Kit

The first few months were a learning curve while we reconciled what we thought we needed with what we actually used. After a few months shedding stuff and even posting home some of our kit we finally settled at about 18 kilos each and stayed there for most of the remaining two years. Four of those eighteen kilos consisted of electronics – laptops, tablets, phones, backup battery, camera, and all of the paraphernalia to make them work.

We each carried a 75/85 liter backpack and a 20 liter day pack. That’s a bigger pack than many people carry but Scott had to carry extra shoes (size 16) and clothes (4X) that you can’t find on the road. We used top loading backpacks rather than top/side loaders. A bit of a hassle sometimes but no worries about a blown zipper. We did some multi-day trekking but if that is not in your plans you could probably get along with a roller bag 98% of the time.

If you don’t use it on a regular basis, leave it home. If you don’t use it at least weekly or monthly it is not worth hauling around the world. It is easy to think aww it is only a few ounces but fifteen of those items adds up to real weight on your back day after day.

Some of the heavier items that seemed a good idea but which fell by the wayside:

• A lightweight backpacking tent. Just not enough call for it to justify the kilo-and-a-half unless trekking is the core of your trip. If you are in an area frequented by hikers and trekkers odds are you can rent it
• A mosquito net – could have been useful a couple of nights but not worth hauling for 800 days
• Bought a Pacsafe. Went home after a few months unused
• Carried a heavy multitool all the way but rarely used anything but the knife. A good small penknife would have been better. Maybe a travel bottle/can opener and corkscrew as well.

What emerged from our shakedown. The reality is that the proper kit is a function of your travel style and habits but for us…

Documents

• Passports
• Color copy of passports and visas. Both for security if they get stolen but also for everyday identification, Some sights require a passport for admission and will usually accept a photocopy, allowing you to leave the original document in a hostel safe or lockup.
• Scan or photograph passport and email to yourself
• A couple extra passport photos
• IDL (International Drivers License) if you are going to drive at all. Not required in many countries but enough of them that it is worth minor effort to obtain.
• Copy of travel insurance policy and a written record and photos of all valuable items you are traveling with. The way travel insurance companies avoid paying claims is by requiring a mountain of documentation that you cannot assemble while you are traveling unless you bring it with you. Make, model, serial number, when you bought it, where you bought it, and how much you paid.
• Hostel network membership cards that will get you discounts.

 

Clothing

We organized our tour to avoid the worst weather extremes. We were in plenty of hot places but we are from the American Southwest and no strangers to heat. On the other end we had some subzero camping in Mongolia and overnight lows on the Bolivian altiplano got down to minus 6 or 8 C but we never had to deal with sustained cold so we had no bulky cold weather gear, just thinner layers of thermal protection we could put on or peel off. Combined with a rain jacket and rain pants for cold and windy conditions they provided all of the protection we needed.

You can buy clothing anywhere in the world although more specialized outdoor items like a good rain jacket or rain pants or boots can be very expensive elsewhere.

• Two pair of shoes. You really need two for when one pair gets wet, blows out, or gets stolen. We ended up with a comfy pair of walking shoes and a pair of hiking shoes that do well as street shoes as well. Boots are too heavy unless they are on your feet all of the time or unless hiking and trekking is the main purpose of your trip.
• Shower or water shoes. Flip flops are easy to find, light and cheap, the true water sandals work fine for showers but can be more useful if you are spending a lot of time on the coast
• The obvious – pants, shirts, under-garments, socks, etc. In 26 months we went through about five or six changes of clothing but only carried two at any given time. You can buy regular sized clothing anywhere in the world so unless you are odd size (like Scott) or are very particular, buy as you go
• A light and a medium set of thermal tops and bottoms. When all combined with a street clothing outer layer and a rain jacket good for just about anything unless you are headed for serious cold
• Lightweight rain jacket
• Rain pants are not essential but useful for hiking and for thermal protection in windy cold and light enough to be worth carrying even if not in everyday use.
• Swimsuit
• Hat to keep sun off, another for thermal protection
• Gloves
• Scott had a travel vest with a lot of zippered pockets, most on the interior. Immune to pick pockets and perfect for carrying docs, cash, phone, etc on the street. Too warm for hot climes so it spent a lot of time folded away but where weather was cooler it was useful enough that it survived the whole trip

 

Personal

• Money belt or pouch
• Small laundry kit with a braided clothesline (no pins required) and with hooked suction cups on end, a small brush and a refillable tube for soap
• Small sewing kit – just a couple needles, thread and a couple buttons
• A spare pair of eyeglasses if you wear them. We actually went through three pair in 26 months, one left in a hostel room, another ruined by fumes coming off a volcano in Ethiopia.
• Lanyards if you wear eyeglasses
• One or two reusable grocery or market bags. Good practice in general, many countries are now outlawing plastic bags or making you pay for them
• A couple plastic trash bags to keep sometime odorous laundry from fouling everything else in the bag
• Small bottles for liquid toiletries. Much easier to manage in share baths and you can refill them from larger containers. A couple ziplocks are good for containing any spills from liquid toilettries
• A set of linen (extra charge in some places) or a sleep sack, or a sleeping bag. A lot of dodgy bed linen in cheaper places
• A small plastic plate and bowl and a couple pieces of cutlery (especially a decent knife) for impromptu meals

Health

• Small medical kit with scissors, a small selection of bandages and gauze, a few alcohol wipes, a couple packets of rehydration salts, a few swabs, a few iodine or chlorine water purifying pills. We had a lot more items in ours but this is all we ever used. It is for emergencies only – any of this stuff can be bought just about anywhere in the world.
• Besides any regular scrips you use all we ever really used was ibuprofen and rarely an over the counter antihistamine or decongestant. Our doctor wrote a scrip for two antibiotics generalized for intestinal and upper respiratory infections but we never touched them. We spent a year in malarial endemic countries but taking anti-malarials for that length of time is crazy (they all have side effects) and we came back unscathed. A lot of medications are available in some places but impossible to find in others. We earned a good deal of goodwill with a lot of locals just by giving them a couple of ibuprofen for headache or pain

 

Security

• Retractable cable lock to lash bags together in bus stations and on trains
• Small cable combo lock, useful for dorm lockers and if you pick a day bag with dual zippers on at least one compartment you can thread through eyes of zippers while on the street.

 

Electronics

• Plug adapter set, a decent one would have at least five or six. You can pick many up on the road if you are in an area frequented by tourists.
• Virtually all electronics now are dual voltage but check to make sure if you have an older device. Because of this transformers are no longer necessary
• A compact power bar with a couple outlets and a couple USB ports. One with surge protection sounds good but is a hassle especially if it is fused as they will constantly get blown. Most electronics step down voltage enough that only the most monumental surges can harm them
• A backup battery/charger is indispensable, especially if you get off the beaten track in Asia, Africa, or South America. Size is no determiner of capacity – find one compact with at least a 1000 mAh capacity.
• A pair of earbuds and if you are two or more a headphone splitter
• If you take a lot of photos consider a backup. You should keep your photos on at least two storage media and even better another copy on the cloud as you get access to a decent internet connection

Other

• A small drybag – ours was eight liters. Weighs next to nothing but can prevent water damage to electronics when on the water or even in torrential rain
• Small mesh bags are perfect for keeping small items together like charging cables or batteries, or SD cards or medications or a host of other things.
• A roll of electrical tape. Almost as useful as duct tape but far lighter.
• A couple candles and a disposable lighter (or two)
• A good small penknife
• A headlamp and a flashlight, rechargeable or with rechargeable batteries. Make sure the headlamp can’t get turned on while banging around in a bag or it won’t be available when you need it most. If it has a button on make sure it is deeply recessed. In the end our favorite was a headlamp with a twist on – not as handy to use but it never got accidentally discharged