So its time to pack. This is a list of my current state of packing.
Backpack:
EMS
5000 cu inch backpack
. It has an add on day pack and a cover for the airport. Unfortunately (and i'm not really sure why) the airport cover is excellent for keeping all the straps in, including a handle to carry the back around- but it doesn't act as a rain cover. But I bought one, so no big deal. Overall its an excellent pack, I used it on the algonquin trip and had no complaints. I'm not a huge fan of its colors, but whatever.
FootwearI got a pair of reebok sandals. They were probably $10 new, and I had to cut away at part of it when i had a bad blister on my foot. So I won't be winning any fashion contests walking around with them, but they're comfortable and thats all that matters.
I bought a new pair of sneakers yesterday (guess what brand!) and yeah i put them on, walked 10 ft in them and bought them.
I have northface hiking boots that I've owned for a few years. Great shoes.
Electronics.
Okay so in total I'm bringing a laptop computer, 1 music player, 1 digital camera, a cell phone and a watch. Then along with those things, I have chargers and ear buds and cases.
For laptop I chose a Lenovo T61. Its 14.1" which should be a good compromise for portability and performance. I got 30% off cause its the 'older' model, but in general T61's are well known for being v. durable, as well as being ugly. But I kindof like the look.
Music player. Ipod shuffle. 1 gb. I found that I didn't mind my ipod randomly picking music when I drove home from Toronto and its so small.
Digital Camera. I went with the Canon SD870IS. Its pretty sweet, 8MP and more features then I know how to use, I ordered a 2 gig sd card on newegg today for like $10. I'm pretty happy with the purchase, and I'll be sure to take a lot of photos in Vancouver and give a full review later.
Cell phone. I'm gonna stick with my nokia 5300 for now. Its tri band and I think* I can get away with using it everywhere, but I'll keep you guys posted on that. If I had to buy a new phone I'd buy the cheapest quad band phone possible. I dont think I'll be using my phone that much.
Watch. I got a new band/ battery for my dad's old swiss army classic watch. Now that I'm wearing it again, I'm happy. Its simple, not very conspicuous and despite being 10+ years old, it looks great. I can't understate how good condition this watch looks, all things considered.
Flashlight. I ended up getting an Arclight AAA. Expensive, and I may also get a headlamp. The pros of this flashlight is that it uses an LED bulb and AAA batteries. Compare that to a maglite which uses bulbs that you cannot find replacements for and use small lithium- ion batteries. Cons is that i paid $30 for a flashlight smaller then my pinky.
Clothes (shirts)
T shirts. (2) Merino Wool t shirts. I've heard great things about these shirts, and so far they have not disapointed. I got one from MEC and another from icebreaker. They're expensive, but the mantra goes something like this- keeps you warm when its cold, cold when its warm, never smells bad. I'll let you guys know how it goes, but for now I'm keeping my eyes open to consider picking up a 3rd shirt. The ones I have now are black and grey, and I'd like to get one in a lighter color.
1 light summer long sleeve shirt. I ordered one from coolibar, recommended by the 4hour workweek guy, but its being shipped so no idea on how nice it is. Basically i want a shirt that looks normal, is light, but long sleeved to provide sun and insect protection. I'll say more when it arrives, but i'm really hoping that it looks nice enough that I can get away without packing a polo.
1 warm long sleeve shirt. I have an old one from EMS, its black, fits really well and I'm quite sure it'll make an excellent base layer.
1 warm fleece. At REI i found a long sleeve north face "flight series" fleece. I really like it- will take a picture of it later to add on. Its got those thumb things, it looks warm, nice zippers and it was on clearance. Makes a good outerlayer on chilly nights, and can make a good middle layer for when it gets really cold.
1 warm fleece outer layer. Again on clearance at REI i got a REI outerwear fleece. Basically it should provide about the same warmth alone as the above item, but it is an outer layer, so a bit more wind/rain protection and i can put them together when climbing mount fuji, or hanging out in patagonia.
Clothes (pants)
1 pair jeans. I might cut this out to save weight but jeans are warm, comfortable, durable and easy to clean. What seems quite likely is that I keep these and then ditch them some time into my trip as I'll bring a pair of worn out ones.
1 pair EMS pants. I picked up a new pair of jeans the other day. They look respectable, but I think they are made for hiking, so they dry quicker and whatnot.
1 pair long underwear. Also from EMS, and from a previous hiking trip, these will be layered with the above items to provide some extra warmth in patagonia/ mountainous regions.
1 pair khaki shorts. Probably my ll beans. I like them a lot, comfortable, nice pockets etc.
1 pair swim trunks. I can double these as shorts in beach areas (ie Australia)
1-2 pairs of running shorts. If space allows it, I'll probably bring 2. I might also consider bringing 1 nice pair and one not so nice one and ditching the not so nice one after I leave BsAs (I think i'll want more then 1 pair if i'm doing a lot of jujitsu)
Clothes (Raingear)
I got an EMS raincoat that I bought 2 years ago thats pretty good. And Northface rainpants I had to buy right before the algonquin trip (but they kept me completely dry one afternoon that made them oh- so- worth their ridiculous price). And I can wear my raincoat over my fleece outerlayer which is a pretty big plus.
Clothes (socks/undies)
Okay so I bought 3 pairs of smartwood sneaker socks. Wore them for the first time yesterday and they are unbelievably comfortable. It might be because i wear wool socks way less often then normal ones, but even after not wearing them for a few years they still retain that new sock comfort.
From previous trips and whatnot I have a bunch of full sized wool socks that I will use for when I wear my hiking boots.
For underwear, I got 3 pairs of exofficio briefs. I think I should've gone with the boxers, but they're very small, light and pretty comfortable.
Other stuffEh, this post is getting pretty long, and this stuff after this gets boring. But I also need normal glasses, sunglasses, toothbrushes, toothpastes etc. I'm gonna do a dry run in terms of packing 'everything' tonight and to see how it all fits in. And before departure I'll make another post listing everything with pictures etc.
