Here’s one for all you future Racers out there. I’m halfway through the Race now, so thought I’d compile a short list of World Race packing Do’s and Don’ts for y’all!
Take notes and enjoy!
DO:
- Stock up on the essentials: hot sauce, salt and pepper, and peanut butter. Contrary to popular belief, South American food is not spicy, and South Americans rarely use seasoning…pepper doesn’t even exist is the stores. Just trust me and you’ll thank me later. And I’m not joking about the peanut butter… peanut butter can’t be found in every country, and when you do find it, it will be five times the price of PB in the States. It’s an expensive addiction on the Race.
- Headphones! Bring them. Preferably the noise cancelling ones. On the Race you are in constant community. You’ll need them to jam out to your fave music, listen to podcasts on long travel days, or watch movies with your teammates. And in all honesty, sometimes popping in a pair of headphones and tuning out the world around you is the only alone time you’ll get in a day.
- I brought a blanket on the Race and I don’t regret it for one second. I’m all about comfy sweaters, fuzzy socks and warm blankets, and if you’re the same way I’d 10/10 recommend it for you. I use it every single day. Or if you’re a pillow person, bring a giant fluffy pillow instead. People will question you, but as soon as the weather gets a little chilly everyone will flock to you and your blanket.
- A sarong is a must have item. It doubles as a skirt…and a dress… and a towel (it’s way more lightweight and way less smelly than any fancy REI towel you’ll be tempted to buy)… and a head covering… and a cute scarf… and a laundry bag…and a superhero cape…and a head buff… and a picnic blanket… and an extra layer on cold nights…and you get the idea. Just bring one.
- This next one is essential. Racers tend to disagree on what you should and shouldn’t bring in your big pack, but every fellow Racer I have talked to thus far agrees that this is a necessary item. In the bottom of your pack keep a bag of brand new never-been-opened socks and underwear (and a jar of PB if you love it as much as I do). Open it halfway through the Race when your old unmentionables are worn out (and trust me, they will get worn out). Everyone who has done this has been so grateful, and everyone who didn’t do it wishes they had. You’re welcome.
- Bring all the sports bras. They’re so comfy that you’ll wear them 95% of the time.
- A nice camera is essential. But the simpler the better. I brought a DSLR and wish I hadn’t. It takes amazing photos, but is a pain to lug around. And my teammates aren’t comfortable using it, so I usually have to ask one of them to take photos of me on their phones. I would suggest bringing one of the newer iPhones with lots of storage. The cameras are great, you can pull them out quickly to snap photos on the go, they are lightweight, and sharing photos via airdrop is the easiest method on the Race.
- Do bring one nice outfit. There will be times that you need to dress up for church, or adventures days when you don’t want to look like a bum in all your photos. Or sometimes you’ll want to look cute and clean just because.
DON’T:
- Don’t get the Osprey Airporter. I beg of you. It sucks. This is another one of those things that all Racers agree on. Just don’t do it.
- Don’t go out and buy new clothes for the Race. The clothes you bring WILL get ruined, lost, or replaced. Two months into the Race you’ll probably put half your clothes on the free table or mail them home the first time you have a layover in the States. And it’s almost guaranteed that you will lose or gain weight while on the Race, so your clothes probably wont fit by month 11 anyway.
- Less is more. When it comes to packing you don’t want tons of stuff. If you don’t use it at home you probably wont ever use it on the Race. You don’t need your whole wardrobe in your pack. Just bring the basics… you can always buy extra clothes in a country if need be. trust me when I say lugging around a heavy pack is the worst.
- Don’t buy all your gear online unless you want to lug around 75 pounds of stuff all year. Go into the store so you can talk to the pros, try on the packs, feel how heavy everything is, see how well things packs down, know if it’s the right size for your body etc. It would be a real bummer if you show up to training camp with a ten-pound tent, or a really uncomfortable sleeping pad, or a sleeping bag that is too small.
- Speaking of sleeping pads… Don’t buy a cheep one just to save a few bucks. I splurged a little on my sleeping pad and it is AWESOME! It’s going to be your bed for the next year so spending an extra $50 or so will save you from a ton of back pain and sleepless nights.
- Something you should not splurge on is vaccines. If you go get every vaccine the CDC recommends for your route, you’re going to have to spend quite the pretty penny (some people have spent multiple thousands of dollars on vaccines for the Race). And it’s very unlikely that you’ll be placed in areas with risk for most of those diseases. So my personal suggestion is that unless your insurance covers the vaccines anyway, or you really want to get them for any reason, save yourself a bunch of money by just sticking with getting the Yellow Fever Vaccine, and some Malaria Pills. I repeat: You don’t need to get Rabies shots.
- Everyone will talk about how they bought a cool Eno for the Race. And none of them will actually use it on the Race. There will be few opportunities to use your hammock on the Race, so you probably don’t need to pack one.
- The smaller the day-pack the better. Don’t go out and buy a 30 L day-pack unless you want to be miserable on travel days. If you have room in your pack you’ll probably find stuff to put in it. Having a backpack so full that it hurts your back and bruises your shoulders, or is a pain to unpack and repack every time you go through airport or border security is no fun. A day pack should be for the bare essentials only….a change of clothes, travel toiletries, bible, pens, journal, wallet, passport, phone, and peanut butter.
P.S. For all Y’all staying up to date on my fundraising journey. I am now just $1000 away from being fully funded!!!
