Jen and Marcus’ Packing List

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7 Responses to “Jen and Marcus’ Packing List”

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   From Sasha @ Global Table Adventure:

   Must feel so freeing, leaving home with so little… I would love to do something like this. Enjoy the Adventure and making all sorts of wonderful memories!

   Posted on January 25, 2011 at 1:21 pm #
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   From DavoColo:

   Kudos for packing really light. That’s an excellent stab at ultralight travel. The tech-fiber clothes, particularly, seem versatile, well chosen, and — most importantly — fast-drying.

   Not to engage in oneupsmanship (or is it “onedownsmanship”?), but maybe you can go lighter still. And I don’t mean just that you can bite your nails off instead of clipping them with a metal device (though you can). I mean changes that don’t really compromise your comfort, but in fact improve it because you’re traveling lighter still with little loss of functionality.

   A simple example: A small bar of plain, unscented hand soap (Ivory, say) serves for ALL body, hair, and laundry needs (replace as needed). I mean, “AXE Body Wash”?! And “Axe shampoo”?! For that matter, deodorant is not needed. Just take a shower more than the average Western tourist (i.e., do it daily, or twice-daily in hot climates) and you’ll be fine. Skip the makeup. Who are you trying to impress? Brush with a toothbrush only; toothpaste is minty and all, but unnecessary. In general, you can ditch most of the toiletries (“tongue cleaner”?! C’mon! Use your toothbrush if your tongue is that in need of cleaning!).

   The key is to bring a few things that do double-duty. I’ve traveled for months at a time in Asia and Africa without gum, travel sheet (use your sarong), Steripen (Katydyn Micropure chlorine-based tablets — or similar — are much cheaper, less fragile, and more portable; and bottled water is available most places), detergent or sink stopper…and most of the fussy little items on your lists. In most countries, even prescription meds are over-the-counter, so I don’t bother carrying any meds except for anti-malarials (where needed; don’t play with malaria). I eat from street vendors and if I (rarely) have a gastrointestinal problem I could buy Immodium locally but I’d likely just stuff myself with bananas, nature’s Immodium.

   iPods and Kindles are fun to have and certainly your choice but … they’re fragile (don’t fall out of that canoe!), expensive, expose you to potential theft and violence, make you stand out from locals, and give you a too-easy excuse for avoiding interaction with your environment. And if you have no gadgets, no adapter plugs are needed.

   You get the idea.

   So what are my must-have items? Clothes like you have listed here (few items, but well-chosen). A very light piece of cotton cloth to use as a beach towel, bath towel, sleeping sheet, and clothing while just-washed clothes are drying. Of course, I take my required documents, credit card, ATM card, a bit of cash (more cash if I’m way out in the bush). Ten feet of 3mm cord makes a clothesline. A bar of soap, as I noted, does a lot of things. Earplugs let you sleep anywhere. Toothbrush. A 3×5 notebook (to hold directions, notes, contact information) and pen (to fill out official forms at the border or the pension). I can be persuaded to bring a tiny point-and-shoot camera on occasion, but I make sure to bring one that takes AA batteries (again, avoiding problems with transformers and adapters). That’s about it. Certainly less than 5 pounds of stuff.

   Myself, I like to put all this in a small (< 12 liters) daypack, for convenience (actually a good-sized lumbar pack is plenty). But I appreciate the cargo-pants method, too.

   Anyway, good luck on your trip.

   Think light.

   Posted on February 28, 2011 at 10:39 pm #
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     From Jennifer and Marcus:

     We totally agree with you that we could travel even lighter if we wanted to. However, we had plenty of room in our jackets so we decided to bring along a few luxuries.

     And funny you should mention using a bar of soap for everything, because that´s actually what we do now! Once we ran out of the inital supply of body wash, shampoo, and detergent, we realized that using a bar of soap is just as effective.

     Posted on March 1, 2011 at 7:29 pm #
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   From DavoColo:

   And one other thing: Thanks for focusing the spotlight on kiva.org. Microcredit is making a huge difference in the lives of millions of people all over the world and Kiva does it very well indeed. I can personally attest to the efficacy of their organization. And, hey. While we (relatively) rich Westerners are enjoying our tourism, it doesn’t hurt to give back to people, particularly in poor countries, who aren’t lucky enough to be carefree tourists.

   Posted on February 28, 2011 at 10:44 pm #
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   From Kevin Kelly:

   Jen and Marcus,

   What advantage do you experience in carrying your few items in pockets versus in a very small bag, either on your shoulder or on your back? I’ve traveled with a similar small set of things (in Asia, for months), and can vouche that it works. But I put them all in a little bag, which I mostly left at the hotel during the day. It was easier to “pack” when moving, throwing them all into one thing, rather than having to hunt for each pocket. Can you tell me the advantages of pocket storage? (I’d like to report on this on my website, at kk.org)

   Posted on March 16, 2011 at 3:24 pm #
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     From Jennifer and Marcus:

     Hi Kevin, great question! You bring up a valid point about a small bag vs. the pocket method.

     Since we aren’t carrying much with us and it all easily fits into our pockets, why bring a bag along? We would have brought a jacket on our trip anyway so we’re killing two birds with one stone.

     We also find that we worry less about our belongings being stolen since everything is on us. Bags are more easily misplaced or stolen. We have met many people during the trip who have had their bags stolen on a bus, at a cafe, etc.

     Several times we’ve been able to bypass security checkpoints at places like museums and even customs where they scan all bags.

     When we ‘pack’ in the morning, it hardly takes any time to throw stuff into our pockets. Yes, sometimes we forget what pocket we put something in but we can find it pretty quickly.

     Hope this answers your question and feel free to reach us any time at jm.nobags@gmail.com!

     Posted on March 20, 2011 at 4:03 am #

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1. World Travelers Take 90-Day ‘No Baggage trip | ShilohTV - February 28, 2011

   [...] in amply pocketed clothing from sponsor Scottevest, the duo are carrying the barest of necessities on their bodies. Courtesy Jennifer Lau and Marcus Fernandez Before embarking on a 90-day, [...]