As a self-diagnosed gear junkie, I obsessed for a loooong time over what to take with me on this trip. There wasn't a clear consensus out there as to exactly what was important to keep in mind while putting your gear list together, and for every piece of advice out there there was contradictory advice saying the opposite. So really, I focused on a couple of tenets that felt right to me: With that in mind I finally narrowed everything down to what I've listed below. Some of this gear I bought new, some I already had. I'll update this page with any changes to this list as they come up. My main backpack is a Gregory Savant 48. This gives me plenty of space to take all of my stuff with some room left over for any additions (camping gear, etc), and it has an integrated rain cover to keep my stuff dry on all but the most brutal of rainstorms. Plus it has a zipper that goes all the way down the bag so I can easily get at stuff in the bottom without digging in from the top! I also have an old Black Diamond BBee 11-liter day pack for when I want to head out without taking all of my gear.

Note that all of my stuff, the day pack included, all fit in the Savant so I don't do the weird double-pack thing I see a number of other backpacking travelers do. I also have 4 Eagle Creek packing cubes to keep my clothing separated. Not only do they bring some organization to my gear but I use the shirts and pants cubes as padding on either side of my laptop. I have two Sea to Summit UltraSil dry sacks; I have a 1-liter for my electronics and a 13-liter that I use as a dirty clothes bag but can also throw my laptop and all water-sensitive things into just in case. Finally, I have two Sea to Summit stuff sack (small) for keeping all my miscellaneous bits and pieces in. I've taken along three pairs of shoes: I've also taken along 3 jackets: And to top it (and me) off I have a baseball cap and a wool beanie. I have two button-down shirts- a yellow linen feast of comfort that I got at a consignment shop in Georgetown for $5, and a short-sleeve Marmot thing I've had for a bit.

Also I have two lightweight shirts for running and two other t-shirts (wool). Finally I have a Patagonia Air Merino crew that I have had on me pretty much every moment since I got it. This is the first time I've worn wool and holy crap this stuff is amazing! It is comfortable at any temperature, keeps me warm when needed, and never stinks. I have brought along two pairs of long pants: a pair of Patagonia Tenpenny pants and a pair of Arcteryx Palisade pants. Most blogs of RTW travelers I read either brought jeans or bought them along the way, so we'll see if I add some denim to the ensemble at some point. Two pairs of shorts- a pair each of Patagonia's Stand Up Wavefarers and Minimalist Wavefarers. A pair of running shorts and some long underwear for warmth round out what I have for the legs. 5 pairs of Ex Officio Give-n-go briefs should keep me going for quite some time before needing laundry facilities, and a pair of Patagonia Daily Boxers gives me something to sleep in. For socks, I have 2 pairs of Smartwool PhD running socks and 4 pairs of Smartwool light hiking socks, along with a pair of Smartwool medium hiking crew socks for when it is cooler and I want something that goes up past my ankle.

As I learned during a month-long trip to the Boundary Waters and Glacier National Park this past September, I love getting outdoors but after a while I miss working my brain and being connected with the outside world. And since my old Macbook Pro was looking for replacement anyway I splurged and got a new Apple 12" MacBook (with a neopreen sleeve for protection). mod backpack slots borderlands 2Its screen is large enough for work and movies and yet at only 2lbs I barely notice it in my backpack. backpack lover pantipSince it only has one USB-C port I picked up a Hootoo Shuttle which allows me to connect my phone and camera cards while charging (I have several other usb-chargable devices, so being able to have a few charging at once is nice). backpack allerhand

I also brought along a OTG USB stick (USB-C/USB-A) with a 64g microSD card just in case I would like to share files. For reading materiel I am bringing a Kindle Paperwhite, as the weight and ease of acquiring new books in English was just convenient. I'm also bringing my old cell phone (One plus One- no plan so wifi only) for Google Maps and playing music. used backpack gold dredge for saleI thought it might suffice for taking pictures as well but in the end I brought along my camera, a Sony DsC-RX100iii. eastpak floid laptop backpack one size black 2Another splurge was a pair of Bose Quietcomfort 20 noise-cancelling earbuds. madoka kyubey backpackI originally regretted the expense when I ordered them but that regret disappeared as soon as I started using them as they make a world of difference on flights, busses, hostels, and other noisy places.

Other items include a Black Diamond ReVolt headlamp (rechargeable by USB), a 2-port USB wall plug, and a couple of USB cables. Lastly I do have TP-Link WR702n wireless router; the hope was this will let me use my laptop, phone, and Kindle all off of one bridged wifi connection (so I don't have to connect each device in turn to the local wifi). And for some reason my wallet (the orange thing) made it into this picture along with the small waterproof bag I keep everything but the laptop and Kindle in. Lastly, I have a mix of stuff to round things out: vitamins to last the year (multi, B12, and iron), a first-aid kit (standard meds, band-aids and antibiotic, etc), toiletries (floss, toothpaste/toothbrush, nail clippers, exfoliation cloth, soap, q-tips, razor), sunglasses/glasses and hard case they both get crammed into, a Sea to Summit Aeros inflatable neck pillow, an old glasses case a friend gave me to hold a few pens and pencils, notebook, nalgene, travel towel, sunscreen, 3mm cord (serves as a clothes line), combination lock for hostel lockers, ear plugs, a carabiner (cause why?), and a deck of cards.