Plus-Size Back/Packing | Pack Light + Look Cute for 10 Days in Morocco

While planning our trip to Morocco, I had two primary concerns when it came to packing:

One | Being sensitive to, and respectful of, the country’s cultural and religious conservatism while, as a plus-size woman thrown fully into early menopause who is generally the temperature of the sun at all times, avoiding bursting into flame in the warm climate; and,

Two | Fitting an entire wardrobe for our 10-day excursion into a single 30L (12.5″w x 20″h x 7″d) backpack.

Other important considerations included: seasonal temperature fluctuations, an overnight stay in the Sahara Desert, long bus rides (sometimes upwards of seven hours per day), only two multi-night stops when sink laundry would have an opportunity to dry fully, carry-on weight limits, and the fact we’d be returning to Ontario in full winter.

A tall order, tbh.

Strategic planning

To keep myself on track, I decided to vision-board my travel wardrobe.

Top priority was to decide on a colour scheme. I wanted to complement my Moroccan surroundings while standing out just a bit, so I settled on deep saffron as my primary colour. Helpfully, mustard yellow was trending at the time and it was easy to find pieces online and in shops.

To give myself as much flexibility as possible, I opted mainly for neutral base pieces: off/white, tan, and black. I also decided to keep patterns to a minimum, in the end taking just one striped tee, a printed kaftan, and a flowered travel scarf for some functional pizzazz.

To round out the scheme I included denim blue, partly because it complements yellow so beautifully, but mostly because I own a gorgeous tiered denim colored dress (a gift from my bestie) that I wanted to take with.

The process

First, I pawed through my closet to decide which existing items met the criteria. I then sourced images of each item online (or a reasonable facsimile) to create a collage. The collage allowed me to see how pieces worked together (or didn’t), where there were gaps that needed filling, and where there were opportunities to pare down.

Next came the shopping. I combed through a million (conservative estimate) online shops ranging from Etsy to Amazon, and every point in between. Some preference was given to shops who could ship quickly and/or at reasonable cost, but mostly I bought what I liked and ordered early enough that timing was rarely an issue.

(my absolute favourite pieces, if you’re curious, were found on Etsy [4], Asos [1], Tradlands [6], and (weirdly) through targeted Facebook marketing [7])

As items were received, I laid everything out on the bed in our spare bedroom. In the weeks before departure, I visited frequently to arrange, re-arrange, add and edit. When I’d settled on a wardrobe I was happy with, we conducted the final test: could it all be stuffed into a single 30L backpack?

spoiler alert: yes it could!

The full wardrobe

Here’s what made the final cut:

And here’s what my travel wardrobe looked like in action:

Morocco packing essentials

Weather in Morocco can vary widely, particularly as you near the Sahara. Evenings can be chilly, and mornings can be downright cold. Make it a priority to add these items to your bag:

full-length pants | in the crowded Medinas where stray animals roam freely and donkeys are the primary transport of goods, full-length pants can be somewhat challenging. You want hemlines that don’t graze the ground here. But what doesn’t work in the Medina is absolutely necessary in the desert. Pack at least one pair.

light shawl or scarf | I opted for an infinity travel scarf (with a hidden pocket for personal items – so clever!) but a shawl would have worked equally as well. Despite what I’d read while researching the trip, I was not required to cover my head, even during our visit to the Hassan II Mosque. I was glad I arrived prepared to do so, however, and a light covering was very helpful in the Sahara as a shield from sun and to reduce sand in my hair.

sandals | comfy, lightweight sandals with spongey but structured soles helped keep me cool during the day, and allowed me to walk comfortably for miles/hours.

Things to keep in mind

The key to packing light is doing laundry on the road, even if it’s just to freshen up pits and pants.

Choose sturdy fabrics that won’t break down, bleed, pill or pull during handwashing in the sink with hotel soap or shampoo.

Keep drying time in mind; opt for fabrics that are quick-dry by design or else light enough to dry reasonably quickly on a line.

And speaking of drying, select pieces that fit you properly when air dried. There is no access to clothes dryers in Morocco so if it needs tumble-drying to look good, leave it behind.

Many light or medium layers are better than a few thick ones. Tees, light sweaters, shawls and tencel denim take up much less luggage space than traditional denim, heavy sweaters or jackets.

While many cities are quite progressive, particularly when it comes to tourists, it never hurts to dress in line with cultural expectations. In Morocco that means covering both shoulders and knees, so flowy and breathable fabrics are ideal.

Wrinkle-free fabrics are the BOMB.

When all was said and done, this plus-size chick was super cute, comfortable, and cool as a cucumber throughout the entire trip. It worked so well, I’ll be using this strategy to pack for every trip going forward, til the end of time.

April