Packing Up

One of the goals of this trip is to leave my home and work in such a manner that when I return my bad habits will be harder to pick up.  To this end, I'm trying to move out of my current apartment in such a manner that allows me to only take the bare minimum with me, and leave behind (ie: sell, give away, donate, or throw out) the things that I've unnecessarily accumulated over the years. As the stack of boxes of things I want to take is growing I'm finding myself becoming increasingly uncomfortable- I was hoping to end up with enough things to fit in my car, and only a handful of larger items, mostly restricted to artwork, my mattress, a trunk, and my bookshelf.  I was off to a good start earlier this month- a brutal culling of my books meant that I'm only keeping two small boxes, essentially leaving behind a full bookshelf worth.  But since then I've been far too liberal with what I'm keeping, and although the prospect of starting to repack all over is daunting, I'm going to have to.  Ugh.

I decided to take a break from the meta-packing and focused in on the fun packing: my first test-run of packing my pack for the trail.  Here's what I've got so far:

The Big Stuff:
REI Ridgeline 65 Pack
Sierra Designs Light Year 1 Tent
Kelty Light Year Down 0 Degree Sleeping Bag
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir mattress
MSR Superfly stove and MSR IsoPro Fuel Canister
PUR Katadyn Hiker Microfilter

The Small Stuff:
Cooking pot, mug, and spork/knife
One knife
One multi-tool
Toiletries (toilet paper, toothbrush, toothpaste, sunscreen, towel, ear plugs, Dr. Bronner's soap)
Emergency items: matches, hand warmers, a first aid kit (to be totally repacked because everything in it is expired... whoopsie), and a compass.
Two Nalgene bottles (I'll be switching to my Camelback once the weather gets warmer)
Pack cover
Bear Bag
Patch kit

Packed Clothing:
Two pairs of Smartwool socks, one pair of liners
Three pairs of undwear
One bra
One Techwick short sleeved shirt
One Techwick long sleeved shirt
One Smartwool long sleeved shirt
One fleece jacket
One pair of hiking pants
Raingear
Balaclava
Light gloves

Together, these things weigh 25 lbs.  I still need to add water, food, a sewing kit, a camera, a cell phone, a guide book, a headlamp, book, journal, and pen. I plan on wearing a hiking dress, hiking tights, hiking boots, socks, liners, a bra, underwear, and a long sleeve shirt, and will be carrying my hiking poles.

Keeping this under 40 lbs is going to be hard-- seems like I'm having the same problem packing for the trip as I am packing up my room!  But that's why I'm packing my pack for the first time now- so that I can work out these potential issues within the next two months, which will hopefully get me started on the right foot on March 22nd.