Packing for a trip can be extremely stressful, especially when the weather varies from snow to sun to rain (Ahem, Colorado).  This week I’m in Colorado and so far, loving it even more than the first time!  Here are my top five go-to items for this trip:

A Hiking Bag

When you’re hiking in the mountains, you want to make sure you’ll have everything you need up there!  Every person will be different with what they need size wise. I am absolutely loving this Patagonia Atom Sling Bag 8L.  I actually purchased this at a Patagonia store while down here (in Ikat Purple).  I adore it because it’s not too big and fits all my hiking accessories (like glittery lip gloss because, why not?) in its small compartments.

Face Sunscreen (& Sunscreen in General For That Matter)

I highlight face sunscreen in particular because if you’re like me your skin is uber sensitive to the standard sunscreen.  I almost always break out after applying standard sunscreen on my face.  For my face sunscreen, I’m loving Copper tone Oil Free Faces.  It does not build up on my skin and leaves it like it was never there which is how it should be.

Swimsuit

Whenever I think of Colorado I think mountain hiking but, there is actually a ton more to do than that.  Colorado is home to a variety of natural hot springs, rafting, and water sports like paddle boarding.  I recently scored this high waisted nude bikini from Forever 21 and I’m obsessed!

An Outfit for a Night Out

I think there is a big misconception that Colorado is purely rustic.  Beyond the AWESOME outdoor activities, Colorado is filled with nightlife (depending on the city obviously).  There is tons of bars and amazing concert venues like the Red Rock.  You’ll want to pack something fun & flirty for the night on the town!  My favorite go-to night-out-outfit shopping stores right now are Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe (they always have sales!)

While I know the list of essentials spreads WELL beyond this, these are a few of the things I didn’t necessarily think of and have found to be a huge blessing for this trip!