What I Packed for my RTW Trip

With so many people asking me what I packed for my RTW trip, I figured it would be fitting to post exactly what is inside my carry on luggage  for the coming year.

UPDATE TO THIS POST: If you want to see how all this gear worked out after a year of travel and what else I picked up, see my recent post on My RTW Full Packing List

My Full RTW Packing List

CLOTHES

Shirts: 3 Tees, 1 Thermal top,  1 Long Sleeve Shirt, 1 Collared Shirt (for dates with the ladies)

Rain Jacket – Since I’m traveling light, and since I’m planning to route my trip with warm weather (staring in Europe for the summer/fall and ending my travel in Australia and New Zealand for their summer, I’m hoping this will be all I need for the trip.

Swimsuit – This will definitely come in handy…

1 Pair Sketcher’s shoes – I took these to avoid the ‘tennis shoe’ look but also because they are so comfortable

1 Pair OluKai Kia’i Flops – Suitable for all occasions including shower shoes, beach flops, miles of town exploration and nights out on the town.

1 Pair ‘dressier’ shoes – Helpful for avoiding the tennis shoe look in clubs and for adding a little variety to my constant backpacker/flip flop wardrobe.

1 Pair Jeans (Not recommended by many travelers due to the weight and drying time but had to do it)

4 Pair Travel Socks

3 Pairs of Shorts – Again, since planning for warmer weather throughout the trip, the 1 pair of Jeans I’m taking should be all I need

4 Pair Travel Underwear

SECURITY

Backpack Lock – I ended up with two Combination bag locks that were TSA approved for both my day pack and main bag. Better to go with one that has a combination than losable keys.

Money Belt – Thought I’d take one just in case I’m traveling through ‘sketchy’ areas. The one I went with was Rick Steeve’s brand.

Travel Belt – After doing a bit of research on this type of belt, I found one made by PacSafe. This is convenient to have as it stored my emergency money and a paper copy of my passport on the underside of the belt in zippered pocket in case all my stuff was stolen. It also looks just like a normal belt and also has a plastic buckle that prevents the removal of it when passing through airport security.

Dummy Wallets – In case I get mugged… Hopefully this never happens to me but since I’m going solo, I thought it would be a good idea. For rough areas, I’m keeping the dummy in my back pocket with some low bills and junk cards for the idiots to take and my real one tucked away safe.

TECHNOLOGY

Apple iPad 2 – I purchased this because it weighs half a normal laptop and takes up very little room in my bag and was ideal for quick web surfing, Skype, eBooks, and all the useful language apps and maps you could download as well as a ten hour battery life. Right before leaving, I realized I’d probably need a proper keyboard for blogging so I ended up with both the iPad 2 and the PC below… I just couldn’t decide between the two pre-trip so I took both though I wouldn’t recommend that!

Laptop: Asus Netbook Eee PC – I chose this one for its compact size and 7 hour battery life. It was the smallest netbook I could find on short notice before my trip.

Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC-W690 This was the slimmest, lightest and best point and shoot camera I could find after several days of web research and was especially nice due to the ease of use for 180 degree panoramic shots, long battery life as well as HD video.

Smartphone: My ‘Unlockable global’ phone by HTC (With an ‘unlockable global’ phone, you can get a Sim card in each country you visit that is good for phone service within that country as you travel along. Typically the Sim will cost about $5-15 and will issue you a local number).

Apple iPod

Extra Batteries – For phone and camera, in case I am without power for more than a couple days…

DOCUMENTS/ETC.

Passport – I renewed mine right before leaving as it was originally only valid for about 9 more months

Extra Passport Photos: For many Visas needed at border crossings, especially in SE Asia, I know I’ll need to have some photos

Copy of Passport – I kept a photo copy in my travel belt at all times just in case my original was lost or stolen.

Extra Credit & ATM Cards (real and expired) & Drivers Licenses (real and expired) – Before I left, I made sure I wouldn’t be stranded without any money so I took three credit cards and two ATM cards with me.

TOILETRIES/MEDS/ETC.

Toiletries – Tweezer, Clippers, travel toothbrush/floss/soap, etc.

Toiletries Bag – A large one to sort all my stuff including a nifty pull out hook

Medications  – I took these along with my Malaria pills for travel to India and SE Asia that I was planning on

Insurance Card and Dr. letter for Medications – From what I read, some countries can require a letter to show proof you’re not carrying illegal drugs if pills aren’t properly labeled.

Travel Towel – If you’re not familiar with these, they are slightly larger than a handkerchief (which seems a bit ridiculous) but they dry extremely quick and hold 4-5 times their weight in water.

Small First Aid Kit: Neosporin, Band Aids, MoleSkin, Gauze, Scissors, Ibuprofen, Excedrin, Imodium….

Iodine Tablets – For cloudy and/or ‘shady’ water. Useful on long camping trips.

Small packets of Laundry Soap – I brought these hopefully to save some money by doing my laundry myself where I can.

MISCELLANEOUS

2 Mini Flashlights – Handy for walks down unknown hallways at 4am, camping trips and night reading.

Waterbottle: Since I”m on a budget, I decided if I stick to free water refills with this, it would save me close to $1000 over the course of a year since buying bottled water everyday will add up. The one I brought along was a Camelbak (I switched out the one in the photo above before leaving). The nice thing about this model is it will never spill the way the top is designed and you never need two hands to drink it.

Small Notepad: For directions, notes, etc

2 Pens & 1 Mechanical Pencil – (filled w/ extra lead – I’m a dork)

Small Pocketknife: You can cut off the blade to make it through airport security if you have it on you.

A Few Good Books: Four Hour Work Week, Vagabonding, Trans-Siberian Handbook, 1 Lonely Planet guide

A Point It Dictionary – I took this little book along with me and to help me survive the language barrier. It’s filled with over 1300 pictures that you can use all across the world.

Small Language Book: Since Spain was my starting point for at least 3 weeks I brought one along and planned to leave it with a fellow traveler upon my departure.

Small Lighter – Because someone may need a light…

Sleeping Bag Liner – These are great and take up about as much room in your pack as a small camera. It acts as a sheet (in sleeping bag form) when needed. The liner can be used inside a sleeping bag or just by itself. The one I got was a silk liner by Sea to Summit.

3 Duffel Bags: For dirty clothes, pillow stuffer, shoes, etc (too many uses not to have at least 3). I got mine through REI

1 Compression Bag: Also for clothes – clean or dirty and to use for my rain jacket. These are great because you can tighten them down to the smallest size possible to save room in your bag.

Deck of Playing Cards

Duck Tape – Because you never know when you’ll need it and it has so many uses… I just wrapped some around the top of a pen cap.

Plastic Spork/Knife – Handy whether you plan to camp or not.

Ear Plugs

Postcards: I chose postcards from my own city to give to fellow travelers and/or locals I meet on the way.

I’m sure I’ve left a couple things off this list from what’s in the bag but that should cover most of it…

And so What is all this fitting in??

My 60L Osprey Meridian

After checking out several packs and talking to fellow veteran travelers, in the end I chose a 60L Osprey Meridian. From what others told me, unless I’m planning for a bunch of camping (which I’m not), you can wheel the bag almost everywhere. And the bag can also be converted into a fully functional backpack (for treks to Everest Base Camp for instance) for the times you need to carry it.  It takes less than two minutes to unzip the straps and throw it on your back. It also has a handy day pack too with a separate padded compartment for your laptop and when you remove the day pack, both bags meet max regulations in the airports for carry on size so I am hoping to save $$$ on having to check my bag every time I fly! Because I’m so excited about this bag, I thought I would post a video Osprey has made to show how it works.

UPDATE TO THIS POST: If you want to see how all this gear worked out after a year of travel and what else I picked up, see my recent post on My RTW Full Packing List