My husband and I celebrated our 7^th wedding anniversary in Jackson Hole, Wyoming this year. While we were there, the temperatures ranged from 72 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, and I couldn’t check a bag for this trip. This meant it was time for clever packing and trying the rolling method.

The reason for not checking a bag: My husband and I have a Southwest card, and we try to use our points to purchase flights for our trips. Because Southwest doesn’t currently fly to Jackson Hole, we flew Southwest from San Antonio to Salt Lake City (SLC). Then at SLC, we changed to a Delta flight and flew Delta to Jackson Hole. We did that for our trip to and from Wyoming. Because of the airline change, we did not have enough time to go pick up our checked bags, check them into the new airline, and then go through TSA again each time. So packing with a carryon bag and one personal item, per person, was our only option.

Here were my steps to condensing what I packed:

1. Take everything out of your closet that you would consider to take on this trip. This includes dresses, tops, pants, shoes, coats – EVERYTHING.
   1. I recommend laying all these items in a separate space to review, especially so you aren’t tempted to add more in your closet. This could be your living room, your couch, or for me, it was my bed.
2. Plan your days. What do you expect to be doing? Will you be going back to your room to change at all? Note all the outfits you will TRULY need from this.
   1. I counted that we will be hiking for two days, touring the town one day, and traveling the other two days. That means four outfits to pack total, and one outfit to have in case we change for dinner one night. Because of the weather, I did need to pack layers as well to shed and add on during hikes.
3. From everything you pulled, you will then need to decide ONE COLOR route you will be going. For me, it was deciding to wear brown or black: my brown boots, brown hat, and items that go with brown, or my black coat, black tights, and black shoes.
   1. I found that black had more options, especially with all my tights and layering pieces, so I went that route.
4. Lay out each outfit from top to bottom – top, bottom, shoes, socks, jewelry, hat, scarfs, coat, and purse. Include everything you will have for this outfit.
   1. TIP: try to take no more than 3 shoes. The more packing-friendly they are, the better. Use your shoes to plan your outfits. For bulkier shoes you want to take, try to plan an outfit to wear with them when traveling so they don’t have to go in your suitcase. It’s okay to not be in workout clothes when traveling!
   1. For hiking, I knew I would need boots to wear. Since they were my bulkiest item, I planned to wear them on my traveling days. That saved a lot of room in my suitcase for other items. I did pack one pair of tennis shoes and my nice black booties (with a higher heel) for nighttime. I did wish I took my smaller-heeled booties to wear when we shopped around town, instead of the booties I took. This is the ONLY thing I missed when packing for Wyoming.
   2. DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY ON THE OUTFIT! After having kids, some of my clothes don’t fit the same as I remember. I know make it a point to try on the outfit. It definitely helped me with making decisions!

Know that you can also change up outfits with the way you accessorize too! Jewelry is always packing friendly! 😊

When adding all these clothes, I also knew that typical folding was going to work with these sweaters. So I tried the rolling method for the first time. I don’t think I can fold traditionally again when packing! It was crazy how much room I saved when rolling!

I also tried to keep my additional bag as empty as possible, because I knew I would need room for little souvenirs for our kids and ourselves.

What was in my bag:

1. Three sweaters: one grey, one tan, and one cream turtleneck
2. One nice black top for dinner
3. One pair of jeans
4. Four pair of leggings/tights
5. One flannel
6. Three layering tops
7. One rain jacket
8. One coat
9. Two beanies
10. Two scarves
11. four hiking socks
12. One set of pajamas

What I wish I packed

I wish I took my smaller-heeled booties to wear when we shopped around town, instead of the booties I took. This is the ONLY thing I missed when packing for Wyoming.

I also wished I packed a baseball cap for when it got too warm for my beanie. No one likes post-beanie hair! I easily solved this missed item by purchasing a fun cap at the gift shop in Jackson Hole.

What I didn’t wear

I ended up not wearing my second pair of jeans, my black top I packed for dinner, and one turtlneeck sweater

One item I recommend:

My black patagonia coat. This thing was the real MVP, and the winning reason is because it folds into itself! The whole coat can fold into the pocket, making it so easy to throw in my little bag. It was easy to layer with too. I highly recommend this coat.