All Packed Up!

After months of searching online, reading blogs, buying things at REI, returning things to REI, and generally spending more money than we ever thought was possible to fill one bag, we have our packs ready. We have required 6 months of clothing, supplies, and journaling equipment for our travels. Lightweight, quick-drying, durable, and UV protecting was the name of the game. We have also invested in some gadgetry including a full complement of semi-pro photography gear for myself.

Divided into categories, here is what we have packed and sometimes why we have chosen it. This will be a work in progress until we leave! When we return, we will include reviews of the things that worked best.

Most things were purchased from REI.com or Amazon.

Packs/Camping-like Gear:

• Gregory Jade 50L (Michelle) & Gregory JetStream 65L (Ethan) - Best fits for us both, hard frame and do fit in the overhead bin in planes (we have tried this recently). We considered going smaller, but the packs are compressable, so if we just don’t fill them then they will be smaller.
• Portable kitchen sink: for washing our clothes when a clean sink isn’t available.
• Clothesline: for drying our clothes. Has no pins, just two interwoven cords.
• 100% DEET
• Day packs: REI Flashpack 19 that can double as a stuff sack. A Golite 30 L pack (really light with no frame and a removable foam back). The Golite bag has a drawstring top which means that my long tripod can fit in the pack and is completely covered! Both have camel back slots.
• Platypus Big Zip SL 3 L camel backs.
• Steripen and iodine tablets just in case.
• Thermolite sleeping bags (rated to 30 F).

Clothing:All clothing was purchased for is SPF, quick drying, lightweight, and insect repellent character.

• 1 Tilly wide-brim hat.
• 1 Baseball cap with a neck protector (DORKY, but skin-cancer free!)
• Ex-Officio women’s undergarments.
• Eastern Mountain Sports male undergarments (much more comfortable than the Ex-Officio stuff).
• 3 Ex-Officio long sleep shirts with and without insect repellent for each of us.
• 2 pairs of REI brand pants.
• 1 lightweight dress
• Smartwool socks (3 pairs).
• One pair of Keen sandals and one pair of Merrill all-purpose shoes.
• Bathing suits.
• Sierra Rain Jackets (they fold into a very, very small little package and are warm).
• Wind-protectant fleeces.
• Eddie Bauer base layers.
• Timex digital watches and a cheap plastic Rite-Aid purchased clock with a loud alarm clock.

Gadgetry:

• Ipod for carrying music (if it gets stolen, so be it!)
• Multi-country adapters.
• Car adapter for camera batteries.
• 2 Kindles pre-loaded with books and travel guide chapters (only the information chapters and for cities that we do not have guides for) from LonelyPlanet.com
• Audio-technica QuietPoint earbuds - great sound quality with noise-canceling!

Toiletries:We purchased toiletries to be environmentally conscious (to phosphates, etc.) as well as for space and liquid minimization.

Lush bar shampoo (amazingly, it works well unlike all of the no water or all-purpose shampoo/soaps that we have tried).
Sunscreen (30 SPF).

Security/Important Storage:

• Pacsafe belt for spare money (the money goes inside the belt) and memory cards.
• Pacsafe metal netting to store bags while sleeping. This system probably attracts more attention then it should, but it prevents petty theft.
• Silk neck passport and spare cash holders.
• Wallet loaded with some money to placate any muggers.
• Dry bag for storing chargers and electronics.

Camera and Accessories:

• Canon 5d mark ii
• Speedlite 480
• Canon 100-400 mm IS L
• Canon 17-40 mm L
• Canon 24-105 mm IS L
• Canon 1.4X II EF extender with the pins taped so that the autofocus works.
• Gitzo tripod (GT0531) - super light and supports my camera fully.
• Two quick-release bases for the camera and the 100-400 mm lens.
• A magnesium fully rotating ball head with levels and the ability pan.
• Lowepro Bum Pack for storage (use the neck strap for stabilization) - holds the camera, the small lenses, a flash, and accessories.
• Lowepro Sliplock case 4 for 100-400 mm lens storage. The ring tripod attachment always remains on.
• Lowepro Sliplock case 1 for the small lenses (fits both the 17-40 mm and 24-105 mm) in case I want take it out of the bum pack.
• Vortex Media Storm Jacket for rain protection.
• A cheap clicker for hands-off shooting.
• B&W haze filters on each lens and one polarizer.

Weight Considerations: tripod setup is ~3 lbs and the 100-400 mm lens is also ~3 lbs. Both add to the weight of the pack, but the tripod is as light as one can get, and the 100-400 mm is a must-have for safari. Overall, with all accessories and bags, the camera adds almost 17 lbs to the total weight of my packs.

Batteries: 5 spare off-brand batteries (they don’t show the charge left on my screen, but they work and were only $15/battery instead of $60/battery).

Memory storage: Because the 5d mkii records ~300 pics/8 gb card when shooting in the highest quality RAW, I will take pictures in both the smallest JPEG for internet cafe downloading and the highest quality. I have purchased many 133X Kingston cards to store pictures.