Hello future Racer (or anyone reading this blog)!
I remember being in the exact same position as you not that many months ago. I had not long since gotten accepted to the World Race and now I was desperately searching through World Race blogs in order to find ones about what to pack!
Well let’s just say there are MANY and they all say different things… That’s not very helpful is it?
WELL I have gotten together with my team and come up with a good solid list of things to pack if a majority of your route is going through ASIA. Our Asian countries were India, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand (in that order, and order matters when going through Asia).
I will first give you a general list of things to bring FOR SURE and then some maybe things that are up to you.
Every Race is different. Every person has different needs/wants. Every route is different. SO….read a lot of packing blogs and then make your own judgment. No matter how many blogs you read, I promise that there will still be stuff you wish you hadn’t brought and other things that you wish you had. But that’s all part of the fun of the World Race ??
Also, I’m providing longer explanations for each item because many packing blogs I read didn’t give any reasons and when they contradicted another blog I didn’t know what to do. So it may be long but I promise all of this will be super helpful for your packing list.
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PACKING LIST MUST HAVES:
1. Bigger airporter than pack size
If you get a 65L or 70L pack you MUST get the 70-100L airporter. The smaller airporter may fit your pack, but barely, especially once it’s all stuffed with the new clothes and souvenirs you have picked up. It also comes in handy when you are only busing from country to country and not worried about the weight of your pack to just throw stuff in your airporter because it now acts as just a duffel bag!
Also…most people say to get the Sea to Summit airporter over the Osprey one because the Osprey one rips more easily. Off the 51 people on my squad, I think about 42 of us have the sea to summit one and have had no problems. The few with the Ospreys have already ripped and we are only in month 5. But it’s your call.
- Thermarest pillow
I got mine from REI but many other places sell it. It comes in 3 sizes: S, M, and L. I have the M and it has worked just fine. Honestly, this is the best pillow ever. This pillow is the closest thing to a normal pillow that still packs down small that I have found (and just ask my squad, most of them also have this pillow). I tried a pillow that you blow up but then it didn’t squish well because it was too stiff with all the air in it. Wasn’t a huge fan.
If you CANNOT LIVE without your normal pillow from home….no problem. Just bring it and carry it in a stuff sack. The stuff sack will make it a more manageable size and you will be happy you brought it almost every day except travel days (which won’t be that many in the large scheme of things).
- Pillow case/laundry bag
Helpful and multi-functional. Nice to have to put over your Thermarest pillow after a travel day and your pillow is all gross from being clipped to the outside of your day pack and sitting on the floor because you didn’t end up using it on the bus. Also a pillow case can be used as a laundry bag. It won’t be used that way in every country, but when you do need a laundry bag, you will be very grateful you have something to put your dirty clothes in.
- (Dry-fit) Black pants
Or some kind of black pants/capris that can be worn more than once without needing washing and won’t wrinkle terribly easily. These will be very helpful in Asia as in most of the countries here you need to cover your knees or just be modest in general. Even though it will probably be very hot when you come here, the culture is very modest and you will be covering up a lot more than you probably think right now. (In Cambodia it was 108F but we were not allowed to show our shoulders or ankles at our ministry site so I found myself in jeans and a tshirt most days). Black pants are helpful because they match anything and can be worn many days in a row (because you will definitely need to do that when the washing machine stops working and you haven’t been able to wash clothes in a week).
- Hand sanitizer/Toilet Paper (Don’t bring TP, but it’s a must to buy it)
Both are a must in Asia. Many bathrooms (even in nicer places) do not provide soap at the sinks so the only way to wash your hands is by using hand sanitizer. It was also very rare to find TP in the stalls (many are squatty potties and expect you to use water rather than TP). Always carry a roll with you in Asia, travel days and non-travel days. Also nice to have a whole roll so you can share with everyone else who forgot to bring any. You can buy both of these things abroad but the sanitizer is not the same in America (just a stranger texture) but it will still do the trick. For TP, we usually just kept the napkins we would be given at meals from restaurants so we always had some for the bathroom break that would follow.
- Chacos (or other durable, waterproof sandals)
These truly are a must in Asia. It took my feet about a month to get used to them (aka build up enough callouses on my feet so they didn’t hurt anymore). But once your feet do get used to them, it’s great. They can conveniently slip on and off which you will have to do every single day in Asia because you can’t wear shoes indoors. They can get wet, muddy, dusty or you can go for a walk, hike a mountain, walk 7 miles to go to different villages, or get caught in a rainstorm in them and none of it will be a problem. All of these things have happened, sometimes in the same day, which is why it is so nice to have such versatile sandals with arch support that can get wet and not ruined. Also, they are helpful for things like, for example, when you have to go into a “government building” in Thailand (we went to a prison) and can’t wear sandals that don’t have a backstrap (and your bright pink tennis shoes don’t quite match your nice skirt and shirt) – but we could wear our chacos! Tevas or Keens are other recommended brands if you truly hate chacos. YES they are big and heavy so wear them on travel days so they don’t add extra weight to your pack but they are so big and heavy because they give your feet protection and arch support which are much needed. Birkenstocks are a good shoe and used by many racers but they don’t hold up well when wet and don’t have that backstrap that you may end up needing. So if you have to choose between them and Chacos, pick Chacos.
- Spork/Mug
You DEFINITELY should bring these things. I have read many blogs saying that they are not a necessity but they sure have been for me here in Asia! PB&Js were a pretty common meal when we had to cook for ourselves in Nepal. We sure didn’t want to have to go buy silverware to spread the peanut butter and jelly on the bread though. Bring a spork or some kind of silverware for sure. Also if you plan on drinking coffee, bring a mug. Just do it. And not a ceramic one that will break easily but a camping type one from an outdoor store. It can also function as a plate if you need it at debrief when they tell you they aren’t going to provide you with a way to eat your food and you have to bring your own… (yes, that just happened at our Debrief in Cambodia so some people were eating off of their frisbees).
- Nalgene/Hydroflask (aka a water bottle)
You will have to stay hydrated. You will need something to carry water in when you spend all day in a village and don’t have access to purchase clean water. You don’t want to keep buying tons of water bottles either when you could have just filled your water bottle before heading out. If you don’t heed my advice on any of the other items on this list, at least bring this one.
- Small bag/purse that isn’t your daypack
Why can’t I just use my daypack when we are going out to do ministry? I promise that you will not want to have to constantly unpack your daypack of all the little things you brought (converter, headlamp, deck of cards, books to read, sharpies, extra pens etc) just to have a bag to carry your Bible, journal, and water bottle in. A Kavu works great and many people on my squad use it (not going to pretend like I knew what that was before the Race but it’s the brand name of a great small bag with just one strap that slings over your shoulder). You definitely don’t need a Kavu, I personally just use a small purse that can fit my Bible because it has extra pockets for hand sanitizer and toilet paper. But definitely bring something smaller so you don’t find yourself unpacking all the time.
10. Extra underwear
I read many blogs that said to pack extra underwear that you won’t use till halfway through the Race. Well, I am currently halfway through the Race and am very grateful to all those people. A very good idea. Also a good idea to have underwear you like and in your size because Asians are very small so if you are a bit bigger, you will have a much harder time finding your size in Asia.
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These are ten things that you definitely need to bring if your route will be spending a lot of time in Asia. And also most of these items will be needed for your whole Race. But DISCLAIMER: there are SO many things that you don’t need to bring but will be able to buy in Asia.
Buy In Asia?? I know, I had the same thought. Yes, Asia has everything and for way cheaper. Got some nice fake Ray-Bans for $6 and they are great. And YES you SHOULD bring extra money to buy these things. It will be way cheaper and easier for you to carry money (or your credit card) rather than a pack full of very expensive gear that you could have gotten way cheaper in Asia and wouldn’t have had to carry in your already very heavy pack. (even small examples such as extra toothpaste, deodorant, clothes etc)
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ALSO Debriefs and LDWS (Leadership Development Weekends that basically happen at the end of every other month) cost money. You do get money that is in your budget (the money you raise to go on the Race) but most of the food and transportation you will run into during these will be above and beyond your World Race Budget. BRING EXTRA MONEY FOR THESE. I promise. Do it. You will be tired of eating rice and want to buy a burger but you can’t do that if you are living within your budget of $4 a day for food. Everyone will tell you a different opinion but in MY opinion, I would bring an extra $2,000 for spending money (No, you don’t have to bring this much. Maybe just an extra $1,000. But definitely more than $500). This will cover fun adventure stuff, clothes budget (which you WILL buy even if now you think you won’t), new toiletries (shampoo, soap, toothpaste), good food when you’re tired of rice, coffee and cookies when you run to 7/11 for the tenth time that month in Thailand, or extra money to give to your host as a gift! All of these things happen and it is nice to have extra money to cover these things. Or when you find out you have a 15-hour layover in Rome and need money to get a train ride to go see the Coliseum.
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ALSO route matters. Like, a lot. Meaning the order of the countries that your route takes you in Asia. Literally had no idea how much it would matter until I was on the Race. For example…in India (month 1), we only wore traditional Indian clothes which I had to purchase in the country and haul around all kinds of clothes that I wouldn’t wear for a month. And then I didn’t need those clothes for the rest of the trip. Nepal (month 2) had literally everything I could ever want to buy. We were in a city called Thamel for Debrief and I could have bought a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, new shoes, clothes etc here. It had everything. SO if Nepal is earlier on in your trip, you might be okay not buying super expensive gear from the USA and can get it much cheaper in Nepal. But if Nepal is not till month 4 or something, you can’t wait for that. Route matters, but honestly, you probably won’t figure that out until you are already mostly through Asia. I know that isn’t helpful but I promise once you get on the field, you will understand.
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SO that was a lot of extra helpful tips and things to pack. NOW I will give you a list of items that may be a good idea to have. Some I have used, some I haven’t used even though I brought them. But then some of my teammates have used these items so you just never know! But this blog is already long so it will be in a different blog called “Packing Blog For Asia Part 2” which will also have good tips on the best way to remember your World Race trip.
