So this is what we shoved back into our rucksacks on the final morning as we prepared for our flight back to England. Well, in fact it’s a copy of the original list with amendments. Items we picked up are in italics, while things we got rid of or would not take again are struck through. Hope future travellers find it useful, although please note that we did no camping and so our conclusions won’t quite suit a couple planning on spending time under canvas!
| Electronics | |
| Netbook (Toshiba NB200) | Lovely compact netbook, survived beautifully |
| Netbook case (Zeroshock III in white) | Compact yet protected brilliantly |
| DSLR camera (Nikon D50) | Survived knocks, but probably due for an newer model |
| Too similar to compact to be worth taking again | |
| 70-300mm VR Nikkor telephoto zoom lens | Vital for wildlife, especially the Vibration Reduction |
| Sent home – too often screwed up the autofocus, and got better results just using the 300mm lens then cropping the image on the laptop | |
| Never used on the 70-300, on the 18-55 made shots better than the super-compact – but a luxury I’d leave behind next time | |
| Charger and spare battery for DSLR | Used the spare several times |
| Air blower for DSLR | Used to puff dust off the sensor |
| Lens motor broke, probably due to cold, dust and rain | |
| Sent home – new camera tough and lives in pocket or backpack | |
| Sent home – no longer needed when ZX-1 broke | |
| Super-compact camera (Panasonic Lumix FT-2) | Waterproof, dustproof, knockproof – much better companion for the DSLR |
| Floating wrist-strap for camera | Freebie, but seems sensible for snorkelling |
| 2GB SD cards x 3 (for cameras) | Only ever needed two, as downloaded every day |
| 16GB SDHC cards x 2 (for backups) | Ended up needing four |
| USB adapter for SD card | Very useful for putting stuff on other computers (e.g. for printing) |
| Binoculars (Opticron x10) | Vital for wildlife |
| Mobile phone x 2 (iPhone 3G) | Only ever used one, and would have preferred just one basic little mobile |
| Bad connections, time lags, pain in the neck | |
| iPod x 2 | Both used for long bus/plane/train and car |
| Mini speaker | With iPod in hire cars – perfect |
| International plug adaptor | Vital |
| Amazon Kindle | Used in place of reading books right through, cracked by a couple of drops but still working fine |
| Packs and packing | |
| Rucksacks x 2 (Osprey Atmos 45 and 55 litres) | Perfect size for our purposes |
| Rucksack raincover x 2 | Used a couple of times, but would be bad not to have them |
| Cable lock (PacSafe) | Only used once, but we were lucky with accommodation and transport |
| Combination padlock x 2 | Felt better leaving the rucksack locked |
| Satchel (Howies, canvas) | Great around town – at my side/front, not on my back |
| Packing cubes (Eagle Creek, 2 cubes, 3 half-cubes) | Vital. Might take one less half-cube next time |
| Waterproof dry bag | Vital several times for keeping camera etc. dry in canoes |
| Ziplock bags | Always had one or two for liquids at airports |
| Airtight plastic food box | Used a handful of times (e.g. keeping spare portions of food) |
| Never used | |
| Mini pill case | To keep a few useful pills (e.g. neurofen and immodium) in a day bag |
| Small rucksack | Very useful day bag for hikes etc. when the satchel is too small |
| Bum bag | Useful for short hikes or for organising little bits in bigger bags |
| Clothing – Maureen | |
| The changes here mainly reflect how easily Maureen feels the cold | |
| Lightweight waterproof jacket | Useful against cold as well as rain |
| Sleeveless down jacket | Very useful in colder climate |
| Long-sleeved down jacket | Would never survive the Andes without it |
| Smart town jacket | To be smart and warm in cities |
| Lightweight fleece pullover | Vital warm top |
| Jeans | Vital for comfort in cities and evening meals |
| Lightweight hiking trousers x 2 | Could have stuck with one |
| Warm hiking trousers | Picked up for Andes, and useful |
| Merino leggings (Icebreaker) | For cold nights and cold days |
| Long-sleeve merino top | Useful warm layer |
| Long-sleeve trek shirt | Useful layer against sun or cold |
| Technical T-shirt x 2 | Vital on hikes/wildlife trips |
| T-shirt | Prettier than the technical ones |
| Vest top x 1 | Ended up with 2, both prettier than the original technical one |
| Pretty long-sleeved top | To look good for evening meals |
| Shorts | For bumming around hotels |
| Swimsuit | Got plenty of use |
| Silk nightwear (shirt + shorts) | Used every night |
| Hiking socks x 4 | Started and ended with 4 |
| Bra x 3 (2 sports, 1 lightweight) | About right |
| Underwear x 5 | Ended up with 7, but 5 worked |
| Silk gloves | Not warm enough on their own in the real cold |
| Gloves | Vital for cold places |
| Lightweight tube scarf | Really useful in the cold and hot |
| Walking shoes (Montrail, not waterproof) | Perfect, and breathability much more useful than waterproof |
| Sandals (Teva) | Used a fair bit, but could live without |
| Pretty flip-flops | Only used a handful of times |
| Rubber flip-flops | Used loads around hotels and on beaches |
| Sarong | Much more useful than a towel |
| DVT socks (for the plane) | Vital |
| Baseball cap | Vital headgear |
| Clothing – Matthew | |
| Lightweight waterproof jacket (Marmot) | Used for cold as well as rain |
| Sleeveless down jacket | Vital in cold places |
| Zip-up merino top (Icebreaker) | Vital warm top |
| Linen blazer | Looks smart in cities and evenings – might not be for everyone! |
| Jeans | Vital for comfort in cities and evening meals |
| Lightweight hiking trousers | Used for adventures everywhere |
| Used in freezing Nepal trek lodges, but sent home after unneeded | |
| Long-sleeved trek shirt | Good layer for hikes/wildlife trips etc. |
| Long-sleeved shirt | Good for towns and evening meals |
| Long-sleeved merino top | Good layer for the cold |
| Short-sleeved shirt | Ended up with two |
| Technical T-shirt x 2 | Very good for hikes/wildlife |
| T-shirt x 2 | Various swaps but ended with 3 and a bit more trendy than the original 2 |
| Swimming shorts | Used for swimming and wearing as shorts |
| Hiking socks x 4 | Seemed the right amount |
| Underwear x 4 | Ended with 5 but 4 would do |
| Too obvious a target | |
| Belt (canvas webbing) | Also useful at times for securing things |
| Silk gloves | Useful against chilly nights |
| Cotton scarf | Useful on cold nights, but could do without |
| Walking shoes (Montrail, not waterproof) | Perfect for everything |
| Flip-flops | Replaced originals with an all-rubber pair, perfect for wet conditions and around hotels |
| Too inconvenient to use | |
| Replaced with The Indy | |
| Wide-brimmed hat (the Indy) | Shades all the face and the neck – much better |
| Medicine and toiletries | |
| Sterile first-aid kit | Never used, but vital insurance I think |
| Blister plasters | Used a couple of them |
| Washbag x 2 | Proved ideal |
| Small scissors | Used several times |
| Nail clippers | Used regularly |
| Tweezers | Used regularly |
| Sent home – couldn’t get the hang of it, and didn’t need much either | |
| Hand sanitizer (small bottle) | Very useful after touching icky stuff or before street snacking |
| Lipbalm with sunscreen | Vital |
| Sunscreen | Vital, mostly the 30 rated for exposed skin when snorkelling |
| Vaccination record books | Never needed (luckily) |
| Insect repellant (DEET) | Used a lot, found roll-on stick best |
| Plug-in mosquito killer + 30 tablets | Used most but not all tablets |
| Too short-lived for a long trip | |
| Never tried, and pills worked fine | |
| Motion sickness pills | Vital for Matthew in Galapagos and a couple of other boat trips |
| Wet wipes (small pack) | Useful after long bus/plane/train journeys |
| Stretchy support bandage | Not used, but good insurance against ankle twists |
| Equipment | |
| Leatherman multitool | Used several times, esp knife and scissors |
| Universal sink plug | Used several times for baths and clothes washing |
| Elastic twisty clothesline | Vital for drying washed clothes |
| Compass | Never used, but would still take for long hikes |
| Small scrub-brush | Useful various times |
| Laundry soap block | For clothes washing, used a lot |
| Spare shoelaces | Good insurance, and used occasionally to tie stuff |
| Only used for rented sleeping bags in Nepal | |
| Umbrella (ultra-compact) | Used a few times in town and city |
| Sewing kit (hotel freebie kind) | Used several times |
| Duct tape (small roll) | Used several times |
| Water filter bottle (TravelTap 600ml) | Really useful and saved loads of plastic |
| Metal water bottle (1000ml) | Better than reusing plastic bottles |
| Water bottle shoulder sling | Very useful when not taking a rucksack around |
| Head torch x 2 (Petzl) | Worked very well |
| Strong handheld torch (Ultrafire) | Specifically for wildlife-spotting at night, very compact |
| Used exactly twice, not necessary | |
| Sarongs are much more useful and all hotels have towels | |
| Flannel | Useful little addition for washing or for drying |
| Sunglasses x 2 | Vital |
| Spare glasses x 2 | Vital |
| Earplugs | Only used once, but tiny anyway |
| Paperwork | |
| Passports | Vital |
| UK driving license | Needed in some countries |
| International driving license | Needed in some countries |
| Travel insurance details | Vital |
| Credit cards x 3 | Vital (two might be okay, one is too chancy) |
| Tickets | Duh |
| Photocopies of the above | Useful insurance |
| Guidebook (to current and/or next country) | Vital |
| Travel journal | Notebook in effect, vital for noting hotel details, directions, plans, lists, etc. |
| Pencils x 4 | Plenty of use, and a biro too for airport forms |
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