My packing list: To bring or not to bring

Have booklets, Can travel

Almost every single rtw traveller is obsessed with the packing list, and not without reason. This is, after all, your only possessions when you travel for the next X number of months.

Generally, advices from websites are:

1. gather all the things you think you will need, half it and bring twice as much money.

2. bring the items that are not easily replaceable (e.g. specific medication) and if you have travelled before, the comfort items that you must have (e.g. your lucky tshirt). Anything else, you can buy (refer to item 1).

In other words, it does seem that one can travel with only the little booklets and cards and nothing else. Unfortunately it is not the case - we do not own a bank and we are human beings who need their protections (think worst case scenario) and possessions (think electronic gadgets).

What type of items

I started the packing process 2 months before my departure by researching on what are required. I looked at where people have been, their corresponding packing list and their review on the original packing list (on what was added and what was discarded or sent home). These are then matched to the places which I think I would be going. The new items are added to an existing packing list which I started 15 years ago and have been constantly updating since.

What brand of items

Next, I researched on what I had to buy by typing search words such as "how to choose a backpack" and "hyvent vs goretex review". Once I had some idea what to look out for, I go to the brand's website to check on the specifications (e.g. 100% fleece vs down) and the weight. 

Sometimes, the more I checked, the more confused I became. It 'helped' that there were limitations as to what was recommended by users on the internet vs what was available in the shops at home. When I started shopping for the winter wear, it was already February in Singapore. There were no more cheap and good heattech items at Uniqlo and no more long sleeved thermal wear from Columbia. I then had the option to buy online from overseas, take what was best available in shops at home, borrow or not bring the item at all. Belinda offered to buy things in Australia when she went home. Wendy, Belinda and Poh Leng also offered me some of their items.

What I brought

I have listed what I have packed for the rtw trip eventually, which weighed a total of 26kg (19kg check-in and 7kg carry-on). I have listed the brands, and in some cases, the sizes and why I have chosen the items so that we could see how these items measured up during the trip. In no way am I endorsing the brands.

THE Bag

• Osprey Farpoint 70 (S/M)

• Osprey rain cover (medium)

• Tatonka Schutzsack (medium)

• 1 shoe bag

I did not choose a trolley bag because it would be too difficult to carry a trolley bag up and down stairs in train stations and neighbourhoods where lifts and escalators are not common or where roads are cobbled. Also, as I was going on trekking trips that lasted for more than a few days, a trolley bag will not make sense and I will naturally need a backpack to hold my gear.

I then chose a front loading backpack over a top loading one because I wanted to be able to unzip the bag and view everything I had inside the bag. Front loading bags can also be locked (although it is not of much use if one wants to slash the bag.) The downside to using a front loading backpack is that the zip is more vulnerable. I was worried from time to time when the seams and the zip looked like there were going to burst. Also, front loading backpacks are essentially city backpacks. They do not have as many loops and buckles for hiking gear such as ice axe if you intend to hook them on the outside of the bag while hiking.

The Osprey bag I have chosen is made up of a 52l main backpack with a detachable 15l daypack that can be zipped on the front of the main backpack or clipped on the harness of the main pack for added security. Being able to clip the day pack also means that one only has 2 harnesses and not 4. It also has straps inside and outside the main backpack to hold the bag together (and prevent it from bursting). The bag is really light (1.7kg, with optimal load of less than 18kg). The bag does not fit me perfectly - because I am short, the hip belt does not sit nicely on my hip. I made do with it because there are not many available options from other brands in Singapore (I am not keen on buying bags online because I am not sure of the fit).

The shoe bag held 3 pairs of footwear, socks (stuffed inside the shoes to protect the shoes), some toiletries and 1 book that I could not squeeze into the main backpack.  

The main backpack and the shoe bag are thrown into the Tantonka Schutzsack (a cargo bag) for checking in. I had wanted to buy a pacsafe eXomesh to protect the backpack from being slashed. In the end I decided against it because it is expensive and weighs 1.5kg. I relied on the cargo bag to keep my backpack safe. On days that I went for long hiking trips, the cargo bag was used to hold the items that I left behind at the hotel's concierge.

I think I can fit into my bag

Clothes 

I knew I could not bring my whole wardrobe but neither did I want to bring only 1 change of clothes and do laundry every day. It also did not help that I needed clothes for summer and winter, for sports and the city, for mountains and the beach. The clothes also have to be quick dry and preferably, rain proof. Not easy huh?

• 3 singlets
• 1 nice top (for concerts)
• 1 wool top
• 1 cardigan
• 2 Uniqlo heat tech long-sleeved tops
• 2 The North Face warm base layer (top)
• 1 jeans (I refuse to go out in cargo pants that can be transformed into shorts)
• 2 Uniqlo heattech leggings
• 3 shorts (2 for city and 1 for sports)
• 1 skirt
• 1 summer dress
• 1 Nike cap
• 1 track suit
• 1 The North Face Mountain Light Triclimate jacket (Goretex + down 550)
• 1 The North Face Venture pants
• 1 Columbia beanie
• 1 The North Face balaclava
• 1 The North Face Triclimate Hyvent gloves
• 1 swimwear and goggles
• Undergarments
• 4 footwear (hiking boots, runners, black flats, flip-flops)
• 6 socks (short one for runners, woolly ones for winter, thermal liners for trekking and winter)
• 1 Sea to Summit drylite towel (small)
• 1 of Mum's tiny handkerchief
• 3 vacuum bags and 3 laundry nets, both from Daiso 
• 1 bag for city/ school (not carrying daypack in the city as I feel unsafe that the bag is behind me)
• 1 sunglass

Some travellers advocate using compression sacks while others use packing cubes. I found vacuum bags and laundry nets that cost S$1 - S$2 each (10 times cheaper than compression bags and packing cubes) more cost effective and practical (They are good for organisation, weigh next to nothing and can be flattened or rolled up when not in use).

TNF triclimate jacket only takes up this much space
(as pictured next to a beanie)

Vacuum bags work best by using vacuum cleaners to remove air from the bag and compressing the content (in this case, clothes) at the same time. In the absence of a vacuum cleaner, one can sit on the item, roll the bag and squeeze out the air to compress the content. 

One thing to note however, is how one uses the vacuum bags. Initially, I tried putting all 2kg of winter gear into 1 big vacuum bag. The final result was a slab that could not be 'compromised'. My sister then suggested splitting the items into 2 smaller vacuum bags. Although the total volume of the 2 smaller vacuum bags was the same as that of the 1 big vacuum bag, the smaller vacuum bags could be manoeuvred around the backpack easily in consideration of the final organisation of the contents in the backpack.

As my main backpack is small, after putting in 'structured' items such as the 2 hard slabs of winter clothes, the toiletries and the electronic gadgets, I was unable to squeeze packing cubes (which have fixed shapes) into my bag to keep my clothes organised. Consequently, I used the laundry nets to keep some the clothes together. Laundry nets are lightweight and when I did my laundry, the laundry nets were used to protect my laundry from falling apart easily.

Laundry net

Electronic and other gadgets

• 1 Apple MacBook Pro 13" laptop [to book flights, check emails etc. Has reasonable speed and a slotted optical drive (as opposed to external optical drive that competes for the same usb slots)]
• 1 Apple AirPort Express WiFi base station (to turn cable network into WiFi)
• 1 Western Digital Passport external hard drive (to back up my pictures in case my laptop fails or goes missing)
• 1 thumb drive (to share files with others)
• 1 Apple iPod Classic 
• 1 iPhone, 1 Blackberry smart phones (1 for home number, 1 for local SIM)
• 1 additional earphone (for just in case I lose the current one I am using)
• 3 iPhone USB cables and 1 Blackberry USB
• 1 Canon Ixus 80IS camera, 3 batteries and battery charger
• 2 travel adaptors
• 1 kensington lock for the laptop
• 1 whistle
• 1 Energizer personal alarm with LED light

Medication/ first-aid kit

• Elastic bandage (5cm)
• Lots of plasters, blister plaster, alcohol swaps, cotton pads
• Benzamycin cream for pimples
• Hand sanitizer (Dettol)
• Water purification tablets (Aquatabs)
• Eye drops (Alcon)
• Dimenhydrinate (Novomin) for motion sickness
• Acetazolamide (Diamox) for acute mountain sickness
• Chlorpheniramine for cold
• Doxycycline (Doxyline) for malaria
• 保济丸 for diarrhoea
• 青龙膏 for everything
• 如意油 for everything
• Antihistamines for sneezing and running nose
• Paracetamol (Panadol) for everything
• Serratiopeptidase (Danzen) for sore throat
• Lozenge (Tussils 5)
• Mometasone Furoate (Elomet) for skin inflammation from eczema, insect bites
• Surgical spirit (Guardian)
• Tea tree oil antiseptic (Thursday Plantation)
• 1 tweezer
• 1 scissors
• Safety pins which also doubles up as clothes pegs
• 1 ear plug

For vaccination, refer my entry on what to prepare before the trip: http://y2whysquared.blogspot.sg/2012/08/preparation-for-rtw-trip.html

Toiletries

• 1 shampoo
• 1 facial wash which doubles up as body wash
• 1 hand cream
• 1 QV cream and 1 Cetaphil Intensive Moisturising cream
• 1 Klorane dry shampoo with oat milk (used when I had no access to showers during trekking)
• 1 No Rinse moisturising body wash for trekking (never used eventually)
• 1 BioZ natural insect repellent stick for trekking (did not really work for me)
• 1 toothbrush
• 1 dental floss
• 1 toothpaste
• 1 comb
• 1 Ole Henricksen truth serum collagen booster, sheer transformation and invigorating night gel (for dry weather and air conditioning)
• 1 Nivea sun invisible protection transparent spray SPF 50 for trekking
• 1 nail polish remover
• 2 packets of wet wipes from Daiso for trekking

Camping gear

I only brought very basic personal camping gear for this trip and rented bulky and heavy items such as winter sleeping bags as and when I needed them.

• A 2l and a 1l liquitainer from Source
• 1 SmarTube 
• 1 Bushnell 10x25 binoculars for animal spotting during safari, trekking and on boats
• 2 carabiner 'borrowed' from my brother who rock climbs. To attach items to the outside of backpack (e.g. to dry wet clothes while on the move) or on clothes line
• 1 Pretzl Tikka Plus 2 headlamp for trekking and reading on trains. I chose this model over the rest because it has both white light and red light (for use during night) and is cheaper than other brands
• 1 inflatable travel pillow (courtesy of Poh Leng)
• 1 disposable rain poncho
• 2 Japanese heat pad

Others

• 2 thin metal clothes hangers and 5 pegs
• 1 S-shaped hook to hold my bag when there is no hook in toilets (I am very sure I do not want to set my bag on dirty toilet floors)
• 1 doorstop for the door (in case the door has no chain lock and I feel unsafe)
• 1 tiny umbrella for rainy cities
• 1 small set of cutlery (fork, spoon and chopsticks) to be used if I buy takeaway and cutlery not provided
• 1 tiny pencil case to hold 1 pen, 1 pen knife, 1 pencil for sketching, 1 magic tape

• 3 number combination locks (1 for day pack, 1 for backpack, 1 for cargo bag)
• some plastic bags and some rubber bands
• Photocopies of important documents (identification card, passport, driving license)
• Important documents (passport, identification card, driving license, international driving permit, vaccination booklet, credit and bank cards, travel insurance card)

What has broken down

I am happy to say that, except for most medication and the No Rinse moisturising body wash, I have used every single item that I have brought. These items, however, gave way:

• 1 of the liquitainers - one of the first things to break. The seam of the liquitainer was too closed to the edge and the pressure of the water forced a hole through and leaked water into my bag while I was climbing Mt Kili. (Tip: when buying a liquitainer, check the seam)
• Smartube. When I was summitting Mt Kili, despite blowing water back into the liquitainer, water somehow froze in the drinking tube. My guide tried to defrost it but accidentally broke it instead.
• 1 of the clothes hanger
• A screw of the sunglasses came off twice and I got it fixed for free in London even though I did not buy the sunglasses there (thanks Vision Express!) 
• Seam of my cargo bag tore and I managed to get it fixed in Galápagos in US$1
• 1 tshirt tore
• clasp of cap broke

I threw away my trekking shoes on the last day of my trip. The toe caps and heels were very worn out and stunk big time.

My very abused shoes

What I have since bought

One of the sad things of long term travelling was that I had to watch how I spend my money very closely and that essentially meant that I could not go girly shopping. Instead, I could only take pleasure in buying things like toiletries and to replace things that have broken down.

• Prepaid sim cards in Spain and UK
• 1 LG prepaid mobile phone in the USA (I could not find prepaid sim cards and the prepaid mobile phone which came with US$30 credit only cost US$45 from Kmart)
• 1 nail strenghtener for my nails (because they can break or chip easily while traveling) and to mend holes in stockings and bags
• 1 silk sleeping bag liner which is light and super compact. 1 costs S$250 in Singapore and I bought 1 for less than half this price in France
• 1 Mammut Goretex trekking pants for trekking on glacier on Haute Route
• 1 Mammut Goretex gaiter
• 1 pair of Leki thermolite trekking poles
• 1 sleeping bag and 1 inflatable mattress in Kenya because they could not be rented cheaply for my overland camping trip. I mailed them home after the overland trip because they were really really too expensive to be donated.
• 1 2l Source water bladder for trekking. This one lasted for the rest of the trip and is easy to clean and fill up.
• 1 sunglasses
• 2 tshirts
• 2 caps because 1 broke and 1 was lost
• 1 Johnson & Johnson Sundown aqua, UVA, UVB SPF60 sun screen for snorkelling. The most expensive sun screen that I had ever paid for in my whole life and was purchased in Galápagos.
• more socks
• more wet wipes and toiletries
• more medication to fix my huge blisters and infections: Compeed blister plasters, Dermaplus hydro plaster, Dermaplast Telfa Kompressen (5x7.5cm), 3M Medipore H Klebevlies (5x5cm), Ibonurofen (painkiller). I needed them when I did not have them and did not need them after I have bought them. Bugger!

What I would have also brought

I think a backpacker's best friend is probably the duct tape. I have seen duct tape being used on torn down jacket, torn tents, backpacks etc. The guys used duct tape to hold my rain cover to my bag.

I think I looked like a tortoise

Kirk used it to tape his shoes when they failed him:

You don't have to bring a whole roll of duct tape (although in the case of Kirk, he had to keep replacing the worn out tape because he was trekking). Just tape some tape on a pen or pencil and you would have had yourself insured.

Home

Transition back

Like me, my friends at work are acid-tongued. We do not mince our words. When I went back to work 2 hours after I had landed in my favourite airport, some of them walked by without acknowledging my presence (thinking it is some newbie at work) while others smiled and/or said a polite 'hi' before they had a double take and shouted:

"HI! IT'S YOU! I THOUGHT YOU LOOK FAMILIAR! YOU ARE BACK!!! WHEN DID YOU GET BACK???".

Pause.

"You look rejuventated"/ "you look younger".

Then the moment of truth:

"You have put on weight."
"You are dark."
"You have pimples!!!!!!" 
"You have so many ugly mosquito bite marks."
"You have thunder thighs."

"Why didn't you take 3 weeks to rest and improve your looks before you come back to work?" (Touché. Somebody. Just Kill Me. Please.)

The only thing that is acceptable is my thicker and longer hair (which I could not afford to cut along the way).

One of the security officers at my office building told me,"You are very sunburnt". 

My mum also offered,"Your bum is too perky" (which translates into "you have a big fat butt").

Faint. Trust them to let me know that I need a weight loss programme, facials, skin whitening and scar lightening treatments, acid peels and cosmetic surgeries. Add these to the massages I now need because I suffer post-traumatic stress from the blows. I think these 'remedials' would be more costly than my whole trip put together. Definitely not for the faint-hearted. Hahahaha!

Going home

I had applied for a 2 month extension of my sabbatical leave but it was not approved. I had to make a decision - go back to work or continue with my travels. The fateful decision to go home was made within 4 days and was back home 5 days later.

Some 2 months before going home, I was having a rather serious bout of depression. I was alright when surrounded by people I knew. When I was alone, sometimes I would stare into blank space and my tears would flow. Everything was but a dream, a really good dream mostly. I felt a desperate need to grasp every nano moment in my hand. On other days, I would draw the curtains, lay in bed, ignored messages that come through my phone and not eat for the whole day. There were a lot of things I would like to do but have not done so (such as visiting my family in Auckland and friends in Australia and resolving my residency visa issue in Australia) and a confirmed cruise to Antarctica prevented me from moving these plans forward. I was just not ready to go home. It felt like chapters of my life have ended with the doors firmly closed and I could not, just simply could not, find the beginning of the new ones.

In the end, it was a head over heart decision and more than anything, a responsibility issue. At work, I had set the precedence of going away for such a long period. I decided to go back in case I become the negative example (of one going on long leave and not returning subsequently) and jeopardise the chances of the next person who wants to go on extended no pay leave.

Water shrine (2010) by Hiroshi Senju

Once I decided to go home, I discussed this with JP (whom I met in Lima airport) on how he coped. He had previously travelled on a long term basis, gone home and is currently on the road again. He said he threw himself into his nursing job and that distracted him when he first went home. I began to research online how others deal with returning home after travelling for extended periods.  The 2 major problems faced were reverse culture shock (how everything you grew up with and used to seem familiar, but when you return, everything is different; how you have to return to the same life, same family and friends when you have changed) and wanderlust. 

I had suffered from a severe bout of reverse culture shock when I first moved back from Sydney to Singapore 6 years ago so I thought I would be able to deal with it again by reminding myself about all the good things at home (I have my support system close to me, I don't have to speak in perfect English and everyone will still understand what I am mumbling about, I know where to find some of my comfort food ie if the shop has not moved, I generally know how to travel from place to place without getting lost or if I do get lost, taxis are safe, relatively cheap and easy to find). 

As for wanderlust, many people said, "9 months had been a long time. You have played for long enough." Unfortunately for most travellers, not only does a rtw trip not cure one from wanderlust, it adds fuel to the fire.  While I was (and still am) totally aware that I have been blessed and was very fortunate to be able to live many people's dreams, I had to give a lot of countries, destinations a miss because I did not have enough time. It also was not just play. I learned a lot about people, geology, geography, animals etc which are absolutely useless at work but make a lot of sense given the grand scheme of things. Sure I could watch documentaries on the same but probably retain 10% of the content. I wanted to enthusiastically share with someone - do you that the Andes mountains that span through 7 countries in South America are of the same mountain range as the Rockies in Central and North America?  Do you know that humpback whales are toothless and sieve tons of krills with their baleens and that they are making a comeback in numbers? Do you know that when you look at the mountains, the hills are not green but in different shades of steel-blue-grey? Do you know... but does it really matter? Why would it matter at all?

Back home, I settled down better than I thought I would. It was year end audit and very busy at work. I clocked the necessary hours and went home brain dead. At home, I had my mum, my tv programmes and writing of my blog to keep my occupied. I allowed myself to wallow in sadness every once in a while. I rationalised that there were so many Asia Pacific countries at my doorstep waiting for me to explore, told myself to snap out of it and move on by planning for my next trip. 

~ Morrie Schwartz