Gear list

I've been getting a bit tired of working on the planning of the trip, regarding where to go, how to get there (how to get there is what takes forever),what festivals are happening while we are there etc... So I took a break from all that the last 2 days.

The first day I went out to my mom's house and helped put up the christmas tree and decorate it. We have a tradition as it were (though in past years I've been away or unable to fulfill) of putting up special ornaments (my mom has giving me one every year). It was nice to spend the day away from planning and I got free pizza! -Well worth it.

The second day I decided to prove what a number of people have been denying I can do. Which is to fit all my gear for 4 months in a pack. The below is an incomplete (though mostly complete) list of the things I'm taking with me. the only things not one the list are things I haven't gotten yet which I will try to list separately.


To start off - I would just like to say.. "Only real men post pictures of their undergarments on the internet for millions to see"
-4 pair cotton socks (cause I dont have any real moisture wicking socks)
-3 pair wool socks
-2 pair neoprene socks (2mm and 0.5 mm)
-3 pair boxer briefs (better "support" than boxers)
-2 pair standard fruits


ordered from left to right top to bottom
-1 cotton teeshirt
-1 cotton/polyester long sleeve
-1 polyester long sleeve (which I have since decided not to take)
-1 polyester tank top
-1 polyester teeshirt
-1 cotton/polyester zip off pants
-1 nylon zip off pants
-1 Gortex snowboarding pants
-1 Nylon/spandex (thats right... spandex) tee shirt

This is what it looks like all packed up. The bags they are in are "space bags". You know, the kind that you can vacuum seal. We decided to use these for the additional waterproofing. The little blue bag on the right is a small dry bag. I wanted to have a separate waterproof bag for 1 pair of socks, neoprene socks, and boxer-briefs, just in case (not all my eggs in one basket as it were).

This is the "extra" stuff
-First aid kid (far larger than I'm betting were going to need and way to much stuff in it for me to list out suffice it to say we are well prepared.)
-Needle/thread, electrical tape
-Iodine tablets/extra lighter
-Various clips and straps (for repairs to our packs)
- drawstring line
- 1" webbing 30' / x1 compression strap
- Irish tin whistle
- Misquito netting hat -Poncho - Duffle bag (for puttign our packs through the airports without them gettign damaged) - Rope 50' -Hand towel / 2 books/ deck of cards

-Winter coat treated with DWR (Durable water repellent) and removable fleece inner liner
-Beanie cap /face mask / ear warmer (also usable as a neck warmer)
- Crocodiles (heavy waterproof version of Gators)
- Snow gloves / Mid-wight gloves (which can fit into the snow gloves) / fingerless work gloves




- x2, 2Ltr hydration bladders (4ltr)
- North Face Hydroseal waterproof hiking boots 200gm of thinsulate rated to -40
- Lightweight webbed shoes
- Sleeping bag (North face *snowshoe*) rated to 0 degrees in compression sack
- REI 1.75" sleeping pad, R-value 4.2 with stuff sack



- Packets of instant oatmeal (I put these in ziplocks)
- Beef Jerky (though we will have to get that their because customs wont let us through with meat products)
- Trail mix (subdivided into smaller bags)
- Protein/fiber bars
- Green tea / tea ball
- Pork and beans (because no camp is complete without them)
- Whole wheat spaghetti
- Sauce bottle (not filled)

-NRS T-zip dry bag. This is a waterproof, air tight. Duffel that can hold my entire pack,. you can kind of see the pack above it. The shoe is in there for scale. I got this for when we need to swim across rivers or around otherwise impassable areas along the coast. I might come back and not even have needed it. But hey, this is all a learning process.



This is what it compresses down to, again the shoe is there for scale (size 11). The green sack is the compression bag for it.



-I couldn't take a picture of my own camera so this is what it looks like.... Sony Handycam dcr-sr60

-This is what the portable hard drive I got to store 4 months of pictures and video looks like. Waterproof to 3 meters and shock proof up to 1 meter. Its on its way in the mail.

So when its all said and done this is the result

Rough estimate is that its about 55 lbs with the 4ltrs of water Which means I'll have to carry some of it on the plane with me (40lb airline limit).

So I hope that answers two questions,

-What are you taking with you?
-How can you fit all that into one pack?