Prepping for the Trip

I will be backpacking through Ecuador for more than 40 days, so I've planned to pack light to save on weight. I had to make some sacrifices along the way like selecting ear buds over my Bose over-the-ear headphones and selecting clothes that were lighter in weight, but I think these choices will prove its worth as I go along on my journeys in Ecuador.

On the other hand though, because nature is supposed to be amazing in Ecuador, I wanted to capture as much of it as as I can in order so that I can share them with my friends and family. So, this year I purchased a GoPro HERO5 Black action camera. This is GoPro's newest and best camera out to date and includes a waterproofed housing, voice commands and the ability to shoot in 4k. Now let's see what this baby can do! 

I will also bring with me a set of snorkel gear including mask, snorkel tube and fins. I. borrowed these from my brothers girlfriend and they are good quality equipment. I am planning to do a lot of snorkeling when I hit the Galápagos Islands and maybe some scuba dives also so these will definately come in handy. I read that you can rent snorkel gear on the islands for 5 bucks a day, but I don't really trust the hygiene upkeep or quality as they are rentals. Other gear I will be bringing with includes my Samsung S tablet, wireless speakers (never know when and where you can bust a move) and my trusty Goretex rain armor. 

Another new item I've heard great things about are packing cubes so I picked up a set of these at MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-Op). These are not only great for organizing your clothes but they are also space savers and the other great thing that I like about them is that it limits you from over packing. For example, all 9 or so of my t-shirts fit snuggly in a medium sized packing cube. 

A good general rule for packing an extended vacation is to pack for 7 days. Chances are you will have opportunities to wash your clothes. If there aren't places to wash your clothes, you can also wash them in the sink. So, I am also bringing with me 90ml of laundry wash.  You can buy these at any travel store.The one I have is made by a company called Trek & Travel.  It's really concentrated stuff, so you don't need to use much for each load; I think for one medium size load, you only need 2 small caps full of this liquid.

I am also bringing along an equatorial sleeping bag. The name is fitting for where I'm going, but it's essentially a really thin sleeping bag. I bought this for my Dominican Republic backpacking adventure a few years ago.  I read that hostels are really clean in Ecuador compared to the rest of the world, but i like bringing my own stuff especially when I'm sleeping in it. Yanno what I mean? 

So, this is what all my gear looks like outside of my pack.  It doesn't look like much, but my bag looks stuffed when everything is inside it.

Here is my inventory for this trip:

Essentials

-Passport

-Money

-Credit Cards

-Nexus Card

-ID Card (BC Drivers License)

-PADI License

Clothing
-T-Shirts x 8
-Underwear x 8
-Socks x 4
-Teva Sandals
-Flip Flops
-Shorts x 2
-Swim Suit
-Short Sleeve Dress Shirt
-Jeans (1 pair)
-A.Kurtz Hat
-Sneakers
-Arcterix GoreTex Jacket
-RAB MicroFibre Jacket

Hygiene/Health
-toothbrush
-body wash
-shampoo
-tylenol
-moleskin
-pepto bismol pills
-Hand Sanitizer
-Mouth Wash
-AfterBite
-Biodegradable Kit w/Sunscreen, shampoo anti-bacterial wipes etc (From Ronda)

Misc
-2 Bandanas

-Hand Sanitizer
-Quick Dry Towel
-Sunscreen
-Sunglasses
-Collapsable 500ml water bottle
-Equatorial Sleeping Bag (MEC)
-Gloves
-Playing Cards
-lip balm
-sharpie/pen
-book to read
-book to write

-Money Belt (PacSafe)

Tools
-Leatherman Wave (multi-tool)
-Headlamp (Tika XP Pro)
-3mm guyline (25ft)
-duck tape (2 small rolls)
-Padlock (for hostel lockers)
-lighter
-liquid detergent (for washing clothes)
-water purification tablets

Tech
-GoPro Hero5 Black
+3 way, Grenade Grip, Remo, Charger, Extra battery, Super Suit, memory cards (128GB/64GB)
-Tablet (Samsung S2 8" White)
-Suunto Ambit Watch
-Headphones
-SmartPhone (Note 3)
-Apple IPod Nano
-Raspberry Pi (+HDMI cable)
-Logiix 4 Port USB Wall Charger
-2 USB Type C Cables
-2 USB Type A Cables
-JBL Wireless Speaker
-Samsung 9000mAh charger
-Belkin Rockstar 5-Way
-Joby Griptight Smartphone Mount XL
-GoPro Tripod Mount Adapter
-32 SanDisk OTG Adapter (for transferring files from SmartPhone to computer)
-256GB Lexar JumpDrive USB 3.0 (Flash Drive)

Snorkeling Gear

-Fins
-Mask
-Flippers

My brother told me about Permethrin and advised me to spray my clothes with this stuff before my trip.  The packaging says it can remain in your clothes after 5 or 6 washes.  Permethrin kills mites and insects and with the Zeka problem, I didn't want to leave anything to chance if I can help it.  I found this stuff at Dick's Sporting Goods store in Washington State.  I heard you can also buy this at Walmart stores in the States, but I don't know where you can buy this stuff in Vancouver, Canada.

And voila! This is what all of that stuff looks like when it is crammed into my 55L backpack!