On Planning
Plans are a double-edged sword. You need some planning to avoid aimless wandering, expensive last-minute international fares, and too much time in the internet cafe looking for a room at 10 PM. At the same time, plans can cramp things and inhibit the freedom of travel. We're trying to strike a happy balance -- we book long-haul international flights far ahead while leaving short-hop flights and other transport flexible. Doing this has several advantages. First, it lends a little structure to the experience - we know we'll have 9 weeks in New Zealand, for example. Second, it allows us to maximize frequent flyer awards and get creative with bookings (see below). At the same time, we are leaving big blocks of unstructured time to just wander around and enjoy being on the road (we have no agenda for those 9 weeks in New Zealand). Hopefully, this system will save us money, give us some semblance of order, reduce the hassle of buying tickets on the road, and still leave plenty of freedom. Time will tell...On Packing
Rule #1: bring less. Rule #2: you can buy things anywhere. Rule #3: you need less than you think. Adhering to these principles, we've successfully completed 3 week trips with day packs. Think about it: do you really ever need more than one pair of pants?
But traveling the world for a year with no fixed plan is a little different. Especially since we're planning to trek in remote areas like Patagonia, Nepal, and Mongolia where we need to be self-sufficient for weeks at a time and might be camping out in some rough conditions. So in addition to the usual travel kit we're bringing a full compliment of backpacking/camping gear but keeping it light at the same time. Here's what we carry:
Camping gear
- Tent: Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 3 - this is a lightweight three-person tent (about 3 lbs)
- Sleeping pads: Big Agnes, Q-core: these insulated gems are awesome and only weigh under a pound each
- Sleeping bags: Sea-to-Summit Talus 2 Sleeping bags - made with new "dry down" technology these work passably well in damp conditions and keep us warm in most conditions.
- Backpacks: Brook carries a Gregory Palisade (82 liters), Erin an Osprey Ariel (65 liters).
- Cooking: we use a MSR pocket-rocket canister stove and a 2.5 liter, non-stick pot. Two plastic sporks, and two mugs round out the kitchen. We also travel with Brook's proprietary all-nations-fusion-spice blend and some salt and pepper.
- Water treatment: SteriPen (which uses UV light to purify water) and iodine tablets (for backup; also the SteriPen won't work in murky water).
- Water bottles, camping knives, a first aid kit, and other assorted small items round out our camping gear.
Indispensable Things
- Waterproof stuff sacks.
- Lightweight day packs.
- 100% deet bug dope.
- Earplugs.
- Portable pharmacy with malaria meds, antibiotics, ibuprofen, stomach meds, benadryl, and a few things we hope we won't need.
Electronics
Electronics are heavy, need to be charged, and are theft targets. We bring nothing we can't part with and try to keep it simple. The world is full of laptops you can borrow, internet cafes, hotel business centers, friendly locals, and these things called land lines. So you don't need to cart around an entire office worth of computer gear. Here's what we have:- Headlamps
- 7-inch Google Nexus tablet (cheaper and smaller than a full-sized tablet with the same functionality)
- Kindle (the subject of much debate)
- Nikon D5100 DSLR camera with Tamron 18-270 VR lens. Lots of memory cards.
- iPhone. We mainly use this on wi-fi when travelling, but can also convert it into an in-country mobile phone by purchasing a SIM card when we need to. For international communications we use email, Skype, and Google+ hangouts.
Clothing
Bring what you think you need, but remember that you need less than you think. Generally, we find that 5-6 days worth of clothing (with a bit of recycling) is all you ever need. The key is to eliminate redundancy and make sure you have multiple layers you can add or remove as the temps shift. We bring only wool and synthetic clothing -- no cotton, which takes forever to dry and gets dirty fast. We're big fans of Ibex and Patagonia. Here's a basic list that covers us from hot beaches to cities to high-altitude trekking destinations:
- Shoes: hiking boots, Chaco sandals, and trail runners. Nothing fancy.
- Bottom: One pair lightweight synthetic travel pants, one pair synthetic hiking pants, one pair hiking shorts (Erin combines these last two in the form of zip-off trousers), one pair athletic shorts (for running, biking, yoga, etc.).
- Top: Brook: 3 wool t-shirts, 2 button-up shirts (one short and one long sleeve), one Ibex wool hoodie, one Patagonia Down Sweater; Erin: 4 wool t-shirts, one lightweight dress, one Ibex wool pull-over, L.L. Bean down coat.
- Unmentionables: Ibex woollies base layers, 4-6 pairs underwear each (synthetic), 4-5 pairs of socks each (wool).
- Other: full rain gear (coat and pants), gaiters, baseball hat, wool cap, fleece gloves, bathing suits.
All of our clothing (except the shoes and rain gear) fits into a single medium sized stuff sack about the size of a child's book bag, then compresses down to something resembling a lumpy rugby ball.
As for packing, we've debated this endlessly but are setting off with our hiking backpacks stuffed with everything listed above. We each have lightweight day packs to use around town and as carry-on bags. We also each have a lightweight sac to protect the backpacks when checking them through on airlines, which we can also use to store stuff at hostels, etc. Brook's pack (fully loaded) weighs about 40-45 lbs, and Erin's about 30-35.
As for packing, we've debated this endlessly but are setting off with our hiking backpacks stuffed with everything listed above. We each have lightweight day packs to use around town and as carry-on bags. We also each have a lightweight sac to protect the backpacks when checking them through on airlines, which we can also use to store stuff at hostels, etc. Brook's pack (fully loaded) weighs about 40-45 lbs, and Erin's about 30-35.
