Minimalist Packing: California Adventure edition

Ah, the delights of going on a trip and having to pack! Just kidding, I sort of hate it. But the part of me that isn't rebelling against the notion of leaving home (being a homebody means you don't really have to get out very much) enjoys the challenge of packing a minimalist bag.

Tired of the huge duffle bag Eric and I usually share, I bought myself a small athletic bag last year and haven't looked back. It's gotten me through weekend adventures to week-long trips (any longer than a week is kind of beyond my emotional capacity) without any problem. And I really like that I can just grab it and go.

Skilly helped by sitting on my packing list.

Here's what I ended up with for the week. You can compare this to my Project 333 capsule if you want HERE.

On my body:
Beige shorts
Black tank (with cute little white polkadots)
Black cardigan
My most favorite brown leather sandals
...And a belt

In the bag:
Jeans
Denim capris
Black Capris
Orange tank
Navy floral t-shirt
Black t-shirt
Black long-sleeved t-shirt
Beige jacket
Black scarf
Closed-toed shoes
My thrashed sandals for any potential walks on the beach

I also managed to stuff my undies, toiletries and hair straightener in that bag. That thing is amazing.

Packed!

Since we were hitting hot spots like Red Bluff and cool zones like San Francisco, my bag needed to cover a wide variety of temperatures: Everything from the upper 90ºs to the low 70ºs.

Thus the scarf. Ah, had I only known San Fran would be muggy, I'd not have bothered to bring it. Hindsight!

Here's how it all went down:

SATURDAY: The aforementioned "on my body;" changed into black capris and beige jacket for Mass (sandals)
SUNDAY: Denim capris, navy t-shirt, beige jacket; changed into black capris, orange tank and jacket after getting wet at the beach (sandals and thrashed sandals for the beach)
MONDAY: Denim capris, orange tank and jacket (sandals)
TUESDAY: Beige shorts, black t-shirt and cardigan; jeans and new Santa Clara long-sleeved t-shirt for lounging around the pool (sandals)
WEDNESDAY: Black capris, black tank and jacket; above new t-shirt for walking around San Fran (sandals)
THURSDAY: Waaaaay overdressed in my jeans, long-sleeved black t-shirt, scarf and jacket ... plus socks and shoes. Ended up ditching the scarf and jacket in the car but was still hot (closed-towed shoes)
FRIDAY: Denim capris, black tank and cardigan (sandals)
SATURDAY: Black capris, orange tank and cardigan (sandals)

As you can see, some items got a lot of use ... and some, not so much. I'd have loved to run a load through the washing machine by Day 6, but alas, that was not meant to be. I don't remember getting tired of anything, although I did think having one more shirt would have been nice. In retrospect, I'd have ditched the black long-sleeved t-shirt and gone with another tank top. But not having that didn't ruin the trip, so maybe in the end, it doesn't really matter.

Now that we've got the clothing out of the way, I'll write about the trip next... Spoiler alert: We had a really good time!