- Fit awkwardly, did not maintain shape, difficult to get any one item, hip strap broke - would prefer something larger
Passport
Yellow Fever Card
- One person asked for this, but it was only an attempt to get a bribe
Expired Peace Corps Passport
- Never got around to using this
GPS, with cable and extra batteries (preloaded with OpenStreetMap maps of Africa and PCV locations)
Compass
Thumb drives, 8GB with PortableApps (OpenOffice, photo resizer, FTP program, mail client)
- Worked well enough, but a netbook would have been really nice to have (most areas had frequent power)
Life straw (filter 1000L of water, 99.9999 of bacteria and protozoans)
- Really did not enjoy drinking through this (difficult, thirsty work), but it does the trick
Iodine tablets (viruses)
Emergency poncho
- Never rained in Africa but almost used for warmth a few times, and in Copenhagen
Space blanket
- Never used this, but came close a few times - definitely necessary
Free sunglasses
Map of volunteers, phone numbers
Map, Gazeteer of Sierra Leone
TP in drybag
- There is zero toilet paper in the entire country of Guinea
2 pairs of socks
2 pairs of underwear
Shorts
T-shirt
Wearing long pants, long-sleeved shirt
Hipster hoodie (to exchange for mountaineering jacket in Africa)
Extra jacket and hat for Copenhagen (to be disposed of there)
- Both jackets were very much necessary for all parts of trips, as both pillows and mosquito/cold protection
Sunscreen
Soap (doubles as shampoo)
Deodorant
- Very rarely used this
Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss
Thermometer (checking for fever)
Drugs for sinus headache, motion sickness, cold
Camera, charger, case
Cell phone (with Airtel simcard), charger
Money belt
Headlamp
Kindle
- Terrible for maps and not great for guidebooks, but I wasn't about to carry 2000 pages around.
Headphones
Android
Charger for Android and Kindle
Sun hat
Loose leaf paper (x10) and pens (x4)
1.5L nalgene
- Hard to fill from sinks
2 small carabiners
- Turned out to be very useful for hanging bag from door of latrine and carrying sunglasses or bananas. PB sandwiches
Trail mix
Missing but essential
Detailed maps for all countriesMosquito net for sleeping in huts
