The Things I Carry

I was packing up the other day when I realized how little of the stuff in my suitcase now were things I started out with.  So I thought I’d go through my bag as I packed things up, and talk about some of the cool things I’ve bought or replaced, and what is standing the test of time.

Lana’s Gear

I’m a little late to the gear party, but I’m finally buckling down and putting together a post of what I’m taking with me.  Brace yourself, this one is going to be a little lengthy. As David said in his post, when we were daydreaming about this trip for months, we read a lot of blogs that had posts about what people took:  their bags, their clothes, their electronics, etc. For some reason those posts are very popular. But they got me through the planning phase, and I took a lot of tips from various bloggers, so I thought I’d throw in my own two cents. We will probably make some changes down the road (this road trip portion of the journey is a perfect time to do that). I’ve already discovered one of my shirts is totally see-through, which prompted a quick trip to Target this morning. When you only have six shirts, and one is essentially sheer, you’ve got to do something about it, and quick.
So here we go. In looking at this picture I’m realizing I have a lot of black items with me, which is good because it goes with everything and generally hides dirt, but bad because we’re traveling through a perpetual summer as we drift from the southern to northern hemisphere. Imma gonna cook. So that, coupled with the see-through shirt, may have this looking a bit different by the time we take off for Ecuador in October, but here’s what I’ve got right now.
 
Starting from top left and going clockwise, spiraling to the center of the photo:
I’ve got a couple of packing cubes from Eagle Creek; the smallest one is filled with knickers (6 pairs);
The largest one is filled with my running kit: 2 pairs running shorts, 1 short sleeve shirt, 1 tank top, 2 running bras, 3 pairs of socks, headphones, RoadID, sunglasses, and running hat, GPS watch (unpictures because I forgot it at home) and charger;
Bottoms in 3 lengths:  1 pair shorts, 1 pair capris, 1 pair long pants that roll up;
A little black dress, a black skirt that can be longer (below knee) or shorter (above knee) if you roll the waistband over, and even a short swim cover-up that ties around your neck. It’s from Patagonia.
A little black cardigan.
Travel towel in pouch.
Cotton hoodie.
3 bras (one black, one white, one nude)
The medium packing cube on the left is filled with shirts (4 short sleeve and 2 now 3 tank tops—that purple striped one is the one you can see straight through. Fun for the whole family!). I have found the Gap Body line of shirts to be easy to wash and quick to dry, and I’ve got a couple of other Old Navy shirts that have a little stretch. Cotton shirts don’t dry as well and they don’t re-shape as well as some with a little lycra
Two long and narrow packing cubes, the one on the left including swimsuits (2), pareo, large brimmed hat (I love the Wallaroo ones made in Boulder), and the one on the right including cold/wet weather gear, including a North Face rain jacket, Lululemon leggings, a pair of lightweight gloves, and a long sleeved hooded running tech tee from REI, good for running in cold weather, or as an additional layer
And in the center, a pair of capri sweats from C9 Target and a racerback Nike tanktop to use as pajama/cover-up when tramping to and from the bathroom in campgrounds and hostels where we have to share a shower. See regular sleepwear below
Cheap Kenneth Cole Reaction sunglasses (unpictured)
Next, the shoes. Starting from the top left and going clockwise:

Running shoes: for our road trip portion, I just bought my regular running shoes (Mizuno Wave Inspire 8), but I’ve got a pair of Salomon trail running shoes that I’ll be taking on the around the world portion.
Toms (love my Toms—they’re so comfy. I’m using my current gray pair on the road trip, but I’m saving a red pair for the RTW leg.)
Keens for hiking, water shoes, etc.
Pair of cheap highly squishable black flats
Flip-flops for showers, hostels, and beaches
I realize this is 2-3 more pairs of shoes than most people take, and I may get rid of the black flats, but they pack so flat it doesn’t make much difference to throw them in.
Next up, toiletries, again clockwise:

Babyliss travel blowdryer. In my normal travels, I often don’t bring a blowdryer because most hotels have them. This one is teeny tiny but it works really well.  And I defy you to find a campground with a blow dryer.
Tom’s toothpaste (using up the big tube)
Folding toothbrush
Brush (this one is huge, but I haven’t found a good small brush)
Suave dry shampoo
Bumble & bumble shampoo and conditioner
Face wipes
Makeup—tinted moisturizer, eyeliner, lipgloss, lip balm
Sunscreens—50 spf, 100 spf, 30 spf for my face
antiobiotic cream, razors, deodorant and soap
Bumble & bumble thickening spray, gel, comb
Two large hair clips, hairbands and bobby pins (in the small tin)
Clippers, tweezers, nail file
Unpictured:  separate kit of medications (benadryl, sudafed, immodium, petpo, maloxx, bandaids), aloe vera gel, bug wipes, sunscreen wipes (we’re big on sunscreen in the Bump household).
All of this fits in my Jansport toiletry kit, which I absolutely love and have had since about 2005. I weep for the day it fails, but for now I always use it when I travel. I’ve tried other similar toiletry kits, but none come close. I can hang it anywhere, there is a separate zipper pocket, a middle mesh pocked and a small top pocket that holds the hook and is great for small things that always fall to the bottom, like hair ties and your toothbrush.
Simple sleep kit:

Coolmax sleep sheet that zips together with David’s made by his seamstress genius of a mother (thanks Jean!)
Pillowcase made from the same material. The pillow will stay behind on the RTW portion, but we’ll stuff the pillowcase with clothes to use as a pillowcase if necessary.
Tank and boxers
And finally (and again clockwise), my gear. Although some of this stuff is really David’s gear, but I’ll be carrying it in my backpack per his backup strategy post. Have you read that one yet? And you’re still awake? I kid, but I’m grateful he thinks about this stuff so I don’t have to.

Secondary backup hard drive and SATA-USB adapter,
Outlet expander with 2 USB ports and 3 plugs
Network cable
Micro USB charger
Camera battery charger
Retractable auxiliary input cable
Lenovo laptop and power supply
Canon 310HS camera
Crappy LG cellphone
Samsung portable media player
Bubi bottle (see David’s post for what it looks like squished down and rolled up)
Headphones
Travel journal and pen
Petzl headlamp
Micro USB charger (yes, another one—one in each bag. Almost everything charges on micro.)
Kindle fire for games, books, magazines, internet backup, etc.
Our bags:
David’s already linked to these in his post, but we each have an eBags weekender bag (mine is the blue one you can see the top of below), which has lots of handles, backpack straps and a shoulder strap to boot. We’ve traveled with them a couple of times and they easily fit in the overhead space on flights. We also each have an Osprey Quasar backpack(the green one at the edge of the shot), which is sturdy but has lots of pockets and a chest and waist strap. I like the cinches on each side which cinch the sides down nicely. I currently have a lot of stuff in my eBag, and my backpack is actually kind of empty, aside from the laptop and my camera. I also picked up an inexpensive canvas/cotton messenger bag style purse at Target, which packs down to nothing but is a lot less conspicuous in cities rather than traipsing around with a backpack. It slings across my waist or can be cinched up under my arm like a regular purse, and it’s got good pockets for stashing various items.

And that’s it. It’s a lot of stuff, and it’s very heavy, so it’ll be interesting to see what we jettison by the time we leave for Ecuador in October. Right now since we’ve got lots of cargo space, it’s easy to just throw a couple of extra things in. But that’ll change.  I know we’ll let stuff go as we travel. So far the only thing I’ve added is a black tank top to camouflage the see-through one.  I know how disappointed you all are.
So I’m curious. You’ve seen and heard what we’re bringing—are we crazy? Is there anything we forgot that we should bring? Or what would you say to donate to the nearest Goodwill and godspeed?  Let us know!

The Rest of David’s Gear

While planning what to take on our trip, I read a lot of gear posts from other travelers.  Some photographer-specific articles gloss over the soft-goods like clothes, but given the volume and weight of the photo gear they describe, I wonder if they’re taking anything but the clothes on their back and possibly a change of underwear that doubles as padding around a particularly expensive lens.  Lana and I settled on six changes of clothes to give us some flexibility on where laundry day falls, depending on either timing or facilities (mostly a good location or weather for drying, as we can hand wash nearly anywhere).  I picked clothes that were quick-drying and light weight/small volume foremost, but also durable, since I’d like them to last a year if possible, and buying 36” inseam pants is tricky in some parts of the world.
I already listed my photo/electronics gear previously, which is all stored in my black Osprey Quasar 30L backpack; all of the gear below fits in my carry-on, a red eBags Mother Lode TLS Weekender.

From middle left, clockwise:

• 2 pair pants (navy and tan; REI)
• 2 pair shorts (synthetic blend, tan—one not pictured, being worn) with custom hidden pockets sewn in by my very generous mother with some assistance by me, on the easier, hand-sewn portions
• 1 pair light running shorts (navy)
• 6 pair ExOfficio briefs
• 6 pair socks (RoadRunner DryMax)
• 6 shirts; 4 short sleeve and 2 long.  All synthetic blends (one being worn; mix of REI, Eddie Bauer, and Columbia)
• 2 tech t-shirts for running or for layering (grey & white, on top of shirts above)
• 1 sleep sack, made by my mother out of CoolMax; it zips to Lana’s to form a double when needed/possible
• 1 pillow case, ditto.  Not pictured; for the road trip, it is also filled with a down pillow
• 1 pair boxers on top of the sleep sack
• 1 mostly crushable, and very breathable sun hat (Henshel Breezer)
• 1 light-weight zippered cardigan fleece (black, below hat)
• 1 pair swim trunks (blue, on fleece)
• 1 rash guard for sun protection while snorkeling, or layering (grey, on top of trunks)
• 1 pair light-weight tights for cold weather (black, in same stack above)
• 1 microfiber towel (top right)
• 1 rain jacket (grey, in stuff sack; Sierra Designs)
• Travel first-aid kit
• Sunglasses
• Travel Braun electric razor (2 AA, so no bulky recharger to pack)
• Bubi flexible silicone water bottle (blue, with silver carabineer)
• Toiletries in quart zipper bag (folding toothbrush, deodorant, soap, shampoo, short comb, chapstick, acid-reducer pills and anti-histamines)
• Toothpaste (using up the > 3 oz. tube on the road trip)
• Travel clothes line (braided elastic)
• Ecco Trail IV low leather and Gore Tex breathable/waterproof shoes
• Nike trail shoes, the bulkiest concession I’ve made; I am replacing my daily 8 mile ride with a 3-4 mile run with Lana each morning
• Bill-capped running hat
• Flip-flops (beaches, public showers)
• Tom’s Cordones, for a flat-packing, lighter/cooler shoe option

What to take with you when you travel around the world

David's done a couple of posts already about the gear he's taking, and I'll do one too once I'm reunited with all my trip stuff, which is currently scattered across Northern Colorado. I kid. It's just in Loveland at my mother-in-law's, and in Eaton at my parents' house, but I currently have no idea where most of it is.

But in the meantime, I thought I'd give you (and myself) some advice on what to take with you that doesn't go in a bag.

• Take kindness. It's easy to think that everyone is out to get your money or rip you off. People are the same everywhere. Everyone wants to be valued. Everyone wants to be acknowledged. Everyone wants to be treated fairly.
• Bring a smile. It'll get you further than almost anything.
• Take a sense of wonder. It's easy to get into the "Oh, another temple/waterfall/lemur<--not likely! But there is no sense in seeing the world if you're going to dismiss it as "Been there. Done that."
• Take gratitude for the experience. You are so very lucky to have this opportunity. Be thankful for it.
• Take an open mind and open heart. You never know what's around the corner. Some of the best experiences come from the unexpected. Be ready for anything. Expect it. Embrace it.
• Bring along everyone you know. (That's what the blog is for!) Your family, your friends, your co-workers and neighbors and the people you ride the bus with every morning. You're going to need them when the going gets rough and the world seems lonely.
• Take some honesty. Things will be hard, you will fight with your traveling companion, there will be times when all you want to do is curl up read a book. Own it, embrace it, do it.
• Take your time. You have a whole year. Don't rush. Wander.
• Bring your silly. Thoughtfulness has a place on this trip, but seriousness doesn't.
• Take your courage. Be brave. Be brave. Be brave.

And finally, some things you should leave behind.

• Leave your assumptions about cultures and people behind.
• Leave your comfort zone. Eat something crazy. Do something you might not like. Even if you don't, I promise it'll make a good story.
• Leave your grouch, your grumble, your inner curmudgeon. It will follow you, it will find you, but just remember to stop and eat something. Because generally it's blood sugar related (this one is definitely for me to remember).
• Leave your expectations you carry from the last time you stepped out your door. This is not like that one time. You don't want it to be.
• Leave your fear behind. I'm not talking about strutting down dark alleys. But as I said above (and it bears repeating): be brave.
• Leave your mascara. Chances are good you'll sweat it off or cry it off anyway. For that matter all of your armor, in whatever way you put it up.
• Leave some breadcrumbs. You'll be back eventually. Take care that you have some place to land on the other side of your year.

I love The Holstee Manifesto below. It's advice we can all take. It got me through many moments of uncertainty in the last few months.

 

The Holstee Manifesto

Today is my last day at work, and my eyes are brimming.  The leaving is finally happening. I thought it would never come and now it's here. But the going is coming (yes, I know that makes no sense) and I'm ready to be on my way.