Well, we’re officially half way through month 9, so I thought I’d post a packing list to help out all you racers that will be doing this journey in barely 4 months! I printed at least 5 of these before I left, highlighted all the things I thought I would need, but when it actually came time to pack, I don’t think I even glanced at them. While that will most likely happen with 90% of you, I really would suggest taking a look through because I probably dropped about 40% of what I thought I needed in month one. My route was all summer (India, Nepal, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Ecuador) besides the tail end of Ecuador, so keep that in mind when you’re reading/ packing!
Tips before packing:
- Check your route’s weather and clothing customs before you buy those $90 thermal pants for India, it’ll save you lots of money and time
- If you’re going on Gap Year, there is a 90% chance you will be in a SOMEWHAT westernized city for at least a few days at a time, so do not bring an excess of soap, shampoo/conditioner, clothes, or snacks. You can find almost everything overseas (worst comes to worst, borrow from someone…you live in the same general vicinity as 30+ other people).
- On my first team we all chose something to bring so that not everyone was packing a power strip, speaker, etc.
- Packing cubes over stuffed sacks!!
- LIVE MINIMALLY (you’ll be back home with all of your stuff in 9 months, so just embrace the backpacking lifestyle for this year)
CLOTHING
Pants (3) – jeans (2), lightweight/waterproof pants
Shorts (3) – Patagonia 5” baggies (!!), nikes
Maxi dress
Skirt
Tanktops (2)
T-shirts/ V-necks – you’ll want plain shirts
Long sleeve shirts (2)
Raincoat
Patagonia sweatshirt
Cardigan
Leggings
Socks (4)
Underwear (20) – overseas underwear is weird
Sports bras (5 to 7)
SHOES
Chacos
Tennis shoes
TOMS (or Birks)
Sunglasses
Baseball hat
Watch
TOILETRIES
Face wash
Makeup wipes
Baby wipes
Summer’s Eve wipes
Bar soap
Lotion
Deodorant
Toothbrush (2)
Toothpaste
Floss (!!)
Q – tips
Sunscreen
Good smelling something – I brought rose oil
Shampoo (2 travel)
Conditioner (2 travel)
Coconut oil
Hair bands (10)
Bobby pins
Headbands (4)
Razor (3)
Loffa
Camping mirror
Empty ziplock (5ish)
Makeup
Nail polish
Nail kit
Tampons (a couple cycles worth) – a lot of girls on my squad swore by the Diva Cup
Pads/ Liners
MEDICATION
Drammemine
Anti-itch cream/ OFF Roll-on/ After Bite
Benadryl
Aleve/ Tylenol
Malaria meds
Yeast infection cream/ UTI meds
Tea tree oil – this will become your best friend
TUMS
*Immune boosters aren’t necessary, but super helpful*
FIRST AID (your team leader will get a kit, so there’s no need to bring a lot)
Bandaids (10 to 15) – assorted sizes
Neosporin
Sterilizing wipes
Insect repellant
Hand sanitizer
SUPPLIES
Air-porter
Daypack
Big pack
Eno/Straps (most people on my squad, including me, dropped it after month 2)
Tent
Sleeping bag and liner
Sleeping pad
Pillow
Packing (compression) sacks/ cubes
Toiletry bag
Mesh bag
DryLite towels (XL)/washcloths – bring 2 of each…they start smelling weird real quick
Spork
Water bottle
Clothes line
Carabiners (2-4)
Pocket knife
Headlamp
Toilet paper – just trust me on this one…bring a roll everywhere
Batteries
Camera
- Waterproof bag
- Lens
- Battery packs (charged)
- Cords
Laptop/ case
Jumpdrives
Adapter
Power strip
Speaker
Portable charger
Ear buds (3)
Phone charger (3)
Head phone splitter
OTHER
Passport/ License
Credit card/cash – bring USD in case something goes wrong with your card (happens more often than you’d think), you can exchange it anywhere
Stationary
Journal (2)
Bible
Tabs/ Sticky notes
Pens/Pencils/Highlighters
Book
Febreeze
Dryer Sheets (!!!) – stuff those babies in all of your packing cubes
Art supplies
- Gel pens/ ink pens
- Erasers
- Watercolor
- Paintbrushes
- Sketchbook
- Sharpies
Tips after packing:
- Leave enough room for gifts you pick up in country
- Think about things you like to do when you’re bored and pack them, there’s bound to be a month where you have hours upon hours of free time (coloring books/ colored pencils, books that can be traded, a different language you want to learn, instrument, etc.)
- Bring copies of everything (drivers license, health insurance card, passport, vaccinations)
- Weigh your packs before you leave
- Remember that eventually packing will become the least of your worries and you’ll be looking back in 9 months laughing about how you packed 4 (yes, I said 4) pairs of JEANS when you were about to live in a hot, sticky Indian village and wish you could go back there and do it all again
