Essentials for Him

If there’s one bone of contention between Nat and I, it’s the simple act of packing for a trip. Perhaps it boils down to being a guy, but if I had my druthers I would pack for both of us. You can imagine that that doesn’t go down very well and usually sparks a roll of the eyes when I mention it. I just need a couple of t-shirts, shorts and long pants, throw in a pair of sandals and I’m ready to hit the road. Nat, on the other hand, can’t live without her hairdryer, three pairs of shoes and a make-up case (that she insists is a toiletry case) the size of the Titanic. So, for those interested, here is my packing list for 5 weeks of travelling around the Horn of Africa:

• 45 litre backpack
• a couple of pairs of underwear
• 2 long pairs of pants
• 1 pair of shorts
• 3 t-shirts
• 1 long shirt
• 1 sweater
• 1 pair of hiking boots
• 1 pair of sandals
• 1 long underwear
• 1 swim suit
• 1 hat
• 1 towel
• 1 sleeping bag
• 1 mosquito net
• 1 headlamp
• 1 rain poncho
• 2 money belts
• 1 camera with extra batteries and memory cards
• 1 extra lens
• 1 laptop
• 1 universal adaptor

First Aid Kit

• Grapefruit seed extract
• Acidophilus
• Immodium
• Band-Aids
• Water purification drops
• Aspirin
• Ibuprofen
• Sleeping pills
• Multi-vitamins
• Swiss army knife
• Re-hydration salts
• Ear-plugs
• Thermometer
• Malarone (malaria pills)
• Flea powder
• Mosquito repellent
• Pepto bismol
• Ciproflaxin
• Polysporin
• Sunscreen
• Blister treatment (patches)
• Nighttime/daytime relief for flu and colds

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Contact lenses and solution
• Shaving cream and shaver
• Soap

Documents

• Extra passport photos
• Guidebook
• Health Insurance papers

Someone on the team has to be utilitarian.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 14th, 2007 at 8:59 pm and is filed under He Said. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site. Add to del.icio.us.