Packing for Adventure

Over the last five months, I’ve had the opportunity to do more road trips that have taken me to bucket list places like Glacier National Park and Pacific Rim National Park.  Plus, every summer, my husband and I try to get out to backpack in the vast wilderness of the Sierra Nevada.  Needless to say, that along with both these opportunities, came countless views and inspirations to paint (when time permitted, of course).  

One of the questions I get most often is “What art supplies do you pack?” So, I thought I’d share my lists for two different scenarios at opposite ends of the spectrum: 1. My lightweight, minimalist go kit for backpacking, and 2. My plein air car kit. I also included the brands I use since that’s usually the next question!

When every ounce counts

When I’m packing for a 3+ day backpacking adventure and I’m carrying my sleeping gear, food, water, clothing, etc., I need to go light. This is what I typically bring:

• Sketch Book (Hahnemuhle Zig Zag A6)
• Mini pocket palette (ArtTool Kit) with primary colors plus a couple extras (Daniel Smith)
• One travel brush (Rosemary)
• Small collapsible water container
• An orange watercolor pencil cut in half
• One piece of paper towel (blue shop towel)

All of this weighs less than one pound and fits in a ziplock bag. Yes, I could have gone lighter with a water brush but  I really detest them and found it was worth the weight for me to have a real brush. The thing I love most about this mini go-kit is its simplicity and ease of a limited palette and just one brush – details be damned!

When I’m by the car

When weight isn’t an issue and I can “bring it all,” I find that things can get far more complicated with too many options.  To keep things at bay, I limit what I bring to what can fit in one small plastic bin and one daypack (if I want to walk a little ways).  And, more often than not, I’ll paint with gouache rather than watercolor. 

• Easel attachments and tripod:
  • For surfaces 8” x 10” or smaller, I’ll bring my small u.go pochade box, otherwise I’ll bring my larger Daybreak panel holder and palette; both work with the same tripod (u.go).
  • I attach my tripod carrying case to my easel as a weight in case of wind.  I either fill it with some rocks that are usually nearby or with my water container.
• Umbrella that hooks to my tripod (Soho Urban UV)
• A couple substrates to choose from, ideally prepped with an underpainting 
• A sketchbook for quick studies
• Paint box of acrylic gouache tubes (including an oversized tube of titanium white!) and brushes
  • An alternative to acrylic gouache is “Designer Gouache” which I’ll carry in an air-tight container (Transon) + a tube of Permanent White.  Designer gouache can be reconstituted when dry, so it can be squeezed out ahead of time and put into a sealable palette, unlike acrylic gouache!  But, white is best used straight from the tube for max opacity, even for designer gouache. (Designer v. acrylic gouache is a whole other article!)
• Water container
• Old juice bottle full of water, plus an empty one to pack out dirty water
• Small spray bottle to slow dry time for the paint on the palette 
• Disposable gray paper palette sheets
• Blue shop towels
• Large binder clips to hold things down when it gets windy
• Large hat, sunglasses (for in between painting when my eyes need a break), cell phone, sunscreen, lipbalm, snacks, and a portable chair.

​Whether painting from a mountaintop or a parking-lot, I’m focused on capturing the light, mood, and joy of the moment! ​

* This article will appear in the November 2025 newsletter for the California Watercolor Association.