Packing Predicament
So what does one pack for six months of backpacking abroad? The following is my best attempt.
I ended up with a 40 lb (18 kg) rucksack and a 20 lb (9 kg) backpack and feel entirely conflicted. Simultaneously, I feel like I packed too much and not enough; or more specifically that there are key items I forgot and will inevitably need. For example, just during my short shuttle ride from the hotel to the ATL airport, I ran through about 20 different scenarios in my head in which I could use a roll of duct tape, which I immediately regretted not packing. But I have to keep reminding myself, I’m not surviving in the wilderness a la Peter Matthiessen trekking through Nepal in search of a Snow Leopard in the 1970s, so if I forget or need to jettison a few things, it’s not the end of the world, or more importantly, the end of my adventure.
I’m doing so many different things in so many different places that I ended up retrofitting the packing process after planning the majority of my trip. Here’s what made the final cut into my rucksack:
• 4 pairs of pants
(2 pair work/hiking pants, 1 pair casual khakis, 1 pair casual genie pants)
• 2 pairs shorts: 1 cotton and 1 nylon
• 1 shorter dress
• 1 long maxi dress
• 1 skirt
• 4 button up long sleeved shirts
• 1 flowy, tunic shirt
• 1 t-shirt (I will inevitably acquire at least one more during my trip as a souvenir or something)
• 2 tank tops
• 5 pairs socks
• 4 pairs shoes (boots, flip flops, Vibram five fingers, Birkenstocks)
• 2 bras
• 14 pairs underwear
• 2 bikinis
• 1 multi-purpose tropicolored scarf/sarong
• 4 pairs yoga pants
• 2 sports bras
• 3 athletic yoga tops
• 4-piece pajama set: tshirt, boxers + flannel top & bottom
• 1 trucker hat
• 1 silk sleeping bag from my sister
• 1 yoga mat + towel in its own canvas bag which is tethered to my rucksack
Then of course there’s my customized mini-pharmacy and a collection of full sized toiletries that I’m hoping will last me for 6 months, each in their own 10" x 7" x 3" nylon bags.
My backpack is filled to the brim as well with:
• Laptop + charger
• Gopro camera + accessories
• Water bottle + water purification backups
• Walden by Henry David Thoreau
• Rain Jacket
• Umbrella
• Zip up hoodie
• Glasses + case
• Sunglasses + case
• Small hard drive
• `Inflatable neck pillow
• Universal power adaptor
• Mini sketchbook + Micron pens
• Collapsible silicone cup
• Reusable bamboo utensil set
• Phone charger
• Extra socks
• Feminine supplies
• Wet wipes
And last but certainly not least, my black nylon Kate Spade travel purse with my passport, phone, wallet, small towel, lip balm & hand sanitizer.
It really doesn't seem like a lot but it's incredibly awkward every time I swing that heavy sack onto my back and all together I'm carrying about half my bodyweight in gear and supplies. By the end of this trip, I'm either going to have a hernia or Hulk-sized trapezius muscles.