What we pack, and what we’ve stopped packing

After enough trips, the list gets shorter and considerably better.

The first version of a packing list is always too long, because it is written for every scenario at once. The useful version is written for the trip you are actually taking, and it fits in a bag you can carry up a flight of stairs.

What stays: one layer more than the forecast suggests, shoes already broken in, and whatever makes the first evening easy. What goes: the second formal outfit, the third charger, and anything bought specially for a trip that has not started yet.

The rule that has served us best is simple — pack for the first two days properly, and trust that anywhere worth visiting sells the rest.