sybarites

Two pieces of advice governed our decisions on what to pack. The first is, “Lay out everything you plan to take with your on the bed. Throw half of it away and pack the rest. Double the money you take with you.” The second is that “You will only pack as much as you have room for; you will fill whatever size pack you have.” Ergo, I have 23 liters and Marc has 35 liters. We shall see.

Update: 10.23.06: Six months on the road and we are still holding to these two packs. They have been great and I don’t for a second wish we had more packing space.

Update: 05.08.07: For 10 months, we travelled with just these two packs. At that point, we needed to buy hiking boots for the trekking we planned to do in Patagonia and Peru. Thus, we bought a third small bag, a simple Samsonite knock-off. By the time we got home 2 months later, we had filled that extra bag with souvenirs and were carrying a souvenir leather briefcase.

I don’t regret for A SECOND having so little stuff and travelling extremely light. We bought many souvenirs along the way and just shipped them home: six packages, all arrived safe and sound. If I were to do it again, I wouldn’t do anything differently. It’s worth noting that the packs themselves held up exceptionally well and look as though they’ve barely travelled at all- mind, that may be because we used our pack-covers most of the time.

What follows is a list of everything we packed back in April 2005. (*) indicates an item obtained from MEC.

Janet’s Pack: Osprey Atmos 25 Quick-dry pants* Button-down collared shirt Lightweight long underwear shirt* Lightweight long underwear pants* 2 light, cotton t-shirts 2 quick-dry tanktops* Bikini Tank top for sleepwear 3 pairs of undergarments* 2 pairs of socks Waterproof Jacket* Lululemon zip-up hoodie Quick-dry skirt* Toque Sneakers (Merrell) Sandals (flip-flops) Sunglasses iPod; iPod armband ATM Card Credit cards (MC & AMEX) Money Belt Chamois towel* Toothbrush Deodorant Watch with alarm Plane tickets Passport Visa for China Driver’s license WestJet ID Health insurance docs, cards Immunization Documents Novel Rain cover for pack* Drysack for putting pack in checked luggage on planes* Flashlight, LED, battery-less Purse, small	Marc’s Pack: Osprey Atmos 35 3 quick-dry pants Pair of shorts Swim shorts Long-sleeved quick-dry shirt* Long-sleeved quick-dry collered shirt* 2 quick-dry t-shirts* Lightweight long underwear shirt* Lightweight long underwear pants* 3 pairs of underwear* 5 pairs of Tilley socks Waterproof Jacket* Light, zip-up sweater Toque Sneakers (Timberland) Sunglasses iPod ATM Card Credit cards (VISA & AMEX) Money Belt Chamois towel* Toothbrush Deodorant Plane tickets Passport Visa for China Driver’s license Health insurance docs, cards Immunization Documents Novel Rain cover for pack* Drysack for putting pack in checked luggage on planes* Flashlight, LED, battery-less Disposable Contacts and Contact Solution Glasses Hat/basball cap
Shared Items
Mini key locks Mini kleenex packs Safety pins Laundry line Sewing kit Ziploc bags Universal drain plug Messenger bag (in lieu of daypack) list of contact info and other numbers compass/alarm clock plastic knives, forks & spoons* mesh packing bags* Sony Vaio U50 Sony charger & cables Sony keyboard USB data key (128M) iPod charger iPod USB cable	Canon S50 camera with battery Extra camera battery Camera charger Camera USB cable 2 – 512MB compact flash cards Camera case 2 Universal power adapters Mini medical kit* Toothpaste Soap Shampoo Laundry soap Q-tips Mirror Nail clippers Zip ties Razors Contact cards Canada souvenirs

Update: 10.23.06: The following is a list of items that we’ve picked up along the way, some as replacement for items lost or damaged:

• traveller’s cheques (how did we leave home without?)
• shower shoes for each (a gift!)
• new camera, Casio Exilim, X5
• new shoes for Marc (Ecco)
• new button-down shirt for Marc
• capri-pants for Jan
• new pants for Marc
• small alarm clock
• guidebooks, phrase books
• novels
• sarong
• cashmere pashmina for Jan
• dress shoes for Jan
• new swim trunks for Marc (the old ones weren’t “European” enough)
• new T-shirt for Marc
• playing cards for Tarot
• new, smaller key lock (old one was too heavy)
• plastic cups for in-room happy hour
• several corkscrews, ditched when necessary for flying
• mini tripod for camera
• USB phone to use with Skype
• 3 umbrellas, 2 remain in our possession
• sunglasses for Jan

Even though we packed light, there were a few things we didn’t need and sent home:

• two pairs of Marc’s pants (stretched out and became too big for him)
• Jan’s button-down shirt (no iron = no point)
• Marc’s hat
• our old and broken camera, plus all accoutrements