Packing for 16 days in Borneo

I'm off to Borneo for 14 days! (Plus an additional 2 days on planes) I had to take photos of what I was taking with me for insurance, so I figured I might as well stick them up on a blog in case they are helpful to others. (I love that top orang photo - it's from a Nature Conservancy scientist who works on saving Bornean Orangutans in Kalimantan. Yay us.)

[Updating post trip with some notes!]

Pack

First up, my trusty backpack, which spent 14 months on the road with me 11 years ago (!!!). This particular bag (the Eagle Creek TransContinental Journey Travel Backpack) has long since been discontinued, and I no longer have the day pack that zipped to it. I believe it's 65L, which is a bit on the large size, but at one point I was carrying a backpacker tent and mosquito net in it, plus a sleeping bag strapped to the bottom. As it is, I have enough room to comfortably maneuver things inside (even wth drybags, which are new to me for this trip), and carry back a few small souvenirs. Plus a new lock, since my last one died on my trip to Vegas and REI had to break it off with a screwdriver and hammer. 

[Bag was great. I forgot to mention it has a steel cord that you can use to lock the bag to things. Pack light!]

CLOTHING

I'm splurging this trip. Yes, I made it around the world with two pants and three shirts, but since I have the room, and most of what I'm doing will be active/dirty, I'm going with three pants (Columbia & REI) and four tops (all REI sahara tops). I like the sahara tops - they're moisture wicking, have vents, collar and wrist protection. I've worn them in India just before the heat broke in monsoon season, and they worked well. The pants are likewise all technical hiking pants. The hope is to keep one change of clothes as camp clothes to change into for dinner/between safaris, but we'll see how that goes.

[It was definitely better to have the extra clothes. There was just no keeping anything clean in the jungle. Of the pants, the Columbia pants were the best - they had drawstrings around the ankles and I was able to wear them on one hike instead of leech socks. The shirts were also pretty good, although I'd switch the red one out for something neutral if you have the option. Also the tan color went somewhat see-through after a couple hours of hiking in 95% humidity.]

1 pair light weight pjs, a rashguard for snorkeling/kayaking (I sunburn like crazy out on/in the water, so full coverage is for the best), and a swimsuit for the hot springs and waterfalls I'll be visiting (one piece, just to be conservative).

[Didn't end up using the rash guard because I didn't go snorkeling, and used the swimsuit once and it was annoying to dry. Hindsight being 20/20 I'd just use my bra and undies.]

3 pairs cycling shorts; recommended by my guide for leech protection.

[NEVER WORE. Don't bother.]

Normally I take a bandana to pull back my hair on days between showers (particularly on long drive days), but I splurged on a fancy hot weather/moisture wicky/anti insect thing. Is it a good idea? Who knows!

[This was the best impulse purchase I've ever made. So great for keeping sweat out my eyes (which was SO necessary.)]

My old tevas for not being barefoot in said hot springs/waterfalls.

[I wore these waaaay more than expected. And I saw a couple of pairs of flip flops bite the dust going to Libaran.]

A fleece. Mostly for the plane, but in case it ever gets chilly (NOT BLOODY LIKELY)

[Great for the plane. Padded the bottom of my bag the rest of the trip.]

Drybags for clothes, toiletries bag, and day bag

[Never needed these, but you know my bag would have been soaked in a monsoon if I hadn't had them.]

Sun hat. This is a fairly ugly hat, but it's lightweight, squashable, and with a very large brim for sun/rain.

[Only wore this a couple of times, but it was really great to have.]

Speaking of... rain coat.

[Important to have; totally failed. When it was seriously raining, this wasn't long enough, and I ended up being gifted ponchos by two separate guides. Take a poncho.]

3 sports bras, 7 pair ex officio moisture wicking undies

[Undies were great. The sports bras were not fantastic, but they were serviceable. I wonder if anyone makes bras out of moisture-wicky pants material?]

6 pairs smartwool/REI wool socks (I find wool the best for hiking); eagle creek packits for clothes

[Yay good socks.]

Boots. My old boots finally bit the dust last year after 10 years and 4 continents. I got these in the spring and have been wearing them to docent, as well as taking them hiking and camping in the spring.

[Yay good boots. My knee is even doing better that it was before the trip. That said, it didn't quite have the tread I would have wanted for the crazy mud there. Get good gripping treads!]

Day Bag/ Miscellaneous

Day bag. Unfortunately doesn't zip onto my main bag, which means I get to do the fun backpacker double-sided turtle walk when I'm carrying both. But! On the plus side - this holds more stuff (great for carrying a raincoat/hat on treks, or using as a one night overnight bag). Plus this particular bag has venting at the back, compression straps, a platypus/headphone port at the back, and lots of pockets (a minus on my other daypack). This bag comes from Australia, and is 30 litres. 

Also pictured: my trusty .9L nalegene that went around the world me. Secured with a carabiner from my brother

[Yay for a good backpack and nalgene.]

Guidebook & printed itinerary with the old backpacking trick of cutting the unnecessary bits out. 

[Yup. Important.]

Day bag: extra dry sack (for kayaking), sunglasses, keys, gum, lock for large pack (to secure in a room), kleenex, passport with yellow fever/immunizations card and extra visa photos, 75L platypus bladder, 1L katadyn water filtration bottle, wallet with extra cards removed, immodium/sudafed pills added, and ID/debit/credit cards/a few business cards kept. Plane tickets not pictured.

[Never ever used the filter water bottle. Don't take gum! It melts in the heat/humidity. Didn't need the extra dry sack (didn't kayak). Left the glasses on a beach on Libaran and need new sunglasses now. Used the platypus SO MUCH.] 

Camera (Canon PowerShot SX60 HS; new to me, but my old camera was also a PowerShot. A friend loaned me a DSLR two trips ago, and I didn't enjoy it. I like the PowerShot for a fast/strong zoom, being fairly quiet, and having lots of megapixels.), camera bag, USB cable (just in case), extra battery, 3 memory cards (two 32 GB and one 8GB. I'm shooting raw for the first time ever, so I just want to be sure I don't run out of memory!)

[Used SO SO much. Shoot raw. Make sure you don't leave it on the Macro setting. And buying a second memory card was the best thing I've ever done. Definitely take an extra giant card.]

Insurance policy with important numbers written down (plane tickets, bank phone number, etc.), prescription info, and emergency USD $20 in a zip lock, tucked in large bag

[Uneeded, thankfully.]

Silk sleep sack. My old one (inherited from my dad) finally got a tear last year, so brand new one for this trip! I swear by these. They're warm or cool as need be, and pack super small. Perfect for hostels, warming up a sleeping bag, or hopefully for sleeping in a hammock? I'll report back. 

[Used a lot, but I SO miss my old one, which was longer and had a section for putting in a pillow. If you can get a longer version, that's great.]

Extra pack-it for laundry

[Super important.]

Dessicant packs (no idea if these will be helpful, or will need to be thrown away), doorstop (also a new addition, but given that I'll have a private room the first three nights, I thought I'd take the suggestion), rubber clothesline (traveled around the world with me - never used it. May or may not use it on this trip!), inflatable pillow, and odor absorber/freshener satchel. (I couldn't find the pack freshener that I took around the world, but this one seems to be a nice scent.)

[Didn't use the laundry line. Used the door stop a LOT and was super glad to have it. The satchel was great. I don't know if the desiccants did anything? But they certainly didn't hurt.]

A couple of extra ziplocs gallon freezer bags just in case

[Probably could just use these instead of dry bags. Used these for the extra books I bought.]

Money belt. Keep my passport, tickets, and usually extra funds in here till it's time to replenish my wallet. Also if I fill up a camera memory card. This lives on me and doesn't leave my sight from the time I pass customs till the time I'm back into airport security. 

[This started to give me heat rash part-way through the trip, and I abandoned wearing it at all times like usual. But then I never let my day bag out of my sight. I started wearing it again once I went through my first SD card.]

Face travel towel. I can't figure out what happened to the one I used to have. But I restocked in this size for sweating out in the jungle. 

[The one I used to have was hanging on my treadmill. I'm a moron. But this was SO super helpful. The little tie let me secure it to the outside of my day bag during hikes. This was so great for hiking in that heat and humidity.]

Electronics bag: old unlocked phone from Australia with charger, usb charger, flashlight, headlamp, camera battery charger, voltage converter with plug adaptor, iphone lightning port splitter, travel alarm clock, packit, and drybag. Not pictured: iPhone (the plan is to keep it on airplane mode and only use wifi when I'm in the cities. I'm probably better off not taking it, but... well. I can't really imagine being without it/my music for so long. Plus I've got some travel apps on it that work without connection, some podcasts, and a basic international plan just in case of emergency need.)

[Ugh. Just get the international plan. SO much easier. Definitely put new batteries in your headlamp before venturing out; I ran through an entire new battery. The little flashlight was okay, but if you can bring a super strong light for night walks, I'd recommend that. {Night safaris will have spotlights). Glad to have the extra battery for my phone, but a heads up that Chinese airlines are VERY WEIRD about lithium rechargers. They won't make you get liquids out, but they will make you get batteries out. One thing I didn't bring and wished I had brough. was my little travel speaker (similar to this one).]

Book for downtime. Debating taking Birute Galdikas' book with me, too.

[This was a terrible choice. I read it in one day and needed to go buy a bunch more (which were so expensive!), and it features an apocalypse in an airport, which I thought about a lot the next time I was in the Shanghai terminal. But its a great book. Read it! You won't be able to put it down.]

Lots of extra tissue packs. For pit toilets.

[Didn't need this many, but went through about half. Many places are half pit toilets and half western toilets.]

The traveling hedgehog. My aunt gave me this hedgehog before my first international trip when I was 13, and he's been to every country with me since (this will be #18 and, sadly, our first trip since my aunt passed away.)

[TRAVELING HEDGEHOG.]

Toiletries/First Aid

More than a third of what I'm taking falls in this category. 

First Aid kit: packit, gauze. blister treatment, various sizes of tough waterproof bandaids, callus cushions & moleskin, small scissors, toe bandages, peptobismol, ib profin, vaporrub inhaler, ace bandage, antihistamine pills, immodium pills, sudafed pills (for wallet), oral rehydration packs (half), caffeine pills (in case coffee is unavailable), azithromycin (in case of need for traveler's tummy - fingers crossed it will not be!), malarial pills (malarone - what I've usually taken and find easiest - only taken for a day before and seven days after travel), probiotics (the kind that don't require refrigeration. I've never carried these before, but I figure they can't hurt.)

[No traveler's tummy, thank god, but two bouts of indegestion and the pepto bismol was great. Malarial pills obviously used, as were the rehydration packs. Didn't need the caffeine. Took the probiotics off and on, and I don't know that they helped, but I don't know that they hurt? Used the bandaids, and used the benadryl on the plane to try to fall asleep (didn't work on the plane, but DID work back in SF on my jetlag.)  Happy to have the rest unused.]

Also: micropur tablets. I never used the water purification tablets I carried when I was traveling around the world. However, the guides I'm going with recommended a water filtration bottle or water purification tablets. So I got both. I figure the filter on the katadyn (above) will filter particulates, and I'll have the purification tablets for viruses/crypto. I think mostly I'll be filling up with boiled water in the evenings, but I'm covered if we do refill at a stream somewhere.

[USED THESE. There were times when the water was supposedly filtered, but somewhat suspect.]

Not pictured: adhesive tape, which had somehow wandered off, but I found another roll and replaced it. Yay for catching something while blogging!

Toiletry kit: My lovely old eagle creek shower caddy - it has an elastic inside that loops over the hook to stay open in showers, plus a tiny mirror. 

Non-liquids: Travel towel (10 years and going strong!), folding hairbrush, the other half of my oral rehydration packets, tweezers, nail clippers, diva cup, toothbrush, hair band for washing my face, throat lozenges, face/body bar and soap dish (this was a last minute switch to be able to remove my normal facewash from my liquids bag. It's a goat's milk/activated charcoal bar that I cut in half (for weight) and that I've used for a few nights. I'm not used to bar soap for my face, but it's worth it to get some extra room in that ziplock), bar of sunblock (I swear by Neutrogena UltraSheer - I have bottles in every bag and purse, but again, to save room in my liquids bag, I'm going to try their bar form (70spf, which I figure has to be at least 40spf in real testing). I'm wary of missing spots when using a clear bar, rather than a white liquid, but I'm hoping this will be easier to reapply in the humid, sweaty jungle, and reapplication is really the most important thing. I've tested it out and it feels alright. I probably wouldn't switch up from my norm when traveling to the equator, but I'll be wearing long pants and sleeves and often a hat most of the time there, so I feel okay about trying something new in these conditions.)

[All important. The charcoal bar was okay. Lots of places I went had shampoo and body gel provided (as well as towels), but important to have for the rest. The sunscreen bar worked, but felt weird. I didn't wear it every day (yay for the canopy providing the best protection.) I'm torn with either taking my normal liquid or not. Either one works.]

Liquids: super-wash (for washing clothes), spf chapstick, tiger balm (recommended by my guide and other backpackers), travel shampoo (the super wash apparently *can* work as a shampoo, but I'll use some real shampoo for as long as I can since I can fit it), anti-perspirant (MUCH GOOD IT WILL DO ME)/deodorant, toothpaste, aloe vera, hydrocortisone, prescription sample of neo-synalar (happened to have this from my dermatologist, and I figure it's good to have on hand in case of contact dermatitis), neosporin, anti-fungal cream (new to me, but... jungle), purell (again, for pit toilets), crazy bad for you deet (my dad slathered this stuff on us as kids, so I figure the harm is already done and I might as well go super-strong while in malarial areas), nyquil/dayquil tabs (I wouldn't normally take so many, but I've been SO exhausted from work the last three months, and three of my coworkers came into work with colds this week, so I'm over-preparing. I always worry about the end-of-term, finally-able-to-relax cold.)

[The super wash really didn't work well. It doesn't lather much, and I used most of it on just a few washes. I started using shampoo and shower gel as laundry soap. Barely used the tiger balm hardly at all. Hydrocortisone was important. The jungle juice failed me - I was totally eaten alive in Sepilok. Even for the space/weight, a spray might be a better idea. Ended up giving half my dayquil/nyquil tabs to my guide, who was coming down with a cold at the end of our time together. Luckily I didn't get sick! Didn't use the aloe much. Maybe I'd take less and liquid sunscreen? And then maybe dry detergent packs?]

With room to spare. I'm so good.

And last, but not least: I screwed up my knee a few months back. I've been rehabbing it (ish. As much as I could while still training for jungle trekking.) But I'm taking a brace just in case of need.

[Didn't need. Yay!]

To get there: leech socks, Malaysian sim card, souvenirs, photos of wild animals, new travel stories. Fingers crossed for a binturong sighting. 

[SAW A BINTURONG!!!!!!!!!]