Packing List
 

Okay, so I suck at packing.And I mess it up both ways: either too much or not enough. I never get it right. We have 5 weeks OZ/NZ (!) with 3 days in Hong Kong on the way. Destinations include Sydney, Uluru, Palm Cove, Melbourne, Tasmania, and NZ! I am overwhelmed by the length of the trip plus the diversity of climates. Leaving next week (mid-April).

So this is what I have to pack: fleece jacket, rain jacket with hood (can wear over the fleece), rain pants (to wear over leggings or pants), hiking shoes, sandals, black flats for "dressy", jeans, black slacks, black capris, one pair shorts, bathing suit with active shorts for cover up, 3 short sleeved t shirt tops, 3 long sleeved, 1 jacket to wear for dress up with black slacks and various tops under, 1 sweater set, 1 black sweater. A hat for sun, plus gloves & scarf for glacier in NZ. No dresses or skirts. Plan to wear "jogging suit" on the plane....then that jacket can be a jacket (for example) a day in the Blue Mountains. One carry-on, one checked bag (which is still heavier than I wish but it's five weeks for goodness sakes.) Sleep wear. Minimal undies and socks (plan to wash in hotel sinks).

Any feedback??

I'd lose the long sleeved tops and replace them with short sleeves - you can always layer instead. I'd also lose the sweater set and sweater as the fleece will suffice, but I'm hardly a fashionista. Doubt you'll need the gloves and scarf for the glaciers, a fleece hat could well come in handy though. No shortage of Laundromats and laundry facilities in motels and other accommodation in NZ - less is more when moving around so much.

Enjoy your trip!

I also would agree to forget about the sweater set, and maybe the sweater too. Perhaps add in a pashima sort of scarf to dress up an outfit and double as a light shawl in air conditioning, on the plane, etc. (Also works as a head covering where modesty is expected of women, but that shouldn't be an issue on this trip).

If you're down south in NZ take your gloves and scarf. You may be absolutely fine but if the wind gets up in queenstown or you're heading to Milford sound then you may wish you had them. Again, if you head to Milford sound remember it rains two out of three days (can get 250 mm in 24hrs) but this is part of the beauty. Take your wet weather gear and enjoy standing outside on the deck of the boat. It's awesome regardless!

Today in queenstown real feel is 5C down to 1C tonight. Recommends 3-4 clothing layers with one wind proof layer. This is the southerly that drops the temp, if you're out of the wind beautiful, in the wind...cold... So just remember to layer

Tasmania is already a bit chilly. I'd pack one light weight long sleeved top.

I think 6 tops is too many (3 short sleeved, 3 long). You can manage with 3, maybe wear one and take 3 in a pinch which gives you 4. Also I wouldn't take the sweater set and the sweater. Just take one.

You have two pairs of shorts, can you manage with one? If it was me I wouldn't take the jacket for dressing up. Australia and NZ are pretty casual places, people rarely dress up a lot except for weddings.

Try putting everything I've mentioned in a pile then check your "I'm taking this" pile and see what you think. I find I can always manage with less than I think, especially if you wash stuff out at night and let it drip in the shower. We do that on all our trips and it works well.

One last thought - you want to leave room for shopping and souvenirs!

Kay

Thank you so much!! The sweater set is leaving the suitcase, I promise! I do only have one pair of shorts. The guide from our travel agent does mention several excursions where gloves and hat might be needed. I'll pull out a top or two as well. I appreciate all the help! But whatever I take, I know I'll be sick of all of it by the time I get home.

Mid April can be tricky. At the moment where I am in NZ it is raining and cold and that seems unusual (the cold, not the rain), but further north it will be raining and not cold. AU isn't cold, but could be rainy. By May, NZ could be wintery, and there may be early snow, or there may not. I understand your confusion...So here are my thoughts...

I don't know what your fleece jacket is like, but fleece can be really bulky. I'd ditch the fleece jacket and take thinner layers.

I have a multitude of merino items - camisoles, tank tops, t shirts, long sleeve tops, cardigans, jerseys, skirts, dresses and socks. They wash and wear really easy, and because none of them are very heavy, they dry quickly too. I wear these every day, but they really come into their own when traveling.

If it was cold, I'd layer up a cami, long sleeve top and if needed a jersey, under a rain jacket. If really cold I'd add a scarf. If really, really cold, I'd add a hat and gloves.

However, you're probably not going to go and buy a new wardrobe just like mine :), so based on what you listed...I'd do the following:

fleece jacket - ditch
rain jacket with hood - keep (assuming it's compact and packable)
rain pants (to wear over leggings or pants),- only if hiking. Otherwise it is overkill.
hiking shoes, sandals, black flats - do you really need hiking shoes? Keep if you do. What shoes are you wearing walking around cities? I'd have casual lace up sneaker type thing like I normally wear with jeans.
dressy", jeans - keep (only if you are going to wear these in the day too)
black slacks - do you need these if you have dressy jeans and capris? I think you could consider ditching, unless these are your day wear. Everyone wears jeans everywhere.
black capris - keep, as long as you have the right footwear to wear with :)
one pair shorts - as above...
bathing suit with active shorts for cover up - keep and maybe consider a sarong
3 short sleeved t shirt tops -keep
3 long sleeved - assuming these are all thin, then keep
1 jacket to wear for dress up with black slacks and various tops under - is it bulky? I'd make sure I could wear it in other situations too, or maybe just a cardigan would do the same job and take up less room?
1 sweater set - I had to google to find out what this is...ditch...
1 black sweater - is this casual or dressy? Keep only if you ditch the fleece jacket and sweater set thing.
A hat for sun - keep
plus gloves & scarf for glacier in NZ - not sure...I'm pretty sure any guided tour would have these to borrow if required. Scarves are great for general wear though.
No dresses or skirts - depends on your style...
Plan to wear "jogging suit" on the plane....I'm not sure what this is...? Is this a shell suit (ditch) or trackpants (ditch). I'm not keen on a special outfit for the plane, unless it can be worn off the plane...

Hope I don't sound too harsh...! Remember that we have clothes shops in NZ/AU too. Merino is pretty reasonable to buy in many shops in NZ.
Also if worried about being cold on the glaciers, I'm almost certain that they give you the right gear to wear - they won't want you to be cold.

Peggionthego, I think it's a sign of good packing if you can't stand the sight of those clothes when you get home! I feel the same.

I would ditch the fleece & replace with a UniQlo jacket. Warm, weighs nothing, packs into any tiny space.

What's hot or cold to someone depends largely on what their home temperatures are. And the heating there.

Keep in mind that Australia doesn't have the universal central heating turned up full blast in homes, shops & restaurants, as is the case in many northern hemisphere countries. I've had Canadian friends comment on being cold here in Sydney!

Wonderful suggestions! Thanks very much. I do think I need the hiking shoes for some of our activities. I have sandals that are "walking" sandals....may be by Teva or something like that.

<do you really need hiking shoes?>

Absolutely! We live in our hiking shoes when we visit NZ - 13 visits and counting and it's the ONE item I couldn't live without!

Same with the fleece, but different strokes for different folks I guess.

Be sure to cover your bare feet in insect repellent peg - the sandflies are fierce and love the feet and ankles.

peggie - you are doing an almost identical trip to us, except that we were travelling in November/december not April/May.

Hong kong - likely to be warm to hot, I suspect, but you're not there for long, so a couple of t-shirts, a blouse/shirt to put over the top of the t-shirts, and a pair of capris should suffice.

OZ - depends on where you are going, exactly. we went to northern Queensland which was REALLY hot, but it and Uluru might be cooler now - perhaps an aussie or local [melnq8?] can help you with that. probably the shorts and another pair of light trousers plus an extra t-shirt may suffice?

NZ/Tasmania - as others have said, this could be much colder. so you will need your layers here. but one advantage of its being cold is that you don't need to wash things so often! [we were washing clothes all the time in Port Douglas and Brisbane as you could only wear them for 1/2 a day!] i might take two long-sleeved tops with me [one to wear, one to wash] but that'd be it. and not sweater sets - one "jumper" would be quite enough.

Fleece or no fleece? unless you are planning on going somewhere posh in HK, I'd pack the fleece rather than a smart jacket. it can be a jacket when it's not raining, and act as an extra layer when it is. also, even in December, our rainproof pacamacs were not really warm enough - we needed the the extra warmth of the fleece underneath, so in April/May, I'd reckon on the fleece being essential. wear the fleece on the plane [though it might look a little OTT when you land in HK!]

as for sandflies, remember to apply the insect repellent BEFORE you get out of the car - not afterwards like I did. Duh! but if they do strike, the tip that some locals gave us works a treat - just apply roll-on deodorant. the relief!

Keep the fleece. Wear it on the plane if necessary (and it probably will be at some point). What I like even better is a fleece vest, and then layer the rain shell over that.

I bring mainly long sleeve shirts, for sun protection. If it's hot I roll the sleeves up. I also plan on buying a t-shirt or two.