BootsnAll Travel Community

I just weighed my filled pack.

15 pounds?

And that's with 2 travel guides and 3 paperbacks! Why so light?

Maybe I should be patting myself on the back instead of getting all anxious, but I'm leaving Tuesday for my first RTW, so anxiety gets to reign. This is a 4 month RTW, to all warm/hot places: SE Asia, India, Dubai, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco.

The list looks like a lot, but most of the stuff is teeny tiny and takes up almost no room.

PACK (40L top-loader - Osprey Stratos, I think)

DAYPACK (tiny little thing I've used to bring lunch to work for years)

MONEYBELT

CLOTHES
1 pr long pants (I'll be wearing this)
1 pr shorts
2 long-sleeve shirts
2 short-sleeve shirts
3 pr boxers
3 pr socks
sandals
shoes (I'll be wearing these)

ELECTRONICS
point and shoot digital camera, extra battery & mem card
charger & plug adapter
2 thumb drives
travel alarm
head lamp

HEALTH
antimalarials (doxy)
cipiro
iodine tablets
40% deet
dayquill
ibu
bandaids

TOILETRIES
toothbrush and paste
couple razors
nail clipper
deodorant
soap
travel towel
tiny mirror

DOCUMENTS
passport
ID
dive card
dive insurance card
travel insurance card
vaccination card
plane tix
passport photos
dive log
2 guide books (first two stops)

LIL THINGS
notepads and pen
earplugs
compass/thermometer gidgit
tape
phrasebook
multitool
2 lil padlocks

FUN THINGS
15 puzzle (tiny, and relaxing for me)
disc (I'm big into ultimate frisbee)
3 books

MONEY
cash ($300 ?)
3 different credit/debit cards

I don't think I'm missing anything crucial? I'm fully planning to buy things like clothes en route. Is 15 pounds not as light as I think? Everyone else seems to be racking up 27 or so.

I'm leaving in a day and a half

oh boy,
Jake

Thats good. I normally am around 18 lbs. but with some things for cold weather. But how does yours fill a 40L?? Or is it just half empty?

I am so glad to hear that Brambles. (By the way, I love Les Mis).

How does it fill a 40L pack? It doesn't. But that's the size of the pack I have.

Which is fine, frankly, since I find travel easier when I have wiggle room. Souvenirs and whatever else take up some room, but mostly, I like being able to throw everything in willy nilly, give it a good shove, and not worry about space so much.

okay, off to bed,
Jake

We have more weight than you but we are carrying sleeping bags and Freezing Cold Weather gear (think winter in Mongolia) and stainless steel plates and a mathematics textbook and watercolours......your load sounds perfect for warm weather/no kids. Tho I personally couldn't go without a journal to write in.

Have a blast.

No music? Maybe add one more short sleeve shirt, since you'll be sweating through one each day. If you're fine doing laundry every night that's cool. Ultimately, I think you've taken people's comments to heart and will be leagues ahead of us who carry around 40 pounds.

I've gone with 1 pair pants and 1 pair shorts or skirt before and only had one problem. When I want to wash them I have to wear the shorts, and that doesn't fly in cold places (you said you might go up by Nepal). They don't always dry in one day in cold places if there's no direct sunlight. If you run into this problem you can always buy more pants or get a pair made for you. So I'd go with what you have, knowing you might want an extra pair along the way.

Have fun!

I get nervous when there's only one pair of pants. What do you wear while that's being washed? Wearing shorts will not be acceptable in some of your destinations. And is one of your long sleeve shirts warm enough for a cold night? If you plan on spending any time in the desert, you'll find you want a decent sweater.

Thanks so much for your comments. I bet I get 2 hours of sleep tonight.

My attitude seems pretty aligned with Megan's comments(BungleGirl): if I find I need another shirt, or pants, or something warmer, or whatever, I'll buy it as needed.

RE PANTS: I'm tempted to bring another pair, but except that one pair, my pants are all cargos or khakis or jeans. Definitely not for hot weather, and they take forever to dry. So even though I expect y'all are right and I'll want a second pair, I'll cross that bridge later.

RE MUSIC: Believe me, if I had a way to bring music, I would. I fully expect some lonely times, or just plain bored times, when some blues would make me feel at home. But unless the iPod fairies plunk one under my pillow tonight...

RE MONEY: Nobody commented on it, but I'm wondering if I shouldn't up my money belt from $300 USD to $500 or so. Part of me cringes at the idea of that much cash on my body, but I'd hate to be stuck without. My finances here are better than I'd hoped at this point (sweet!), but accessing my money from abroad leaves me a little nervous.

I just raided my folks' closets for last-minute things (sunscreen, antihistamines), and apparently my mom has several Pack-It cube things. Too cheap to buy 'em myself, but they seem a big improvement from the ziploc party I had going on before. Cool!

22 hours 'til go time.

-Jake

The only warning I have about the pants is when I went to Thailand like that I wound up getting tar or something on the backside at a beach that would not wash out, then a good sized tear. I'm a bigger guy and had a heck of a time finding pants that would fit. They seemed to max out at about 34" waist, and that's a real 34". Some pants in the US are actually several inchest bigger than they say on the label. I eventually found some poorly constructed cargo pants in Bangkok, which was fine for the plane ride home but I wouldn't want to be stuck with them for an extended period. I suppose going to a tailor would have been an option.

I'd add some immodium to the medications list. You can buy them anywhere, but when you want them you want them quick you know?

I'd ditch the travel towel in favor of a sarong, which you can pick up on SEA. Use it as a towel, sheet, blanket, or wear it while you're washing the shorts and pants at the same time

In general you seem well prepared. Relax, and have a blast!

As for money the only place I can imagine it being a problem is Ghana. If you're going to a small town anywhere just plan ahead so you have enough local currency. Where you're going (assuming no Myanmar) you can get money from an ATM and pay in local currency for most things. You'll use dollars for visas.

If you run out of dollars you can exchange them at a bank in Delhi, Bangkok, Cairo etc. It will cost a little in conversion but better than freaking out and hiding dollar bills in inconvenient places.

I also have problems getting clothes when I'm traveling but I'm pretty picky, chubby and have a big chest. If you're average size (for a European) you should be fine. I didn't say anything because you look average sized in your photo. If you're going to have clothes made you won't find moisture wicking/quick dry/ or stretchy fabric. Your best bet is finding knock off North Face-type stuff for pants and go for cheap local shirts. Be careful with any clothes bought in India. The fabric dye bleeds forever... I've had stuff bleeding on the rest of my clothes for 6 months after I bought it.

Thanks again for all the comments.

RE IMMODIUM - You're absolutely right, Reducto. I'll grab some tomorrow before I head to the airport.

RE MONEY - I'll have $300 in my belt, $100 in my wallet, and we'll see what happens.

RE TRAVEL TOWEL - If I find a sarong, and it's better than the travel towel, I'll ditch the travel towel. No worries there.

RE PANTS - Hmmm. My waist is 32", so that's no problem, but I am 6'2". Though it's not like I have a nice lightweight option here, anyway. Come to think of it, I have a pair of grey cargos that are... well, they're not heavy. Still, if it's 90 degrees out (which is conservative), they'll be way too hot, but won't all pants? Similarly, they'll take forever to dry, and it's monsoon season; but again, won't all pants?

I'm actually pretty tired. Maybe I will get a night's sleep. Of course, with the impending 12 hour time change, I'm not sure if that's a good thing...

-Jake

Yeah, have the immodium ready on long road trips! I'd pack some painkillers too, just in case.

I'm jealous of your discipline--I always manage to fill my 50l pack, if mostly with light stuff (normal travel weight ca. 9kg).

Another pair of lightweight long pants may not go amiss; I often find good stuff in charity shops.

I also tend to carry a lightweight rainproof jacket and travellers' cheques for emergencies in parts where there are no ATMs (or they don't work).

quote:

Still, if it's 90 degrees out (which is conservative), they'll be way too hot, but won't all pants?

Depends on where. In a damp heat, like SE Asia, that's probably true, but in desert countries like Egypt and Morocco, breathable pants are the way to go, and not just because they're socially acceptable. They keep the sun off, so you feel cooler. The only problem I had with pants is one of my pairs was a little long in the crotch, which could get uncomfortable. Other than that, had no problems at all in the middle east, where 35ºC was a pleasantly cool day.

Cash wise, I think you'll be fine.

We took €250 and $120 with us in the money belt, and had an emergency $100 bill sewn into my day pack. I never touched the emergency bill, the US cash was used on planned expenses (Turkish visa, ferry fare between Egypt and Jordan), and the euros were enough for locations in Syria where there wasn't an ATM, but we did have to leave one town in Greece according to our planned schedule (instead of staying a day longer, as we would have liked), because at that point we'd used up our cash supply, and it would have been a full day excursion to get more. I'd walked right past an ATM on our way out, so that was my own fault for thinking "nah, we've got enough, and it's our last stop in the country."

Thanks to all for your help.

I ran to REI this morning and bought a pair of lightweight, dry-more-quickly-than-jeans pants.

I gotta shower and pack and then off to the airport!!

5 hours!

-Jake

Actually I was thinking you might rather have another pair of shorts, since you're sticking with the hot countries. I went with one pair for quite a while but then got another and that was better. Convertible pants are good, or you could just take one pair convertibles and one pair shorts. You'll still be light. Congrats.