What’s In My Backpack?

I must admit, I look at the details of my post about what I took on my trip with a tinge of embarrassment.  I can only guess the level of order and detail was directly proportional to my level of excitement!

I was aware of how the contents of my bag and wardrobe slowly morphed as I moved from continent to continent over the months.  Hopefully you can see a little bit of humor in the eclectic assortment of items with which I ended.  I noted whatever I bought along the way, and am not including the few things I've picked since I stopped traveling.

Clothes and Packs

• Gregory Chaos backpack (2,800 cubic inches)
• Patagonia daypack
• Merrell multi-purpose sneakers (Kynsna, South Africa)
• Brazilian flip flops (mall in suburban Jo'burg, South Africa)
• Windbreaker (mall in suburban Jo'burg, South Africa)
• North Face khaki cargo pants
• North Face khaki cargo shorts
• Volcom board shorts (Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa)
• Element collared shirt (Hermanus, South Africa)
• 3 t-shirts by Volcom, Quicksilver, Billabong (Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa)
• 3 pairs of socks (Smart Wool – medium for hiking, low cut for everyday)
• 3 boxers
• 1 bandanna
• Green cap (Kho San Road, Bangkok)
• Eagle Creek money belt
• Oakley sunglasses (Cape Town, South Africa)

Toiletries and First Aid

• Small pack towel
• First Aid Kit (ziploc bag) –  assorted drugs from various countries, (uch as Cipro from Nepal), Neosporin, Cortizone, Imodium, Gas-x, Benadryl, band aids, Q-tips, digital thermometer, moleskin, healthy travel and first aid booklets
• Toiletry bag – toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, Listerine, nail clippers, tweezers,  skin lotion, Centrum vitamins, Gillette Mach3 razors, shaving gel, Burberry aftershave (gift!), mini-mirror
• Suntan and bug sprays

Electronic Gear

• ASUS eeePC laptop (Hong Kong)
• Canon PowerShot Digital IXUS 860IS camera w/soft case (Phuket, Thailand)
• 2 camera batteries and 5 SD memory cards (four 2gb cards, one 1gb card)
• Canon battery charger
• Petzl Zipka LED headlamp w/2 AAA batteries
• Casio Pathfinder digital watch (loved the altimeter and digital compass functions)
• Transcend 4gb MP3 player w/headphones (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
• Universal Adapter/Power Converter (minus one lost adapter piece)
• E*Trade digital security token (new)
• SanDisk Cruzer Micro 2gb Flash Stick (recently lost all info, reloaded with Mozilla Firefox, Filezilla FTP, Flickr uploader, etc.)

Documents and Money

• Passport w/extra pages added
• Photocopy of passport info page
• 5 extra photos (for Visas)
• WHO Immunization card
• Lonely Planet Colombia
• E*Trade Visa debit card
• Capital One Visa credit card
• 3 paper E*Trade checks (never used them)
• $60 cash (USD)

Miscellaneous

• Notebook and pen (Medellin, Colombia)
• Binoculars (Hermanus, South Africa)
• Small nylon drybag (Australia)
• Large nylon drybag (Chengdu, China)
• 2 scarves (Holland, Egypt)
• Combination/cable lock (Hong Kong)
• 3 Moo/Flickr mini cards w/blog and e-mail address
• 4 DVD's of archived photos (2 original plus copies)
• Assortment of tickets, business cards, etc. kept as souvenirs
• Gum

Lost and Stolen Items

• Lost – 2 pairs of Smart Wool socks (which sucks because they're even more expensive abroad, though worth the investment)
• Lost – North Face fleece (light) – accidentally left behind somewhere toward the end of my Nepal trek
• Stolen – money pouch with VA Driver's License, ATM card, and some cash (Barcelona, Spain)
• Stolen – laptop AC adapter, USB cable, 3 mix CD´s, French corkscrew (Medellin hostel)

**Tips**

• Traveler's checks were a hassle – I am glad I only took $150 worth as back-up funds.
• Advice I read before my trip rings even truer now – pack light and maximize your savings and methods for accessing money abroad.  My E*Trade ATM card worked in every country, and I almost never approached an ATM I couldn't use.
• Strong (freezer-style) ziploc bags are priceless.  I had a few which have lasted 15 months!
• I´m a fan of packing stuff in nylon or heavier (but more waterproof) rubber drybags.  Consider them as an alternative to backpack covers.  Plus, they also function as a way to compress the contents of your backpack.