Ready, set, wait - how did we get ready?

After about 18 months of planning we have finally started, currently in the midst of a 6 hour layover in LA before our first stop in New Zealand. Getting ready for this trip has been life changing - getting rid of everything was a wild experience. I thought I knew what that was like, having cleared out our house to remodel twice already, but I was wrong, that was nothing compared to really getting rid or re-homing everything. We did keep some stuff of course, a few boxes in our basement, a few with friends and family. But really, the vast majority went either to friends and family, Goodwill, or sold (we learned we really don’t like selling stuff). Going to friend’s houses the past few months has been really weird, I see former belongings around every corner and have to stop myself from saying, “Wow, I have one just like that!” when I see my old stuff in their home. Getting rid of so much stuff feels a lot like throwing up (I will add I am very skilled in this department, having already vomited on every continent except Oceania & Antarctica). Sure, it feels good when you’re done, but not fun while it’s going on, and I really want to avoid going through it again if at all possible (except to complete the continental vomit goal of course). I used to enjoy shopping as much as the next gal. Now, stuff no longer has the same hold on me. I look at things that I would have possibly purchased in the past and think, “sure, you’re fun now, but someday you’re just going to make me vomit.”. 

That said, the stuff we are taking has earned a devotion unlike anything I’ve experienced. I know everything we’re taking and love it dearly, most things carefully chosen after substantial research - photo above is from a recent backpacking trip to test all the gear. I doubt we’ll be able to get anything online for the next year, and don’t know where to get many things in-person here in Seattle so I assume it’s going to be even harder abroad. I know things will need to be replaced of course, but the gear we’re starting out with will hopefully last a long time and minimize the need to be replaced. Unlike most folks we know who travel full time, we have to carry a tent, sleeping bags and pads, a stove and a water filter to backpack, serious rain gear, leaving a lot less space for clothes and making it harder to stay lightweight. Below are a few of our favorite things for anyone interested. 

• Water filter: Platypus - I’ve had many water filters and this is my favorite. I don’t miss sitting in an icy creek pumping a tiny handle to filter water, Platypus uses gravity, hanging a bag of water from a tree.

• Tent: Durston, light-weight but spacious, uses hiking poles instead of tent poles

• Wool shirts: I have 3 wool t-shirts, all from different companies, Woolx is my favorite, by far the most comfortable and least frumpy but really expensive.

• Main backpack: Hyperlight; a few people tried to talk us out of this saying it wouldn’t be comfortable enough but I’m so glad we didn’t listen to them, it’s perfect. The fabric is waterproof and knife proof, it loads from the top so if we manage to keep the loads small enough it can fit in the overhead bin on a plane, but then can easily load up with more gear for backpacking.

• Daypack: Matador; this was surprisingly hard to find one that met all of my criteria. I wanted a pack with a waist strap but no frame or pad on the back to allow for easier packing into the main pack if need be. I tried one without a waist strap and hurt my back so returned it, but this one has been perfect.

• Topo Trailrunners: I’ve been using these to run and hike over the past year and am super impressed, they work well for both. They grip the ground better than any other shoe I’ve worn, making slipping seem nearly impossible (tripping still works though). Recommend these for anyone who doesn’t like slipping on ice or wet ground.

• Binoculars: Swarovski 7 x 21CL Curio Compact - these are lightweight and made all our other binoculars (and as birders we had a few) seem inadequate. Not cheap so not for everyone but if you really get a thrill from seeing animals in the wild, it’s worth it.

• Black Diamond FLZ hiking poles - foldable, carbon fiber so very lightweight. Koji’s doctor recommended he use poles a couple years ago and now he’s a convert, also gotta have them for the tent!

• Bluetooth keyboard - makes typing longer things on the phone much easier and since we only have one computer between us this is super handy

• Sony DSC RX10-4, a mirrorless or bridge camera with a telephoto up to 600 mm, more compact, lighter and lower cost than our previous DLSR setup and a must for decent wildlife shots

• SD card reader that allows pictures from that camera to transfer to the computer or phone quickly and easily so we can process and post faster 

• Games - we love board games so we searched to find the lightest weight but still fun games we could. We settled on Catan the dice game, 2 games by Button Shy (Naturopolis & Walking dead), 2 games by Perplext (Far & Yet). All 5 fit into a Ziplock sandwich bag.