Essential Gear

List of Essential Gear

This is what we were carrying at the end of the trip, after several months of paring down everything unessential:

Backpacks (without external frame)
Daypacks
Camping Gaz stove
Lighter or matches
Teapot
Pot
Frying pan
Metal plate (doubled as a lid)
Metal cups
Bowls
Spoons and forks
Swiss army knife (can opener, bottle opener, corkscrew)
Salt and pepper shakers
Sugar
Tea bags
Mixed herbs
Canteen
Water purification
Green scrubber for cleaning dishes
Clothing (worn in layers)
Swimsuits
Underwear
Halter top (Susan), T-shirt (Dennis)
Light cotton shirt
Knit or flannel shirt
Sweater
Light jacket
Skirt (Sue), nylon running pants (Dennis)
Jeans and belt
Raingear
Thongs or sandals
Socks
Tennis shoes
Handkerchief
Gloves
Wool neckscarf and wool hat
Down jacket
Laundry bag
Clothespins and length of clothesline
Detergent
Sewing kit (needles, thread, safety pins)
Freestanding, two-man tent
Roll mat or air mattress
Sheet sleeping bags
Sleeping bags
Flashlight
Small pouch for personal things
Small towel and washrag
Razors
Soap and shampoo
Hairbrush and comb
Scissors for cutting hair
Toothbrush, dental floss, toothpaste
Tweezers and fingernail clippers
Hair clip
First aid kit (bandaids, antibiotic cream, aspirin)
Toilet paper
Handiwipes (saved from airplane flights)
Chapstick
Lotion
Sunscreen
Mosquito repellent
Money pouch
Passports
Small photos or us (for visa applications)
Immunization certificates
Driver's license
International driver's license
Youth Hostel cards
Student cards (we used these only in Egypt)
Charge cards (Visa, American Express Gold)
Traveler's checks
Checkbook
Small notebook for recording expenditures
Solar calculator
Wallet for local currency
Address book, pens, paper and envelopes
Log book / journal
Pictures of family
Maps and travel books
Language phrase books
Paperback fiction
Camera and camera case
Film
Notebook for notes on photos taken