When going on a journey,there are three questions that will shape your trip:

1) Where will you be going?
2) How long will you be there?
3) What travel equipment are you bringing?

For many backpackers, #3 is what separates the men from the boys, the travelers from the tourists, the hardcore from the casuals.

Right now, the mantra seems to be “travel light”.  To bring a rolling suitcase is a travesty, to bring just a backpack is common, and to bring less than three changes of clothing is to be a god walking amongst mortals.

Since this is my first time traveling, I decided to go a medium route – traveling light, but not completely unburdening myself of modern civilization.

The Travel Equipment List!

(disclaimer: any links to amazon use my affiliate code, which helps me finance future trips!)

The Backpack: Deuter Transit 50 Travel Pack.

Your backpack is the centerpiece of all your travel gear, since you’ll be relying on it to carry all of your gear.  If you go to a store like REI, you will see that there is a huge variety of backpacks – large and small, waterproof, with straps to carry additional gear, opening from the top vs. the side, etc.

For traveling around the world, you want to get an (appropriately named) travel backpack – these are different from camping backpacks in that they are generally smaller, are not waterproof, open from the side, and have an attached day pack.

The next step is to choose a size – since I want to travel light, I went with a 50+12L backpack – 50 liters of carrying capacity in the main pack, with an additional 12L in the detachable day pack.  Doing my research, there were two main backpacks to choose from at this volume – the Deuter Transit 50 Travel Pack, and the Osprey Farpoint 55.  Comparing the two, the Deuter has thicker and more comfortable straps, but the Osprey is lighter and has a larger daypack.

Ultimately, I felt the Deuter was more comfortable (if also a bit unwieldy), and went with that backpack to carry all my other travel equipment.

Clothing: five days worth

– five pairs of underwear- five tee shirts
– two pairs of shorts, one pair of cargo pants, one pair of jeans, and a set of comfortable sweatpants
– one hoodie, one stylish short-sleeved button-up shirt, and one light jacket
– five pairs of socks- one set of sneakers, one set of sandals, and my vibram toe-shoes
– swimming trunks

And to top it off, I got myself two compression packs
– this not only allows me to reduce the amount of volume my clothing takes up, but also keeps my clean clothes dry and separate from any dirty laundry.

Electronics:

– Netbook: Asus Eee PC.  Initially, I wanted to travel without a computer, so that it doesn’t distract me from my traveling, but I also wanted to keep a travelogue and research for some business projects.  An ultrabook would nicely fit the bill without being too heavy, but I didn’t want to be out $1000 in case I got robbed, so I compromised with a netbook.

Update: as somebody who is used to larger keyboards (Microsoft Ergonomic, which looks like a monster but is amazing), hot damn it is hard to get used to the tiny keyboard of a netbook.

– Camera: Panasonic DMC-ZS3 with 32gb sdcard.  Outdated, but point and shoot.  Also, charger, an extra battery (ebay), and USB cable to upload photos every once in a while.

– Phone: I have the Droid X, which is an amazing phone, but it is unfortunately a CDMA phone and unable to take a sim card, and so unusable in much of southeast Asia.  I brought it along as a backup camera, ebook reader, and occasioanl phone (wifi only).  Also, charger and two extra batteries (ebay).

Update: while in Australia, I picked up a cheap 1900s-era GSM phone – the Samsung Keystone 2.  It doesn’t even have a full keyboard, but slide in a prepaid sim card, and it works for phone calls and texts.  Plus, infinite battery life.

Misc. Travel Gear:

– compass (gift from a concerned friend, of dubious use)
– waterproof pouch for phone (again, gift from a concerned friend, of uncertain use)
– travel first aid kit
– x-shot camera mount
– money belt
– diary
– collapsible water bottle
– microfiber towel
– hanging toiletry bag + toiletries
– umbrella: it’s the rainy season here.  After having multiple umbrellas break on me over the years, I got myself a Totes umbrella, which has lasted me for 4 years now.  Heavy, though.

Update: my “travel-sized” bottle of sunscreen got confiscated by the TSA.  I certainly feel a lot safer when my straight razor makes it past their screening, but my sunscreen does not.  #securitytheater