I once read a blog post that said you could spot a newbie backpacker because their backpack contained “the entire contents of an outdoor store.”
Guilty as charged.
I might not have purchased everything REI has on offer, but my friends have started making jokes about my house being like Christmas every day these days.
That said, I’m really excited by all of the fun toys that I’m taking with me!
Here are some of the fun ones:
Ultralight Patagonia Down Jacket
This is a super cute jacket and I can guarantee I’ll wear it a ton for years to come. It even stuffs into its own pocket for a travel pillow. However, I’ll also be buying a travel pillow because I’m always cold and know I’ll be wearing the jacket.
SteriPEN
So I might not use this after the trip, but I’m so excited for my Steripen! It’s a UV wand that you can stick in your water for about a minute and it kills the bacteria and viruses in the water. No more bottled water to brush my teeth! And I can fill my water bottle from rivers I pass in the Himalayas (yes, I will check what’s upstream first).
Ultralight Travel Day Pack
I wanted everything I take to fit in my primary backpacking backpack, but I also know that I’ll want a smaller backpack for taking around town and as a carry on. Then I found this amazingly light and packable backpack that can fit into anything.
Seagate 2TB Portable External Hard Drive
This made me feel like I’m living in the future. It’s USB powered, about the size of a deck of cards, and will be able to fit all of my backups from the trip.
Lululemon Vinyasa Scarf
My friend Christy has one of these, and it’s amazing. It’s the size of an airplane blanket for curling up with on a plane, and can be made into a quick vest or shawl for covering my shoulders if needed to enter a temple.
I’m so freaking excited about my Go Pro.
GoPro 3-Way Grip, Arm, Tripod
Can’t have a Go Pro without the awesome selfie stick.
Nikon 18-200mm Lens
I have been wanting this lens for my digital camera for about 7 years now. For the trip of a lifetime, I finally broke down and bought it.
Packing Cube Set
Game. Changer. I now have a sweet collection of different sized packing cubes and I think I’m officially a packing cube evangelist.
And that’s a wrap on the fun toys I bought! We’ll see what else gets picked up along the way.
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