This page is primarily meant for people planning a long-term trip.
Trying to decide what to pack was one of the most difficult parts about getting ready to leave, partially because it meant that I had to go shopping, but partially because I wanted to make sure I'd bring everything I needed. While there were some really useful web sites, I wished I could find more travellers that simply laid out what they took with them, so that I could compare their lists and trips with mine.
I'll list those sites (if I get around to it) on my links page, otherwise, hope my packing list is helpful. One note; while most things you're unsure of can be purchased almost everywhere, don't leave your perscription meds at home, hoping to find them elsewhere...brand names change, and countries are persnickity about letting other nation's doctors perscribe to their pharmacies. If you *might* need that- oh, I don't know, asthma inhaler, bring it (I had to go to three Kiwi pharmacies before one would agree to let me use a perscription from an American doctor) so you won't feel as frustrated/stupid as I did.
Things that don't have plugs:
Luggage:
*Eagle Creek Switchback:My mom
gave me my first Switchback-
I reluctantly upgraded to this model
before the
trip. Like the original variety,
it has a collapsing pull-thinger, recessed
wheels, and backpack straps that zip out
of the pack, but the new one also has a
padded hip belt. Eagle Creek has a
reputation for quality gear, and provides
excellant servicing of its equipment, most
of which come with heavy-duty zippers,
stain/tear resistant material, etc.
It looks
pretty nice, too; with the straps zipped
away, I don't look like a backpacker,
which is helpful for meeting
fire
professionals. While most people use wheeled bags now, some (like the 1 bag gurus) advocate forgoeing a wheeled
bag in favor of the extra space those wheels and pull-thingers take up. I see their point, but I'm still quite
pleased with my choice. There are often some good deals on these; check out websites that offer discounts and free
shipping- I got nearly $100 off the marked price. I'm collecting patches from the fire departments I visit, to have a visual record of the countries I've been to- in the picture you can see several Kiwi patches.
*Freitag bag: big enough to carry my laptop, carried more securely than a traditional backpack, waterproof (made out
of recycled truck tarps), chic, and hell on my back and shoulders. I really, really like it, it is amazingly
durable, light, expandable, and I can keep it secure, but carrying it for an entire day starts to hurt after a few
hours. I'm not sure what my alternative for a day bag would be, so check them out in Links.
Packing:
*Eagle Creek: I'll admit it; I bought into the travel
myth. You really don't need all the crap they shove at
you to
travel with, and I probably would have been
fine wearing all cotton and packing my gear in ziplocks
before cramming
it into an internal fram pack; but
what I've got has made things simpler- for me, at
least. I have two compressible
bags, a Wallaby
toiletry bag, a Eagle Creek cube, and several mesh
bags. The upshot is, most mornings, I can just
toss
all the bags into my big bag, rather than monkey
around. So- whether you're using ziplocks or
Wallabies, bags
are handy. Also, when you get searched by grumpy Australian customs agents, it will be easier for them to go through
your bag and not wave your bras around.
Toiletries:
*Camping squeeze tube of 50+ SPF Sunscreen, tube of 15-30 SPF, tube of shampoo/conditioner mixed together,
tube of lotion, toothpaste, floss, toothbrush, deodorant, combination
brush/comb/mirror, tweezers, nailclippers,
drugs, chapstick, shoe polish, braided
surgical clothesline (you can stick clothes
through this, and its the most
resiliant of all
options) with small bottle of soap, universal
plug, and insect repellant. This all fits neatly
into my
Wallaby; plus, its waterproof, so
when something oozes, it only gets on the
other toiletries, not my
clothes.
Miscellaneous Supplies:
*I'm carrying a
Pacsafe, I find it completely necessary
though this is one of the subjects that usually
causes disagreements on thorntree and
bootsnall. It does make you more conspicuous, but I generally cover mine with something old, like a
battered pack cover. I have a sleep sheet, for cheaposity in hostels. A PackTowl- I researched all the
varieties of
travel towels, and couldn't come
to a definitive conclusion about which was best.
PakTowl, which is all I've tried,
has a velvety,
synthetic feel, dries without pilling on a line or in
the dryer, is lightweight and packs small, and
feels strange when you're using it to dry off,
though this may be a characteristic of all pack
towels. Sunglasses,
which some guy in
Whitianga immediately broke upon my arrival
in New Zealand. A very abbreviated medical
kit which
packs inside my tupperware lidded mug (which I use for leftovers, coffee, and cooking). I consider Duct tape part of
my medical kit, but some people may forget theirs, so I'll mention it. I've even used mine for improvising a door
lock! Antiseptic wipes, an emergency whistle, teathered to my tiny flashlight, a pocket knife, bottle opener, bear, sketch pad, and
pencils.
The bear is pretty sure he knows what the most important piece of gear on the trip is.
Clothes:
Shoes: a pair of sturdy, tough walking shoes, which can
double as evening shoes when they need to. A pair of
running shoes. A pair of Chacos (essential for some hostel bathrooms, unfortuneately).
1 long skirt
1 dress
2 pairs of shorts; one running, one street pair.
2 pairs of long pants; one khaki,
one black.
1 long sleeve shirt
4 shirts
1 rainjacket
1 suit jacket
1 warm hat
1 swimsuit
Underwear and socks
I have a mix of 'travel clothes'
and regular clothes. The travel
clothes do
look better after being washed in a sink, and dry quickly, while the regular clothes may take 4 or 5 times as long to
dry, which is annoying.
The Tech Stuff:
I'm not going to even try to address the technology question. Its a personal issue; you need to decide it for
yourself. If you travel with expensive gear, you'll have to spend more time thinking (read: worrying) about it. It
makes your pack heavier, and makes you much more attractive to thieves. I've mitigated this by trying to be very
careful. But you can only do So much; I think there's at least a 30% chance I'll lose something this year. Beyond
that, you'll almost certainly have a technical problem. Period. Murphy's law makes it likely that it will be more
like problems. In addition to expected hassles involving power and connectivity, I'm at two just a month into my
trip. I think if I was doing a shorter expedition, I would have left the camera and laptop at home, bringing only a
sketchbook, pencil, and several pairs of clean underwear. (:
If you do bring your gadgets, make sure they are dual
voltage, to avoid extra baggage, as well as expensive repairs when you forget and plug it straight into the wall, as
well as plugs for any countries; you can buy as you go, but their about 3x more expensive, and you have to search for
stores that sell them- Also remember chargers. Or your phone will run
out of batteries, very, very quickly, likely when you're supposed to be calling someone to confirm you arrived
safely. Isn't it good that I was so prepared?
*I'm carrying an Acer TravelMate C100 Series tablet. It's the most important thing in my pack, without question.
Given the nature of my trip, my tablet is essential. I use it daily, for bookkeeping,
contact info, image storage,
writing, and
my journal. Using it, I'm able to keep a
record of all my sent and received
emails that I can access
off-line (until the
idiot in Alexandria deleted my mail
program-argh!), edit and store pictures,
keep my SIM card on
my cell phone
programmed and program my mp3
player.
Other than being highly useful,
its also very cool. I can (and currently am] writing with a pen on the screen. I was
able to afford it with the support of my corporate Sponsors, Smith-Parsons-Allen, whose annual parties (sometimes
rumored to involve jello brains and swimming wind-up body parts) I highly recommend. With the external CDRW and two
power cords, it weighs just under 3 pounds and is around 9.5/10/2".
*Nikon D100 As Pro digitals go, the D100 is light and economical. It's very exciting for someone who has only used a 30 y/o Minolta! It weighs, with the 28-105mm lens, 2 EN-EL3 batteries, a battery charger, and a Compact Flash card Reader, 3 lbs.
*Ericsson tri-band cell phone. This
model is abut four years old, and doesn't
look as neat as the newer ones which
made the technology accessible to me. Tri-band, so I can use it essentially everywhere,
it has an IR port so it can
interact with the
tablet, and is one of the first devices to be
blue-tooth enabled. Essentially. I can take
it to any
of 128 countries, buy a SIM card,
Stick it in, and I'we got a local number.
The phone and charger together weigh
about half a pound.
*Otis mp3 player This was a free
giveaway from Audible.com, whom, by
the way, sell downloadable programs of
Cartalk and various other
NPR stuff, as
well as a reasonable selection of books
and periodicals in mp3 format. This isn't really a necessity
for me, but it's nice to have to jog with, and doesn't make me feel quite so homesick when I can listen to Tom and
Ray a couple of times a week. Incidentally, if you like the programs, I got a pretty good deal: a year of Car Talk,
a month of Science Friday, an unabridged Stephen King novel, and a free Otis with a 12 month subscription (1
book/month) to Audible. I'm not sure if I'll keep buying after the year is done, but its a pretty good deal. They
provide reasonable customer service, though when the Otis died two weeks ago, their advice was pretty worthless
(please call customer service, and mail the Otis back, and when we get it, we'll mail you another one-oh my, you're
in New Zealand? We don't ship overseas...), and I ended up fixing it on my own. The Otis, firewire/USB plug, 4 AAA
rechargable batteries, and headphones weigh about a quarter of a pound.
I think that's it...though I'm sure I've missed something. Interested in something you read here? You'll probably (if you're lucky) find a link to it.
