pants
1 – bathing suit
1 – swim diapers
Extras:
1 – beanie
6 – baby washcloths
2 – muslin blankets
2 – burp cloths
6 – changing station cloths
Lots of socks and bows (6-12 month size)
BATHROOM BAG:
2 – Bottles of Shampoo
Conditioner
Body wash
soap bars
Aveeno baby body wash
charcoal face wash
razor & razor heads
2 – toothbrushes
2 – toothbrush chargers
6 – tubes of toothpaste
bag of flossers
Listerine bottle
2 – deodorants
Beach bum argon oil
2 – dry shampoos
1 – hairspray
hair dryer, straightener & curler
Wahl mens clipper set
apricot body oil
mangonese face lotion
baby sunscreen
bag of Doterra oils
Doterra oil diffuser
baby sound machine
baby nose sucker
vitamins* (see vitamin list)
first aid kit
extra hair ties
small bag of jewelry* (See jewelry list)
DOGS:
2 – Harness/Leash
1 – Poop bag holder
Lots of poop bags
2 – Sets of bowls
40 lb. refillable container for food
Ted’s hairbrushes
Zita’s Bed
ELECTRONICS BAG:
Playstation & Power cords
3 – Playstation controllers
1 – Playstation controller charger
3 – Wifi Cables
2 – Nintendo switch chargers
1 – Nintendo switch TV docking station
2 – Power strips
But wait, theres more!
Of course there is also the things that did not get packed into a suitcase or bag, but still ended up on the road trip with us. I’ve also made a list of these things. The other misc items we brought with us are:
3 – pillows
Fleece blanket
Baby Stroller
Chicco clip on high chair
Changing table pad & 3 covers
Elvie Stride breast pump
Haaka
Baby wearing carriers:
-Herringbone Grey Hybrid Half Buckle by LennyLamb
-Wildbird Red/White Linen Ring Sling
-Beachfront Baby Baby Shark Grey Water Sling
-Didymos Prima Natural Woven Wrap Size 6
diaper/wipe storage carrier
camera & camera bag
Boppy
my purse
blender
coffee grinder
Aeropress
groceries (Full list later)
backpacking things (See separate list. Includes some extra clothes not listed above.)
hockey helmet, stick, gloves & roller skates
Ice skates (X2)
metal wire wrapping craft box
knitting needles and yarn
extra computer monitor
ukelele
skateboard
5 – DVD’s
Tips for how to pack for an infant on a road trip
Valerie probably has more in her suitcase than both Bryce and I combined. Because we started the road trip when she was 7 months old I had to think about how she would grow throughout the year. So we had to have three complete sets of clothing for Val in different sizes. We have her 6-9 month clothes out now, and vacuum bags full of 9-12 month clothes and 12-18 month clothes. I also have a small vacuum bag of 18-24 month clothes. I had had a few of these clothes sent as gifts, and since I don’t know how long we will be on the road for certain, I figured I could just bring them along.
When I packed her suitcase, I kept it simple. One half was mostly packing cubes with her current size clothes organized and rolled up. The other half was vacuum seal bags with the different set of sizes. I tried to keep each size set separate so it would be easy to pull out the next size I need them. Having the clothes separated into the clear vacuum bags helped keep packing simple. I can leave those clear bags along until she grows into the next size and only pull out the new size needed.
She just hit 9 months, so I will break out the two vacuum bags of 9-12 month clothes here shortly and retire anything that she’s grown out of in her 6 month set. I am hoping to make more room so that if we do stay somewhere a little colder this winter we will have extra room for some winter clothes for Val. Being from Texas we didn’t really have a need for any winter gear, but we might end up somewhere a little bit chillier this fall/winter!
With 20/20 hindsight…
Looking back, there are always things you see you could do differently. I would probably:
- Slim down on some of the things we decided to bring
- Take into consideration Valerie’s carseat/stroller combo more
- “Practice pack” the car sooner
We did not skimp when it came to our bathroom luxuries. A lot of things seemed like they “wouldn’t take up much room” but after trying to then put it all into one suitcase I realized those things added up. I also had bulk bought a couple of things when I saw a sale that I would not have had I known we would be traveling again. I also would probably have eliminate some of the miscellaneous extras or the electronics suitcase. While having some of these extra life luxuries is nice, sometimes we go a long time without using them, which also kind of make them a hassle to cart around for very little use.
And that dang car seat!
Another semi inconvenience we ran into was Val’s carseat/stroller. I started out with a Doona carseat/stroller combo. Before we decided to go on the road we had been traveling in airports semi frequently and the Doona was perfect for that. However, it didn’t seem the most comfortable and Valerie was not a fan of it after a couple hours.
Since our flight to Mexico was the last plane ride for the foreseeable future and we plan to be on the road now for awhile it made me want to get her into a more comfortable transitional carseat. We got her a Graco “Slimfit LX3” and left the Doona with my parents for safe keeping. This new carseat has much more comfortable padding, has better air ventilation, and will last us until Valerie is done with needing a car seat. I wish I could say that the new carseat made car rides with Valerie a breeze, but unfortunately that’s not always the case.
Practice makes “Perfect”
The other thing I wish we had done when we were getting ready for the family road trip is practice pack the car earlier on. We didn’t have the van when I started packing and we were still debating whether we were going to end up with a minivan or a larger SUV. So when I started packing I tried to start with all of the things that would be obviously not going with us. If there was something that we might want to bring I would set it aside and add it to our “if it fits” list for the car.
We got our Honda Odyssey only three weeks before we had to move things into storage and leave town. We didn’t practice pack until the weekend before we were supposed to leave, and I didn’t have any of the kitchen bags or the bathroom ready for the practice run. In the end, we had too many kitchen bags left over. All of the extra food we couldn’t fit we had to just throw away. A few items that didn’t end up fitting in the bathroom bad ended up getting tossed too. If I had really finished my practice pack I would have been better prepared.
Now that the family road trip has begun!
Bryce & I have a rule now that we are officially on the road to help keep the car from collecting any new “extras”. We have agreed that if we want to get something new while we are on the road, we have to also find something to remove from the car thats comparable in size. We had this rule when we traveled before in the RV and it worked well. It keeps any extra clutter from building up while you have limited space for storage.
Links!
Here are the links to items I have listed throughout this post! Please send me any questions you might have about how I went about consolidating and packing our family of three. I would love to answer them!