Sample Packing List

Packing light means you plan to resupply on the road -- yes, you can buy toothpaste in Thailand. Packing light means you handwash your clothes -- unless you don't mind them being beaten, boiled or mixed in with everyone else's multicolored gear (Asia) or want to hunt down a launderette every couple of days (Europe). So test-wash and dry your clothes before you go. And packing smart means you don't take anything you can't stand to lose -- except your camera.

Packing for Europe is a little different from packing for Asia, so I've flagged Asia-only items with an '*'. Note that this list includes the clothes I was wearing as well as the ones in my pack.

Luggage

• I take a convertible backpack so that I can zip the straps out of sight for the occasional flight or fancy hotel. My current pack is an Eagle Creek Continental, which comes with a built-in raincover. If you live near an REI store they'll let you test-drive their packs. Make sure that the hip belt actually takes part of the load, and forget about those hybrid backbacks with wheels -- when you have to carry it, and you will, you won't want the extra weight of the wheels. Also:
  • Padlocks, for locking the zipper pulls together
  • A cable lock, for locking the pack to luggage racks
  • Sealant and patches for mending rips
• Day pack for sightseeing, and also for airplane carry-on, now that I have to check the backpack (the Swiss army knife has to go somewhere). Look for one with an external pocket for a water bottle and lockable zippers. Mine came with the main pack.
• Waist pack. These are not recommended, for security reasons, but I take one to hold my camera so that I don't have to keep fishing it out of my day pack. It fits into my day pack when I don't want to wear it. It also holds my wallet, with one day's supply of cash, and a mini-compass. Some people also take a wallet with expired credit cards and a little cash to hand over if they're held up.
• Money belt and spare money belt. I buy mine from Rick Steves.

In the main money belt

This holds the things it would be a serious pain to replace. When you least want to wear it is usually when you need it most. Wrap the contents in plastic so your sweat won't destroy them. I sleep with it on if I'm sleeping on a train, and take it to the shower if the bathroom is down the hall (or up the hill...) I wear a waist belt and find it more comfortable with the pouch at the back. It holds:

• Passport
• Airline tickets and rail pass
• Traveler's Emergency Network card (for medical evacuation)
• Credit/debit/ATM cards -- at least two in case a machine eats one
• * Traveler's Checks -- you can probably get by with ATM machines in Europe, but don't count on it in Asia outside the big cities
• Money, both dollars and local. Only one day's supply of cash should be outside your money belts.
• Driver's license, if you think you might rent a car or motorbike. (Don't think about it in most of Asia.)
• Eye glass prescription
• Passport photos, for visas or travel passes bought on the road
• List of important numbers

In the spare money belt

This is in case the main belt starts disintegrating, or, obviously, gets lost or stolen. Bury it in the backpack. It holds:

• Copies of everything in the main money belt. If you have visas in your passport copy them too.
• Extra traveler's checks and the list of numbers for the main set
• Extra cash. You might want to hide yet a third stash somewhere else.
• * International Certificate of Vaccination (take it out for crossing borders)
• International driver's license (very optional)

Recording and running the trip

• Digital camera and spare batteries and recording media. I am so, so grateful for digital photography -- it is amazing how heavy and bulky film is. Now that Internet cafes have started to burn CDs from flash cards, you can maybe cut back on how many you take. I nearly learned the hard way not to take a gigabyte microdrive -- lose that and you've lost a whole trip's worth of photos.
• Battery charger for the camera, and adapter plugs. This is the heaviest single item in my pack and I'll be looking into alternate technology before my next trip.
• Backup point-and-shoot camera with 3-4 rolls of fast film for caves and temples. And more spare batteries.
• Notepads and pens. While I believe in resupplying on the road, I had trouble finding a good notepad in the Indian countryside. I've tried taking a mini-recorder, but it doesn't seem to work for me.
• Trip itinerary, with info. on anything pre-booked. Sure, you may not stick to it, but it gives you a framework.
• Guide books. Or rather, sections torn out of guide books. Guide books can easily weigh a pound apiece -- Lonely Planet "China" weighs nearly two. Consider buying them on the road, maybe from other travelers.
• Map(s). Unless you're driving or hiking, your guide books and Tourist Information Offices should have all the maps you need, but some people like to track their progress.
• Phrase book(s). I don't usually bother -- guide books come with basic language sections and I learn languages slowly and painfully if at all.
• A book to read on the plane, and to trade at the used bookstores you'll find in towns with big backpacker populations.
• Note: I don't take a computer -- too heavy, too bulky and way, way too valuable. I find it's much less stressful to use Internet cafes and web-based email -- I like Lonely Planet's ekno.com.

Pharmaceuticals

I usually wind up feeling like a walking drug store, and you can get a lot of drugs more cheaply in Asia, but do you really want to go shopping when you're feeling sick? You can't always be sure of how drugs in remote areas have been stored, but you can make sure that you don't leave yours in your backpack when it's going to spend all day on top of a bus in tropical sunshine.

• * Antimalarial pills and prescription. Some mosquitoes are developing immunity, so check with your doctor or a travel clinic (Duke has a good one if you live in N.C.) for what will work where you're headed. I like Malarone and can't take Lariam.
• Antibiotic and prescription (see above).
• Any prescription or alternative medications, with prescriptions.
• Immodium or equivalent for when you have to travel with diarrhea.
• * Rehydration salts.
• Multivitamins and calcium tablets. On a long trip I take enough for one every other day.
• Pain pills.
• Antiseptic cream
• * Insect repellent
• Sun tan lotion
• Cortisone cream -- bugs love to bite me, and this helps stop the itching.
• * Whatever you take for colds and coughs.
• * Water purification tablets
• Bandaids, moleskin and one or more ace bandages.
• Arnica gel and pills.

Toiletries

I decant my favorite shampoo, hand lotion, etc. into 4 oz. plastic bottles (PB). I don't fill them -- they weigh heavy, and pressure changes affect them. Check your drug store for sample-sized (SS) items. I split this stuff between two Eagle Creek Pack-it Sacs.

• PB of liquid soap, a clothesline and a universal sink plug for washing clothes. If you get a travel clothesline with twisted strands you won't need clothes pegs. I've found liquid soap to be the single hardest item to replace on the road - shampoo will work instead.
• * Toilet paper. Keep some in your day pack.
• Tissues.
• * Antiseptic hand gel (e.g. Purell) for when you can't wash your hands. Keep this in your day pack, too
• * Soap, for when you can. I use Dove, and I've bought it even in China's far west.
• Wash cloth. Some people take towels or Pak towels as well.
• Brush, comb and hair dryer. Yes, I know, but it's small, light, dual-voltage and uses the same adapter plugs as the battery charger for my camera.
• Scissors, tweezers and nail file.
• Toothbrush, toothpaste (SS) and dental floss.
• Hand lotion (PB). Be careful when buying this in Asia. My favorite brand comes laced with "skin whitener" in a lot of places.
• Razors and shaving cream (SS).
• Shampoo (PB) -- I take the kind that comes with conditioner built in. Pantene brand seems to be widely available. Setting gel or mousse (SS).
• Deodorant (SS).
• Talcum powder (SS) to make sure you get your feet dry. Consider anti-fungal talc. for hot, damp climates.
• Note: I don't wear make-up at home, so I don't have to decide whether to travel with it. Before you take it, consider how it will fare in extreme heat or cold.

Clothes

The fewer the better. Can often be bought on the road as souvenirs. In some places, e.g. Vietnam, can be bought made-to-measure. If the weather is likely to be hot and humid you should probably take or buy cotton.

• Walking shoes or sneakers with spare laces. Broken in! These are even more important than your pack when it comes to comfort. Don't worry about whether sneakers make you look like a tourist -- take whatever will make your feet happiest after a hard day's sightseeing.
• Sandals. Also broken in. Try to alternate with the sneakers.
• Light-weight flip-flops. Optional, but useful for beaches and bathrooms, and for when your feet hate your other footwear.
• 3 pairs socks. I like Thorlos but they take a while to dry.
• 4 pairs underpants and 2 bras.
• * Long underwear. Only if you expect cold weather.
• 2 pairs lightweight trousers. Railrider's khakis are light, super-tough and dry overnight.
• 1 pair medium weight trousers. Only if you expect cool weather.
• 2 short sleeved shirts or tees. I love Coolmax, and usually buy from Travelsmith.
• 1 long-sleeved shirt. Optional.
• 1 long skirt and possibly another short-sleeved or sleeveless top. A sarong would work. This is for wearing to dinner while your day clothes drip dry.
• Very light weight shorts and swimsuit. Only if you're headed to the beach or hotels with swimming pools. Don't even think of wearing shorts on the streets in most of Asia.
• Cardigan or sweater. Only if you expect cold weather.
• Light jacket. Wind and water-proof or resistant.
• * Head scarf. For visiting mosques.
• Hat. I hate hats, and usually use an umbrella as a sunshade instead. However, this doesn't work for some things, like riding motos. Can usually be bought when needed.

And don't forget...

• * Silk sleep sack from Dreamsack. Small, light and wonderful. Don't leave home without one, especially if you'll be sleeping on trains.
• Spare eye glasses & case, two sets of polaroid shades & case.
• Flashlight with spare battery and bulb.
• Alarm clock and spare battery.
• Watch (with fresh battery) and (fake) wedding ring. Actually it was a real wedding ring, but I'm no longer maried. If you don't take jewelry you won't be attacked for it.
• Swiss army knife.
• Protein bars or whatever emergency rations you prefer.
• Water bottle. I've traveled with the kind that comes with its own filter, but it was heavy and expensive, and the water was never really cold. In places where you shouldn't drink the water there always seems to be bottled water for sale.
• Sewing kit and safety pins.
• Umbrella. Doubles as sun-shade.
• * Fan -- buy on the road.
• * Something to share with locals -- photos or postcards from home, for instance. Some travelers take soap bubble mix for the kids. Showing people, especially kids, their photo on a digital camera often draws an excited crowd.

This may look like a lot, but many of these items are small and light. I'm mid-fifties and not especially fit, and I don't stagger too badly with this much.

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