Before I left for the Race I read a packing list that helped out tremendously. I hope this helps you as well as you prepare for the journey ahead!
Top 10 WR Items (in no particular order):
- Headlamp with extra batteries on hand. People will mooch your AAA batteries. Just warning you.
- Sewing kit – rips and tears are inevitable. When you have a limited wardrobe sometimes you have to work it with a stitch!
- Small first-aid kit – Tylenol/Ibuprofen, Band-Aids and Neosporin, Cipro (for diarrhea), nausea medicine, Benadryl. I have used these or passed them off to my teammates and it’s not much extra weight. I was glad to have them!
- Hand sanitizer/baby wipes – for more reasons than you care to know.
- Journal/notebooks – to journal, make sermon notes, keep guitar chords, let friends write a note in, have scrap paper for games…
- External hard drive/Flash drives – for saving and backing things up. Sometimes you need a flash drive to use at internet cafés or to share info within your team. I have an external that serves well for team movie nights as well!
- Resources – sermons, podcasts, music, kids’ songs, games, movies. If you have anything at home that might be helpful, bring it with you on your computer. This may help out in the early months when you need extra ideas.
- Books for free time – hard copies can be passed around, eReaders are nice too. My squad cycled through several books. Several of us brought Nooks and Kindles as well. Sometimes it’s nice to have something to read apart from the Bible.
- Travel Pillow – if you don’t bring anything else, bring a Thermarest compressible travel pillow and you’ll be a happy racer. I was miserable without mine and it made loads of difference when I got it month 7.
- Sleeping bag liner – can be used as a liner or just a sheet. Comes in handy. I’ve used it almost every month.
Other fun items to remember:
- Plastic ziploc bags – Pack everything in ziplocs of every size, whether you need to or not. You can use them along the way!
- Toilet paper – always have a little with you for times of emergency!
- Enough hair bows/ponytail holders for the whole Race. People borrow them and they can stretch out. You can find bobby pins along the way.
- (For women…obviously!) Birth control or tampons. You can choose to take birth control for the whole Race or the majority of the race so you don’t have to deal with certain issues. If you use tampons, bring all you’ll need with you for the whole year. You will not find anymore unless they’re ob. Pads are available anywhere, at any corner store.
- Earplugs – sometimes your teammates snore, roosters crow or there are noisy cooks in the kitchen down the hall.
Clothes:
I’ll tell you what I have, what I’ve used and what I’ve ditched along the way. Just to let you know, my pack consistently weighs in at around 45-50lbs. I have a lot of clothes by WR standards, but I like having clean clothes to change into. If you can do with less, that’s good. There’s even a motto that “less is more” on the Race.
It’s important to look for clothes that are light-weight and breathable. If they dry quickly and pack down well, that’s ideal. Word of advice – don’t bring anything that you’re attached to. On the other hand…don’t bring anything that you don’t normally wear. Bring what’s comfortable and what you like. If you won’t wear it at home, you won’t wear it on the Race. I’m so glad my friends talked me out of the zip-off pants. I look like a dork in them and I’d never use them. Maybe zip-offs are your style, I don’t know.
Shirts:
- 2-3 dressy shirts. It’s better to get solid or plain shirts that can be dressed up or down to be worn on more occasions.
- 2-3 quick dry style shirts. I started with three and wore them so much that I had to ditch two due to lots of wear and tear.
- 2-3 t-shirts. I usually wear a t-shirt for workout, one for sleeping and the other for around the house or whatever.
- 1-2 tank tops or undershirts. I don’t usually wear tank tops by themselves, but several girls on my squad have been able to in most countries. I have a white cami to layer under other shirts or dresses.
- 1 cardigan. If you will wear it, bring it. I brought one grey one with ¾ length sleeves that I’ve worn on several occasions.
- 1 sweatshirt or fleece jacket. Now that I’m in Asia I do not need a fleece at all, but I would’ve frozen without it in Nepal and even Kenya was a little cool. Also, airplanes and trains can be cool on travel days. My North Face also doubled as a pillow in some places.
Shorts:
- 1-2 pairs of Bermuda style shorts. I brought two pair and dropped one after leaving Europe. In most places you will have to cover at least down to the knee, maybe more.
- 1-2 pairs of athletic/basketball shorts. I have two basketball knee-length shorts. One for exercise, one for lounging.
- 1 pair of comfy shorts. I had another shorter pair to sleep in but I gave those to a teammate. You could make it with 2 pair total.
Dress/skirts
- 1 dress. I’m more of a skirt girl, but I have one dress. Make sure it comes to your knees at least. If the top is more revealing you may have to wear a t-shirt under it.
- 2-3 skirts. Again, make sure they come to your knees. I have a reversible grey one that I love. You don’t need more than one long skirt. I dropped mine last month but used it often in stricter cultures.
- 1-2 pairs of leggings. If you always wear them at home, bring them. It’s a good idea to have to make some skirts or shorts appropriate.
Pants
- 1 pair of jeans. Make sure they’re a little bigger (gaining weight is normal on the Race) and lightweight. I liked mine because I could feel normal in them. I wore them often in Europe and some in Africa and Thailand.
- 1-2 pairs of pants or capris. I have some breathable khaki pants that roll into capris. I’ve worn them for construction and to speak in. I also have some black cotton capris that I picked up in the market in Thailand.
- 1 pair of comfy pants. Good for travel days or lounging around the house.
Socks
- 3-4 pair. I brought around 5 or 6 pair. Really, you wear the same ones back to back for work-outs or manual labor. You can pick them up along the way if you need more.
Underwear
- I brought 14 pair including my 2 exofficio pair that are good for travel days. I like to have clean underwear even when laundry is days and days apart.
- 2-3 normal bras. I usually just wear them with my dress or Sunday clothes.
- 4-5 sports bras. Most days you’ll wear sports bras and it’s good to have clean ones because you’ll sweat a lot. I brought 6 and gave one to a teammate. They pack easily too, just stuff them into all the small spaces.
Swimsuit
- I brought a tankini and I’m glad. You will use it occasionally and I know some teams have had to bathe in the river, so a tankini is easier to manage.
Rain jacket
- I have used my rain jacket and I’m glad I brought it. It works well as a windbreaker or pillow too.
Shoes:
- I brought Chacos, Keens, flip flops and tennis shoes. Make sure they’re comfortable and lightweight. I almost had the Chacos with the toe strap but I switched at the last minute. My teammates hate the toe strap and have dumped theirs or mailed them home. These also weigh a lot, so if you won’t wear them, don’t bring them. I wore the Keens mostly in Europe and Africa but I gave them to a teammate last month. Flip flops for the shower or around the house. Tennis shoes for exercise and manual labor.
