Packing Master

Here's a question I'm sure you've asked yourself: If I had to pack for 6 months of travel in a winter sport, what would I take? Well, let me tell you, it's not an easy task, but I believe the last 5 seasons have helped me become a packing master. Here are the problems I regularly encounter:

1. Winter clothes are heavy. Why didn't I play a summer sport?

2. Baggage fees are stupid. The money I paid to get on this plane wasn't enough to get my clothes on board with me?

3. Motorcycle helmets don't fit well in bags or overhead compartments, but they do act like a secret compartment for snacks as a sneaky third carry-on. If anyone ever questions me, I can always carry my snacks and wear it onto the plane like a hat. That wouldn't cause a panic at all.

4. Bobsled requires way too many shoes. I typically travel with 10 pairs: 2 pairs of bobsled spikes, track spikes, weightlifting shoes, winter boots, waterproof shoes, tennis shoes, casual shoes, casual boots, flip-flops.

5. Why is Texas so far away from everything winter related? Packing is a little less stressful when you can drive a car to your winter destination with as much stuff as you want and leave the extra in the trunk. 

Despite all these issues, I have made it Lake Placid for another season, and hopefully I didn't forget anything too important. The only things I can leave in Lake Placid over the summer are my bobsled runners, toolbox, and lead weight sheets we use to ballast the sled. Everything else has to travel home with me for the summer and back again for the next season. Somehow I magically fit it all in two 50lb checked bags, a roll-along carry-on and a backpack (which probably weighs 35lbs). Oh yeah, and the motorcycle helmet with the secret snack stash. Here's my packing list for the season:

Bags

Backpack (use as a carry-on bag as well as bag for training and such)

Smaller Duffel Bag/Carry-On (We ship the sleds in crates to each destination, and we often put most of our luggage in them to save on baggage fees. Having a smaller duffel bag as a carry on to keep a few days worth of clothes between stops is helpful.)

Duffel Bag (This can be used as luggage, but also will need to use as a sliding bag - ie to the bobsled track every day to hold gear, helmet, daily sliding essentials, etc.)

Big Roller Suitcase

Sliding Gear: 

2 motorcycle helmets (Bobsled has taught me to always pack a back-up.)

Mouth guard

Pushing gloves (We use baseball gloves or wide receiver gloves. I carry these as a back-up in case my brakeman can't find hers.)

Elbow/Knee/Hip pads (Breakman wear these for practice. No point in getting bruised up before race day.)

Lacrosse shoulder pads (Again, keeping those brakeman tucked snug and safe into the sled for practice. Some of the girls are pretty small, so this helps them not get so jostled during the practice runs.)

Bobsled Spikes & covers (I have a practice pair and a race pair.)

2 Burn Vests (We wear these to protect ourselves from ice burns in the event of a crash. They are long sleeve shirts with kevlar on the back of the shoulders and arms.)

2 Sliding Suits (Basically a onesie that you wear over all the layers and padding.)

First-aid kit (I'm always stocked up on the fun band-aids. Right now I've got the Avengers, Minions & Star Wars)

2 Racing suits (Basically a thin spandex onesie to run around in when it's freezing, but you don't even care because it reads USA across your back.)

A couple rolls of duct-tape

Water-proof "down bag" (On race day, we send a bag of warm clothes down to the finish line to put on over our very thin race suits. They usually get thrown onto a snow-covered deck, so water proof bags save the day and keep your warm clothes dry. I found a dry-bag used for rafting/camping trips that has been great.)

Sandpaper box (Before every race, we sand all 4 steel runners by hand to get the knicks and scrapes out. We want the smoothest surface possible so there's less friction as we sail over the ice. We start at 80 micron work all the way down to diamond paste. It's a long process with lots of sandpaper.)
Creepers (We strap these ice walkers on over our shoes for track walks. We need these to walk a mile uphill on ice.)

Winter Gear

Winter Hats

Scarf

Thin gloves/thick gloves

Face buff

Winter coat

Snow pants

Winter boots

Clothes/Workout Gear

10-12 100% cotton t-shirts (We wear them under burn vest. Spandex materials, like cold weather tops, trap the heat next to your skin and make ice burns worse. I'm usually very tired of those 10 shirts by the end of the season. I usually switch them out at Christmas.)

10 Long sleeve tops (These will be worn over the burn vest or just to layer under sliding suit/coat.)

8-10 Spandex tights (We're always in some form of spandex.)

2 Pairs of sweat shirt/pants (Typically one set for lounging and one set for workouts)

1 Jacket (For the beginning of the season before it gets freezing and then I use it to layer under my coat.)

Swimsuit (If you're lucky, the vacation rental or hotel has a hot tub!)

6-8 pairs of warm socks (Wool socks will be a your best friend when it's super cold. Even then, you probably won't be able to feel your toes.)

3 Spandex shorts

5 Sports bras

14 pairs of underwear/socks

Sneakers

Water-proof shoes (We're always warming up in snowy/wet conditions at the track each day)

Sprint spikes (for the push track/combine spring testing)

Some casual clothes (I usually pack 2 nicer t-shirts, 2 tanks, 2 light sweaters/cardigans, a flannel long sleeve, 2 pairs of jeans, a pair of boots/casual shoes. I try to pack the lightest warm items I can layer. Mix and match is your friend when you can't pack much. Throw on a scarf/necklace or add a sweater to change things up. I usually only wear these if we go out to eat or get to attend church if we're not traveling on a Sunday. If you decide to look like a non-athlete human and wear jeans to the cafeteria, prepare to be interrogated about where you're going because it's just not normal to wear anything non-spandex/sweats around here. I'm not complaining though. Not wearing makeup much for 6 months is a huge perk in my book!)

Basic rule of thumb: More workout clothes - less casual wear. We spend way more time in workout clothes than going anywhere that requires looking nice. Believe me, it gets so cold the best thing is layering that workout gear.

The Other Stuff

Bible

1 fiction & 1 non-fiction book

Work material (I work part time while I travel, so my condensed code sections and cheat sheets travel with me.)

OTC ID card (Don't forget or they'll charge you for a new one!)

Workout gear (Weightlifting belt, straps, resistance bands, lacrosse ball, foam roller, roll stick...)

Water bottle/shaker bottle

Washer pods/detergent & laundry bag

Wallet (Credit cards/drivers license)

Insurance card in case of emergency

Passport

Laptop

GoPro

iPod/headphones

Watch

Sunglasses (My $10 Target specials are still holding strong for another season. I'm too scared of losing/squashing nice sunglasses to bring anything else.)

Sewing Kit (Because something always tears or gets a hole ripped in it during the season.)

Cowbell (Need more cowbell...especially to cheer at bobsled races)

Bluetooth Speaker (Makes those long hours at the garage working on the sled or sanding runners much more delightful.)

Ninja Blender (Lifesaver when you're traveling. Protein shakes = meal replacement = saving money while you travel abroad.)

Personal grooming/makeup/hair products and all that jazz

Chargers for all your electronics

Converter/Adaptor (if you're traveling anywhere besides US/Canada...someday)

Vitamins/supplements

Protein powder

Kinesio Tape/Tens Unit (On the lower circuits, we don't have a physio traveling with us. We mostly self-treat any injuries, aches, pains, or illnesses, so you have to be prepared.)

A little care kit with band aids, Advil, cold/flu medication, etc. 

Bunk Covers (These basically fiberglass bumpers we put on the sled to keep the bunks from getting dinged up when we tap walls in practice. They are in short supply for the older sleds, so I take them home with me every year to make sure I have a set. I want my sled looking as nice as possible on race day when they come off.)

I fit all that stuff in two checked bags, a rolling carry-on, and a backpack, which was about 175lbs total. And I can't forget the motorcycle helmet with the secret snack stash. Pretty impressed with myself. I wish I had video of myself while trying to wheel all this to the ticket counter at once. The bags kept wanting to roll in opposite directions. I only bring things I know I'm going to wear a lot.  I end up rolling most things when I'm are packing to make it all fit. I'm that person standing on the scale holding my bags trying to read the numbers the night before the flight. Both my checked bags were 50lbs on the dot. Boom! I was seriously standing on my bathroom scale holding headbands vs. wool socks at one point. It happened. I try to always pack a few lighter items in the outside pouches in case I need to shift a few things if my scale is a little off. I'm that person at the ticket counter who gets excited when it reads exactly 50lb. Like it's a contest that I just won. The ticket counter people are usually much less enthusiastic, since they have to lift the bag, but at least I'm prepared most of the time. They might as well pull out the "Caution When Lifting" tags when they see me coming. The times I have to pack without a scale are a little more dicey. Then I'm that girl who looks like her bags exploded while I try to transfer shoes and clothes between bags to make weight. 

So now you know what it takes to pack for 6 months on the road living my bobsled vagabond life. We move about every 1-2 weeks, so most of the time you don't really unpack. Just wear everything until you have to do laundry and hope you have access to a washer/dryer.