Packing '07

From Macska Travel Co.

1 Update 2008
2 Packing Theory
3 Applied Packing

Update 2008

This packing page is now outdated! Packing for the 2008 summer and trips appear at Packing '08, but I'm leaving this page as-is to serve as a placeholder and reminder of what a first-pass at packing looked like. Packing '08 covers what we'll do differently this time, and what we learned from going around the world last year.

Packing Theory

Excellent digest of packing theory -- The essential thing here is to learn how to pack light by knowing what you need to take from home and what you can get on the road. This is important because almost everything you need is cheaper abroad, and also, you want to travel as light as possible! Dragging stuff around always sucks, trust me. (I once travelled through Europe with a large ALICE pack containing a week's worth of underwear, socks, and shirts; dress pants, dress shoes, another backpack, some food, a full-size jacket, sweater, and full-size umbrella.) We also need to consider the weather we'll be travelling in, which will vary enormously. Tokyo is expected to be hot and humid, whereas Siberian cities experience continental weather, which is down to -40degF in the winter, and around 100degF in the summer. Exciting stuff!

Many places report that rolling your stuff is much better than folding, but we have not independently confirmed this and I am skeptical because rolling stuff creates cylinders, but cylinders don't pack as closely as rectangular shapes in theory. We will see, however.

Applied Packing

Check out Kat's new Osprey Ariel 65 Backpack. Among other fine things (internal-frame design, detachable day-pack, lengthwise compression, straps galore) it supports her sternum and is therefore awesome. :) It's sort of like a bra with no cups, or a bra with gigantic cups in the back where you can store stuff.

Expected Weather

To do a quick and rough conversion into English units, know the following mappings from Celsius to Fahrenheit (Rankine and Kelvin scales forthcoming): 0C->32F, 10C->50F, 20C->68F, 30C->86F, and 40C->104F. Rainfall is reported here per month, and 100mm of rainfall is about 4in. Averages are for May up until Moscow, after which they are for June.

Tokyo 12degC-22degC, 147mm of rain, 85%->62% humidity
Seoul 11degC-22degC, 81mm of rain, 87%->51% humidity
Shanghai 15degC-25degC, 94mm of rain, 92%->56% humidity
Beijing 12degC-27degC, 34mm of rain
Ulaan-Baatar 3degC-14degC, 42mm rain; probably the coldest weather we can expect.
Irkutsk 15degC, 33mm of rain (Subarctic Climate!)
Omsk Probably about the same as Irkutsk, so 15degC and little rain.
Moscow 8degC-19degC, 53mm of rain, 58%->43% humidity
St. Petersburg Or, Leningrad, as some of the elders say. 11degC-20degC, 50mm of rain, 68%->53% humidity.
Talinn and Riga 10degC-20degC, 61mm of rain (I lumped Riga and Talinn together because they are geographically close and are both on the Baltic Sea.)
Vilnius 11degC-21degC, 77mm of rain
Warsaw 11degC-21degC, 71mm of rain
Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Paris, etc... For the sake of expediency, I think it can be safely assumed that these cities will be pretty much the same as Vilnius and Warsaw: 11degC-21degC in June, and not much rain.

Conclusion

We will be travelling from semi-tropical climates to semi-arctic climates to more temperate European climates. We have to be prepared for lows of 3degC in Ulaanbaator (cold and dry!), and a more reasonable 10degC (50degF) elsewhere, and highs of 30degC (68degF), but these high temperatures will be in humid places, making the heat seem worse. A jacket won't be necessary, but a warm fleece sweater and something windproof will be, as well as a compact travel umbrella. Boots would be way too warm for me, but Kat prefers them. Some kind of a head covering for protection from the wind and / or the sun would be a good idea. It's unlikely that the humidity will kill us.

Common Packing List

Don't take anything white, as it will not stay white for long. Dressing modestly is more of a concern for women than men. Consider shopping online at Sierra Trading Post, US Outdoor Store.com, Moose Jaw, Old Navy, Target, and naturally, Froogle.

Basic Clothing

2x t-shirts; preferably moisture-wicking. While these shirts can be tight and can show off a little skin, we need to keep in mind that some places will require clothes that show no shoulders or bare midriffs.
1x short-sleeved shirt, 1x long-sleeved shirt; one of these can be the dressy shirt
1x moderately-heavy fleece sweater with neck protection, a full-length zipper, and two, preferably zippered pockets; a hoodie would be even better. It should be fairly windproof and somewhat water-resistant, if possible.
2x convertible pants made of quick-drying (wash and dry overnight), preferably wicking cotton/poly blends; cargo styles good. Kat has the option of taking a long wrap-around skirt. I would like a pair of pants that also has drawstrings at the ankles (any ideas, Lazyweb?)
Optional: 1x swim trunks or bikini. Neither Kat nor I are big into water, but you never know. Still, I think this is optional for us.
3x-5x pairs of underwear: quick-drying, wicking fabrics are supposedly good. I love cotton, however.
3x-5x pairs of socks: simple cotton will do fine here, but again, something quick-drying and wicking would be nice. It has to be warm, too, though.

Footwear

1x pair simple running shoes. I prefer well-vented shoes, so I may actually just stick with my over 1 year-old Adidas CoolMax with holes in them. I'll replace the liners, though.
Optional: 1x pair sandals. Looking at our expected weather, I don't think these would get a lot of use, actually, much as I love my sandals, and especially socks with sandals. (I never got why that was a fashion faux-pas -- it's a really comfortable combination!)

Toiletries

1x travel towel: holds a lot of water for its size, and expels it with a simple twist. Kind of a weird feel, but you get used to it. Fantastic!
1x small bottle of silicone-based shaving cream; lasts a long time.
1x travel bottle of shampoo; if we use a fairly gentle shampoo, this can also be our soap.
Optional: 1x travel bottle of conditioner. I do look better with conditioner...
1x tube toothpaste
1x stick deodorant. This is especially non-optional for Kat.
1x razor with 2x spare blades
1x roll dental floss
1x pair nail clippers
1x travel toothbrush, or toothbrush with head cover; definitely want the head covered, otherwise it'll get messed up and get toothpaste all over the place. I've heard of some people storing their toothbrush in their nalgene bottles..., it actually makes the water taste a little better, oddly enough.
1x washing line; doubles as string to amuse Russian border guards with.

Weather Gear

1x travel umbrella: I've heard not to skimp on these, as the cheaper varieties are not supposed to hold up well in wind.
1x pair sunglasses, with case
1x small tube of sunscreen, doesn't need to be waterproof, with some decent SPF rating.
1x bandana: wind and sun protection. Doubles as the tourniquet you will need after ~~bribing~~ paying the arm & leg entrance fee in Russia to ~~submit to their iron rule~~ register our visas. ("Ah, so you are American! Special price!")
Optional: 2x tube chapstick; at least one tube will be inevitably lost. I prefer my lips au naturale, though.

Food, Water

1x spoon; optionally, a spork. The utility knife will provide the cutting blade.
1x 1L Nalgene bottle.
Optional: 1x water bladder; compresses down to a small size, can carry lots of fluid, fun bite-valve. Hm..., seems unnecessary.
1x plastic bowl; good for breakfasts, take up little space. Perhap

Utility Equipment

1x compass (but will all of the EMI in Tokyo make it useless? We'll find out!)
1x utility knife; in my case, my Oh My God That's a Big Blade Victorinox Swiss Army knife. (I'll probably have to keep this one hidden from the Russian border guards -- you know how they like shiny things.)
1x mini-tape or short length of duct tape.

First Aid, Sleeping Aids, and Mending Aids

1x cold/flu pills with decongestant
1x throat lozenges
Kat: three-month supply of the pill.
Nx band-aids; we should take a pair of each size.
1x antiobiotic ointment (e.g., neosporin?)
1x anti-histamine pills (e.g., Benadryl)
1x anti-dierrhal pills (e.g., Pepto-Bismol in pill form); chances are not stellar that we will get through China without experiencing some form of gastric distress.
1x small sewing kit; a length of strong thread, a needle, maybe some spare buttons.
2x set earplugs; foam, self-molding. I love these almost as much as I prize my Shure E3c's for blocking out sound. I'm sure we can buy more of these abroad if we needed them.
Optional: simple cotton sleeping sack. Rolls up small, gives you your own private space every night, free of dust, itchy blankets, and other hazards. Seems like a great way for bedbugs and other critters to take up residence in your sleeping bag, however.

Entertainment & Electronics

1x camera, with charger, spare battery(ies), and USB cable. I may pickup a second SD card in Tokyo.
1x travel tripod; small, useful, and a total lifesaver in dark situations.
1x headlamp. We actually love our headlamps, and I'm sure we'll love to bring them, too. :-)
Optional: 1x cell phone. I have to give this one a lot of thought: they are expensive at first glance, but perhaps they can be had for a reasonable price.
1x travel alarm
1x pocket calculator; optionally, I may just have to whip out the TI-86 and offer to do metric/English conversions for the entertainment of others.
Optional: 1x mp3 player / radio

Containers

1x backpack; I have heard that 30L-40L is plenty of space
1x day pack; I'll be taking my messenger bag; Kat's backpack has a small, detachable day pack.
1x money belt or otherwise secure storage for documents; this will have to be looked into better, because I've never found anything both comfortable and secure.

Reading, Information, & Documents

1x printout of our entire Wiki
2x printouts of Embassy locations and phone numbers
1x printout of city histories and descriptions, gleaned from the web and guidebooks
1x perhaps something just to read..., although I doubt I will have the time or inclination when I could be staring out a window
1x combination lock with wire loop for fastening backpack to bedframe or whatever. I would prefer a keyed-lock, however. Kat is the resident lock expert, so we'll have to get her take on how to secure our packs.
1x notebook with pen, pencil and eraser
1x US passport (!)
1x student ID and ISIC
1x driver's license
1x credit card and debit card
1x copy of certificate of all vaccinations (I don't know if we will really need this..., but it can't hurt; probably.)
2x copies of all important documents, including Russian and Chinese visas and visa support document. Kat will carry one set and I'll carry the other.