Tomorrow is the big day!

Meg's Pack: 26 pounds

Some people can pack in an hour. I've been packing for 9 months. Way back in February, I made a list of every item we planned to take, and then weighed it. I created categories, summed up the items, and displayed the result with pie charts. A bit over the top? Just maybe. 

My analysis suggested that Meg and I would each be carrying about 26 pounds. 

All the stuff

So today was my deadline. I laid it all out on the floor, from clothes to passports, cash to snacks.

Then I pretended that I was going to start hiking out the front door, and packed both packs. Success! Meg's 40 liter pack came in at 21 pounds, while my 65 liter weighed 30 pounds. We might even out in the long run, but right now, Meg's back is sore and mine isn't, so that's good.

Then I unpacked, and packed it all over again - for the plane. We're taking one piece of checked luggage with the hiking stick and Swiss army knife. I'm checking the sleeping bags too, since we could rent bags if our luggage got lost. And we'll each take a bag with items we'll want during the flight. 

I spent some quality time with the American Airlines and British Airways phone staff today too. They tell me that we get one free bag all the way to Nepal, and that our carryons are free up to 50 pounds. We're still not checked in, but we have our seat assignments all the way to Dehli. 

So think of us tomorrow, crammed into our tiny airline seats as we fly half way around the world. Literally. Minneapolis to Chicago to Hethrow to Dehli to Kathmandu.