How Do You Pack For That? 6 Months, 3 Continents, 1 Backpack...

In planning my upcoming Southern Hemisphere jaunt, the most common question people ask is “How are you going to pack for that?” I talk a good game about research and reading travel blogs but the truth is, I have no idea. I am more or less winging it. There are a few things I know I have to bring, and other than that I’m going on instinct and what I’m willing to carry and/or lose.

This trip is going to encompass a 73-day overland camping safari through eastern and southern Africa, visits to tropical climates in Singapore, Fiji and Bali, central and eastern Australia, a self-driving trip on the north and south islands of New Zealand, and a 3-week cruise on an expedition ship to Antarctica. So I’m covering a lot of ground as well as a lot of extreme weather.

To begin with, there is The Pack. Africa has the most stringent requirement - to fit in my allotted storage locker, the pack could be no larger than 85 liters. I tend to fill up whatever luggage I travel with, so in the interest of not testing the limits I decided to use my 70 liter pack. I’d used it to haul gear to Alaska and California, so I thought it could hold up for 6 months on the road.

I looked as gear first. For the Africa trip, tents and cooking gear would be provided but I have to bring my own sleeping bag, towel, water bottle, and dining set. Sleeping on the ground for 2.5 months will be more tolerable with an air mattress, so I included one. Also: a multitool, some gear patches, an emergency thermal blanket, paracord, a silk sleeping bag liner, luggage locks and a 28-liter day pack. My plan is to donate the sleeping bag at the end of the Africa trip, as I won’t need it elsewhere, and to buy a pillow when I land in Kenya (and donate that at then end of the trip also).

Next: clothing. I’m getting a parka and winter boots in Ushuaia before the ship leaves to Antarctica so I don’t have to bring those. First I piled up everything I thought I might want to bring for each “region”: overland African safari, tropics (Singapore, Fiji, Bali), Australia/New Zealand and Antarctica. It was way way way too much.

Way way way too much

Then I started eliminating things - duplicates, impractical items (too delicate, too heavy, too hard to launder) and things I loved too much to ruin by wearing them to pieces.

Better, but still too much

Then I did another round of elimination and fit everything into packing cubes. I also tore out the pertinent chapters of my guidebooks and threw out the rest, to lighten the load.

Next: toiletries. I’m aiming for a 1-2 month supply with plans to restock as I go. A basic medical kit and some laundry soap is included.

Some accessories - a sun hat, flipflops and sneakers. (Not shown: the hiking boots I’m going to wear on the plane, as well as socks/underthings that are getting packed in the gaps between other items).

It’s still too much for the pack. I’ve got a small backpack for my camera gear (2 bodies, 4 lenses, filters, batteries, chargers, monopod, memory cards), but I’m still going to need a carry-on. I know this isn’t perfect packing. There will be things I don’t have that I wish I did, and probably some things I have that I don’t need. And some things will get lost or wrecked. So I’m going to concentrate on having a pack that’s good enough rather than perfect, and try to remember that true friends won’t care if my socks don’t match.