What We Packed

Here is a complete pack list of every little thing we are bringing along. This will all fit in a backpack (approx 22 lbs) and shoulder bag each. We are packing as lightly as we possibly can but it seems like a lot of stuff! We are resisting the urge to think we can't get things on the road. It may be the funnest part of the trip to try and procure a new whatever from a local market.

Electronics:
Cameras (case, charger, extra battery, extra memory card)
Ipods (earbuds, usb charger)
Laptop (charger, travel mouse, lock, flash drive)

Travel Gear:
Money Belt
Keyed Lock (for lockers, backpack)
Silk Sleep Sack
Headlamp
Mini Calculator
Mini Sewing Kit
Swiss Army Knife* or Travel Corkscrew
Lighter*
Journals
Change Purse
Little bit of Duct Tape
Asst Safety Pins, Paper Clips, Rubber Bands
Black Sharpie
Ziploc Baggies
Plastic Spork

Sleep Aids:
Inflatable Neck Rest
Ear Plugs
Night Mask

Water Gear:
Sigg Water Bottles
Platypus 1 liter Bottles
Water Purification Tabs
Emergen C
Water Purifier

Laundry/Shower:
Dr. Bronner's All Purpose Soap
Conditioner
Travel Towels
Sink Stopper
Clothes Line
Razor (and replacement blades)

Sun/Bug Protection:
High SPF Facial Sunscreen
Spray Sunscreen
SPF 15 Lip Balm
Bandana
Ultrathon Insect Repellent

Personal Care:
Deodarant
Purelle
Travel Tissues
Q-tips
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Floss
Travel Brush/Mirror
Lotion
Freshette (best invention ever for females on the go!)
Nail Clippers
Talcum Powder

First Aid/Healthcare:
Mini First Aid Kit
Various OTC Medicines (Alleve, Ibuprofen, Cold/Flu, Anti- Diaherreal, Benadryl)
Prescribed Antibiotics and Anti-malerials
Bandaids
Oral Rehydration Salts
Visine and Saline Eye Drops

Rain Gear:
Hooded Rain Jackets
Travel Umbrella

Ali's Clothes:
Convertible Button Down Shirt
Fleece Zipper Sweater
Convertible Pants (to Capris)
Convertible Long Skirt (to Dress)
Two T-Shirts
Tank Top
Bathing Suit
Bra
Underwear x 4
Socks x 4
Merryl Light Hiker Sneakers
Chaco Sandals
Yoga Pants/Pajama Bottoms
Jewelry (watch, earrings, necklace)

Ron's Clothes:
Convertible Button Down Shirt
Fleece Zipper Sweater
Convertible Pants (to Capris)
Convertible Shorts (to Swim Trunks)
Extra pair of Shorts
Two T-Shirts
Thermal Underwear
Underwear x 4
Socks x 4
Sneakers
Chaco Sandals
Watch

Asst Documents:
Passport
Drivers Licence
ATM and Credit Cards
Extra Visa Photos
Travelers Business Cards (with our contact info)
Family Photos

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First Need XL Water Purifier

Dubbed the best portable water purifier for hiking and camping by Modern Outpost, we are hoping this doohickey will save us loads of money on bottled water simultaneously saving us from waterborne illness.

The specs on the First Need XL Water Purifier that make it special include a 0.1 micron filter that filters out all 3 classes of microbiological baddies, including cysts, bacteria, and viruses. JC has even purported such extreme uses as drinking water filtered through this purifier from rivers in Calcutta and Nepal, and has lived to tell tale. That gets my seal of approval!

And as an added bonus, I do hear that you get big biceps from filling a few containers a day so Ron has his daily workout regimen to look forward to. I’ll be sure to make him switch it up so he doesn’t come back all outta whack with one arm brawny and the other scrawny.

Yes, I am also a poet.

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Laptop

Check it out, my new laptop! It's an Asus Eee PC 904HA. Ron got it for my birthday so I can blog up a storm and stay connected to our family by skype via a built in webcam. And it's only 8.9 inches and under 2lbs so its mini-sized which is perfect for travel. It has 160 GB Hard Drive for our gazillion photos and a 6 cell battery which should last up to 5-6 hours of regular use.

So far I love everything about it except for the page up key is placed where the right shift key should be so as I write I end up the previous driving me crazy line and turning it into a jumbled mess. It's really I'm almost ready to just put everything in lowercase. See what I mean!

Edit: they no longer sell the version I originally bought but they have a new version ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005PE-MU27-BK that is 10.1" display with a larger 250GB hard drive. It even comes in colors: pink, white, blue, black. All for less than $350, you can't beat it as a traveling companion, and you can always stay connected!

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Cellphones

I must have spent 100 hours researching cellphones. Since we are going to so many countries it is not viable to buy local SIM cards as we go. So I've been looking at cells with best coverage and international roaming rates, cells for data only (email and internet access), and cells for emergencies only. All the options open seem clunky or way too expensive. The best I found was with Truphone where you can get a Truphone SIM with Local Anywhere that allows you to make local calls from hundreds of countries over VOIP for super cheap. The only catch is that it's not launching until later in the year.

So I think we have decided to forego the cell and travel the old fashioned way: with a guide book, our intuition, and the occasional germ infested pay phone.

We are still considering a phone just for emergencies which you can get for 50 bucks from recommended travel sites like Mobal. But is it worth it? Will you have coverage when you need it? And who you gonna call when you are lost in the Himalayas? Ghostbusters, that's who.

We are also going to do what was unthinkable a few months ago. And that is to cancel our current cell accounts at Verizon vs. keeping open a pay-as-you-go option that would cost about $120/each for the year we are away.

Ok, I've decided and Ron is not convinced since he has a lot of clients with his cell #. But what are the chances we come back and live in SF and he decides to continue restoration? At this point we think we may move from the Bay Area to a smaller town. Somewhere a little less hectic. Where we can buy a reasonably priced house with a wrap-around porch. And you don't have to wait in line in your car for 20 minutes to enter the parking lot at Trader Joe's, then wait for a parking spot, then wait your turn in the bread aisle, then wait in line to pay. I hate waiting to wait.

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Cameras

I opted for a small, lightweight point-and-shoot digital but Ron wanted a little more control over the final picture but more control makes it a bit more bulky for sure. We both got an extra battery pack and two SanDisk 8GB Memory Cards because I'm sure we'll be taking a zillion pictures.

Keeping those photos is another story altogether. I upgraded to a Flickr Pro account that allows unlimited uploads. The only snag? The uploads take forever! I uploaded one weekend worth of photos and it took over an hour. And that's on my PC with a blazing fast internet connection. I really don't want to spend the whole trip stuck in an internet cafe. I also got a Kingston 32 GB Flash Drive that I can archive some photos. But in the end we may have to take photos at a lower resolution, keep the best and dump the rest.

Ali's Camera: Canon Powershot SD990IS

14.7 Megapixel / 3.7x Optical / Optical Image Stabilizer / 2.5" TFT PureColor LCD / PictBridge / DIGIC 4 Image Processor / Face Detection / SD-HC Memory Card Slot



Ron's camera: Canon Powershot G10

14.7 Megapixels / 5x Optical, 4x Digital Zoom / 3.0" TFT Color LCD / PictBridge / Optical Image Stabilizer / 28mm wide-angle lens / SD-HC Memory Card Slot / Still and Movie

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Backpacks

Everything I've read lately gives the sage advice that you will be happier if you can take half as much stuff and twice as much money. The money is what it is at this point but we kept this firm in our minds when we bought our packs.

We decided to go for the smallest backpacks we could bare, and they are not yet fully packed and they are already almost full. This is going to be tough pickings to bring only the bare essentials but I think we will revel in the freedom if affords us. Being able to carry our packs on planes and buses. Not having to make a beeline directly to hostels and just not being so bulky we knock people over when we turn around. The 30-40L size backpacks is heavily recommended by Travel Independent a great site on travel.


We both ended up getting the same pack, a Deuter Futura Pro 42 pack from REI. Mine is blue, his is red. It's really comfy and the frame holds the pack away from your back which is a big plus if you sweat like me under exertion. There are a lot of compartments, on top and bottom, and one that opens between the two so everything is easily accessible. Also has a built in rain cover. I'm really loving it! But let's see after I've carried it a few months : )

Our goal is to keep the pack weight under 10 kg or 22lbs.

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