Egad! Too much? Not enough? With less than 48 hours I have to commit to the contents of my backpack:
The Essentials
- Mr. Bacon
- MEC Ibex 65L pack
- Messenger bag for walking around
- Deuter daypack
- Packing cubes
- Travel toiletry bag
- Travel lock with cable
- Passport (scanned and sent to email address)
- Dollars
- Debit and credit cards
- Money belt + change purse
- Journal + pen
Electronics
- Laptop + power cord + neoprene case
- Dell 250Gb Hard drive
- Canon 40D DSLR + 2 batteries + charger + 6 compact flash cards + 3 lenses (17-85, 10-22 wide angle, 50mm for food)
- Gorillapod
- Sony Cybershot 12.1MP camera + 8GB memory card
- Power adapter for South America, not sure if I need something to ground/convert electricity
- USB card reader
- 8GB iPod Nano
- Headset for Skype
- 10 USB drives
Clothing
- MEC Ferrata 2 Hoodie
- 1 Smartwool Midweight Crew
- 6 t-shirts+ 1 tank top (hoping to pick up more in Mexico)
- 2 pairs shorts + 2 pants (1 pair convertible pants +1 pair capris + 1 Siams for pjs)
- 6 undies + 2 bras + 2 wool socks
- 1 swimsuit + travel towel
- 1 rain poncho ($1.99 to cover both me and bag)
- Prescription sunglasses + glasses
- Merrell hiking sneakers
- Chaco ZX2 Unaweep Sandals
Toiletries
- Toothbrush + toothpaste + floss
- Travel size hair brush + elastics
- Travel size shampoo + conditioner
- Mach 3 razor
- Sunscreen + Moisturizer with sunscreen +Lipbalm with sunscreen
- Nail clippers + eyebrow tweezers
- Mosquito repellent
- Deodorant
- A bit of make-up + perfume in a very small bag
- Individual tissues
Sickness/Medication
- Ibuprofen
- Chewable antacid
- Anti-diarrhea pills
- Dimenhydrinate tablets
- Antibiotic ointment
- Thermometer
- Hand sanitizer
- Mini first aid kit
- Girly stuff guys don’t want to read about
Misc
- Spanish English mini dictionary
- Moo cards
- Steripen + Nalgene bottle to minimize plastic bottle usage
- Mini shopping bag to minimize plastic bag usage
- Leatherman multitool
- Canadian pins + stickers
- Eye mask + ear plugs + silk sleeping bag +Pillowcase with zipper on end for makeshift pillow
- Travel alarm clock
- Mini calculator
- Clothesline
- Sewing kit
- Spork
- Headlamp
- Mini flashlight on key chain
So I guess the question is: what am I missing?
Update: If you want to know what was useful read my follow-up post Pack This Not That, a revised packing list for Europe and finally The Art of Packing Light.
Great list and very similar to mine (not counting the cycling gear).
I’d be willing to bet you’ll dump about 20% of your stuff along the way, but it looks like a great way to start until you figure out what you do & don’t use often enough to carry.
Congrats on getting this step done!!
I’d only take bathing suit and toothbrush but I’m fairly low maintenance.
Um I see you’ve forgoten to pack your picture of me. Have you tried carrying all of that yet? Seems to me it’s about 25-30% of your body weight.
Looks pretty good to me being a fellow tech traveler. 10 USB drives though??
Also, curious: Moo Cards?
Very prepared I like it. You’ll have to keep us up to date with what you ditch and how soon.
Good Luck.
How will your little frame carry all of that…and by the way you need a cover for your outlet in the picture…..
What about antibiotics like Cipro?
Looks like a good list, just make sure to save some space for stuff you might be buying on your trip 🙂
The short answer, is yes, you did pack too much. But then again, everyone packs too much.
@Keith A lot of countries sell antibiotics over the counter, so you can pick them up when you need them.
As long as you have that spork, you’re gold.
a compass – a cheap dollar store one. it really helps when you’re not exactly sure if you’re headed in the right direction in the city, or even when you think you are going in the right direction. it’s probably the thing i use daily.
It seems like a lot when you spell it all out but seems reasonable.
The easy way to pack is to get the bag first and then fit everything in it. I wouldn’t have gotten a 65L bag. I found my 50L to be too big once I cut down stuff while on the road.
I would 2nd needing the cipro or some type of antibiotic. Anti-diarrhea meds will stop the symptoms but not kill the bug causing it.
Also would recommend extra ziplock bags to hold coins and small things that get lost easily.
I agree with Candice. The spork, universally awesome 🙂
@Candice/@Chris so glad to see your love for the spork as I almost ditched it. But my second day here I needed it and alas it was with my lost luggage.
So far my bag feels heavy but today will be the test as I travel to Tulum from Cancun. The problem is that it’s not a lot of clothes but a lot of misc junk that I need to ditch. I may wait a few weeks before evaluating.
It is really a good list. I will start my tour about two weeks from now. I learnt a lot from the list. Now i knew what should i packed.