The Suitcase Chronicles

Packing leveled up

Packing frenzy here! I leave Sunday morning for Kenya so it’s down to the wire. To be honest, though, I have maintained a remarkable equilibrium as I approach packing for this trip. I did one self-soothing shopping spree—to Uniqlo, which was very productive—but otherwise I’ve kept my cool. Why? Well, first of all, and probably most importantly, on this trip I don’t need to impress anyone. I’m going to be hanging around with elephants. I barely need to wear clothes. My main concern is bugs and sun and not style. I want to be comfortable, period. I’m approaching this like I’m packing for sleep-away camp, minus the lanyard bracelets.

Of course I’m only taking a carry-on!

The hero of this packing story has to be Uniqlo, where I got a linen shirt and a pair of very lightweight cotton pants and a sweater that has UV protection; it’s as if they designed their spring collection with my trip to Kenya in mind. My favorite find, though, was a $39 dress—you’re reading that right—made of their Airism material, which is some synthetic that doesn’t feel icky. It’s such a great dress that I might go back and get it in another color; it’s the sort of thing that is perfect for travel but would be wonderfully usable anywhere, anytime. I think the elephants will appreciate its charming A-line silhouette and ample pockets. I know I do.

Why make such a fuss about packing? Oh, it’s just a fun challenge: Can I figure out how to whittle down a wardrobe to packable size and have it function well and still somehow look like myself? If you don’t get too frantic about it, it’s actually kind of exciting, a sort of puzzle. Also, with few exceptions, it’s a low-risk enterprise. Can you think of a time when you really, truly faced catastrophe because you packed wrong? I’m sure if you’re summiting Mt. Everest and you forget your oxygen, you’re in for a sour surprise, but most of the time the stakes are a lot lower. Years ago, I happened to be in Miami for work and my dad mentioned that he was coming down to attend a cousin’s wedding, and asked if I wanted to join him. Sure, I said, sounds fun. At the time I was working on The Orchid Thief and I had packed clothes that could carry me through the swamp—in other words, clothes that were cheap and crummy and could be discarded after use. I thought that somehow I could cobble something together out of what I had, until my dad told me that it was a black-tie wedding. Uh-oh. I had about three hours to blaze my way through a few malls looking for something to approximate a black-tie outfit, and I wanted to do it for as little as possible, given that I doubted I’d find anything I truly liked. I was in a panic until I recast it in my mind as a very special episode of “Survivor”—maybe “Survivor: Black Tie”. Lo and behold, I found some kind of silky black skirt and a simple black top that looked a little fancy, tucked on a rack at Forever 21 or someplace of that sort. I ruled. I was so damn proud of myself! So that’s how I approach packing, as a challenge with few tears, even though it feels urgent when you’re doing it.

So to Kenya I’m taking three pairs of long pants (the two from Uniqlo and one pair of tan jeans); several long-sleeved tee shirts (I especially like one I got from SKIN but I also found a good one at Urban Outfitters); a Frank & Eileen button-down that’s whisper-thin; a white button-down from Roucha that I don’t think they have anymore, but it has buttons all the way up the front and all the way up the back and you can wear it inside out, too; a few t-shirts; a nice top from Suno from last year; one pair of fantastic Danner hiking sneakers (these are not the exact model but very similiar); a pair of Birkenstocks; a pain of Van slip-on sneakers; the aforementioned UV protected cardigan; a light rainproof jackets; a Kipling crossbody bag; a hat with a wide brim; this gorgeous, very lightweight large scarf from my favorite ladies at Block Shop Textiles which I can wear as a skirt in a pinch. The Airism dress and one other cotton dress that I found in a little store in Rhinebeck, NY. And that’s pretty much it! Sound good to you? Edits? Additions? Compliments?

SHOW NOTES

—Two movies worth seeing, although they may not be streaming yet: Sirat, which is a French/Spanish film set in Morocco. It’s very intense, and to be honest, very upsetting, but quite a brilliant movie. The other, which is very user-friendly, is an Iraqi film called The President’s Cake. It’s wonderful, and once again, there’s a child actor at the center of it who is astonishingly good.

—I’m now reading The True True Story of Rajah the Gullible (and his mother) by Rabih Alameddine. It’s pretty hilarious and engrossing.

—I’m going to try out Heart the Lover as an audiobook for my million-hour long flight to Nairobi.

Onward! xSusan