The topic of what to pack for a trip like ours is always an interesting one, and we spent a great deal of time reading other travellers’ blogs looking for tips, tricks and advice for reducing overall volume and weight.

Bev packed and ready to go!

Richard packed and ready to go!

Having made the decision to travel with smaller backpacks (mine is 34 litres and Richard’s is 38 litres) than the average backpacker, we knew that we’d need to be very aggressive with our packing in order to make it all fit, while still providing everything we’d need for day-to-day living as well as running. Deciding to stay close to the summer season definitely helped reduce the volume of gear required, but we still opted to have at least one warm layer for early morning/evening activities as well as brushes with spring and fall around the globe.

Richard’s packing in progress

Everything ready to go into Bev’s pack

The lists below summarize what each of us packed. It feels like a lot to see it written down, and it’s amazing how it all fits into such small bags! At departure, my pack weighed 24.9 pounds while Richard’s weighed 22.7 pounds. We’ve since re-arranged a little bit to give Richard a bit more of the overall weight! Most of the toiletry and “admin” items are in my pack, while Richard is carrying the technology and connectivity equipment.

After 10 days into the trip we haven’t really identified anything that we shouldn’t have packed. We’ve been able to do laundry once a week and cycle through our clothes with enough to spare in the event of a downpour (yes, it’s happened more than once in this tropical climate during rainy season!). The running gear is a bit challenging as we’re having to run through each set twice before laundry day. I have more clothes than Richard, so I may need to trim down as we go if I find I’m not using everything regularly.

We’ve identified a few things that we should’ve packed: small multi-tool with knife and bottle opener, electrolyte replacement capsules (we’re sweating a lot more in the hotter climate), elastic ther-a-band for stretching and exercise, and an extra pair of shorts. Maybe we’ll pick up these items along the way somewhere (some will be easier to procure than others!).

I’m sure that we’ll revisit this topic after a few months to determine if there’s anything we need to remove and send home or gift to someone in the local community. We’re also getting better at packing efficiently so that the weight is well distributed and to ensure that everything goes in the pack without the need for additional carry bags. We tie our shoes to the the outside of the pack as they’re pretty dirty and often wet! This frees up quite a bit of space in the inside of the pack. We’ve also employed the help of stuff sacks to help us compress those items that are not used as often (like the cooler weather gear).

Bev’s packing list:

Running gear

• 3 x running shorts
• 2 x running bras
• 2 x tank bras
• 3 x running singlets
• 1 x light shell running jacket
• Long running pants
• 5 x pairs running/walking socks
• 1 x running gloves
• 1 x running cap
• 1 x hydration running vest
• 1 x running hydration reservoir
• 1 x personal item pouch
• 2 x 12oz handheld running bottles

Clothes

• 2 x bikinis
• 1 x sarong
• 2 x casual shorts
• 2 x tshirts
• 1 x tank top
• 3 x halter tshirts
• 3 x blouses
• 2 x casual dresses
• 6 x underwear
• 2 x soft bras
• 2 x underwire bras
• 1 x puffy jacket
• 1 x cargo pants
• 1 x jeans
• 1 x long sleeve technical shirt
• 1 x long sleeve tshirt
• 1 x microfleece
• 1 x fleece gloves
• 1 x toque
• 1 x waterproof shell jacket
• 1 x fabric belt
• 1 x bandana
• 1 x Buff headband

Accessories / living items

• 1 x sleeping bag liner
• 1 x travel towel
• 1 x length of thin cord for washing line
• 8 x pegs
• 1 x fabric shopping tote
• 1 x padlock
• 5 x small mesh bags
• 1 x stuff sack
• 1 x compression stuff sack
• 3 x pens
• 1 x small notebook
• 1 x in-pack hydration reservoir
• 2 x sleep masks
• 1 x small tin with simple jewellery items
• Malaria and tummy trouble meds
• 100 x water purification tablets
• 36 x tampons
• 4 x Vega One chocolate shake sachets
• 6 x Vega Sport Protein chocolate shake sachets
• 1 x travel size hand wipes
• 1 x travel size hand sanitizer
• 250 x EatRunSee contact cards

Travel items

• Passport
• Cash
• Travel insurance wallet card
• Bank and credit cards
• Drivers license
• Travel wallet
• Fake wallet with expired credit card

Technology

• 1 x iPhone (unlocked)
• 1 x headphones
• 1 x iPad
• 1 x running watch
• 1 x headlamp

Footwear

• 1 x pair flipflops
• 2 x pairs running shoes
• 1 x pair trail running shoes
• 1 x pair sandals

Toiletries

• 1 x toiletry bag
• 1 x soap bar
• 3 x moisturizer tubs
• 1 x face scrub
• 1 x toothbrush
• 1 x travel size toothpaste
• 1 x floss
• 1 x eye cream
• 1 x face wash
• 1 x ziplock with qtips
• 1 x razor
• 2 x razor blade refills (8 total)
• 1 x tweezers
• 1 x nail clippers
• 2 x small nail files
• 1 x travel size deodorant crystal

Richard’s packing list:

Running gear

• 4 x running shorts
• 4 x running singlets
• 1 x light shell running jacket
• 4 x pairs running/walking socks
• Long running pants
• 1 x running gloves
• 1 x running cap
• 1 x hydration running vest
• 1 x running hydration reservoir
• 1 x personal item pouch
• 2 x 12oz handheld running bottles
• 20 x Clif Shot running gels
• Running maintenance items (golf ball, tennis ball and myofascial release stick roller for rolling out muscles after running)

Clothes

• 1 x casual shorts
• 1 x bathing suit
• 3 x technical shirts (1 short sleeve / 2 long sleeve)
• 1 x button up short sleeve shirt
• 4 x underwear
• 1 x cargo pants
• 1 x puffy jacket
• 1 x microfleece
• 1 x fleece gloves
• 1 x toque
• 1 x bandana
• 1 x Buff headband

Accessories / living items

• 1 x mosquito net
• 1 x first aid kit
• 1 x sleeping bag liner
• 1 x travel towel
• 1 x fabric shopping tote
• 1 x padlock
• 1 x small mesh bag
• 1 x stuff sack
• 1 x compression stuff sack
• 1 x in-pack hydration reservoir
• 8 x Clif energy bars
• 4 x Hammer energy bars
• 1 x day backpack
• 1 x travel size hand wipes
• 1 x travel size hand sanitizer
• 250 x EatRunSee contact cards

Travel items

• Passport
• Cash
• Bank and credit cards
• Drivers license
• 1 x travel wallet
• Fake wallet with expired credit card

Technology

• 1 x iPhone (unlocked)
• 1 x headphones
• 1 x MacBook Air (13-inch) with soft travel case
• 1 x running watch
• 1 x running watch charger
• 2 x iPad / iPhone chargers and cables
• 1 x MacBook charger and cable
• 1 x camera and case
• 1 x camera charger and cable
• 1 x extra camera battery
• 1 x GoPro micro video camera plus cables and head mount
• 1 x headlamp and charger
• Assorted international plug adapters

Footwear

• 1 x pair flipflops
• 2 x pairs running shoes
• 1 x pair trail running shoes
• 1 x pair sandals

Toiletries

• 1 x toiletry bag
• 1 x soap bar
• 1 x toothbrush
• 1 x travel size toothpaste
• 1 x floss
• 1 x face wash
• 1 x ziplock with qtips
• 1 x sunblock cream 30SPF
• 1 x sunblock powder 30SPF
• 3 x travel-size shampoo
• 2 x travel-size body wash

This past weekend we decided to take advantage of our weekend trip to Vancouver Island for the Victoria Marathon (#VictoriaMarathn) to try a few new things. First, we wanted to take our new Deuter backpacks for a spin to get a sense of their fit and fill. Second, we wanted to immerse ourselves into life on the road, so we decided to use transit and find a couch to sleep on through couchsurfing.org. Layer on the excitement of race weekend, and we were creating quite an adventure for ourselves!

The backpacks are fantastic! We decided to take along our sleeping bags (which we won’t be doing for our RTW trip), along with our gear for the race and a change of clothes. Everything went in without a struggle – Richard even packed his new 3L Osprey hydration bladder filled to the brim. The packs are light and well supported, and we both found the padding and structure to be very well suited for our frame size. Two thumbs up from these happy vagabonders!

All smiles

Our journey was made a little more comfortable by driving our car to the ferry terminal, and parking it there for the night. With backpacks on board we made our way by foot onto the ferry, and settled in for the 90-minute crossing. On the other side we made the connection with the express bus into downtown Victoria, a 60-minute journey. We then walked 5 blocks to our couch surfing location. So convenient!

Our ferry approaching

I’d previously made arrangements with our hosts via the website mentioned above. Couch surfing is a very common activity amongst travellers, and we wanted to get a taste of what it might be like. Basically, the website connects folks looking for a place to stay with those who have a place to offer. Pretty great concept. And it’s free (well, there’s goodwill and a gesture of thanks to offer if you’re a decent traveller and human being!).

Our hosts were a young couple who graciously welcomed us into their apartment and made us feel extremely comfortable. We shared a great dinner together that evening and exchanged travel tips and stories. We had a very good sleep on their fantastic futon. The next morning we left early to run our race, and returned to clean up before we hit the transit/ferry combo one more time. Our hosts were out when we returned to shower and pack our bags – they’d kindly left a text to say that we should make ourselves at home and lock up after we leave. How awesome! We couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to couch surfing!

Unfortunately our race didn’t go as well as we had planned, but the rest of the weekend was such a great success. We hope that as we begin our travels (for real) in a few weeks’ time, that we have many positive experiences like this to recount, and that our backpacks continue to be as comfortable and reliable as they were on our trial run. The countdown is on to November 4!

Pre-race excitement!

Buying a backpack takes a serious amount of research! Our bags are one of the most critical pieces of gear for our adventure. After all, we have to live out of these bags for many months to come, not to mention carry them around from place to place!

Once you start wading into the world of backpacking gear, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the many options to choose from. After 3 weeks of scoping out sizes, narrowing down the range of brands that offer the size range and utility that we required, and then reading online reviews and making trips to outdoor stores to test fit, we were ready to commit.

We both chose to go with a Deuter brand bag. Richard picked a blue Futura Pro 38L and I chose an orange Futura Pro 34L SL (ladies fit).

The Deuter Futura Pro 38

The Deuter Futura Pro 34SL

Here is a list of criteria that shaped our decision:

1. Be comfortable and well padded around the hip and shoulder area (check)
2. Be as light as possible and keep within the standard carry on size for flying (check)
3. Have two compartments with a zippered separation to keep our running gear and shoes apart from our clothes (check)
4. Have a raincover (check)
5. Have top and side zippered pouches for storing items for easy access (check)
6. Be able to incorporate a hydration reservoir (check)
7. Be durable with a good warranty (check)
8. Have zippered pockets on waist belt (uncheck! this isn’t a feature in the models we chose, but since the bags met all other criteria, we let this one go!)

The bags are a lot smaller than the standard backpack one might choose for the length of trip we’re planning. However, we want to travel in a very minimalist way, and pack as little as possible. I guess our decision to follow the summer over the next few years will help with the amount of clothing we need to cart around with us :).