The Things They Carried...

Back in the old college days, I was in between trips to Greenland. I was working for a company called Greenland Outdoors, an up and coming tourism company from Maine, seeking to open up the snowfields of Apussuit, Greenland to Olympic ski training for teams worldwide.

I had six months of free time before my return assignment to the arctic, so I relocated to St. Joseph, MN, where my best friends were attending St. John's University.  I lived in a rugby house called the Chickenshack, took on the unofficial role of weekly party planner, snuck into classes that seemed interesting, mostly film studies, a rastafarianism class and several English Literature classes.  A book that was being studied in one of these classes was, "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien.  It was about soldiers in the Vietnam War and though I never read it, my roommate did and I'm sure we discussed it.   Funny thing is that I don't know much about the book, but the title has always stuck with me even now, some 15 years later.  I imagine that it has everything to do with not only what the soldiers physically carried but most likely what they psychologically carried as well.

I only bring it up because every time I pack for a trip, which is frequently these days, I think of that title.  Usually like this... I see all the shit that I have laid out and think, "Oh, The Things They Carried..."

Well I've been meaning to do this every time I make way on a big expedition style trip and today I finally did it.  Most people will have no interest in this.  And perhaps no one will... But since I spent most of my afternoon and evening doing it.  Here it is:

THE THINGS I'M CARRYING...

Nepal Expedition Kit List

•Riding Gear

-Arai XD-3 Dual-Sport Helmet

-BMW Motorrad AirShell Motorcycle Jacket - High Visibility Yellow

(HighAbrasion Polymide (Kevlar) Mesh & Cordura)

((NPL Back, Shoulder, Elbow Pads))

-BMW Motorrad AirShell Gore-Tex Liner

-BMW 5 Pocket Black Denim Riding Pants

(High Abrasion Denim- NPL Knee, Hip Pads)

-Asolo Fugitive GTX - Gore-tex Hiking Boots w/ custom orthotic insoles

-ICON Leather Shorty Motorcycle Gloves

-Bison Designs Wildland Firefighter belt

-SOG Trident Mini Tactical Knife

-SOG PowerDuo Multi Tool & Belt Case

-CKRT Lil’Guppie Multi Tool 

-Carhartt Cotton Duck Belt Pouch (carries Lil’Guppie & Tire Guage)

•Clothing

*Base Layers*

-4ea. Hanes Cotton Boxer Briefs

-3ea. Polypropylene Quick-Dri Briefs (Patagonia, REI, UnderArmour)

-1ea. Icebreaker Heavy Duty Merino Wool Hiking Socks

-2ea. Icebreaker Mid-Weight Merino Wool Hiking Socks

-2ea. Bridgedale Mid-Weight Merino/Poly Hiking Socks

-1ea. Bridgedale Lightweight Hiking Socks

-1pr. Under Armour 1.5 Long Underwear

-1pr. TheNorthFace Expedition Weight Long Underwear

-REI Lightweight Short Sleeve Polypropylene Shirt

-Patagonia Capilene 1 Long Sleeve Shirt (lightweight)

-Patagonia Capilene 3 Long Sleeve Shirt (mid-weight)

*Casual*

-1ea. Abercrombie & Fitch Long-Sleeve Buttondown Plaid Collared Shirt

(Probably 15 years old and going strong!)

-1ea. OldNavy Short-Sleeve Buttondown Plaid Collared Shirt

(Ripped and Frayed favorite)

-1ea. Trail’s End BMW - Fairbanks, AK Cotton T-Shirt

-1ea. Honda Motor Corp. “Legend” T-Shirt (CR125 Elsinore)

-1pr. Carhartt Lightweight Carpenter Pants

-1pr. Hurley Surf Trunks

-1pr. Merrell AllOutRush Minimalist Running Shoes

-1pr. Ankle Socks

*Insulation*

-Cloudveil Heavy-Weight Fleece Pullover Jacket (Stolen from Chuck Cartier)

-Marmot 800 Fill-Weight Down Jacket

-Trail’s End BMW Beanie 

•Extreme Weather Kit

-BMW Pro-Rain One-Piece Rainsuit

-1pr. BMW Hydrosocks (Neoprene Waterproof Socks)

-1ea. BMW Silk Balaclava

-1ea. BMW Storm Balaclava (windproof - fleece)

-1pr. Black Diamond Gauntlet Style Ski-Patrol Gloves (Gore-tex - Leather)

(All Fits in BMW Elastic Mesh Bag - came with Pro-Rain Suit)

•Eyewear

-DKNY Prescription Eyeglasses

-NATIVE Gonzo Polarized Bronze Tint Sunglasses

-SMITH Interchange Sunglasses (Smoke, Yellow, Clear Lenses) -Backup/Night Riding

•Toiletries

-Eagle Creek Toiletries Tri-Fold Bag w/ hook & mirror

-2oz. GoldBond Intensive Care Lotion

-2oz. Hydrocortizone 1% Cream

-2oz. Crest Toothpaste

-.25oz. Colgate Emergency Toothpaste

-Toothbrush

-2oz. Shampoo

-3oz. Contact Solution

-2pr. Replacement Contact Lenses

-1ea. Contact Lens Case

-1dz. Q-Tip Brand Cotton Swabs

-1ea. Mach3 Razor

-1ea. Nail Clippers

-2ea. Durex Condoms

-1dz. Tums

-4ea. Loperamide Hcl (Anti-Diarhea)

-2ea. Advil Sinus

-2ea. NyQuil Gelcaps

-3ea. DayQuil Gelcaps

-6ea. Diazepam 5mg (Valium)

-2ea. Aspirin 500mg

-4ea. Ambien

-2ea. Vicodin

-4ea. 1000mg Ibruprofin

-1ea. 10mg Adorall

•Tank Bag Random Kit

-LifeVenture 4”x6” Mesh/Nylon Zippered Pouch

-6ea. Mighty Leaf Tea, Silk Teabags (Pilfered from 4Seasons Hotel)-

(2EarlGrey/2GreenTeaMint/2EnglishBreakfast)

-3ea. 1.25oz. Justin’s Almond Butter (1Plain/2Honey Flavor)

-1pk. Wintergreen Chewing Gum

-1ea. BMW-Powerlet to Female Car Adapter Charge Cord

-1ea. Car Adapter to 2 way USB 

-1ea. ClearEyes Max. Redness Eyedrops

-Tissue for Firestarter

-1ea. Bic Lighter

-1ea. Harley-Davidson Pocket Tire Guage (Outpost Alaska)

-3ea. Trail’s End BMW Keychain (LED, Compass, Whistle) - giveaways

-1ea. 1000mg EmergenC packet

-3oz. 30SPF SunCream

•First Aid Kit

-BMW Motorrad Touring First Aid Kit P/N: 71 60 2 312 354

-14ea. Asst. Adhesive Band-Aids

-3ea. Sterile Gauze

-3ea. XL Adhesive Band-Aids

-3ea. Insect Sting Relief Pads

-2ea. Sterile Stretch Gauze Rolls

-1ea. Adhesive Tape

-1ea. Triangular Bandage w/2 pins

-1pr. Vinyl Gloves

-1ea. Emergency Contact Card

-1ea. First-Aid Quick Guide

-1pr. Large Grip Scissors

-1ea. Small Elastic Ace-style Bandage

-3ea. Burn Cream Packets

-3ea. Hand Sanitizer Packets

-3ea. Triple-Antibiotic Packets

-2ea. Eyewash Ampules (Removed due to 3oz. Contact Solution)

-2ea. Lens Cleaning Cloths

-2ea. Sunscreen Towelettes

-1ea. Survival Wrap Blanket

-1ea. Rain Poncho (Removed)

-1pr. Earplugs

-1pr. Tweezers w. Magnifying Glass

-1ea. 3”x5” Note Card

-1ea. Pencil

***Personal Additions:***

-1ea. Medium Ace Elastic Bandage w/ hooks

-2ea. Band-Aid XL Advanced Healing Waterproof/Breathable Adhesives

-1ea. Dr. Scholls Blister Care Adhesive

-1ea. LCD Thermometer

-1ea. SteriPen UV WaterPurification Device

-50ea. Water Purification Tablets

-2oz. Lamisil Antifungal Cream

-1pr. Emergency Contact Lenses

-16ea. Ciproflaxin 500mg Antibiotic Tablets

-16ea. Keflex 500mg Antibiotic Tablets

-1oz. Nasal Decongestant Inhaler

-2oz. Triple Antibiotic Oitment

-2ea. Extra-Strength Anti-Diarhea Tabs

-2ea. Benadryl Tabs

-4ea. Extra-Strength Fever/Cold Tablets

-12ea. Tums Antacid Tablets

-1sm. package facial tissues

-2ea. XL Prescription Lidoderm Lidocaine Adhesive Pads

-1sm. Plastic trash bag

(All fits in 5”x8” Zippered Cordura Waterproof Bag with Reflective Handles)

•Tie-Down Kit

-12”x15” Bungee Net w/6 hooks

-2ea. 48” Woven Nylon Cinch Straps (BMW Motorcycle Crating Straps)

-1pr. 36” Shoe Laces

-1pr. Heavy-Duty Boot Laces

-1dz. Heavy-Duty Zip-ties

(All fits in 1ea. Crown Royal Whiskey Pouch)

•Clean-Up Kit

-Cycle-Wipes Multi-Purpose Motorcycle Wipes (Visors, Bugs, Bikes) - Thanks David Swezey

-Travel Size Wet-Ones Antibacterial Wet-Wipes (Citrus Scent)

-1sm. Roll Toilet Paper

-2oz. Dr. Bronners Castile Soap

(All fits easily in 1 Gallon Zip-Loc)

•Camping/Sleeping Kit

-Sierra Designs Zissou23 2-Season Down Sleeping Bag

(700Fill Weight DRIDOWN Water-Repellent Treated Down)

((Rating: Comfort 34°F/1°C - Limit 23°F/-5°C))

-ExPed SynMat UL 7 M Inflatable Air Mattress 

(72”x20”x2.8” Down Insulated-3.1R Value - 16.2oz./460g)

-Sea2Summit Sleeping Bag Liner

(InsectShield Permethrin Treated - CoolMax Fabric)

-Black Diamond Orbit LED Lantern - 3AAA Battery

(Travels in 2 Can-Size Coozies)

-1ea. BMW Motorrad GS Travel Towel

-1ea. Petzel LED Headlamp - 2AAA Battery

•Photography

-Canon G15 Prosumer Point&Shoot Digital Camera w/ Lowe Pro Belt Case

-16GB Class10 SDHC, 2 Batteries, Wall Charger, Radio-Control Shutter Release

-Canon Powershot ELPH 300HS Digital Pocket Camera w/ CaseLogic Case

-8GB Class6 SDHC, 1 Battery, Wall Charger

-GoPro HERO3 Black Edition Helmet/Extreme Sports Camera

-32GB Class10 MicroSDHC, 3 Batteries, Wall Charger, Wifi Keychain Remote, LCD TouchScreen Backpack, Handlebar Mount, Chesty Mount, Tripod Mount)

-GoPro HERO2 Helmet/Extreme Sports Camera 

-16GB Class10 SDHC, 2 Batteries (Uses Same Charger as HERO3)

***Special Shout out to Pilar Woodman @ GoPro!!!***

-UKPROgear 30” Gripstick for GoPro (Thanks Brett Lystad)

-Multi-Country Power Adapter

-Joby GorrilaPod Large & Small Tripods

•Navigation

-National Geographic Nepal Map

-Lonely Planet Nepal Travel Guide

-Belkin Expedition Compass

-DeLorme inReach Smartphone GPS Rescue Beacon, Tracking, Communicator

-Energizer Lithium AA Batteries (6 Total) 

•Technology/Communications

-Apple MacBook Pro Retina Laptop -16GB/512SSD w/ Moshi Pro Screen Protector

-Western Digital MyPassport 1TB Hard Drive (staying in Kathmandu)

-Apple iPhone4 Smartphone

-Apple iPod Nano 8GB (Ancient Generation w/ Matthew DeVito’s iTunes)

-inCase Neoprene Laptop Sleeve

-inCase Laptop Case with pockets

•Luggage

-2ea. Seattle Sports Back Pack Roll-Down Waterproof Duffles

-1ea. BMW Motorrad Waterproof Messenger Bag

-1ea. Winterstick Snowboard Backpack w/ internal Aluminum stays

(top and back loading 2800cu.in. 15 years old and completed North&South America Motorcycle trip… used to be black… now somewhat brown)

(Items being left behind in Kathmandu)

-Kelty Extra-Large cordura duffle bag

-Carhartt Denim Jeans

-Clean T-Shirt

-Clean Underwear

-Kavu Casual Dress Button Down Collared Shirt

-Icebreaker Casual Merino Socks

There you have it.  I'll try to add a photo of it all packed up later.  For now it's midnight again gotta get some sleep but I'm so fired up, I'm sure it's going to be tough to wind down.