What I packed… (Tarick edition)

A lot of people have been asking what we are packing for our trip, so I thought this would be a perfect topic for my first post. Deciding which items to bring for a year of travel was a process and my pack-list has gone through several iterations. I wanted to strike a balance between size and comfort, ultimately deciding to go more minimal in my approach. My experience with traveling in the past was that I always brought more stuff than was needed and this time I wanted to try get it down to the bare minimum.

The bag I selected was the Osprey Farpoint 40, a nifty little bag that is similar in capacity to a backpacking backpack but it opens up like a suitcase rather than needing to stuff everything in from the top, which was a pet peeve with my old bag. Also, it is carry-on sized for airplanes.

When I was thinking about clothing, I decided to treat it like a camping trip since we would be doing a lot of hiking/walking outdoors (likely wearing the same outfit multiple times without washing). I wanted to bring quick-drying, synthetic, clothing that was lightweight, odor-resistant, and easily washed. All of my pants are Prana Brions, which are super comfortable and can pass for dress slacks in a pinch. My shirts were all bought at an insane sale at Royal Robbins in Berkeley, which until recently I have never heard of, but I’m a fan now. My shoes are Salomon Trail Runners, the same shoes I wore on the JMT so I know they can take a beating. For underwear, I brought ExOfficio Boxers, which if you haven’t used before are simply amazing. I brought two pair with me on the JMT for 30-days, washing them out nightly in a lake and hanging them to dry overnight, and I plan to employ a similar strategy here. I know it sounds gross but trust me, it works!

P.S. I am not sponsored by any of the above brands (yet) and I would not normally do product placement on our blog, however for this post in particular I thought it would be helpful for others to be able to click on the links.

For electronics I packed a laptop, phone, and kindle. Fortunately we live in an era where electronics are compact and lightweight. Although I’m sure the next generation will laugh at how absurd a “laptop” is.

So, what exactly did I end up bringing? See below!

Clothing:

• 2 pairs of hiking pants
• 1 pair of hiking shorts
• 3 short-sleeved button-up hiking shirts
• 3 long-sleeved button-up hiking shirts
• 2 “smart-wool” t-shirts
• 4 synthetic boxer-briefs
• 5 regular boxer-briefs
• 9 pairs of socks
• 1 down jacket
• 1 rain jacket

Electronics:

• Laptop
• Phone
• Kindle
• Headlamp
• Headphones
• Charging cables

Toiletries:

• Travel toothbrush
• Electric razor
• Sunscreen
• Toothpaste
• Q-tips
• Floss

Pictures for your viewing pleasure…

That pretty much sums it up! Feel free to ask any questions in the comment section below.

Now, to see if you read all the way to the bottom, I will be taking suggestions in the comments for my “sign-off” slogan to be used in future posts. A simple phrase that I can use to end each blog post such as, “happy trails”, “carpe diem”, or “see you space cowboy”.

Until Next Time!