How many bags can you bring?
So I guess you'll need to pack a bunch of food to eat?
Solar battery charger?!?! But why?
How in the world will you ever fit enough clothes for 2 years in that suitcase?
Many curious individuals have been asking me tons of questions about packing and my luggage. So, for your reading pleasure, I have dedicated this page to my pre-departure shopping/experimenting/packing adventures. You'll find a list of everything I'm bringing (or at least plan to bring), reviews about the products I played/experimented with before stuffing them into my suitcase, and, once I've been in Burkina for awhile, if the stuff was ever used and whether it was worth bringing in the first place. Hopefully this page will also prove helpful to future Peace Corps Volunteers, particularly those who are also journeying to sub-Saharan Africa! I know the packing lists and descriptions of products I read on other Volunteers' blogs were useful and provided me with an idea of how to go about packing. Plus, whenever my mom questioned me, I could just reply with, "Urgh...yes, Mom. Suzie, who's in Burkina right now, wrote on her blog that she uses hers all the time..."
When trying to gather up all this stuff, I found that it was nearly impossible to find these products in Minnesota stores. Sure, Scheel's has tons of outdoor camping and hiking gear to choose from, but I wasn't interested in their flannel-lined thermal mattress pad, and I had no desire to purchase the heat-trapping tent. These are undoubtedly great qualites to have in products...if it's below zero and snowing. But in Africa where it seldomly drops below 60 degrees, I'd prefer it if my tent released heat...not trapped it. Thus, I ended up buying most of my gear online. I've become very fond of Amazon and ebay, and I took full advantage of their free 2-day shipping, which came in very handy the week before I departed, when I realized I still didn't have this, forgot to buy that, and should've ordered another set of...etc. (Now I just need to remember to delete my "free 1 month trial membership" before I leave, or they'll start charging me a monthly membership fee. No thanks.)
***Please be aware that the specific brands listed are what I chose to bring and are not necessarily endorsed/recommended/required by the Peace Corps. I often went with cheaper products (though I tended to avoid choosing "thee" cheapest in fear that it would break before I even got to Africa!) and so my stuff is probably of lesser quality than top name brands.
***Also, many things listed under needs really aren't needs (at least not for everyone). Take pony tails and bobby pins, for example. Do I really NEED bobby pins? Nope, but I bet I'll be glad I brought a few with. And contact solution; not everyone needs that, but I sure do. Furthermore, items under "Highly Recommended" are just that -- HIGHLY recommended. They are certainly not "needs" persay -- but at the same time, they pretty much are. Like a camera. To go to Africa and NOT take at least a cheap, disposable camera would be stupid. Similarly, anything technology-based, such as computer gear and batteries, is a must: if you can even find it in Africa to begin with, it will certainly be extremely expensive and of poor quality.
Beth's Packing List
Luggage/Backpacks:
**Unless I want to pay extra baggage fees at the airport, I must meet standard air travel requirements: only two checked bags and one carry-on, not to exceed 80 pounds total and within proper dimensions and size regulations. But even if I were allowed to bring more, I wouldn't -- I only have 2 hands and need to be able to handle all my luggage by myself.
- Teton Fox 5200 Expedition Backpack: internal frame, decent/kinda-cheap price that didn't break my wallet (only $70, compared to many fancy packs out there which are well over $150). Moderately sized -- good for a woman, I suppose. I was expecting it to be bigger, but it seems to hold a lot of stuff and is comfortable. Plus, if I want to use it for a 3-5 day trip (where it's likely I'd be doing a lot of walking/hiking), rather than just hauling 2-years worth of stuff to Africa, it's perfect -- not too big, bulky, or heavy.
- Large suitcase on wheels: about as big as they come.
- Backpack: a regular one, like what little kids use for school. Mine is "rock star" pink. I used it in college.
Necessities:
- Clothing: as much as I have room for, though clothes are pretty cheap there, and I'll probably be wearing skirts a lot.
- Swimming suit: 2-piece? 1-piece? Both? We'll see what I have room for...
- Underwear/socks/bras: I figured I couldn't go wrong packing tons of underwear, i.e. 15ish pairs. Only 3-4 pairs socks, apparently people wear sandals the majority of the time. A couple regular bras, but mainly a bunch of sports bras -- with the hot temperatures, current volunteers say they're SO much more comfortable, plus they're easier to wash!
- Tops: 3-4 tank tops; a couple nice, solid-colored, short-sleeved shirts suitable for teaching; 2 casual t-shirts for pj tops or playing soccer in; 1 long sleeved shirt for nights when it gets cool.
- Bottoms: 1 pair khakis, 1 pair capris, 1 skirt, 1 pair light-weight black athletic pants, 2 pairs athletic shorts (for pjs...and maybe casual? but women usually don't wear clothing that goes above their knees...)
- A typical "American" outfit: i.e. my skinny jeans and a t-shirt
- Belt: should I happen to (hopefully) lose weight
- Shoes: one pair Chaco sandals, one pair tennis shoes, one pair cheap black flip-flops.
- Personal supplies: enough for at least the first 1-2 months. Most of this stuff can be found in Africa too, of course. Plus, the Peace Corps will supply many (but not all) basic items after we complete our initial training.
- Glasses (2 pairs), Contact Lenses (2-year supply, monthly disposables), Contact Solution (three 12 oz. bottles), Mirror (so I can see what I'm doing when putting contacts in...)
- Hair stuff: shampoo, conditioner, mouse/gel, brush, pony tails, bobby pins, clips...
- sunscreen, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, vitamins, etc.
- A few pieces of cheap jewelry (necklaces and earrings)
- Bike helmet: I have NEVER worn a helmet while biking. I know I probably should for safety reasons... and I guess it's required by the Peace Corps... so I did buy one and I suppose I'll bring it...it's patterned with silver-ish colors. I guess I kinda like it...the color, anyways.
Highly Recommended By Peace Corps or Others:
- Tropic Screen II mesh mosquito tent: waterproof floor, only weighs 3 lbs., free-standing, easy set-up, big enough for 2 people.
- Coleman Convoluted Camp Pad: for sleeping on. Made of foam, water proof, good-sized at 72" x 24" x 5/8" -- it's extremely light weight and much cheaper than a Termarest. BUT, because it's made of foam, it doesn't deflate/compress into a small bundle when rolled up. On the other hand, no worries about it getting a hole or getting punctured by a rock, like with air-filled mattresses.
- Two 24 oz. Stainless Steel BPA-Free water bottles
- 10-inch non-stick frying pan
- Energizer 5 LED headlamp (3AAA battery-powered). Has 4 different modes, including a spot light, flood light, and red light.
- Maccally mini ipod speaker (1AA battery-powered): the tiny thing is about the size of a roll of quarters and connects right to the ipod. Volume gets loud enough for a small space or group of people close in proximity -- perfect for tent dance parties?!
- Cyber Acoustics Digital Docking Speaker (4AA batteries or AC powered). For ipod or other devices like a CD player or laptop. Slightly smaller than the size of a hardcover Harry Potter book. Charges ipod when AC powered. Ran for over 24 hours on just 4AA batteries. Gets quite loud -- great for village dance parties?!
- Sanyo Eneloop 4-position AA or AAA Battery Charger (AC-powered only). Came with the batteries I bought...but seems to work quickly. Will come in handy when I have access to electricity outlets.
- Tons of Eneloop Rechargeable Batteries: 16 AA and 8 AAA. They're rechargeable up to 1500 times and come in pretty colors -- blues and greens!
- Laptop: the one I've had since my first year of college. Thus, if it doesn't survive the whole trip, no biggie. It's death -- or at least the model being seriously outdated -- is to be expected, and in preparation for this, I've already backed up my entire computer (files, pictures, music, etc.) on a hard drive I'll leave at home, as well as stored additional copies of extremely important files on DVDs (like the 18,000+ songs currently in my iTunes).
- Computer accessories: blank CD/DVDs, a couple flash drives...
- i-Pod: like my laptop, already 5+ years old. It's been good to me, having accompanied me while on long runs and rock picking, and allowing me to have constant access to the Bach preludes and Gregorian chants I had to memorize for my music degree during college. I think I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of it, and so once again, if it dies, oh well.
- Sunjia Solar Battery Charger: for D, C, AA, or AAA rechargeable batteries. Reasonable price of $30. Comes with an adaptor to plug into things (works with my ipod dock! yay!) and provide them with the power batteries have stored. MUST charge 4 batteries of the same size at a time. Significantly smaller than expected -- only 6"x6"x2" so it does take at least 5-6 hours of good sunlight for batteries to recharge. Unfortunately there's no light or anything to let you know when batteries are completely charged, or if they're actually recharging via the sun at all...
- Eton/Grundig FR350 Radio: self-charged with hand crank or can run on 3 AA batteries or AC power. Has FM/AM/Shortwave -- shortwave is a must if you want to get any reception in Africa. Also has built-in reading light, flashing red light, and siren sound for emergencies.
- Elgin digital travel alarm clock (2AAA battery-powered)
- Timex thermometer. I got a small, cheap one with both Celsius and Fahrenheit on it.
- As many sugar-free "Singles to Go!" packets (i.e. Crystal Light) as I can fit! They squeeze wonderfully into small random objects -- like the inside of shoes and waterbottles.
Beth's Wants/Personal Items/Fun Things:
- Clarinet, reeds, music stand, a bit of music, & accessories: not my real clarinet, but a suitable replacement while my real one stays safe at home. And not a big music stand, but one of those cheap, foldable, wire stands -- mine is rock star pink!
- School/art/crafty supplies: crayons, glue, colored paper, stickers, scissors, ruler, duct tape, permanent markers...
- Photo Album: I made one online at shutterfly.com so that it's in the form of a book and contains a map of Minnesota, along with some baby pics, family shots, photos of my home/farm, snow, and more. It was priced pretty reasonably (about $30). Plus, if it gets lost or destroyed, no big deal! No family photos will be forever ruined, and, if I want, I can always have a new one printed, since everything is saved online.
- Bedding: one pink flat sheet and my soft, comfy, super-squishy pillow with 2 pillow cases around it.
- World map: the huge one I had plastered on my bedroom wall all throughout college...
- Deck of cards
- Graphing calculator: might come in handy...especially since I'll be teaching math...
