Done! How I packed carry on…for 7 months!

I’ve bloody gone and done it! Is there room for improvement? Yes. Should I probably go even lighter? Yes. Am I going to need to get other stuff along the way? Maybe. Will I be able to check my luggage as carry on if I’m travelling on a budget airline? Hell no. But, have I crammed my stuff for the next 7 or 8 months into a 40 litre back-pack and a Crumpler? Yep!

I’ve been going for a few weeks now and have carted my stuff around Abu Dhabi and Athens airports (oh the joy of not standing at a baggage carousel at the end of a long haul flight) and on ferries from Athens to Paros to Naxos.  I’ve walked around a big city on a walking tour, had some nights out on the town, done some hiking and some beach days and so far, so good! It’s been entertaining watching people cart around their massive 40kg suitcases at ports…

My Osprey Farpoint 40lt backpack weighed in at 10.4kg. It was the heaviest it will ever be with a full set of toiletries on board, but I still would like to get it down a bit. The Crumpler Pinnacle of Horror is pretty weighty at 5kg.  It has my Surface Pro, DSLR Camera, Kindle etc so there’s not a lot I can do about that! I know the winter gear is going to be annoying to carry around for the first 3 months or so, but I really didn’t want to be buying all the expensive stuff like jackets and decent merino gear when I was on the move. I think I will need to get some more winter gear once I hit Patagonia in mid November, but this should get me through any chilly mornings and nights when I’m hiking in the Dolomites in late September.

The important stuff goes into my Crumpler bag.

The contents

All fits!

Anyway, let’s see how I go.  I’m already thinking about what else I can do without…this packing light thing is addictive. If you’d like any tips or want to check in with how this all works out as I go along, please just drop a comment below or shoot me an email at gourmetroaming@gmail.com. The biggest impact: ziplock bags to compress and packing cubes! I haven’t even looked at my winter stuff, it’s all packed away in a cube!

I’ve popped some links in the packing list to some of the gear I’m using or where I’ve purchased it. I’ve found Wild Earth to be a great one stop shop, particularly if you’re like me and prefer shopping online! Full disclosure, for some of these items, if you click through here and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission, but I only ever recommend things I’ve tried, tested and loved.

Packing List