My Packing List

I am not a big packer. Even Mike says so. Dave's wife Annie packs two and half (2 big and one small) suitcases for one week on the cruise. Well, they lost their luggage on their honeymoon two months ago to Hawaii. When I heard, I was thinking that girl would not have survived. For me, for the four-day wedding trip to Vegas, including packing Mike's suits and my bridesmaid's gown, together we had one small suitcase and each had a backpack for carry-on. I was feeling pretty good about myself till I see my list and limit for this trip.

I have my preliminary packing list based on past trips, GAP's recommended/mandatory list, and Julee's list. I just don't think it's gonna work. I am supposed to pack no more than 15 KG which is 30 lbs. I know my back won't make it with 30 lbs. When I was fitting the backpack at REI, the guy put in 25 pounds for test run and asked me to walk around the shop floor. I was out of breath like a dog in summer heat after a minute. Plus the first REI bag was pressing so hard on my back and shoulder, I was hurting. At that point, I knew I needed to pack below 25 pounds. My Kelty backpack is about 5 pounds, my camera/converter is 5 pounds... I am now really worried about which items to put in or leave out.

Basics:

• Shirts/t-shirts (# TBD)
• Sun hat (*To be purchased)
• Swimsuit
• Pants/shorts (*To be purchased from REI, # TBD)
• Cover for backpacks (*To be purchased from REI)
• Rain poncho
• Fleece top/jacket (for the felucca and desert night, haven’t decided if I should bring the really thick one I took to Morocco)
• Walking shoes
• Flip flops
• Underwear, socks, long socks
• PJs
• Extra pant for the cold nights
• Vest for the night
• Sleeping bag (got it from Julee today, already packed into my Kelty, perfect fit!)
• Sun block and sun glasses
• Watch and alarm clock (can share with Julee)
• Flashlight (extra batteries and bulbs) (*To be purchased)
• Small travel towel - for use on felucca, at Mt Sinai and for swimming
• Travel pillow
• Toiletries (conditioner, shampoo, lotions, contact lenses and extra lenses, contact cleaning solution, case, etc.)
• Makeup kit (Yes, to still look decently good in the sands…) and perfume (I am still a girly gal)
• Hair band, pins, and comb
• First-aid kit (chapstick, Aspirin, band aids, Imodium, insect repellent, extra prescription drugs) (Share the load with Julee)
• Water purification tablets and rehydration salts (May share the load with Julee)
• Dramamine (day/night), sea bands, anti motion sickness watch and gel (Being intolerant of rides, I can't even think about all the communtes by motor vehicle or boats... now after this thought, yes I've forgotten the next item...)
• Plastic bags in case I throw up. Ugh!
• Zip lock bag to bring on liquid to the plane /extra ones
• Bag for laundry just in case
• Water bottle
• Swiss Army knife
• Locks (*To be purchased)
• Scarf (to cover my head in the mosques), indigo headpiece bought in Merzuga TBD, or do I need a thick wool scarf mom bought me?
• Biodegradable laundry detergent
• Glasses
• Journal and Pen
• TP, tissue paper, handiwipes
• Gameboy (important in case we miss the flight again)
• Camera, charger, converter, extra fuses for the converter
• Binoculars (if Julee brings it, I won’t)
• Two hangers for drying clothes

Documents and Must-haves:

• Passport/ID, visa info
• Photocopy of passport, visas, travel insurance, credit card info
• Travel Guides
• Credit Cards/ATM cards
• Airline tickets (with photocopies)
• USD cash and local cash
• G.A.P vouchers, pre-departure information and dossier

Misc

• Power bars for the trip /chocolates/candies for the plane