In just a short matter of time, we will be embarking on our biggest adventure to date. We are going to be in Colorado for two weeks. Half the trip will be training for my job and the other half will be spent trying to see all we can. Our hope is that we can bring you along for all aspects of the trip. That, of course, starts with the planning. So below we will be describing the items we have on our Colorado packing list.
I personally have never been out of the South. LaBre made it up the east coast to New York a few years back. However, she has never been out west. Both of us have also never been on a plane before. We really have no idea what to expect. Of course, we have talked to various people about their experiences and done our fair share of research. Until you experience it for yourself though you really never know. I plan to write a follow up to this article that discusses what we wish we would have brought, what we are glad we brought, and what we should have left at home.
Clothing
This is probably the most straightforward category of all. It is going to be cold, very cold. It looks like we should expect to see highs only reaching 50 if we are lucky and lows into the single digits. Since we will be spending time in multiple cities including Denver, Colorado Springs, and Divide among a couple others. All this cold weather means that we are going to need layers on layers. That is the one tip that almost everyone has seemed to agree on.
We have both picked up a few new items that we hope will help to keep us warm on the trip. I picked up a Patagonia down jacket. It should hopefully keep me warm while also being super lightweight. The best feature is that it is able to pack down into its own pocket. So if I do happen to get warm I can take that layer off and easily pack it away. LaBre got some heavyweight leggings to layer under her clothes. The hope is that this will add just enough warmth to keep her comfortable in the frigid temperatures.
Now, of course, we are not planning on spending all our time in the concrete jungles of Colorado. You can’t visit a place with so much beauty and not hit some trails. To do this we have to be sure to bring the proper footwear. We each will be bringing some thick wool socks. Along with our heavy waterproof boots. They are going to take a good deal of room in our suitcase, but I believe they will be worth it. Oh, and they will definitely come in handy while exploring the 36-acre property the cabin we are staying is on. Especially with the snow, we are expecting to see.
Hiking Gear
While some of the clothes we mentioned above could definitely fall into this category. There are a few other hiking essentials we will want to have with us. Most importantly we are going to want a proper first aid kit. You can never be too safe especially when visiting an area that you are not familiar with. The one we use is just a generic one you can pick up at any outdoor store. We have added a few extra bandages and meds because they usually come a little light. Even if you are not traveling far we strongly recommend keeping a first aid kit with you.
A lightweight backpack is always a great thing to bring along. Since we are flying and have to conserve space we will be bringing our packable backpack. It is super lightweight and can pack down small enough to fit in your pants pocket. The one we have is also waterproof which is a nice feature when you plan to be out in the elements. You can check the one we have out here.
We can’t forget to take along a few water bottles. Our current favorite is our glow in the dark Nalgene bottle. We love it because it is lightweight and holds over 32 ounces of water. Plus it looks pretty awesome. We will probably pick up another one just to take on this trip with us. To get the most out of your space you should put other things you bring in the bottles. That way you do not waste any space in your suitcase. Nalgene bottles are great for this due to the largemouth they have.
Fishing Gear
Look around this site for just a second and you will probably notice we really like to go fishing. We could not travel to the land of huge trout and not try to go fishing. I was able to do some research about the area we will be in and found out what flies should be working while we are there. Be on the lookout to find out exactly how I was able to in another article.
To save space we decided to only bring two of our fly rods. One eight weight and one five weight. The plan is to take turns on the river. This will also allow us to document the adventure even better than if we were both trying to fish. Since we are not the best at fly fishing we will also bring a collapsable sping rod. Hopefully, this will allow us to catch a fish no matter what. You will just have to wait and see how it goes.
Camera Gear
Did you know we have a youtube channel? Go ahead click here to head over there and subscribe. You will not want to miss any of the content we will be putting out about this amazing adventure. To do this we are going to have to bring along an expansive amount of camera gear. This is normally LaBres domain so she will be deciding what all gear will be coming along for the trip. If I had to guess though I would say she plans to bring, well all of it.
For those of you that are actually interested, I will try to run down all the gear. The canon t6i will definitely be coming along for the ride. With that of course comes all the proper lenses. This includes the 18-55mm, 50mm, and the 75-300mm. We recently picked up a filter kit for each lens that will also be coming. We also cant expect to head out on an adventure without our GoPro hero 5. This will, of course, require its own accessories. Including the floating handheld mount and the chest mount to get some great point of view shots.
We will also be bring ing my Sony a6000 because I will ultimately end up wanting to take some photos as well. With my camera comes my two lenses. The 16-55mm and the 55-210mm. With all this camera gear that is going to require a ton of extra batteries and quite a few chargers. So, of course, will have to bring the camera bag just to store all that equipment.
Micsolanous Tech
Of course, since this is 2018 and we are Millenials we have to bring all kinds of tech along. Most importantly we will be bringing our phones and their charges. Sadly we would be lost without them and will need then just to find our way around the new cites we will be in. Right after our phones would have to sit our MacBook Pro.
We have both an old 2011 model and a new 2017 model. For the sake of saving space, we are planning to only bring one along with us. It may seem a little like overkill to bring a laptop on vacation, but we do not want to fall behind on documenting the adventure. We will also bring along the iPad to easily back up photos. Plus it will give the other one of us a good place to work if the other is on the Macbook.
Of course with the MacBook and iPad comes charges. Thankfully they have gotten smaller over the years so we should not lose to much space. The only other tech we plan to bring is our headphones. Two of the three flight we will be on having no in-flight entertainment. To keep our sanity we are going to have to use something to kill time.
Hopefully, That’s All
This should be everything we need. With that being said I am sure I have forgotten to mention something. I also am expecting to make it just to realize that I forgot to bring something from my Colorado packing list. We also hope to only bring one checked bag for the full two weeks. With the 50 pound limit, this will be pretty tight but I am sure it will be fine. If you have any recommendations for us please let us know in the comments. Be sure to check out the video we will post soon that shows all the gear as well.
Thanks For Reading
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