Now that I am on my last month of the World Race, I thought I would share from my experience what I would suggest packing. A lot comes down to personal preference, so this is simply one person's opinion.
I think the biggest thing to realize is that you can get almost everything overseas and usually cheaper. If you are hitting up Philippines, Thailand, or Cambodia, there is cheap shopping everywhere. Also, a ton of people on our squad ended up spending a lot of money shipping stuff home because they brought too much. Not worth it…
WHAT I BROUGHT AND MY RECOMMENDATIONS:
-Ipod touch: I used this for everything from email, skype, texting back home, translating, maps, movies, and games. A lot of people on our squad ended up buying one of these because they saw how useful it was… also everyone on my old team had one and so we would have Angry Birds tournaments during our nightly debrief.
-Bible: I just brought my small regular bible. I know some people were happy with having a huge study bible, but was fine without it and wouldn't have wanted to carry that extra weight. Also, if you have an ipod touch, you can download Bibles/Commentaries etc.
-Computer: I brought my Macbook Pro and was thankful. I am a photographer so I was thankful to be able to organize and edit my photos. You just have to be really careful and be willing to let it go if it breaks. (Some people's computers did break). You will have internet most of the time (it may be a 45min walk away… but it still exists).
-Airporter: DEFINITELY BUY THIS. Get the one from Osprey. It is the lightest. The REI one is heavy and awkward.
-Small speakers: You will want these. Get Tweakers. Best sound, size, and battery life. You will use these for ipod worship, movies, and listening to music while working.
-Clothes: We were in summer for our ENTIRE trip. Check your route and figure out what season you will be traveling in. I had one pair of jeans, one pair of North Face pants that doubled as dress pants, and one pair of Colombia zip-offs (rarely used them as pants). I had one long sleeve shirt and I have been fine most of the time. Bring some dry fit shirts for working in the hot weather, but otherwise bring what you would wear normally. I brought one pair of athletic shorts, I wish that I had one or two more to wear when doing manual labor. Also, don't waste your money on expensive stuff like Exofficio. Bring lots of regular underwear and just wash it. Only a couple pairs of socks because you will wear sandals 90% of the time. JUST KNOW, whatever clothes you bring, everyone on your team will know by heart and most likely help wash them BY HAND. Just something to think about…
-Shoes: One pair of running/trail running shoes, one pair of leather rainbows, one pair of rubber rainbows. There is no need to buy Tevas or Chacos unless you enjoy wearing them regularly… Also, if your sandals break, you can buy fake Havianas or other cheap sandals to get you by.
-Packing cubes: These are awesome for staying organized but still stuffing your pack with everything. Don't buy the cheap ones. Just spend the money on ones that won't rip. I use 3 of these.
-Towel: Definitely buy the quick dry towels and get the largest one. As long as you have sun, these things dry quick and don't smell. If there is no sun, then it is a whole different story.
-Pillow: I brought a small travel pillow and was fine with it. Others brought their large one from home… either way it is fine. You just have to carry it and it gets dirty. I got a pillow case for mine, which helped keep it somewhat cleaner.
-Sleeping bag: I used my sleeping bag once. So if you have a hot route, don't spend a lot of money and get one that is as small/light as possible. Half of our squad shipped or got rid of their sleeping bag because of not using it.
-Sleeping liner: I brought one and was glad that I did. Often times you need just a single layer to cover you. Some people just brought or bought a sheet.
-Sleeping pad: I brought the Big Agnes pad that is extra wide and I was happy for it, though it was a pain to blow up. I used this several months so definitely pick up one that you feel comfortable on.
-Pack: I bought an Osprey Aether 70 pack from REI. Mine was only top loading and for the most part, it wasn't a big deal. If you can get a front loading. Also, the compartment on the bottom for sleeping bag was nice too. I liked this one better than others because I could strap my tent on the outside vertically instead of horizontally, which was far less awkward when walking in crowded areas.
-Tent: Most of the time you will not be sleeping in your tent. A few teams had to use their tent for 1-2months. We didn't really at all. However, the few times that it was needed, it was more for protection from mosquitos than anything else. Don't spend a ton of money on it unless you want to invest in it for future, post-race use. Get one with as much ventilation and mesh as possible. Tents get REALLY hot.
-Mosquito net: I used my mosquito net all the time. I hate putting on repellent at night so I would much rather sleep under a net. Several of your contacts will provide a net for you, but I would suggest buying your own. I would get a larger one that can stretch over a double bed. (A mosquito net may be one thing that other Racers would disagree on with me).
-External Hard drive: YES. Buy one. You will use it for photos, movies, backups, swapping etc. I got the Iomega Ego and was happy with it. The only downside was that it isn't both Mac/PC compatible, which is nice sometimes when you are getting photos from others.
-Flash drive: I brought a 4G with me. I use it all the time.
-Extra earphones: I would recommend having one extra pair. They somehow always get lost or break. You can find them, but they are usually expensive or crappy quality.
-Earphone splitter: Get the "star" one with 5 spots. Many times you will watch movies with more than one other person.
-Outlet Adapter: YOU WILL NEED THIS. Get the adapter, not the converter. I had the all in one style, but I think I would have purchased the set of individual ones.
-Camera Gear: Yes, bring a camera. As a photographer, I brought my SLR and I brought a point and shoot. Very thankful to have both. Sometimes the SLR is intimidating and not appropriate to use, so having a point and shoot was great. I had the Canon s90 with fully manual controls. If you are into photography, it is a great little camera. For my SLR, I brought only one lens (24-70L f2.8) and was ok with it for the most part. Maybe wish that I had a small wide angle, but really didn't have the room. Not having a zoom was unfortunate at times, but I had to compromise because of the weight. I brought an external flash but wish that I hadn't. Don't bother with a tripod either.
-Eating utensils/Plates/Mugs: Get whatever packs easiest. I bought the Sea to Summit stuff and was happy with it. It packs flat and is really good… thought a bit pricey.
-Books: I brought 4 books with me and read through them in two months. You will read a lot and trade books through out the squad. Don't bring the popular Christian books like Francis Chan etc. because someone in the squad will definitely have it. Bring at least one fiction for fun…
Don't worry about bringing a ton of medication. I was fine with Ibuprofen and some Dayquil. I took Doxicycline for my malaria meds. I was blessed with a very healthy trip but if you ever need meds, it is easy to buy them. Bring bandaids.
Other stuff : Dirty clothes bag, clothes line, power strip (if there is an outlet, everyone wants to use it), head lamp, cards, raincoat, Nalgene, and earplugs.
If you play guitar, you most likely will want to bring a guitar or find someone on your team to bring a guitar. Not only will you use it for ministry all the time, but you will get really sick of ipod worship so it is great to have.
As I said, you can buy almost everything overseas so don't stress about packing. Other WR alumni, please feel free to comment if you have other suggestions or opinions.
Also, guys, I recommend that you find out what a diva cup is before you leave on the race. It will prevent any life-long scarring that may occur by finding out from your female teammate, by accidentally picking it up, or by having it thrown at you.
