Stuff! (27 days to go!)
A few days ago Steve and I pulled out our packing lists and starting getting out all of the stuff we’ve acquired for the trip, checking off the items on our lists as we went. It was really a helpful exercise because we were able to accomplish several things at once:
- We realized that there were only a handful of little things we were missing from our lists, so we made a trip to a few stores and we’re now able to cross everything off (except for sleep sacks, which I want my nana to make for us).
- We took photos of our stuff for insurance purposes (and for the blog!) so that if anything is stolen we have visual proof of what we took with us (more on travel insurance in a later post).
- We got to pack our backpacks and make sure that we could carry them (a particular concern for me since I’ve never been backpacking before–Steve’s an old pro).
Today we repacked them (I discovered that it’s better for me if my pack is taller rather than fatter) and went on a little 3 mile hike to see how they felt. It was surprisingly easy. I have no idea how much my pack weighs (we don’t have a scale and neither do our roommates…. We’re going to weigh them at Steve’s mom’s house before we leave so that we can make sure they’re each under the 50 lb airport baggage limit), but my pack didn’t feel that heavy. The whole hip support system really works. I also wore my money belt to test it out and it wasn’t so bad, either. So these are all good things–I’ve been worried about not being able to handle the pack and the money belt being seriously annoying. So yay on both accounts!
For Machu Picchu we’ve decided that Steve will carry one backpack, I’ll carry a day bag, and we’ll store my pack in our hostel in Cusco with the stuff we don’t need for the trek (we just booked Hostal Resbalosa for 4 nights before the trek and 2 nights after. The whole month of June is a giant festival in Cusco, so we just wanted to make sure we got a good price since rooms go fast and the prices are higher than normal. They have bag storage, so hopefully my pack will be safe while we’re hiking). So after our hike today we packed his pack with our Machu Picchu stuff, and he said it ended up being lighter than his normal pack (we took out all of the electronic stuff).
We budgeted $2,000 total for pre-trip expenses, and we ended up spending $1,425, so we were under our budget by $575!
And just in case you’re curious, here are photos of our stuff, photos of us with our bags on, and a list of the stuff we’re taking.
Steve:
- Sleeping bag w/squish sack
- mosquito net (double size for when we share a bed)
- headlamp, compass, watch, pocket knife
- sleep sack/sheet, ear plugs, melatonin
- travel soap, travel towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, face lotion, deodorant, razor
- day pack, backpack
- DEET bug spray, Sunscreen, sunglasses, sun hat, bandana
- raincoat, fleece coat, wool hat, wool gloves
- money belt, combination lock
- hiking boots, sandals
- 5 pairs socks, 1 pair sock liners, 5 pairs underwear, long underwear shirt and pants
- 2 pairs pants, 1 pair shorts, 2 t-shirts, 1 long sleeve button-up shirt
- 1 1-liter water bottle, 2 1/2 liter water bottles
- camera, memory cards, batteries, battery charger, usb hook-up for memory cards, blank CDs, outlet adapters
- journal, pens
- Steripen (ultraviolet water purifier), Iodine tablets
- first aid kit: band-aids, gauze, tape, alcohol pads, neosporin, immodium, pepto bismo, dramamine, aspirin, antibiotics, malaria medication, moleskin, etc…
- Peru travel book, Ecuador travel book
Gina:
- sleeping bag, compression sack
- mosquito net (single)
- headlamp, sleep shirt, sleep shorts, sleep mask, inflatable neck pillow, sleep sack/sheet, earplugs
- travel towel, contact solution, contacts, toothbrush, glasses, glasses case, diva cup, hair ties, bandana
- 1 1-liter water bottle, 2 1/2-liter water bottles
- travel pack, small travel purse, backpack
- journal, pens, daily planner, stickers for kids, watch/alarm clock
- raincoat, fleece jacket, warm hat, gloves, long underwear
- 5 pairs underwear, 5 pairs socks, 2 bras
- 2 pairs pants, 2 t shirts, 1 long sleeve button-up shirt, swimsuit
- money belt, combination lock
- hiking boots, sandals
- sunscreen, DEET bug repellent
- safety pins, sewing kit, rubber bands, duct tape, fishing line
- camera, memory cards, rechargeable AA batteries, battery charger, computer hook-up
Tags: Gear, Pre-Trip Planning
montarsig
Leave a Reply