what not to wear – world race edition

Clothing

• Ladies, you only need one, at
  most two, of every article of clothing (with the exception of socks and
  underwear), including:
• A pair of tights/long johns
• A long sleeve t-shirt
• A sweatshirt

Layering is key if you find yourself in cold weather – which
you really can’t predict on the World Race, as we were in the coldest part of
India in March and it wasn’t completely spring yet in Ukraine in April. Had I held onto my stuff from China in
November, I wouldn’t have had to buy more stuff, hence revise packing
strategies.

• Speaking of which, I’d also suggest
  budgeting a modest amount for clothing purchases, because you will end up buying
  clothes in most places you visit. The fewer clothes you bring initially, the less you’ll agonize
  about:
• What you’ll ditch
• What you’ll pay at least $20
  to ship home
• Feel free to bring up to two
  weeks’ worth of underwear because the only reason a Racer does laundry is
  because she’s run out of clean articles thereof. I’d probably include the special camping
  underwear that dries quick and can be worn for months at a time without
  being washed or whatever. 
• With regard to swimwear, if I
  could do it over, I’d choose a tankini (within World Race guidelines, of
  course). In the event that you have
  only an outdoor faucet with which to bathe, a one-piece makes it hard to
  get thoroughly clean.
• With regard to rain gear, in
  a heavy downpour, you’ll still get wet – below your torso anyway – wearing
  a Helly Hansen rain jacket. And,
  the only appearance that rain pants have made is on the free table; that
  said, just bring a collapsible/mini-umbrella in addition to the rain
  jacket and you’ll be set. Rain
  jackets double as windbreakers.
• I was fine without special
  hiking shoes. I would suggest
  footwear made with waterproof material, such as GoreTex; I came very close
  to buying a pair of galoshes/rain boots. But all in all, regular sneakers are fine.
• I wish I had brought my
  too-big-for-me-but-very-comfortable sweatpants with me.
• You’ll have to find the balance between bringing clothes you like to wear back home, clothes you could afford to do without along the Race.

• Tent:  I can’t offer much advice on this save for two words: two person. The neat thing about mine
  was that it came in a bag with handles, almost like a mini-duffle bag. And get some kind of footprint – a tarp, a
  large, rectangular piece of plastic – for sure. Practice setting it up at least once, if like me you haven’t really gone
  camping before the Race. And that’s all
  I know about that.
• Sleeping
  bag: get one that packs really small and
  fits you. The one I brought with me I
  bought years ago, and I didn’t realize it was made for someone taller than me.
• Sleeping
  pad: splurge on this item. I should’ve gotten a thicker and wider one.
• Sleeping
  bag liner: it was good, but I think a
  regular flat sheet would’ve been just fine.
• Pillow: I elected the smallest travel pillow. I should’ve gotten a bigger one or even just
  brought one from home. Make sure the
  pillowcase is dark so that when it’s dirty it’s not too obvious.

Other
Stuff

• Bring a knife. Not a small Swiss Army knife. Something with a name like “Fusion”.
• Bring a couple of things of
  deodorant. The rest of the world
  doesn’t carry the same selection as the U.S./Canada.
• If you use it a lot, then
  maybe bring three.
• If you’re like me and quit
  deodorant in the desert, then one should be enough.
• If you have one and use it a
  lot, I’d go ahead and bring a laptop. If you have an extra battery, bring that too.
• If you’re gonna be the
  finance person, you better bring your laptop.
• Bring an external hard drive.
• Bring a flash drive. Be careful with it; don’t accidently
  ship it home. 
• If you have an iPod and use
  it at all, bring it. If you have a
  charger for it, bring it.
• Earplugs. Earplugs. Earplugs. Especially if you are a light sleeper.
• Eye-mask is a must if you are
  a light sleeper.
• Bring an alarm clock that has
  an adjustable volume. Mine only had
  one setting: loud.
• Bring a headlamp that has
  adjustable levels of light intensity. Mine only had one setting: super bright. The good thing
  about that though was when it was dull, I knew the batteries needed
  changing.
• Bring extra batteries.
• Bring adapters.
• Bring books. You may also buy books along the way –
  Christian book selection, however, is limited – so budget a little for
  that too.
• Bring movies.
• Bring a bit of stationery, if
  you’re into writing letters and notes.
• Sharpies are essential in distinguishing your stuff from others – especially if everyone gets the same quick-dry towel or whatnot.
  
• Your day pack should be
  generously sized but able to fit into an airplane’s overhead compartment
  so that if you need to lighten your big pack, you can stuff some stuff in
  the day pack. What I (now would) pack
  in it to be prepared in case baggage gets lost:
• Electronics
• A packing cube with all my
  underwear and socks, swimsuit, and a change of clothes.
• Travel size toiletries.
• Towel/sarong.
• The towel debate: if you go
  quick-dry, go for the thicker kind as a bath towel. Those suckers don’t stay too fresh
  though. . .
• Bring a purse of some kind of
  sturdy material. It can be a big
  one, too.
• Bring a reusable shopping
  bag, usually made of some synthetic material that comes in its own stuff
  sack. They charge for plastic bags
  in supermarkets or they don’t offer them at all in other parts of the
  world.

It’s
quite a list. But now maybe I’ll be able
to start writing my reflections on how quickly this almost-year has
passed. A year ago, I was filled with
such excitement and maybe a tinge of anxiety (that would be the noun from which
anxious comes from, correct?) of the great unknown that lay ahead. Now, we’re each of us filled with the same
kind of excitement, but minus the anxiety, of the great unknown that awaits us
back home. . .