Everyone knows that I love a good packing post. For our five week Nepal/China trip, it is extra important that we pack only the essentials (and all of the essentials). We are going to be doing a lot of trekking and carrying everything with us, so every pound counts. Likewise, we are going to be in some remote places and won't necessarily have access to things like a pharmacy should the need arise. I did a fair bit of adding/subtracting, but I think I came up with the right balance. Without further adieu:
Bags:
- REI Lookout 40L backpack (this is the same bag I used on the RTW trip)
- 2 compression bags (one for clothes, one for my sleeping bag
- 2 packing cubes (one for toiletries, one for medical supplies)
- 1 sleeping bag
- 1 compressible/packable day pack
Clothes:
- 1 microdown jacket
- 1 waterproof shell
- 1 thick hoodie
- 1 thin hoodie
- 1 base layer top
- 2 short sleeve shirts
- 1 tank top
- 1 running shorts
- 2 sports bras
- 1 regular bra (not pictured)
- 3 underwear
- 3 pairs of darn tough hiking socks
- 1 pair leggings
- 2 pairs hiking pants
- 1 hat
- 1 gloves
- 1 pair of flip flops
- 1 pair of hiking boots (not pictured)
Toiletries
- SPF 30 sunscreen
- deodorant for me
- deodorant for Daniel
- 1 travel hairbrush
- qtips
- hair ties
- 1 bar glycerin soap
- toothpaste
- floss
- toothbrush
- razor
- tissues
- 1 scrub glove
- 1 bar of shampoo (lush)
Medical:
- aquaphor
- gauze pads
- medical tape
- bandaids (regular and butterfly)
- neosporin
- moleskin
- ciprofloxacin (for traveler's diarrhea)
- acetazolamide and dexamethasone (for altitude sickness)
- birth control (no Everest babies for us!)
- diva cup (unpictured - you're welcome! if you're a guy... don't ask)
- iodine tablets (in case the Steripen fails)
- Bottle of mixed OTC meds (worst.pharmacist.ever.) including ibuprofen, pseudoephedrine, pepto bismol, and maybe some other random stragglers
- nail clippers
- sewing kit (since Daniel insists on bringing only one pair of pants...)
Accessories/Misc:
- 1 travel towel
- 1 travel inflatable pillow
- 1 sunglasses
- 1 buff
- 1 headband
- 1 pack of gum
- head lamp
- kindle
- iphone and headphones (unpictured)
- chapstick
- 2 sets of ear plugs
- 2 collapsible 1L water bottles
- passport
I omitted several things from the RTW packing list to make room for the sleeping bag. Less clothes, 1 less pair of shoes, no purse, and no ipad. All in, the pack weighs in at 16.2 pounds. I will probably add a roll of toilet paper once we get to KTM just for good measure. We won't be blogging along the way because we don't have much downtime planned and internet connectivity will likely be pretty spotty. I will try and post a picture here or on facebook every now and then, and we will write all about it when we get back!