Packing list - 6 months with carry-on only

Old May 8th, 2013, 04:17 AM
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Packing list - 6 months with carry-on only

I have been asked on the South America forum to provide details of my packing list. My wife and I are travelling in South America for 6 months and were determined not to lug around the heavy backpacks we did when last we travelled. All of his fits in to a Lowe Alpine TT Carry on 40L. In addition we have both have Skypak daypacks which fold up to almost pocke size and are very strong.

here is the list:


North Face waterproof jacket with integrated lightweight fleece
2 pairs Craghoppers Kiwi Trekking Trousers (as used by Michael Palin no less)
2 Craghoppers Kiwi Travel Shirt
5 pairs underpants
3 tee shirts
1 merino thermal top
1 set M&S long johns
5 pairs socks, 2 warm, 3 cool
1 North Face sun hat
1 woolly hat (knitted by my wife)
1 pair fleece gloves
1 Kramer ( a wide Cambodian cotton scarf that doubles as a sarong and towel)
1 pair Rayban sunglasses (essential at altitude)

MEDICAL KIT
Paracetamol,
Ibuprofen,
Anti-histamine/hydrocortisone cream
Loperamide capsules
1 Malarone malaria treatment pack
Iodine antiseptic,
Plasters
100% Deet mosquito spray ( dilute to 50% along the way)

FOOTWEAR

1 pair of Keens walking boots
1 pair of Merrell trekking trainers,
1 pair of Keens sandals
1 pair swim shorts

ELECTRONICS
iPad,
unlocked, quad band cellphone
Camera
Assorted chargers and adapters

SUNDRY BITS AND PIECES
Travel Scrabble
Guide books
Cable lock
Padlocks
Pens
Notepad
Small Maglite torch
Fake wallet
Gaffa tape
Earplugs
Eye mask
Sewing Kit
Toothbrush
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Old May 8th, 2013, 08:28 AM
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Thanks for the list crellston. Looks a lot like mine, except it took me three blog posts to write mine up (http://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com/...take-part-one/ )

Interested to see the reference to Craghoppers, a British brand I hadn't heard of. Looks like I can get them in the US, might be a supplement to my Railriders - or replacement for the Tilley's Adventure pants I've been wearing for over a decade and can no longer buy.

Is Gaffa tape the same as Duck tape?
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Old May 8th, 2013, 11:45 AM
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Crags really are great . I have been wearing them for years. One feature I really like about them is that they have zipped pockets inside the main side pocket which are really secure and remove the need for money belts etc.
Gaffa is the same as Duck tape. Ithink it may be a brand name.
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Old May 8th, 2013, 01:40 PM
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FWIW I discovered to my dismay that many countries have never heard of loose rolled Ace bandages. And nothing they sell, even in the big cities, comes close. None of us expect to need one, but...

I also found, in REI, a chemical that one can spray on one's clothes that works as an insect repellant, and lasts for several washings. That, and a super lightweight bug treated sleep sac (clips to the outside of your bag lol) kept me virtually bite-free on a month long trek through Morocco.

I also discovered that cotton socks (nor cotton or wool anything) don't dry in a hotel room. I will buy quick dry travel socks next time. OTOH the travel pants, with their zipper pockets were heaven sent! I kept a bit of change in the loose outside pocket and then zipped the real stuff. Ditto for travel shirt and a light weight hooded shirt.

As a female, not wanting to upset customs, I also brought a long reversible travel skirt, and rapidly discovered how great it was for hole-in-the-floor toilets. For "dressy" shoes I bought "water shoes" with great grip soles that had two purposes (but I was also traveling through Rome and Cannes. I bought my scarves there!

Hope you have a wonderful stupendous time. BTW what does this all weigh? Are you wearing the boots?

Best

TF
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Old May 8th, 2013, 02:56 PM
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It all came in at 10 kg - just and yes i did wear the boots on the plane. Not great for 3 flights totalling 16 hours but needs must! I have never heard of ACE bandages and, being completely accident prone I am sure i should get some - what are they?
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Old May 8th, 2013, 03:17 PM
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That's about what my main pack weighed before I got a wheeled case, but I carried all the electronics and pharma on board and that was another few lbs. I also wear my boots on the plane, but for long trips I take them off and put on some oversocks (if I'm flying biz class on FF miles they usually come for free.)

An Ace bandage is just a regular elastic bandage - it's a brand name. See: http://www.acebrand.com/wps/portal/3...acebrand/home/ I also travel with a heavy duty preformed ankle wrap I bought in Bangkok years ago.
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Old May 9th, 2013, 01:38 PM
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Hi Crellston,

Thank you for your detailed packing information! its really good to see what you are taking for the six months. 10kg is pretty good for all of this, do they every check your baggage weight before getting on the plane? I have never had them check for interstate travel.

I will be similar in what I take, just a few extras like a sleeping bag and possibly a bivy/small 1 man tent because I will be doing a bit of camping.. Especially when I head to Tuzgle, Argentina for some bouldering/rock climbing.

Thursdaysd- as for the Duct tape vs Gaffa tape question they are slightly different. I prefer Gaffa Tape, I find its a little stronger and not so sticky to use (a quick google search told me: it can be removed cleanly because it uses a synthetic petroleum-based adhesive rather than a natural rubber adhesive. I think this is great because Duct tape can make things very sticky especially if you put it onto something that is left in the sun)

Looking forward to more travel tips. Hope you two have a great time away.
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Old May 9th, 2013, 10:34 PM
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Ditch the iPad. Anything you can do on the iPad you can do on a smartphone.
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Old May 10th, 2013, 01:51 AM
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Crellston,

Forgot to ask, what's the Fake Wallets use??
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Old May 10th, 2013, 05:01 AM
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sparkchaser - maybe you can, but I certainly can't. I need a bigger screen and a bigger keyboard (actually would prefer a netbook). Smart phone is fine for Twitter, but lousy for blogging.
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Old May 10th, 2013, 05:54 AM
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Well then, if you already own the iPad then go for it but if you don't have one yet, look into a 3G Chromebook.
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Old May 10th, 2013, 06:10 AM
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Have taken the iPad on the last three (four?) trips. I'm better at typing on glass than I was, but having to use apps instead of the web is still really aggravating.
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Old May 11th, 2013, 11:47 AM
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Brenden - you are very welcome.

I have never had my bag checked for weight at the gate. I think the secret is to pretend as though it is as light as a feather. On international flights I have seen much larger and heavier bags taken in the cabin. It may be a problem if we decide to fly say to the Amazon on a small plane but there the check in/ collection isn't so much of a hassle.

If you are serious about camping then it is highly likely that you could pick up a tent/ sl bag when you get to SA hostels are full of people advertising these on notice boards and you could almost certainly sell it on when you are finished. As an example , as I sit typing this in SA Explorers Quito there is an Azteq Profesional Nepal for sale at $100 including an inflatable mattress - I imagine you could get it for a lot less.

Fake wallet. I just use a an old wallet with a few defunct cards and a few $ in it just in case.. One thing I did not put on the list is a secret wallet which attaches by a loop to your belt and stuffed inside pants/ trousers. Great for keeping passports and spare cards etc. very discrete and more comfortable than a money belt. PacSafe used to make one but no longer. I got mine at a supermarket

Spark - Ditch the iPad. Anything you can do on the iPad you can do on a smartphone. Except type with ease, watch films and TV, read books on a decent sized screen... I am a relatively recent convert to Apple but 6 months of using an iPad and I am already thinking of ditching my PC.
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Old May 11th, 2013, 10:02 PM
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Crellston,

good advice once again. I never thought of buying things over there. I do like to be prepared. But its good to know I can try and sell anything I find I wont need anymore.

interesting idea with the fake wallet.. I do like it. and your real wallet in the pants is a good idea too.

How do you go about uploading photos etc? do you come across internet that is good enough for that? the last thing I would want to do is loose or have bag stolen and loose photos. I have dropped a camera under a car in the past while rushing to get on a ferry and a few minutes later when I realised I ran back to the car and someone had already swiped it. I had my information in the camera bag but of course no one called!! I would have been happy for the finder to return at least the memory card.

Cheers
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Old May 12th, 2013, 04:40 AM
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I am paranoid about losing photos so tend to overkill and back up in a variety of ways. With the iPad, I have a small card reader which transfer photos very quickly. From the iPad I can upload to iCloud which has 5 gb of free storage.

If you have a hotmail account, Skydrive has 7 gb of free storage and I think Google has something similar - Picasa? ICloud save the photos at full res, whereas with Hotmail you have a choice of lower res for more photos at lower quality.

If you are not taking your own Laptop, iPad, smartphone then just take a card reader and upload at any Internet cafe. You could also take a separate memory stick and transfer to that periodically .

On our last long trip, I took over 10,000 photos which was riduculous. This time I am being a lot more strict and am adopting the same protocol I used to in pre digital days and take my time and be selective, otherwise, 5 go is quickly used up.

As you have found your photos are irreplaceable ( unless of course you use it as and excuse to go on another trip!!
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Old May 12th, 2013, 06:23 AM
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crellston - I, too, take way too many photos! Back when I first starting traveling with a digital camera (2001), when storage was expensive, I would cull my photos every couple of nights to make more room. I stopped doing that when storage got cheaper (and I got lazier?), but I'm thinking of going back to it. That way I'll still take a lot of photos (never know when one will really turn out well) but not come home with so many I don't want to deal with them. I also shoot with my camera on 8 megapixels instead of its maximum, since I don't print my photos.
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Old May 12th, 2013, 11:22 AM
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Hi crellston - interesting list

Is there anything you didn't use or need? Could you have reduced number of underwear/socks? Once when I was off for a long trip I ended up weighing my t-shirts to reduce weight! 100g here or 200g there all adds up.

I've never needed a sewing kit so no longer take one. I love these sea to summit daypacks which fold into your pocket http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sea-Summit-U.../dp/B00B1941O0

enjoy your journey!
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Old May 17th, 2013, 04:27 AM
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Hi sfsg , to early to tell whether there are any superfluous items as we are only 10 days into our trip. I take your point re T shirts, they do was a surprising amount. I have bought them along the way as needed before, but 3 doesn't seem excessive, could c probably reduce by one if I didn't wash them regularly!

Underwear and sock cannot be reduced and are definitely needed as IME nothing increases personal comfort than fresh socks and underwear!! I do wish however that I had found some quick drying socks. Merino is v. Comfortable but takes ages to dry.

Like the sea summit daypack, seems very lightweight and packable. We opted for the Skypack as we had used their suff before. It is incredibly hard wearing and we plan on using hem not only for day treks but also for weekends etc.wher we will leave our main bags in storage.
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Old May 17th, 2013, 11:42 PM
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Ace bandages are very tightly woven fabric, very strong and elastic, unlike the thin weight white ones I found abroad. It thus can be wrapped tightly in place. They work just fine for a sprained ankle or wrist or elbow, but can also have other uses. I injured a thigh muscle in such a way that it then needed support. A tightly wound ace bandage would have made the rest of my trip much easier. It would probably also help a weakened knee. They can also make a sling, or keep an ice pack in place, and so on. I won't travel outside of the states again without them. That and the new blister bandaids which are miraculous. I put one on an ugly forming blister and not only didn't I feel the blister again, but it healed up beautifully in a couple of days.

A lot of places also have never heard of Ibuprofen, though most now seem to have tylenol (called something like paracetenol abroad?).

I totally agree about the secret pouch, though I prefer the silk money belt kind that actually buckle around your waist.

My biggest dilemna was deciding what to take for carrying every day around town. I bought one of those slice-proof bags, but found it too bulky and rarely used it. What I ended up using most was a super lightweight roll into itself backpack, to carry my sweater or umbrella, and zip pockets in pants for money. But wonder what other women do if in a dress or skirt where you can't zip money in? And then how does anyone carry the things you buy, whether it's tomatoes or t-shirts?

Best,

TF
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Old May 18th, 2013, 04:28 AM
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Ibuprofen seems to be widely available worldwide. As with other drugs, you need to know the local name. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...en_brand_names

I also prefer a waist money belt, although not necessarily silk, worn with the pouch at the back. I hardly ever wear a skirt when traveling, perhaps a sarong for the evening. My pockets are usually empty.
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