So, we really had no intention of posting a list of what we are packing. It just didn’t seem that interesting to anyone who wasn’t going on the same type of trip as us. But we have been shocked at the number of people that have asked us what we are packing for an entire year – most people cannot believe we can travel for a year with nothing but a backpack and a shoulder bag.

That said, here is our packing list.

Robert is packing:

Shoes

• Everyday shoes suitable for hiking or walking in a city
• Flip flops
• Walking sandals

Clothes

• 1 pair of linen pants
• 1 pair of light weight jeans
• 1 short sleeve rash guard (Scuba!)
• 4 pairs of shorts (all of which double as swim trunks)
• 1 long sleeve t-shirt
• 6 short sleeve t-shirts
• 1 sweater
• 3 pairs of socks
• 5 pairs of underwear (Robert is willing to go commando occasionally…)
• 1 windbreaker/rain jacket
• 1 scarf
• Sun hat
• 2 bandanas (to help cover the bald spot and prevent sun burn)

Health and Beauty (some of which is to be shared)

• Advil
• Advil PM (a miracle drug)
• Moleskin
• 2 Epi-pens (for a bee allergy)
• Nail clippers
• Tweezers

Electronics and other

• Hard drive to store photos
• Portable speakers
• Tripod
• Travel cribbage set
• Morphie dual usb battery backup

Lisa is packing:

Shoes:

• One pair of every day shoes suitable for hiking or walks in the city
• One pair of everyday sandals
• One pair of sandals that can get wet

Clothes

• One pair of light weight blue jeans
• Two pairs of light weight pants that roll up to capris
• Four skorts (Don’t be mocking skorts – they are Lisa’s favorite warm weather wear – look like a skirt and no embarrassing shows when getting out of cabs)
• One long sleeve t-shirt
• 7 short sleeve t-shirts (it would have been 6, but Lisa refused to part with her Chelsea t!)
• 8 pairs of underwear (Lisa most definitely does not go commando)
• 3 bras
• 3 pairs of socks
• 1 camisole to wear under shirts for cold weather (Lisa is always cold)
• 2 swimsuits
• 1 pair of swim shorts
• 1 windbreaker/rain jacket
• 1 hoodie
• 1 scarf
• 3 fashion scarves to wear as headbands (to hide the gray as it grows out)
• 1 sun hat
• A few pairs of cheap earrings

Health and beauty products (some of which is to be shared)

• A year’s supply of contact lenses (there has to be a better way….)
• Small contact lens solution
• Motion sickness medication
• Mosquito repellent with DEET
• Brush
• Band-aids and disinfectant
• Sudafed
• Solid shampoo and conditioner
• Solid soap to wash clothes
• Small packages of Kleenex (doubles as tp)

In addition, both of us have:

• Toothbrush
• Small toothpaste
• Small sunscreen
• Razor
• Travel towels
• Computer
• Unlocked phone
• Nook
• Camera
• Vaccine card
• Passport
• International driver’s license
• Altitude meds
• Anti-malarial meds
• Antibiotics
• Small power strip
• Adaptor
• Glasses
• Sunglasses
• Watch

Before anyone who knows us asks, yes virtually all of our clothes (and our bags) are either black or gray or a combination of black and gray. Lisa does have one purplish t-shirt (that she will probably never wear unless everything else is dirty…) but that is pretty much the only thing with color. We should be worried about having a year’s worth of photos where it looks like we are wearing the same thing over and over. We should be, but given we both wear black or gray almost every day anyway, our photos already look like we are wearing the same thing over and over. So, nothing will change.

The t-shirts, socks, underwear and Lisa’s hoodie are nearly all made out of wool – either Icebreaker or Smart Wool brands. We love the stuff – dries quickly, doesn’t stink (Robert once wore the same t-shirt and underwear for 5 days while Lisa was out of town to test this out….gross but effective), isn’t too hot, folds down small and doesn’t wrinkle. If our entire wardrobes were made out of that stuff, we would be happy campers.

We both know we have over-packed. We have culled and culled (Lisa cried a bit when she culled the pajamas) and fully anticipate culling further as the trip progresses. We are in awe of others who manage to live with 2 t-shirts, a pair of shorts and 2 pairs of underwear, doing laundry every night. But that just isn’t who we are. That said, it will be interesting to see at the end of the trip what we decided was worth lugging around for a year.

And, here is what everything looks like when fully packed. (No, the wine isn’t going with us; the bottle is just there for scale.)