Travel & Packing — Pack Like a Pro
Pack Like a Pro: How to Pack for a Snow Trip
After 30 years of flying in and out of Queenstown, Niseko and the French Alps, I've learned exactly what earns a place in my suitcase and what gets left behind. This is how I actually pack for a snow trip — not a generic list copied from somewhere else, but the system I use myself, every season.
A Founder's Approach
Why I Pack Differently Now
My first few snow trips, I packed like I was moving countries. Two suitcases, three jackets "just in case," and a ski suit so bulky it took up half my luggage allowance before I'd even packed a single pair of socks.
These days my suitcase is smaller and my trips are better for it. The single biggest change was removing the heaviest, bulkiest item from the equation altogether: I don't pack a ski suit anymore, I rent one through 2ND LANE and have it waiting for me at my destination. Everything below is what I actually do with the space that frees up.
The Layering System
Three Layers, Not Ten Outfits
Every good ski trip packing list comes down to the same three layers, repeated and rotated rather than packed in bulk: a base layer against your skin, a mid layer for warmth, and an outer layer for wind and snow. Once you think in layers instead of outfits, the whole suitcase gets smaller.
I pack two to three base layers, one or two mid layers, and let the outer layer — the jacket and pants — be the one thing I don't duplicate, because it's also the one thing I don't need to bring from home.
Pack By Category
What Actually Goes In The Suitcase
Thermals & Socks
Two or three merino thermal sets and several pairs of proper ski socks — thin, warm, and long enough to sit above your boot line without bunching.
Fleece & Knits
One packable fleece and one lightweight knit you'd actually wear off the mountain too, so neither one is dead weight for half the trip.
Jacket & Pants
This is where renting saves the most suitcase space. Your ski suit arrives at your destination instead of travelling in your luggage both ways.
Gloves, Goggles & More
Gloves, goggles, a neck warmer, a beanie, SPF lip balm and sunscreen — small, light, and genuinely non-negotiable at altitude.
Versatility Over Volume
One Suitcase, Several Looks
A week on the mountain doesn't need seven different outfits. It needs two or three pieces that genuinely mix and match, plus one you reach for when you want to feel a little more put-together at lunch.
This is also where renting changes the maths completely. Instead of owning (and packing) one ski suit you wear every single trip, you can rotate through 2ND LANE's collection and arrive in a different look each season without adding a single extra item to carry home.
One rule I never break: pack at least one colour you wouldn't normally wear at home.
The Confidence Piece
Pack One Thing You Wouldn't Normally Wear
Neutral and navy are safe, and most of what I pack is exactly that. But every trip, I make room for one piece in a colour I'd never choose at home — a red suit, a bold print, something that photographs beautifully against snow and makes you stand a little taller on the chairlift.
It's the easiest, lowest-effort way to make a packing list feel considered rather than purely functional, and it's usually the outfit you end up loving most in every photo from the trip.
The pieces worth packing a little heavier for — the ones you'll wear off the mountain too.
After The Slopes
Don't Forget To Pack For Après-Ski
A snow trip isn't only what happens on the mountain. Some of my favourite moments from every trip happen afterwards, boots off, drink in hand, still half-dressed in the day's layers while the sun goes down over the valley.
Pack one warm, slightly dressier piece that isn't technical ski wear at all — a good knit, a faux-fur trim, something you'd happily be photographed in at 4pm on a deck with a glass of something cold. It takes up almost no suitcase space and changes how the whole trip feels.
Pack for the toast at the top as much as the run back down.
"The best packing list isn't the longest one. It's the one that lets you stop thinking about your suitcase and start thinking about the mountain."Mariane, Founder of 2nd LANE
More From The Journal
Snow Trip Packing — Your Questions Answered
How many outfits do I need for a week-long ski trip?
Far fewer than you'd think. Two to three base and mid layers rotated across the week, plus one outer layer, comfortably covers a 7-day trip. For the full itemised version of this list, see our Ultimate Ski Trip Packing Checklist.
Should I buy or rent my ski suit for a snow trip?
If you only ski once or twice a year, renting almost always makes more sense — financially and for your luggage. We break down the full comparison in Rent vs Buy Luxury Skiwear.
What's the one thing people always forget to pack?
SPF lip balm and proper sunscreen. The sun reflecting off snow at altitude is far stronger than most people expect, even on an overcast day.
Where can I rent luxury ski wear for my trip?
2ND LANE delivers Australia-wide and services Queenstown, Japan and Europe trips directly. Browse the current collection at 2ndlaneaus.com.au, or start with our Queenstown or Japan guides.
Happy Packing
However you pack, leave room for one thing you didn't plan on wearing.
That's the piece you'll remember the trip by. See you on the mountain.
Mariane
Founder, 2nd LANE