The Horn of Africa

Packing List

BASIC: My same Nike sneakers, my small Victorinox backpack. A money belt, although I wonder if I should bother putting my (paper) plane tickets in it again or not. They're bulky and can probably be replaced (with some effort) if they're lost/destroyed. Because of the exchange rate to local bills, even small amounts of USD are going to be big piles of local currency, so I think I'll end up taking a lot of small USD and changing it frequently.

BACKPACK CLOTHING: Two pairs of travel pants. Two long-sleeve ultra-lightweight cotton shirts. Maybe a wicking, synthetic t-shirt. Buy one or two sets of local clothes once there. Six pairs of underwear, six pairs of moisture wicking socks.

BACKPACK DOCUMENTS: A copy of my passport information page, a copy of all relevant visas, and a copy of my flight itinerary and tickets. List of phone numbers/relevant contact information, extra passport photos (2x), and my drivers license.

BACKPACK KNICK KNACKS: Two large, heavy gauge trash bags. Four large zip-lock freezer bags. A watch (waterproof). A bottle of 35%+ DEET spray, because malaria is uh-scary-uh. Small roll of duct tape, 12' or so of paracord, some Katadyn water purification tablets. A few novels (???) and a map of Somalia and eastern Ethiopia.

MONEY BELT: Passport, plane tickets (or not?), backup cash, credit and debit cards. Tiny phone number list, 2x passport photos, 4x analgesics.

GADGETS: Sony Psyc MP3 player (AAA), Pentax Optio W10 (waterproof, proprietary D-L18 battery). Spare AAA or two, spare D-L18, D-L18 AC charger, spare microSD card.

TOILETRY KIT: Two rolls of camp toilet paper. Nail clippers, small safety pins, deoderant, biodegradable camp soap, toothbrush, toothpaste (small), earplugs, some q-tips.

MED KIT: Scissors (TSA?), immodium, eletrolyte replacement powder (at least 12 packets), superglue, coban (?), band-aids, Malarone treatment dose, Cipro, Aleve (analgesic + anti-inflam), moleskin. Wrap the god damned superglue seperately.

Consider: Sunscreen, a camp towel? Why am I still bothering with any paracord at all? Why the coban? Is the ability to wrap a wrist or an ankle really worth the size? Nevermind the superglue.

posted by daviduri @ 1:50 PM