Brock and Kathleen are slow traveling their way around the world, carrying only what will fit in their backpacks. That seems like such a foreign concept to me, so I was thrilled when Brock agreed to share what they carry with them on their adventures.
So, What's in a Nomadic Adventurer's Suitcase?
Well for starters we don't carry suitcases. The thought of carrying a suitcase gives me the willies. I am a gear head in every sense of the word. I am a guy that loves backpacks… and all the toys that go in them. Asking me to write about packing and whats in my backpack, is like asking my wife if she wants to eat chocolate. I have seen, tested, used, packed, thrown out, written about, loved, and hated every piece of gear out there. Being a long distance hiker I really hate extra weight. Every item, right down to socks and underwear, must meet my standards for functionality, weight, and performance. Being that we have all of our wordly possessions on back, I am really, really maniacal about what makes it into our packs! So take a peak in Our Favorite Adventure's backpacks and see whats hiding in there!
Backpacks: We both have some larger backpacks by RTW standards, but thats because we carry all of our hiking gear, NOT, because we have lots of heavy or bulky stuff. I have an Osprey Aether 70 pack and Kathleen was graciously hooked up with a pack from Gregory, the Deva 65. Both backpacks are load monsters that more than handle everything that we throw at them, from wandering city streets to hiking the Abel Tasman Great Walk.
Hiking Gear: That's right…. OFA rolls with full on hiking gear. From a 2 person cuben fiber tent, to hiking poles, and everything in between. We are outfitted to live life on the trail, and get well off the beaten path. We have two Neo Air sleeping pads, two Mont-bell down sleeping bags, a titanium pot and soda can alcohol stove, two headlamps, Polar Pure Iodine Crystals, ….. ya know, the usual stuff for a round the world trip right?
~Kathleen's Clothes Collection~
Clothes: This is where I lose the battle with Kathleen sometimes. Not that she carries too many clothes by normal people standards, just by her crazy husband's! All of our clothes are super functional and durable. We don't carry anything cotton. Cotton is the enemy when traveling, it holds onto moisture, doesn't breath, is super heavy, and clings onto odor like no one's business. All of our clothes are merino wool, polyester, lycra, nylon, or hybrids of these fabrics. When we are in the store looking for clothes, the first then we go for is the labels to see what it's made out of! We probably look a little ridiculous…
Jackets: Kathleen has 3 jackets. The only reason that I am OK with it is because we never know where we are going next. We might go the rainy pacific northwest and then off to the mountains of Nepal… who knows? So we have to be prepared for all climates. We each have top of the line rain coats and down puffy jackets that stuff into their own pockets. Kathleen has a few baselayer type jackets to keep her warm and cozy no matter where we roam.
Electronics: For the sake of privacy I am not going to list off the actual items down to the letter. We have a camera, iPhone, laptop, external hard drive, solar changer and 50 billion corresponding cords.
Toiletries and such: We have 3 oz Goo Tubes filled with shampoo, conditioner and body wash. We share a toothbrush and razor to save weight. We have one pill bottle with advil, alka seltzer, and various other medicine in it and a small first aid kit. Deodorant and a micro fiber towel rounds out the toiletry list.
~Personal Items make anywhere seem like home~
Personal items: Even though we travel light we have some personal items that I just couldn't bare to leave at home. We have a buddy, he's our little stuffed pumpkin, that travels everywhere with us. Out of every item we have he is by far the most important. I have told Kathleen multiple times that I don't care if we lose everything, but we cannot lose our pumpkin! We have a Vinylmation Mickey Mouse doll that makes his way around with us too! Kathleen has a Nemo Fillow Pillow which she is absolutely in love with. It's basically a little inflatable pillow topped with memory foam and wrapped in micro suede. She never, ever spends a night without it no matter where she is.
So there you have it…. a quick view into the packs of Our Favorite Adventure. I know that most of these things wouldn't be on anyone else's packing list in the world, but, that's what makes us special…. or weird maybe? We use all of these items, believe it or not, on a regular basis and will be putting our hiking gear through the ringer later this summer on the 211 mile John Muir Trail!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brock and his wife, Kathleen, are the creators of OurFavoriteAdventure.com. In 2012 they sold all of their belongings that didn't fit in their backpacks to live the life of their dreams. Their mission is to inspire others by sharing their journey. They have spent the past year traveling slowly through the United States, Australia and New Zealand. You can follow their story on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.