This is an altered version of what was brought with me during travels from Feb 1 to March 11 overseas. Went to Thailand, Japan and Philippines. In that time I spend extended stays in airports and jail. Also did a significant amount walking and experiencing. Having gotten the full experience of issues, this is my refined list for 1 pack traveling.

Be careful about putting all your funding access and IDs in one spot. As if they are lost or stolen you’re up a creek. One often end up handing passport to untrustworthy people in with a petty authority complex. I did not have second passport card with me on the journey.

The other preparation I did not have, was international SIM or phone plan before leaving. It is worth considering to lessen hassle of registering SIMS and making accounts. SIM issues were constant with shitbags following me, your experiences may differ. That being said, extra obstacles helped refine a better and more redundant system.

All you pieces should stack and work together. You should be able to put on long underwear, pants and rain-pants on. Sweatshirt, synthetic jacket and rain jacket should also be able to stack. I purchased a down jacket along the way on my journey and dropped a wetsuit at the same time. The down jack later mostly sat in the pack as it was incompatible with other items and climate.

Light shoes are harder on the feet at first, but more versatile. With sufficient clothing on in the snow from pants and jacket, my feet did not get cold with light shoes. One will get cold feet from standing still too long in the cold, that happens with all footwear though. The light shoes worked excellent for swapping to warmer weather and ocean access.

My faraday hat was a black knitted one. It was comfortable in colder weather. Pretty hot in the sun, though it was better than the alternative than taking it off and putting on non-faraday sun hat. A white knitted faraday hat would be a good choice for bringing only 1 hat.

I had water treatment supplies that never got used. If one is planning on leaving towns and gor more remote, it worth adding back on the list. Other than that there was good water available from the faucet or jugs depending on location.

Navigation was problematic. Sometimes I had no map access at all. GPS was down quite often on the phones. A compass would have helped after getting disoriented among the city buildings a few times. Reviewing a map beforehand and having compass can help keep the general direction in which you want to go.

Charging phones was problematic as well. I had 1 extra solar power pack that is likely the 10amp one. It takes 20-30hrs to charge on solar. My phone batteries last as little as 4hrs, max 8hrs a charge because shitbags heat them up with extra processes in the background. The one power pack was insufficient, so I bought a wall charger (was stolen later). I used the PC to charge them several times as my PC has extended battery life. The motherboard/software was damaged to slow charging from the PC early on. A dedicated small portable solar charger would have worked better, or a higher amperage power pack. The power pack I had would only charge 1 phone once. A higher amperage pack could be plugged into wall, then charge phones several times. Having solar on one of those packs is a good backup plan, not a good primary plan.

The pc and electronics in a dry-bag is important. First, you don’t need to worry when out in the rain. Second is bag sizing at the airport. If you get any bag grief from your carry-on bag being too large, you can pull out the dry-bag as a personal bag making your carry on ‘shrink’. I didn’t have that issue this time, but had it in the past.

Robyn got a travel insurance plan for me. I didn’t pursue it because not every place in the world tries to bankrupt you when you get injured. The U.S. does. Get insurance if traveling to the U.S. I don’t know why you would do that to yourself.

I did not having a sleeping bag on journey either. I used the wetsuit and later the down jacket as a blanket. The dry bag worked well to put feet into. My nerves have been pinched that allow proper blood circulation for at least 6 months now. This makes one feel colder all the time. Every place I went that has AC, it is turned up. Included airports, jets, hotels, and jail. Blankets were continually withheld. A light sleeping bag would give the most options for keeping warm while resting and sleeping. Warmth while sleeping is paramount to getting good rest.

Skills to bring: Listening comprehension – Not everyone speaks your language, listen to what they are trying to say. This often means body language. Flexibility – I did not bother making any schedule at all because the shitbags would break it ahead of time. I just went with whatever was inspiring at the moment. It worked out just as well as prior planned trips. Bottle opening – You can drop the bottle opener if your pre-skilled at opening bottles. Stretching\meditation movements – Any open space becomes your own. Continual stretching and maintaining fitness are the largest preventers of injury.

Lastly a small knife would make the list, but too much drama depending on where one is going. The nail clippers can also cut some things like string and loose threads. I would hae liked to try a bamboo flute. If you find a spot you like you can always purchase one, then give it away later before moving to the next spot.

ID/Funding access
Driver’s License
Passport + Passport ID card
2 credit/debit cards
$400/m in cash from origination country

40 liter pack
50 degree synthetic sleeping bag + dry bag
2l camelback for small people 3l for large

Clothes
1 pair zip-off pants
1 pair long underwear
1 belt
1 pair shorts
1 swimsuit
2 t shirts
1 long sleeve shirt
1 light Faraday sweatshirt
2 pairs light socks
1 pair of ‘minimalist’ shoes
1 light synthetic jacket

Weather
Rain jacket
Rain pants
light gloves
Knitted Faraday hat and Faraday sun hat
sun glasses
Large dry bag for electronics and potentially clothes

Toiletries
microfiber towel
some small and large bandaids
eye drops
inhaler
aspirin
chapstick
sunblock
small nail clippers
tweezers
toothbrush
small toothpaste
15 dental flossers
small roll toilet paper

Electronics
1 pc + spare hard drive
2 prong 100-240v 50/60hz PC charger + add padded heat shrink to block
2 phones + 1 storage case + 1 sim pin
1 dual port wall charger (USB A,C) + padded with heat shrink
USB 6’ A to C cord
USB 6’ C to C cord + C to A adapter for laptop
Small solar charger or heavier power pack
Rechargeable headlamp

Misc
Bottle opener
compass
Index cards +2 shortened pencils with caps

Accessories
Earbuds
Swim goggles
Swim cap
Powdered drink mix