Packing for the World Race!

Helloooo all of you future racers out there! I just wanted to take the time to share a few packing tips & tricks that I found to be helpful based off of my personal experience on the race! 

 

For starters, I did Gap Year & my route was Romania, Guatemala, & Ecuador! I spent September through November in Romania, December through February in Guatemala, & the first three weeks of March in Ecuador. My year of Gap Year everyone ended their time on the field early because of the coronavirus! 

 

Sooo with that little bit of background knowledge, here we go! 

 

G E A R:

• Big Pack– I would take the time to go to REI & get sized for this because it is suuuper important that it fits you just right! I have the Gregory Women’s Deva 70L & I LOVE it. I tried out a few different packs before I settled on this one, and I like it because it’s shorter & wider as opposed to taller & skinnier which helps me since i’m short!

• Daypack– Any school sized backpack will work for this, but I got the REI Ruckpack 28L & I really like it! It has a laptop slot, is water resistant which has saved my butt a lot especially in Romania, and it zips on the top right behind my head as opposed to on the side. This helped a lot on those Guatemalan chicken bus rides & on the public transpo in Ecuador! It also comes with its own rain cover if you really need it!

• Sleeping Bag– You. Need. This. I slept with mine pretty much the entire 9 months & I honestly loved it…even when I had a bed & a blanket I still used it for extra warmth. Also for retreats/weekend trips it’ll be helpful. I have the Marmot Women’s Trestles 30 & I got it for free! It has been good to me & always does the job! Quite a few people on my squad went with either the Nemo brand or the REI brand as well & liked them.

• Tent– Tents are honestly a hit or a miss on the race. You’ll either use them a lot or hardly at all, it honestly is totally dependent on your route. You’ll need one at training camp either way, but in my opinion I would pick a buddy on your team & just bring one tent for the two of you unless you’re someone who would just rather have your own space. Ultimately I would ask the opinion of your Squad Mentor before making a decision! If you need to buy a tent, I just got the cheapest REI brand one & it kept me dry & did the trick!

• Sleeping Pad– I actually ended up not even bringing one on the race. I got mine at Sierra Trading Post for $30 & it packed wayyyy bigger than I wanted, so if you need/want one try to get one that packs the smallest because you’ll want to conserve space in your pack when you actually launch…trust me. & at least for me, at training camp I didn’t even use it, and also I didn’t really need it on my race although there were one or two times that it would have come in handy. Overall I was happy not bringing one, but again this is depending on your route & personal preference!

• Sleeping Bag Liner–  I brought one, but ended up never using it. I ended up dropping it before my last country. I just got the cheapest one from REI & honestly looking back I don’t think I needed to spend the money on it at all. I was totally fine with just my sleeping bag, but I feel like this is a personal preference as well!

• Travel/Camping Blanket– I didn’t bring one on the race, but a few of my squad mates did & I totally wish I would have! In my opinion bringing one makes way more sense than bringing a sleeping bag liner, because it will actually keep you warmer if needed. It was also good to have for laying in the grass or in a hammock if you bring one, or for day or weekend trips. On my race we did quite a few day/weekend trips to Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, etc & it definitely would have been nice to have one. Also on the airplane if you want some extra comfort!

• Pillow– Bring one!! Either full sized or a smaller travel sized one!  I personally got a therm-a-rest one from REI (the actual pillow not the blow up one) & it was great. Some of my other squad mates either brought a full sized one from home or a blow up one…I would just try them out & see which one suits you best! (Life hack- bring one or two pillow cases! Planes & train stations & other places are dirty & this helped keep my pillow clean!)

• Packing Cubes/Compression Sacks– A lot of my squad mates used the eagle creek packing cubes for clothes & loved it, but I actually fit all of my clothes into a large compression sack & ended up saving a lot of space! Again this is a preference, so try out both & see what works! I also used compression sacks for my tent & sleeping bag instead of the bags that they come with & saved more space as well. I also shoved my rain jacket, undergarments, & towels into a smaller compression sack. 

• Laundry Bag– This seems silly, but trust me…you’ll want somewhere to put your dirty clothes other than under your bed or back in with your clean clothes! One of my friends that did the race before me gave me an 8L Sea to Summit waterproof stuff sack & that’s what I used, but you could also use a pillow case or bring a different kind of bag.

• Head Lamp–  Some of my teammates thought that this was a silly thing that we needed, but I’m glad that I brought one! It came in handy for plucking eyebrows/attaching to my bunk in Romania/at training camp. I just got the cheapest one at REI & it did the trick. 

• Toiletry Bag– I found one at Tj Maxx for like $12 & it worked well for me, but some of my squad mates went with one from REI! You’ll definitely want one to keep all of your stuff together though, and when buying one try to get one that has a hook so that it can hang! Aside from this I also packed 2-3 little makeup pouches for other random things.

 

C L O T H E S: 

 

**The following sentence is the most important thing you will read on this entire list, so pay attention: PACK CLOTHES THAT YOU WOULD ACTUALLY WEAR IN REAL LIFE! I can’t stress this enough guys…even for training camp I would say this applies. Also when packing, have the mindset of leaving room for growth, but also not skimping yourself on too much either! 

 

• Pants– I brought 3 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of athletic shorts, and one pair of joggers. I originally packed 4 pairs of jeans, but I made a last minute decision to leave a pair at home & I definitely regret it. I’m a person who really only wears jeans at home, so if you are too I would suggest not to skimp on them! I also would have brought a pair of legit sweatpants as well & I actually ended up picking up a pair in Romania. There are malls & thrift stores depending on where you are, but at least for me I would say to not bank on that.

• Shirts– I brought 4 big t-shirts that can be used for pajamas/manual labor, 5 cuter shirts, 1 long sleeved shirt, a flannel, and my Patagonia. I messed up a little here because I brought shirts that didn’t make me feel like myself & also I ended up having to pick up warmer sweaters in Romania because it got WAY colder than we had expected!

• Shoes– I didn’t regret any of the shoes that I brought! I would say that it’s definitely route dependent/a personal preference. I brought jandals, Birkenstocks, vans, & nikes. I used my jandals more as house/shower shoes if needed, my nikes came in handy for whenever I wanted to run or did manual labor, and then my vans and birkenstocks were my nicer shoes that I wore most of the time. 

• Electronics– my laptop, extra chargers, extra headphones, and my phone!

 

T I P S:

• Don’t pack full sized toiletries like shampoo/conditioner…it saves space & weight & I promise you that there will be a place to buy them overseas

• In your daypack keep a spare change of clothes, a toothbrush, toothpaste, etc in case you lose your luggage. Day one of the race on our flight from Amsterdam to Romania our luggage was lost & we didn’t get it until the next day! 

• Invest in a kindle if you’re a reader! 

• Bring A LOT of underwear. Like A LOT. 

• Bring extra headphones/phone chargers/charger blocks 

• Bring a portable charger 

• You prolly don’t need a mess kit…the only part of mine that I used on the race was my spoon 

• I brought a sling bag with me for the days that I didn’t need to carry my daypack & It was a good choice! 

• Bring tape & scissors & markers

• For my towel I got a Norwex brand microfiber towel/washcloth & it never smelled like the REI camp towels do! GET ONE! If you can’t then just bring a beach towel, but don’t mess with the REI quick dry ones. I also brought a twisty turbie for my hear & it was super helpful to have! They sell them at target or Walmart for like $6

• If you have a rainy route then invest in a good rain jacket! That was a mistake that I made…a lot of my squad mates went with the REI brand or Patagonia

• Bring a hoodie or crewneck sweatshirt! You’ll want it, TRUST ME…I was always borrowing my squad mate’s!

• Wear your bulkiest things on travel day

• The free table is kinda lit

• If you pack what you like in the first place, you won’t have to spend money on it while you’re on the field! 

• Don’t overpack on medicines/vitamins/oils unless you use them at home…however a multivitamin & probiotic are both good things to start taking before the race & on it to keep yourself outta the doctors office

• They have local sims in most countries, but it’s really amazing to be unplugged 

• Download a BUNCH of music & podcasts 

• Bring a study bible!! 

• When packing, watch the weight of your big pack, most airlines your pack can’t be over 50lbs otherwise you have to pay $100

• You don’t need to pack a ton of extra journals…there are usually places to buy notebooks

• FOR THE WOMEN: tampons are a hit or a miss. Either bring a bunch or learn to use a diva cup like I did. It saved me a lot of space & money in the long run! 

• If you like to art, bring your art supplies

• Don’t get caught up in things that are out of your control/that you don’t know. Let Abba break down the walls of your comfort zone this year, I promise you won’t regret it. 

 

If you have any questions about anything or want to talk through packing, hit me up! I’d love to be there for you & offer perspective on any questions that you may have! Good luck racers! May Abba bless you abundantly this year & may your hearts accept this wild journey that He’s about to take you on! 

 

All my love, 

Nikki 

 

If ya wanna connect: 

Email- [email protected]

Instagram- nikki_jacobson13