Future racers – some of you are getting ready to leave next month and another group is going out in January. Which means one thing – packing !!!
I remember reading packing blog after packing blog to see what I should bring with me. And even after all those blogs, there are still so many things I would have done differently.
You’ll probably look back after 11 months and have similar feelings. Because once you’re done, once you’ve experienced the world race, packing is a heck of a lot easier. And you really do realize how little you actually need and how much you actually don’t need.
My advice: do not copy an alumni racers detailed packing list and use it as your own. They aren’t you. Their style might not be yours. And what they started with is most likely not what they ended with.
Disclaimer: If you don’t use it at home, you (probably) won’t use it on the race. I brought dry shampoo thinking I would use it all the time on the race. And guess what? I never used it once. Most of the time because I forgot I had it, but also because it just wasn’t ever part of my routine. And therefore never became one. So think again when you say to yourself “I’m going to start using this/wearing this on the race!” Try using it/wearing it before you leave and make sure you like it before you pack it.
So alas, here are some packing tips for future racers.
1. Airporter: not just any airporter, but the right airporter
This is something that so many people wish they could have changed after our very first flight. Several squad mates bought the Osprey airporter or the REI one, but don’t do it. Buy the Sea to Summit Airporter. It’s waterproof (bonus) and you can put the airporter on your pack and still carry it like a backpack. The Osprey one doesn’t allow you to do that – it only gives you one strap to carry it with (which usually breaks) so you are left either putting it on at the very last second or having an incredibly difficult time walking anywhere. Trust me, I watched several people go through the struggle.
Here’s a link to buy it through Amazon. And I think REI sells them, just not always in store.
Speaking of airports: on international flights they give you a blanket to use. Keep it. I loved having mine and used it all the time.
2. Laundry bag
I brought a super light weight, mesh laundry bag and I’m so glad I did. We usually didn’t do laundry all that often and living in Africa and Asia, your clothes get super sweaty and sometimes extremely dirty. Having a place I could put dirty clothes, knowing they wouldn’t get mixed up with my clean-ish clothes was great.
3. Sarongs versus towels
I brought an REI Quick Dry Towel with me and while that is what most people use, those towels still end up holding smell. And I was not a fan.
So I threw mine away month 5 and picked up two sarongs. I would use one to hold my hair up after I showered and one to dry off my body. And when we were near the beach or a pool, I’d have one as a beach/pool towel and one as a shower towel. Not to mention that both of them combined were smaller and lighter weight than one of the REI towels. It was a win-win.
4. Your daypack doesn’t need to be a second suitcase
Often times, people end up using their day pack for all the things that they can’t fit in their pack on top of all the things they actually want (and need) in their daypack. Here’s my advice. Only put in your day pack what you actually want to carry on an everyday basis slash travel days. And make it as light as possible!
Don’t put things in your daypack just because you have extra space.
5. Don’t pack a bunch of ‘extras’ – it all adds up
Make your pack as light as possible. Don’t pack a years worth of toiletries. Pack a month or two and buy more as you go. The rest of the world has toiletries and big cities do actually have deodorant – even the stick kind! So don’t go crazy packing extras. (You’ll be in a big city every few months for debrief).
While it is doable to carry a 50+ pound pack all year long, it’s much more enjoyable to carry a 40 (or lighter) pound pack. Everything really does add up. So choose wisely.
For example: I never checked the weight of my tent. If I had – I would have never bought one that was 5 pounds. Yet most of the blogs I read, did recommend the REI Half Dome (the tent I brought). You can get the REI Quarter Dome for HALF the pounds (though it is more expensive, you can usually wait to get it on sale). Or get a different, cheaper, lighter weight tent altogether. I used my tent outside for only one month of the entire race. Month 5 I sent it home.
(It all depends on your route – Europe and Asia, not much tenting. Africa, tenting.)
6. Charles Schwab
Do it, get it, bring it. However you want to say it.
It makes getting money out the easiest thing ever. You think atm fees won’t be that bad, but they add up. Who doesn’t love saving money!? Most of the time, you go to the atm more than just once a month. So do yourself a favor and get a Schwab account. (Not to mention they’re a great bank to use back in the states too.)
7. External hard drive
The amount of movies and tv shows you can get from people is a lot (hundreds). Everyone shares everything. And its a great way to back up your pictures, as well as get pictures from all the photographer/storytellers on your squad. You’ll want to get certain pictures directly from people versus getting them all off Facebook. I brought a 1TB. But if I had to do it again, I’d bring a 2TB.
If you aren’t bringing a computer, I highly suggest still bringing a hard drive. You can use someone else’s computer to put pictures on your hard drive as your phone/memory cards fill up.
8. Clothes
Pack clothes that make you feel like you. I packed a lot of v-necks that I basically never wear at home. If I never see a solid colored target v-neck again, I won’t be mad. They worked super well for the race so I’m glad I brought them, but it’s nice to have some aspects of your wardrobe resemble your real style.
Something I wish I would have packed more of: sports bras. Something I could have packed less of: shirts.
You really do pick up a lot along the way. Especially in Asia. And like I said before, everyone shares everything.
These clothes are not going to be the only clothes you have for the entire year. You will exchange things on the free table; you’ll go to markets and malls. Start with little and pick up things as you need them!
If you’re going to Eastern Europe, bring jeans. If you aren’t, you don’t need them (unless you love them). Bring jean shorts though (of an appropriate length) – I wore those everywhere.
Shoe-wise: If you don’t work out, you don’t need to bring tennis shoes unless you just happen to enjoy wearing them. I only ever used mine to run or do workout videos. I wore my chacos 95% of the days on the race.
9. Probiotics
Bring them, take them. This is the only medicine I suggest bringing enough of for the entire year. So many people got stomach bugs or food poisoning or some sickness related to food and those of us that took probiotics, never had a problem. They are worth it. ESPECIALLY when/if you are taking malaria medicine (I never actually did that).
You don’t get a huge say in what you eat on the race (and sometimes you don’t actually know what you’re eating). So do yourself a favor and take probiotics.
When it comes to other, generic, “just in case” medicines: don’t. Don’t bring a years worth of medicine. You can pick it up along the way if and when you actually get sick. Or someone else will have some.
If you decide you can’t leave home without something, pack a few capsules of each but don’t pack a whole years worth of seven different medicines.
10. Stationary and thank you cards
Some months, you want to write your host a thank you note. Other months, you’ll want to encourage your teammates or close friends. Letters are one of the best ways to show people you love them or wish someone a happy birthday. I used some every month on the race!
11. If you can’t fathom the idea of losing it, don’t bring it
This applies to everything.
I lost my hard drive (luckily everything was also on my computer). I lent it out to several people and lost track of it along the way. Have things backed up in multiple places if and when possible.
My favorite sunglasses disappeared somewhere in our hostel in Thailand.
I knew going into the year that there was a high chance of something getting destroyed, lost, taken, etc.. Be aware of your things and keep track of who has them and where you set them down, but don’t get too attached. Things happen.
Don’t pack the clothes that you want to be able to wear when you come home. Your clothes will get worn out and to be honest, you get really tired of them after wearing the same things over and over again.
There are maybe three things that I still wear from my world race clothes. Pretty much everything else is sitting in a stack in my closet and hasn’t been worn since.
If you aren’t willing to share the item of clothing with your squad/teammates, don’t bring it.
Future racers, if you have any questions about what to pack or something not on this list, contact me! I had a million questions about packing pre launch. We’ve all been there and we’d love to help!
