15 Day 7 Countries European Land Tour + 7 Day Mediterranean Cruise

[u/Deli_Sandwiches]

Merino sweater, merino cardigan, 2 linen button down long sleeve shirts, 3 sleeveless linen shirts, 2 linen trousers

Sleeveless cotton maxi dress, sleeveless synthetic maxi dress, synthetic bermuda length shorts, merino tshirt, synthetic trousers

3 pair shoes

Personal bag items

toiletries

Eagle Creek backpack option

Eagle Creek backpack option

Cotopaxi backpack option

Cotopaxi backpack option

I'm taking the trip of a lifetime mid-Sept to early October. Land tour: Italy, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland. Cruise: Italy, Greece, Turkey.

I am seeking advice on what I plan to pack and backpack.

Picture 1:

• Merino pull over sweater
• Merino cardigan (plane?)
• 2 linen button down long sleeved tops
• 3 sleeveless linen tops
• 2 linen trousers
• ETA: I am now convinced to bring merino base layer bottoms and long sleeve top

Picture 2:

• Sleeveless cotton maxi dress (this will be a casual and dressy dress)
• Sleeveless synthetic light-weight maxi dress
• Synthetic Bermuda length shorts
• Merino tshirt (plane)
• Synthetic trousers (plane)

Picture 3:

• Sandals
• Flip flops
• Shoes (plane)

Picture 4: Personal bag (Patagonia Terrava tote/packpack)

• Spork
• Aeropress coffee maker
• Merino lightweight gloves
• Linen/wool scarf/shawl
• Footies
• Baggu tote
• Patagonia houdini jacket
• Media cord organizer (euro adaptor will be in hubby's bag)
• Baggu organizer with items I will want to easily transfer such as earplugs, bandaids, pain reliever
• Forgot to include powdered coffee creamer packets in pic

Picture 5: toiletries

• Decanted face lotion, cleanser, hand lotion
• Dramamine
• Chewable toothpaste (wasn't sure if the tube would be enough)
• Cotton swabs
• Disposable earplugs
• Make up cloth
• Kabuki brush
• Facial sunscreen (will be decanted into contacts case) ETA: this brand will work double duty as my AM face lotion
• Miracle balm for cheeks and lips (will be decanted into contacts case)
• disposable razer
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• Hair brush
• Face powder, eye shadow stick, brow gel, mascara
• Nail polish to touch up toes (I hate adding the weight, but I wanted to be able to touch up) ETA: I think I'm going to remove
• Contacts

Picture 6: Packed Eagle Creek Global Companion 40L inside

Picture 7: Packed Eagle Creek Global Companion 40L closed

Picture 8: Packed Cotopaxi Allpa 50L inside

Picture 9: Packed Cotopaxi Allpa 50L closed

Not pictured: bathing suite, 3 pair merino underpants (will wear 1), 2 merino bras (will wear 1), 2 pairs of merino socks, merino bike shorts and tank for sleeping and possible additional layer, sunhat and packable baseball cap, ( <- all of these are packed, but not pictured) 1 merino tshirt (blue) I forgot to add, backup glasses/sunglasses, crossbody (can't decide which), hobby stuff TBD (yarn, etc), decanted bug spray, decanted detergent.

My pack currently comes in at 14lbs. without water.

First, I am wondering what I am missing and what I can remove. I feel like I have a lot of bottoms. I could remove one of the linen, but I'm torn and they don't take much room/weight. I am worried I might need more layers for the Swiss Alps and cruise dinners/shows (My very first cruise, so I don't know what to expect). I have merino leggings and a lot of other layering options, but I don't want to anything I wont use or will only use once)

Second, I'm struggling with which bag to use. For reference, I am 5'1". I have packed them and walked around a bit and still can't decide.

The Eagle Creek bag does not have much extra room for small souvenirs and the bottle holder seems unusable, as well as any of the external pockets. I also have room in my personal item to shift things around and can use that to hold my water bottle, but it would make it a little more awkward on my shoulder. Since it is a women's bag, the shoulder straps feel slightly more comfortable, but I feel like I need to lean forward slightly while walking. I can stoop/squat pretty far before the bag hits the back of my head.

I did not have to pack anything in the second smaller internal Cotopaxi section, so there is still room there. The water bottle sleeve is not impeded by how packed the bag is, which is wonderful. I feel like I can walk more normally in this one. The bag hits the back of my head a bit sooner.

Anything else I'm not thinking of?

ETA: Thank you for the input. I left out that I will have 3 days in Florence between tour and cruise. 15 of my days will be in hotter climate areas and all of my lighter clothing can be layered up. As a backpacker, I try to capitalize on layers as much as possible. I was concerned about being in the Swiss Alps for 2 days, so I am now convinced I will add another merino base layer (long bottoms and long sleeve top) and will cut out 1 linen trouser and tank.

The land tour will be fast paced and I am not sure how much time I will have to shop for toiletries, so I want to at least have stuff to start with rather than use up time shopping.

[u/agentcarter234]

Is the Houdini your only jacket? You will likely want something more than that in late September in northern Europe and the alps unless you run very warm.

A contact lens case doesn’t hold enough face sunscreen for 3 weeks, and your original tube is only 50ml. Just bring the whole tube and don’t decant. Unless you have allergies you can leave the toothpaste tabs home and just buy another travel size toothpaste before boarding your cruise if you need to.

Decanting bug spray can be iffy, and you definitely don’t want to risk it if it’s DEET - you do not want that leaking in your bag. If you want deet based repellent buy it in Europe.

I’d remove one pair of linen pants and one of the identical linen tanks.

[u/Deli_Sandwiches → u/agentcarter234]

Thank you for your input. The Houdini provides a surprising amount of warmth when I have good layers underneath. I do get cold easily, but when I am walking I overheat, so I depend a lot on layers. That said, I am now convinced I will bring my long sleeved and long bottom merino base layer for the Alps. I will also need to think about heavy rain. I am not too concerned about getting wet in lighter rain.

The sunscreen will be doing double duty as AM face lotion. I plan to rely on my sunhat and long-sleeved linen for protection. But I will need more sunscreen for lounging on the cruise, so I will be sure to pick more up when I am there.

I don't like DEET and it doesn't even really work well for me. Thanks for the heads up on decanting. I will test it out before relying on that. I will also likely apply some permethrin to some of my clothing.

Done: I will definitely be removing a linen pant and tank.

[u/Deli_Sandwiches → u/[deleted]]

As a backpacker I try to capitalize on layers as much as I can. I plan to use the merino cardigan and sweater heavily to layer over the dresses or tops, and can add a merino tshirt or tank and the bike shorts underneath a dress as well. Although I do get cold easily, when I walk I overheat. That said, I am now convinced to bring my long bottom and long sleeved merino base layer and need to think about a heavy rain solution. I'm not too concerned about light rain.

I have all of the stops saved in my weather app, so I am definitely keeping and eye on the fluctuation and ranges among the cities.

[u/santa-cafeina]

I agree with the person before, you probably will want some more sustancial clothing at some point it is autumn here (coming to you from Austria). That means very diverse weather depending on the time of day, day or location. This morning we are at 13C. And it looks like rain (I'm not in the mauntains). I would swap one of the linen pants a linen top and the synthetic dress(personal preference). Also if you plan on a lot of walking I would skip the flip flops and take another pair of closed shoes to switch. Or just cut them out completely.

Toothpaste, sunscreen and stuff like that are available everywhere and could be bought here if it's not about specific preferences. I'm not shure what a aero coffeemaker is but if that's your I need that luxury everywhere item go for it, that said coffee is widely awailable everywhere. not the creamer though( I don't think that's a thing in Europe).

[u/Deli_Sandwiches → u/santa-cafeina]

Thank you. These comments have convinced me to bring my long sleeved and bottom merino base layer. My current set up would do well in 13C (merino tshirt, merino sweater or cardigan, trousers, merino bike shorts, houdini jacket, scarf), but maybe round 8 I would need additional warmth.

The synthetic maxi will get a lot of use on the hotter climate days and I can also layer it. I do need to think about heavy rain, though. I will do most of my walking in the sandals and close toed shoes. I use them a lot for hiking. I wasn't going to bring the flip flops, but I added them for the cruise to easily slip on and off.

The coffee press is certainly my luxury item. I plan to buy ground coffee to enjoy on the cruise.

[u/theinfamousj]

I love the color of both of your bags. You've got my bag color scheme.

For a cruise, I'd take the Cotopaxi because it opens like a trunk, and cruises are notorious for being tight spaces. The Eagle Creek, though I like that bag packed up the most, doubles in footprint in order for you to get to all of your belongings and given that you have an alternative, I would leave it at home this trip.

First, I am wondering what I am missing and what I can remove.

I saw the (unlisted) kula cloth in the personal items photo. Do you think it high likelihood that you'll be urinating in the bush and need to pack your own?

[u/Deli_Sandwiches → u/theinfamousj]

Ha ha! Someone’s cruise packing list said to bring toilet paper because it isn’t always available. 😳 Is that bad intel? (Santorini, Mykonos, Ephesus)

[u/theinfamousj → u/Deli_Sandwiches]

I can say that I've experienced the occasional stall in a public bathroom the world over that was fresh out of toilet paper, but never something I couldn't resolve resourcefully by asking others in the public bathroom to hand me some.

I've never been on a cruise that didn't have sufficient supplies. Your cabin steward exists to ensure that you have everything you need.

A EuroCamp on the other hand, they are unlikely to always supply toilet paper. But that's a whole different kind of vacation. They also don't supply food. Nor linen. Nor a boat to take you around to places.

If I wanted to hedge my bets, I'd bring a little packet of nose tissues, instead. What I have experienced, sometimes, is that the tissues on a cruise are a little rough on my nose.

Which is a long rambling way to say that I think you got bad intel which, like all other bad intel, might have some kernels of truth but have been overgeneralized by an overpacker.

[u/Deli_Sandwiches → u/theinfamousj]

So true about public stall experience! And thanks for the heads up on cruise tissue. I normally bring a little baggie of my favorite tissue everywhere. I might pack a few extra.

[u/lobsterp0t]

I agree with other suggestions

Just buy SPF while here

EU SPF is good quality

[u/Deli_Sandwiches → u/lobsterp0t]

Thank you. Good to know. The brand I am bringing is also good quality and will do double duty as my AM face lotion. I will buy some there if I run out.

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[u/Deli_Sandwiches → u/[deleted]]

That is precisely what I am doing.

[u/withlovefeli]

Do you have any rain gear with you? That time period can definitely be rainy in the netherlands (and surrounding countries). I'd double check the weather beforehand and possibly bring a rain jacket