“Just one more pair of socks…. PLEASE”, and that’s how Tamara snuck in a fifth pair of socks.

In this gear post we’ve outlined our carry-on pack list for a year in South America. As expected, we will revise this list as we actually travel and realize we need something else or don’t use that one thing at all.

We are traveling with only carry-on backpacks for a few key reasons – we don’t have to check a bag at the airport/wait at the luggage carousel, we look a little less touristy walking around, and most importantly, we are more mobile and flexible. We purchased our actual backpacks before anything else for the trip so we could limit ourselves to buying and carrying only what we could manage to fit in them.  We want to avoid being the person who shows up at the hostal with a huge 75L pack, shoes and jackets strapped to the outside, a smaller pack on the front, and extra bags in hand with food and souvenirs. We’ve been there before and it’s exhausting, miserable, and so not worth it for that extra pair of shoes.

*Update on Day Two: Tamara somehow snuck in some little things that Mikey didn’t know about. A second book, extra undies, and face lotion. This is the stuff that Mikey’s found so far… Very sneaky, Tam.

Luggage/Organization

• Mikey’s Patagonia Blackhole 35 liter backpack – Super sturdy with one large main compartment to throw everything into
• Tamara’s REI Traverse 30 liter backpack – Love the waist belt on this one and all the smaller compartments to organize the little things
• Cotton shoulder purse
• Two string backpacks for day trips
• Two Sea to Summit 13 liter Evac Dry Sack compression bags – There is no way we could fit our clothes in our bags without these things! The magic fabric allows for air to be compressed out one-way only and doesn’t let water in. Highly recommended!
• One 4 liter Dry Sack compression bag – In case we need to keep things clean and dry at the beach
• Two dirty laundry drawstring bags
• Eagle Creek Travel Gear Pack-It Specter Wallby toiletry case
• Butterfox Universal Electronics Accessories Travel Organizer
• Various sizes of ziplock bags – For wet items or organization
• Two small combination locks
• Light cable lock – Very useful to lock up packs at hostels or on buses while we sleep
• Two small locking carabineers for our pack zippers
• Few extra carabineers of different sizes

Important Stuff

• Passports
• Necessary pre-arranged visas (Brazil and Argentina)
• California driver licenses
• Some US dollars plus one $100 dollar bill each – The idea behind the $100 bill is that we keep it in a sneaky place (think under the sole of your shoe or in a bra) and either bring it home, or use it in a dire situation and have a good story about how we lost it
• Travel credit cards and ATM bank cards
• Vaccination cards
• Travelers Insurance plan summary – We use World Nomads Explorer plan
• Open Water Scuba Diving certification cards
• Spare passport photos – About five each for visas at border crossings
• Colored photocopies of passports, visas, and immunization records – Kept in a separate place from the actual passports
• REI RFID Hidden Travel Wallet/Passport Holder
• Chums Surfshort Wallet – This has two zippered pouches, a clear ID holder, and it’s tiny
• Leather bi-fold men’s wallet – Mikey opted to use his regular leather wallet
• One-way(!) flight boarding passes

Clothes & Shoes

We decided to take a few high quality clothing items versus replacing cheap items throughout the year. We heard a lot about merino wool awhile back and started doing some research as well as trying out a couple pieces. We loved them! Garments with at least 70% merino wool wick moisture very quickly allowing sweat and water to dry faster than cotton items (cotton is cold when wet too, wool is not!). Merino wool regulates your body temperature better than synthetics keeping you cool when you’re hot and warm when you’re cold. Also, it’s naturally odor resistant and sustainable.

*Disclaimer: Tamara used to work for Icebreaker so is a little biased, but seriously this stuff is legit.

Tamara’s

• Merrell All Out Charge trail running shoes
• Rainbow flip flops
• Patagonia Women’s Torrent Shell windbreaker
• Icebreaker Helix merino wool jacket – Great alternative to down
• Icebreaker Crush Long Sleeve Zip Hoodie
• Smartwool long sleeve shirt
• Two Icebreaker V-neck T-shirts
• Four tank tops
• Cotton hippie dress
• Patagonia travel pants with zipper pockets
• Icebreaker Oasis 200 merino wool leggings
• Brooks spandex yoga capris
• North Face Amanda shorts – It was difficult to find women’s shorts that weren’t too long but still had practical pockets
• Spandex shorts
• Athletic shorts for running and lounging
• Three sports bras (two Iceabreaker, one Patagonia)
• Eight undies – four full bottom and four thongs
• Five pairs of socks
• Jolyn swimsuit – Vent top and Euro bottoms – Suit stays on snug and is super comfortable. Comes in a ton of colors and styles at a great price
• Knockoff Ray-Ban sunglasses
• Hippie travel headband
• Cheap Ironman digital waterproof watch with alarm

Mikey’s

• La Sportiva Wildcat trail running shoes
• Rainbow flip flops
• North Face Venture rain jacket
• Patagonia Nanopuff jacket – Selected nanopuff synthetic over down because it holds up better in rain, although it is still not waterproof
• Icebreaker Oasis 200 merino wool long sleeve shirt
• Two Icebreaker Tech T 150 t-shirts – The best shirts ever, trip or not. They are breathable, quick-drying, non-stinky, and really comfortable
• Two tank tops
• Patagonia A/C button down short sleeve shirt – To class it up a bit
• REI Adventure pants
• REI Adventure shorts
• Under Armour Cold Gear leggings
• Patagonia Baggies Stretch shorts – For sleeping, running, and swimming
• Four underpants (ExOfficio, Icebreaker, Lululemon)
• Four pairs of socks (Icebreaker, Smartwool, Lululemon)
• Cheap $10 sunglasses – Will probably end up losing/breaking these so they are easily replaceable

Electronics

• Macbook Air 13” laptop and charger – We thought about a tablet but wanted the full functionality of a keyboard for typing
• Incase ICON sleeve for Macbook Air
• Two Amazon Kindle Voyages – Thanks for the X-mas presents parents!
• Two HotCool Smart Case Covers for Kindle Voyages
• 2 TB Toshiba portable hard drive and hard case
• 4 GB flash drive
• Three iPhones – One unlocked iPhone 5 for Mikey, one unlocked iPhone 4 for Tamara, and one locked iPhone 5S for Tamara, all with their own chargers. Tamara’s are both cracked but usable making them a little less desirable for thieves
• Cannon Rebel SL1 dSLR camera with Tamron 18-270mm lens, extra battery, and battery charger – The Tamron lens is so much better than the two kit lenses (18-55mm and 50-200mm) that the camera came with and now we don’t have to keep switching between lenses for close up and far away shots
• 32 GB super fast memory card for Cannon and one extra 4 GB memory card
• Neoprene dSLR flexible sleeve case for Cannon
• Joby GorillaPod tripod for dSLR camera – Great alternative to the selfie stick
• Olympus Stylus TG-850 “Tough” Camera with 4 GB memory card and charging cord – Can go in the water, sand, and can be dropped from 7 feet. Plus it’s a little more inconspicuous to carry around and pull out than the dSLR
• Dual USB wall charger – This little guy can charge two USB devises at once and it charges way faster than the little white one we have from Apple
• Two micro USB charging cords
• South America travel power adapter
• Two Apple headphones
• Headphone splitter (so we can watch the same movies together)
• Two fitness trackers
  • Mikey’s Garmin Vivofit – This is so much better than the Fitbit Force simply because it never has to be charged
  • Tamara’s Misfit Flash *Update on day three: it’s not working… broken?
• Birksun USB battery booster – Holds about two full iPhone charges. They also make an awesome solar backpack, but it was too small to bring as a pack on the trip
• Two headlamps
  • Mikey’s Black Diamond Revolt USB rechargeable headlamp – The coolest headlamp ever because it not only has great specs but it can be recharged via USB cable!
  • Tamara’s Prinecton Tech AAA battery powered headlamp
• Assortment of these cool plastic gear ties to bundle cords

Toiletries

*Note: All liquids below are 3.4 fluid ounces (100ml) or less to compile with TSA flight regulations for carry-ons

• 30 SPF face and body sunscreen
• Ben’s 30% Deet tick and insect repellent
• Shampoo and conditioner (because Tam is a princess and can’t use a 2in1)
• Soap with case
• Face wash
• Face and body lotion
• Full toothbrushes with covers
• Toothpaste
• Floss because dental hygiene is important
• Deodorants
• Chapstick with SPF
• Nail clippers
• Tweezers
• Lady Venus razor
• Battery operated beard trimmer (couldn’t find one that was USB rechargeable)
• Makeup – face powder with mirror and mini brush, mini mascara, and eyelash curler
• Mini tissue pack
• Earplugs
• Mini Vaseline lip therapy
• Several hair ties and bobby pins (about six each)

Ladies! You may be wondering where the tampons and birth control pills fit in… Welp, both were canceled with one tiny device perfect for long-term travel. Tamara got the Mirena IUD, which worked for her and made the periods and pills disappear.

Also, Tamara’s eyesight was terrible and she had to wear daily contacts which would mean boxes and boxes of contacts on this trip. However, she thought ahead and being a candidate for LASIK, she had that done in February 2014. However, we do know plenty of people traveling long term with contacts and glasses.

Medical Kit

*Note: Before departing we both got injections for Yellow Fever, Tetnus booster and Typhoid. We brought small amounts of the below items for late night/emergency cases.

• Nyquil and Dayquil
• Hydrocortisone anti-itch cream
• Neosporin antibiotic cream
• Pepto-Bismol
• Tums
• Ibuprofen
• Antihistamine allergy tablets
• Malaria tablets – prescription
• Traveler’s Diarrhea tablets – prescription
• High Altitude – prescription
• Bandaids
• Medical tape
• Moleskin

Miscellaneous

• Two Nalgene water bottles (1 liter each)
• SteriPen Ultra USB rechargeable water purification pen
• Guidebook – Lonely Planet, South America on a Shoestring, August 2013
• Moleskin notebook (grid lines)
• Bottle opener keychain with wrist attachment – To attach to hostel keys when we have them
• Two Packtowl Ultralite chamois travel towels – Super lightweight and quick drying. Mikey’s is XL and Tamara’s is XXL. We probably should have both gotten XXL so they’re easier to use as beach towels
• Two plastic Light My Fire 3in1 eating utensils – Fork, spoon, and knife
• Sea to Summit silk sleep sheet for Tamara because she is scared of monsters or bedbugs or something
• Mini roll of ducktape
• Pocketknife (cannot bring in carryon so will buy in first country)
• Games:
  • Pack O Game – We just got these small card games from a Kickstarter campaign and they are awesome for traveling! We received eight games, each fit into a box the size of a small pack of gum. They are much more involved and complex than you might think and we are finding out that they have great replay value. We look forward to introducing Pack O Game to other travelers we meet along the way and help spread the word.
  • Deck of cards
  • Settlers of Catan travel pack – Our friends, Dumicole, got us this as a little going away gift so we could be reminded of home as we travel

 

 

 

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