In my previous post, I outlined some of my pre-trip expenditures to give you a sense of what I’ve been saving for and spending my money on in preparation for departure. In this post I’ll show you exactly what I bought and will be bringing with me.

In this picture you can see everything I’m taking – except for a pair of shorts and a watch I’m already wearing, 4 pairs of ExOfficio underwear that I’ll use before my departure, the eye mask that I forgot to take out of my toiletries bag, my iPod, and assorted toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, ibuprofen etc). To give a little perspective, most travel forums have people recommending a 60-65L bag for long-term travel. My friend Karol is traveling with something like a 28L bag. Mine is 40L.

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What’s going inside:

Bags/Clothes – REI Lookout 40 backpack, ExOfficio Nomad shorts, REI Sahara convertible pants (mostly to be used as shorts), Vasque Mindbender trail running shoes, Sanuk Yogi II sandals, Rick Steve’s clothesline, Wordlock luggage lock, Lewis N Clark cable lock, Timex Expedition watch, Sea To Summit eVent waterproof compression sack, Sea To Summit generic compression sack, Mountain Hardwear Canyon long sleeve shirt, Mountain Hardwear Canyon short sleeve shirt, Pacsafe waist wallet, REI Sahara polyester t-shirt, EMS brand polyester t-shirt, EMS Packable pack as daybag, Under Armor Heat Gear socks (3 pr)

Electronics/Gadgets – iPod, Petzl Tikka2 headlamp, GorillaPod, Sony Nex-3 camera with 18-55m and 16mm lenses + camera bag & battery charger, Belkin Mini Surge Protector, ASUS Eee PC 1015PX-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch netbook w/ 2GB upgraded RAM + charger, Case Logic VLS-110 netbook sleeve, international travel adapter, 250GB external travel hard drive

Toiletries/etc – Sea To Summit hanging toiletry bag, compass/thermometer keychain, drain stopper, carabiners (2), REI XL MultiTowel, ear plugs, travel mirror, Croakies Reax eyeglass retainers, playing cards, wallet w/ chain (attaches inside shorts pocket), silk sleep sack (gift), anti-malarial and anti-diarrhea medication, Deet bug spray, Platypus collapsible water bottle, travel tissue pack

Here’s the bag full, minus the forgotten items I noted above and with a shoe for size reference:

My goal is to fit this in the overhead compartment on planes and in the seat with me on buses. I suspect the latter is going to be rather tough to accomplish, but I figure I learn what’s really necessary as I go and I’ll be able to pare down throughout the trip.