IN A STRANGE TOWN.

How to Pack for a Year

Chapter 2. July 22, 2021 Text by Kevin/SC. # Comments

While planning a long trip, the most vexing problem is not where to go, but what to bring. The perverse law of packing is that the more time you'll be gone, the less you should carry. There are many days where your whole pack comes with, on mountain hikes, travels between cities, strolls while waiting for a flight. On a weekend away, we'll throw whatever into a duffel bag - a few books, an extra sweater just in case it gets cold, a football to chuck around. On a year-long trip, every ounce is sacred. Nothing that isn't needed can be brought, and nothing brought can be too bulky, heavy, or fragile.

We are going quite light indeed. The backpacks are 30 liter, custom packs from Red Paw, a small company out of Colorado. They weigh 19 ounces, are effectively unrippable, and have some really fun custom features, the best being a secret money pocket hidden on the inside of a strap. We generally have the top rolled down, bringing them closer to the 24L or so you can see in the photo above. Kevin's bag, fully packed up, weighs 14 pounds, and SC's just a touch more. This isn't that easy, as the trip takes us from near freezing temperatures at 4000 meters of altitude to 45 degree weather in the Dubai summer sun, from literally sleeping in a yurt to teaching in a university, and from dusty West African public transit to Michelin-starred restaurants.

After many trips abroad, including some very long ones, we collectively have the business of packing down pat. So what did we bring, and why? Let's unroll the packs and take a look!

Kevin's Backpack

The clothes have a simple starting point: our good friend merino wool. It's light. It dries overnight when you wash it in the sink. It doesn't hold smells. It's very comfortable. It somehow stays cool when it's hot out and stays warm when it's cold. The only problem is that it's often quite expensive, and it degrades quickly. On a long trip, the former properties are much more important than the latter ones.

There are two more general tricks of packing clothes on a long trip. First, you can't really bring light colors. They stain too easily, and since we'll be washing everything by hand often just using a bar of soap, our lives are a bit less radiant than they would be without this restriction. Second, the amount of clothes you need isn't as much as you might imagine. Whether a trip is 7 days or 365, you need to wash one set of clothes each day. Washing three sets of clothes every third and sixth day is no more work than washing six sets every sixth, and allows you to bring only half the weight. How to wash? Some people use elaborate methods: we close the sink drain, throw everything in with a laundry tab or some hand soap, agitate the clothes with a good scrub, wring them out, and hang them on whatever is available - a deck chair in the sun can get it dry in two hours, but on a rack inside generally dries overnight.

Clothes: 4x merino boxer briefs (Icebreaker Anatomica), 4x merino socks (Icebreaker CoolLite Low Cut), 2x T-shirt (Outlier Cut One, Icebreaker Tech Lite), 1x collared long-sleeve shirt (Icebreaker Departure), 1x 100% cashmere sweater (Uniqlo), 2x shorts (Patagonia Baggies 5, Duer Live Lite 10.5), 1x pants (Outlier Slim Dungarees), 1x merino vest (Icebreaker Hyperia), 1x rain jacket (Outdoor Research Helium II), 1x winter hat (Icebreaker Merino Mogul II), 1x ballcap (TB12 Tom Brady), 1x gloves (Icebreaker ReelFleece), 1x trail runners (Saucony Peregrine 11)

Electronics are easier - bring the bare minimum. I have to do some work while on the road using software that's only on Windows, so I picked up literally the lightest possible Windows tablet available. The camera is in auto mode 99% of the time anyway, so I've got the best point and shoot on the market, small enough to slide into a pocket. And in many cases the Pixel 4A phone camera gets the job done. The joy of USB makes electronics even lighter, as everything charges off the same two cables plugged directly into the wall. I wouldn't have bothered with the power bank aside from a few long hikes; if it goes unused by Christmas, it's out. Real books are great, but on a long trip, the convenience both in terms of weight and access of an e-reader can't be passed up.

Electronics: 1x Surface Go 2 with keyboard case, 1x Kindle Paperwhite, 1x Pixel 4A 5G with Spigen Armor case, 1x RX100 VI camera, 1x USB-micro USB cable, 1x USB-C to USB-C cable, 1x fast charger, 1x Pac2GO universal plug, 1x Anker 10000 Power Pack

Beyond clothes and electronics, you need a few things for getting ready, staying dry, crossing borders, and keeping healthy. On the medical side, we have the kit packed with Malarone (malaria), Immodium and azithromycin (Montezuma's Revenge), Diamox (altitude sickness), Benadryl, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, acetaminophen, naproxen, gauze, bandaids, blister bandaids, and alcohol wipes. Much of this is easily available overseas, and we could cut this back a bit if needed. The passport case has a yellow fever card/vaccination record, photocopies of our Covid vaccinations (Moderna Mob, of course), photos in the two most common visa sizes, a Priority Pass airport lounge card, a driver's license, passport photocopies, and backup credit cards - naturally we emailed each other copies of all of these before we left. In the Dopp kit is deodorant, toothpaste, a toothbrush, Q-tips, eye drops, laundry tabs, chapstick, lip balm, and 2 pens. A Cotopaxi fanny pack/shoulder bag weighs nothing and can hold water and a book while out for the day. Sunglasses, a water filter for hikes, a tiny quick-dry towel, a Covid mask, and a small cloth laundry bag pilfered from a nice hotel round things off.

Other necessities: 1x cloth laundry bag, 1x Cotopaxi Bataan Del Dia fanny pack, 1x Medical kit, 1x Dopp kit (Want Accessories kit from Air Canada), 1x slim fold wallet, 1x Cafria sunglasses, 1x microfiber wipe for cameras, 1x REI microfiber towel (small), 1x Katadyn Be Free 1L water filter, 1x electric razor (Braun M90), 50-pack laundry tabs (Sea to Summit), 1x TidetoGo Pen, 1x Moleskine 3.5x5.5 inch notebook, 1x Sea to Summit mini umbrella, 2 pens, 2 dryer sheets for pack freshness.

SC's Backpack

While Kevin always travels light, I like to pack a bit more...comfortably.

What if the temperature varies wildly? Who wants to be hand-washing their clothes in a sink every other day? A base tan is not a replacement for sunscreen and a hat in a warm place! But our trips don’t normally require that I keep moving forward with everything I’m traveling with on my back for several days in a row. On the flip side, our trips haven’t normally required that I pack for a couple dozen countries, across five continents, over 12 months.

There will definitely be some temperature fluctuations between the Arabian desert in the summer and the Andean altitudes in the winter. The Kyrgyz mountains, the Central African jungle, and the desert in Chad all require some thoughtful clothing and medical options that I might not need in the South of France. So I’ve approached the task of packing with an unprecedented mix of ruthlessness and forethought, that has also seen me set aside my usual wardrobe of brightly colored and patterned clothes for the more muted technical and Merino options. Good thing we are spending time in flamboyant Senegal!

As far as clothing is concerned, the trip was planned to optimise weather as much as possible. We will likely be contending with heat more than cold, but in many countries it won’t be appropriate for my legs to be covered with anything less than pants and my arms with at least a T-shirt sleeve. The Kenyan kikoi will serve many purposes: covering my head, my hips, keeping me warm, and adding a splash of colour(!), as needed. I’ll do my best to make the Arcteryx dress and Birkenstocks look passable for any meal or event that requires smart casual. I’ve resigned myself to hand washing my clothes in a sink every few days.

Clothing: 4x t-shirts (all Icebreaker), 1x long sleeve shirt (Uniqlo Airism), 2x pants (Duer and Prana), 1x shorts (Patagonia), 5x socks (all Icebreaker), 5x underwear (a mix of Ice Breaker and Third Love), 3x bras (one Ice Breaker, one Nike sports bra, one real bra), 1x dress (Arcteryx), 1x shawl (a Kenyan kikoi), 1x light pyjama (MEC long johns and a technical tank top), 1x sandals (Birkenstocks), 1x hiking shoes (Altra Maxtrack), 1x rain jacket (Outdoor Research Helium II), 1x light merino coat (Icebreaker - a tip: plan your trip well in advance so that you can take advantage of their sales), 1x zip up sweater (Marmot), 1x small hat (Icebreaker), 1x light gloves, 1x buff, 1x swimsuit, 1x sun hat.

The electronics and other gear are all pretty straightforward and self-explanatory. I've got a few pieces of equipment for recording stories on the road: an SD card reader and extra cards, a shotgun microphone, and a notebook. The only non e-book I have is Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul, which I'll give away when I finish reading it in Turkey.

Electronics and Other: 1x external power pack, 1x water bottle (Swell), 1x foot massage ball, 1x headlamp (MEC), 1x small shotgun microphone for my phone, 1x Tic Tacs, 1x camera (RX100 Mark 1), 2x SD cards, 1x SD card reader, 1x USB-C to USB-C cable, 1x Pac2GO universal plug, 1x USB cable, 1x iPad 7th gen with Logitech Slim Folio case, 1x book, 1x notebook, 2x pens, 1x Kindle Paperwhite, 1x wallet (Slimfold), 1x money belt with passport, paperwork and extra cards, 1x sunglasses, 1x travel umbrella (MEC), 1x fanny pack (Cotopaxi - another splash of colour!), 1x face mask (Airism by Uniqlo), 2x N95 masks (in case required in some countries).

Finally, we have toiletries and products. Of course, in many places we are visiting I will be able to buy conditioner, toothpaste, and deodorant. I therefore started with full tubes but everything 100 ml and under to avoid checking bags. I’ll restock as I go. My liquids bag has a mix of those products as well as sunscreen, bug spray, and a few cosmetics. The grey bag has the dry goods: toothbrush, feminine hygiene products, face wipes, body wipes (for the short stretches without showers), dental floss, laundry tabs, and a few other bits and pieces. On the medical side, see Kevin's note above.

This may be a surprise to anyone who has not traveled long-term, but these packing lists are almost certainly too long, not too short. As we go, we'll wind up tossing anything that isn't getting used. But don't worry, friends back home - we've left room in the packs for gifts that will be hauled until we reach a reasonably-priced post office!

Text by Kevin and SC
Toronto, Canada
July 22, 2021