The Gear

I started laughing when I read "I can't believe it's been two months on the road!" How cute. Now that I've cracked the one year mark, the gear is still pretty much the same, but I thought I would do one more quick update before heading home. All in all, I feel like I made some really good choices in traveling equipment, and some of it has lasted well enough to even keep after I get back. Anniversary updates in blue.
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After two months on the road (I can't believe that!!), I thought it would be good to update the gear page as to what was working well and not so well. Overall, most of the gear is great, there's just too much of it, which I'm working on. The backpack still weighs in at an average of 30 pounds and the daypack at 10 pounds.

Changes or updates are in red below.
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Right after I tell people where I'm planning to go during this year, their next question is usually "What are you taking?" or "How are you going to pack?" Since I typically tend to overpack slightly, I knew trying to anticipate what I'd need for a year's travel would be a challenge ("Hmmm, will I need the tweed sportcoat or the navy blazer? Better take both!").

But, after talking to a few people who've done this sort of thing before, as well as surfing quite a few websites, I think I'm in good shape for gear. I'm a little disappointed I'm not making it under the bar for carry-on luggage, but knowing that 1) I love to buy stuff, and 2) hate to wear the same clothes for more than 3 days in a row, that probably isn't a realistic goal.

So here is what I'm taking with me at the start of the trip, and I'll try to update if there are any changes, mistakes, or tips along the way.

Luggage - The Osprey is a great bag and holding up really well so far. It's comfortable to haul around and really flexible with the removable day pack. The daypack was stolen and replaced with a Camelbak backpack, but the main bag is still holding up really well.

• Osprey Waypoint 65 - I wanted to travel light, and this is about as light as I felt comfortable with. A backpack that converts into a more standard suitcase, plus a detachable daypack for walking around.
• Backup Duffel bag - Just in case I do a little too much shopping somewhere, I've got a small duffel bag that I plan on keeping folded up inside the Osprey when not needed. I've only had to use this once or twice, but it's been handy when I needed it.

Clothing
Excluding winter from almost my entire trip certainly made clothing choices easier. Most of what I'm bringing is lightweight, quick drying, and hopefully hides a wide variety of common stains. Most of the clothes have stood up pretty well to the beating. I've picked up a couple replacement T-shirts, but that's about it.

• Hats - A baseball cap, and this more serious outdoor hat. I'm really not a hat person (I can't stand them, to be honest), but I realize I'm going to need them in some spots. Still not a hat person, but the Tilly's hat is a good one and highly packable. Lost the Tilly's hat. Replaced with a baseball cap. Lost the replacement. Replaced the replacement, still don't wear it. I'm really just not a hat person.
• Rain shell - Lightweight, waterproof jacket.
• Light fleece jacket - for those Scandinavian nights. And nights camping in the Andes.
• Shirts - 2 t-shirts, 2 short sleeve button downs, 1 long sleeve t-shirt, and 1 long sleeve button down. All quick drying and made for sink washing.
• Pants - 3 pairs of prAna Zion pants. These were a recommendation from another year-around-the-world blog, and I think they're going to work well. The PraNa pants are fantastic! I'll probably keep buying pairs after these wear out and/or I'm back home. They are seriously comfortable, look good, and tough, and the integrated belt is handy.
• Shorts/Swim Trunks - 2 pairs of dual-purpose shorts.
• Underwear - 4 pairs of ExOfficio Give-N-Go briefs. It's ridiculous how much people love these things, so I had to give them a try. Apparently they are like the Apple computers of the travel underwear world.
• Shoes - A very beaten up pair of waterproof Merrill hiking shoes that have served me well for years, and a pair of lightweight sandals. I'm not expecting either of them to last the whole year, but they're both broken in, comfortable, and completely replaceable. Had to replace the Merrill's, and the sandals. Then replaced the replacement flip flops twice. Casual beach living is hard on flip flops.
• Sleep pants - 1 pair. Good for co-ed hostels, as well as chilly camping locations.

Technology
Dropping off the grid? Ha! I'm probably more linked in now than I was in DC, although I'm feeling a lot less pressure to respond in a timely manner. Given what I've seen the last couple of years, finding internet will not be a problem in most of the world, but carrying around an entire Best Buy with me isn't appealing. So, I've tried to target what I want to do while I'm traveling, and found some good lightweights options.

• Samsung Chromebook - Since I'm planning on continuing this blog, as well as typing emails that are longer than "i'm good, how r u?", I wanted a keyboard, but nothing heavy or expensive. So, I was very happy to see the Chromebooks come out last year; they're cheap, light, and only run Google Chrome, which does pretty much everything I need. When the Chromebook was stolen, it was having some problems anyway, so I didn't mourn it that much. I replaced it with another Chromebook and everything was immediately back to normal.
• Samsung Galaxy sIII - The international version of the smartphone that outsold the iPhone. What amazes me is that this phone does everything that the other electronics do, and almost as well. The phone has been a workhorse. I've dropped it more times than I can count, gotten it wet, and just generally beaten it up, but it still works like new. I couldn't haven't gotten through the trip without it.
• Kindle Fire (1st generation) - I can't even imagine if I was trying to do this trip without a kindle. I'd be buying and leaving books over half the planet, and complaining about carrying them the whole time. Also handy for checking email.
• Apple iPod - This is the one thing I was thinking of cutting from the list because it seems like overkill, but none of the other electronics can hold all of my music, and it's the smallest of the bunch. Plus, in a pinch, it can be a phone or check the web. Lost by month 1, oh well. I miss having music, but after downloading a couple of albums to my Kindle, I can soldier on without the iPod. My family kindly replaced the iPod for Christmas, so I got my music back, which was very much appreciated for those international flights and bus rides.
• Sony Cybershot WX9 - I know a lot of people are shocked I haven't bought a new camera and that I'm only carrying a point-and-shoot. But let's face it, cameras are heavy, expensive, and easily damaged. I'm happy to lug around a dSLR on a two week trip, but I think it would quickly turn into an irritation after that. This one is light, fast, and the picture quality is not noticeably worse than my dSLR. Also, it was cheap, so I won't feel that bad when something happens to it (which is a recurring theme in picking my gear for the trip, in case you haven't noticed yet). This camera broke down just after the new year, so I had to scramble to get a new one before going to the Galapagos. Replaced it with a Sony I didn't love, but that's ok, because it was stolen. I've mostly been using my cell phone for pictures, but I also picked up a waterproof GoPro for SCUBA diving videos. 
• One thing I didn't mention that I was bringing was noise-cancelling headphones. A terrible idea, in a nutshell. They're heavy, bulky, and I only use them for long flights, which are few and far between. Light earbuds are a much better idea and help enough to cut down on background noise. They were sent back as soon as possible, to my great relief.

First Aid
My friends have had to listen to me complaining about the ridiculous number of immunizations I've received over the last few months, but whinging aside, I am trying to take some precautions to make sure I don't spend large blocks of time being sick on the trip (or even worse, having to come back). Aside from the usual suspects like aspirin, band aids, DEET, and hand sanitizer, I've got a few items I've never had to pack before. Most of this I've never had to dip into. My health has been great all year, and no serious accidents!

• Anti-Malaria Medication - Since I'll be spending a good amount of time in the malaria belt, I've got a giant bottle of Doxycycline to keep the sweats away.
• CeraLyte Electrolyte Powder - Recommended for rehydrating, and light to carry.
• Emergency Evacuation Insurance - Just in case.

Other Necessities

• Travel Sleep Sheets - For those grungy hostel bunks. Very handy and lightweight, and since a lot of hostels charge a few bucks for linen rental, they've paid for themselves already.
• Ultralight Sleeping Bag - Weighing in a only a pound, I thought it would be handy to have a nice warm sleeping bag, either for outdoor adventures, cabins, or when I forgot to book a room and have to sleep in a park. Still debating if this was a good choice yet. One of my bulkiest items, and not very useful yet, so there's a good chance it will be sent home if I don't find a use for it soon. Ended up sending it home as expected.
• 2 Quick-Dry Towels - in different sizes. I've been told by multiple people (and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) that these are absolutely essential.
• Travel Clothesline - For quickly drying all this quick-dry gear.
• Sunglasses - broken more pairs than I can count now.
• Earphones - broken and lost even more pairs than sunglasses.

So now what does all this look like? Like this, before packing:

And after? Here it is...everything I plan on carrying with me for the foreseeable future, with a final weigh-in at 27 pounds for the main pack, and another 9 for the backpack. My life, travel-sized.