Gear Head

         This is for all the gear heads out there who may be planning there own trip.  Endless amounts of time were spent on choosing the right pack, boots, water filter, camera, rain gear etc.  I have laid it all out by brand where I could and will occasionally reference it along my trip to let people know how things are holding up.  This may seem boring to those of you who are  just checking in to see what's going on in my world, but believe me, this kind of information floods the Lonely Planet forums.  People are continually asking what kind of anything should they take.  In fact most of my questions were answered by searching these forums.  Outdoor companies charge top dollar for these specialty items and I want to put them to the test and document my findings.  That's just the kind of vagabonding nerd I am.  Get out and see the world, not the gear, right?  
         I have to live with this stuff for eight months and I'll be traveling from 1600 ft in the Andes to sea level in the Amazon Basin.  I want to know how it all worked, what I forgot and what I didn't need.  And preparation is a great deal of fun.  The attendants at REI came to know me by name.  I spent hours in every department of the store; some days would result in a big purchase and other days I would walk out empty handed.  This constant planning got me through the days where I was tired of my job and yearned to be out on a trail or lost on a chicken bus heading towards some unknown village.  Daydreaming is a great way to patiently wait while your bank account builds.  

         I went so far as to lay it all out on my bed just do I could look at it and take photos!  Playing with this stuff can be more fun than using it at times.  A piece of gear like a first aid kit or a rain cover for a backpack isn't all that exciting when you have to use it but if you've handled it, inspected it and played with it, you will know exactly what to do when you actually need it.  You need to know it inside and out.  For instance I spent a great deal of time deciding what brand of water purifier I wanted.  After reading all the negative reviews of the Steripen I thought I might pass.  I bought it just so I could handle it a bit (REI will take anything back) and discovered that most of the negative posts were not from inferior quality but rather from buyers who hadn't spent the time to master all its signals.  The directions need to be followed perfectly and it lets the user know what's happening through a series of blinking signals.  This took time to figure out.  Now I feel I have one of the best purifiers on the market (for my purpose) and will be adequately prepared when I need to use it.  
         So part of this blog will be spent chronicling the choices I made in gear.  Where I can I have named it by brand and model name.  It may help the adventurers come after me.  If not then it will be an experiment in self-entertainment.  I prefer it over reality TV and late night dramas.  This is what I took:

Travel Packing List

GEAR:

Osprey 40L pack with hydration sack

Marmot ¾ zip 40° sleeping bag.  1.2 lbs.

North Face camelback day back – very small and straps to outside of main pack

Thermarest expanding pillow – medium.

Petzel Tikka XP Headlamp

Maglight – small

Steripen water purifier with extra batteries

REI hiking 1^st Aid kit – modified.  See below.

Oakley FLAK polarized sunglasses

REI DUCKS Pack rain cover – medium

Camelback hydration sack cleaning tablets

Nalgene water bottle – 1

2 compression bags (med & small) for sleeping bag and clothes + 2 stuff sacks

     to compartmentalize pack for easy reach.

Mosquito net for head

CLOTHES:

Patagonia Capaline long underwear – top and bottom

Marmot Rain Jacket – ultra light + Patagonia lightweight rain pants

North Face Windbreaker fleece jacket - lightweight

Columbia dry fast shorts

REI dry-fast pants

Smartwool socks 2 pair full & 2 pair ankle

Lowa hiking boots

Keen sandals

Underwear 4 pair

REI wind-stop gloves for high altitude in the Andes (optional)

Sun Hat

REI Peruvian Hat  (will replace with authentic)

T-shirts 2

Exofficio 100% Nylon long sleeve shirt with UV coating

Eagle Creek silk hide a pouch for inside clothes.  Waist type.

Eagle Creek money belt

ELECTRONICS:

Cannon G10 camera with two 5-hour Lithium batteries & charger

8 GIG memory cards – 3

360 GIG portable Hard Drive for storing pics

Lowepro Camera case (very small)

iphone with charger

All applicable cords for charging and USB into internet cafes

HYGENE & PERSONAL:

Toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, razor, shaving and bath travel sheets, nail-clippers, shampoo, travel bag, earplugs, clothes line, deodorant, foot powder, REI Large dryfast towel, microfiber multipurpose hand towel, sunscreen, insect repellant 30% DEET, Permethran spray for clothes, chapstick with sunscreen x2, hand sanitizer, toilet paper & shovel, Power Bars and Gu Gel for energy on Machu Picchu,

PRESCRIPTIONS:

Azithromycin or Z Pack Antibiotics                         Cipro for Diarrhea

Acetazolamide for altitude sickness                        Doxycyline Hyclate for Malaria

Tamiflu

FIRST AID KIT ADAPTIONS:

REI Hiking First Aid Kit.  Medium size.  I added Imodium AD, Pepto tablets, liquid skin, DenTek temporary filling Material for teeth, Chlorine Dioxide tabs for potable water, Moleskin, the Extractor bug and bite treatment kit, digital thermometer.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Sink stopper, duct tape, copper wire for sewing, sewing kit, nylon patches, bandana, coffee filters to pre-filter water, flexible soft spiral journal + 2 pens, rubberbands, hard plastic silverware, locking carabiner, travel lock, basic bike lock (combination type), pocket knife, strike anywhere matches, zip ties.

I also included balloons and crayons to give children along the path of Machu Picchu as well as 5 pair of cheap reading glasses for adults.  This will go a long way in establishing relations.

DOCUMENTATION:

I made photocopies of Passport, emergency contact info (including # for Nomads International Travel Insurance), possible allergies, any prescriptions, traveler’s checks, ATM and credit card phone numbers and all computer passwords.  Copies are hidden in various places on my person and in my pack but I also emailed PDF’s to my gmail account in case they are lost.