Ireland Packing List

My past trips have been in mostly warm places, so packing for a place where the forecast was rain and wind with a chance of sun proved to be difficult for me. I had the feeling I was packing to much because my Osprey Arial 75 pack felt larger for two weeks than it had been for two months! However, this trip, I abandoned my

travel = no cute clothes mindset and decided that hey, I wanted to look cute on this trip. Despite my pack being slightly large, there wasn’t much I didn’t wear; however, there were some things I could have left behind and some things I could have needed. Read more to find out!

To make it an easy visual, I will list what I brought in bullet points.

Clothes:

• 3 pairs of leggings (blue, black, patterned)

• 1 pair of pajama pants/sweats

• 1 pair of jeans

• 4 plain long sleeve shirts (maroon, orange, white, black).

• 1 nice long sleeve shirt

• 1 tank top

• 1 short sleeve shirt

• 1 pajama shirt/flannel

• 1 vest

• 1 scarf

• 1 Patagonia hooded down jacket

• 1 rain jacket

• 1 sweater

• 1 nice jacket

• 7 pairs of socks

• 5 sports bras

• I won’t go to detail on undergarments

• 1 bathing suit

• 2 beanies

• 1 pair of gloves

• 2 pairs of shoes (Chaco Barbary boots and tennis shoes)

• 5 headbands

Toiletries:

• Hairbrush

• small toothpaste

• travel size toothbrush

• 2 small bottles of shampoo

• small container of face wash

• hairties

Gear:

• GoPro Hero 4

• Canon T4i

• Ipad

• Chargers

• Power plug in adaptors

• headlamp

• small first aid

Miscellaneous:

• journal

• sketch pad

• pencils, blender, eraser, pens

• detergent

• book

• Ireland Lonely Planet guide book

• granola

• trail mix

• energy bars

• oatmeal packets

• headphones

• sleep eye cover

Overall, I was satisfied with what I brought. I wore almost every article of clothing of mine, used all my gear, and ate all of my food. However, there were a few items I did not use. Those being, my vest, the patterned pair of leggings, the detergent, and most of the headbands I brought. Though I did not use any of these, I wouldn’t necessarily cut them out of my pack. We were blessed with a  few nice days in Ireland so I didn’t need the extra clothing, but weather can be unpredictable and it is always smart to bring those extra just in case one of Ireland’s famous rainstorms arrives just in time for your visit. Even though I think packing for the unexpected is important, I could very easily have packed lighter. As I said above, I wanted to have some “fashionable” dress days in Ireland; but of course, to be fashionable means to pack more clothing. So if you’re someone who does not mind looking like a hard worn traveller and wearing the same outfit everyday, I would expect the clothing list to be reduced down to fewer shirt, pant, and jacket options. 

Though some items could have been cut out, there are a few must haves for Ireland. These include:

• rain jacket (best brand you can find if possible)

• thicker, warmer jacket (down jackets are a good option)

• jeans (not as comfy as leggings, but warmer!)

• 2 pairs of shoes, 1 of those being sturdy boots (when your first pair are so wet and muddy they’re not worth it to wear)

• socks, socks, and more socks

• ear plugs (in case you get stuck in a dorm room with loud snorers)

• Ireland guide book (very helpful for finding places to stay and views to see)

• at least 1 beanie (keeping the head warm, keeps the body warm)

• 1 pair of gloves (nice for hikes or walks around cities in cold rain and wind)

• 1 tank top (a light base layer that actually keeps you a lot warmer)

• Plug in adaptors (so you can charge any devices since the American plug is not the same)

Some items I wished to have had were:

• another power adaptor since we only had one and it was hard to divide charging time between the camera, GoPro, and two phones (wow, I didn’t think I was so techy)

• A warmer scarf (really helps keep the heat in)

• more socks (I was wearing some very dirty socks multiple days)

• a smaller backpack (I love my Osprey, but for only two weeks, 75 was a bit to big and hard to carry around in tight places)

• A water bottle (I definitely forgot mine and regretted it the whole trip. You can drink kitchen tap water in most places!)

What you bring is definitely tailored to you and what you think is best to bring, but I hope this list will provide a small insight into what you should include in your bag. Any questions or other suggestions? Please feel free to type in the comments below or shoot me an email!