In a way, packing for this trip proved to be much simpler than expected. As in 2016/2017, we spent ~1.5 years living on a small 36″ boat, we’ve already went through a round of downsizing at that time

Over the few months leading up to our trip departure, we’ve sold or given away most of the furniture, went through our stuff and threw away or donated tons of things we haven’t used in years, and tried to figure out what is it that we’ll actually need. For a while, our small Boston studio looked like a mix between a warehouse and a hoarder’s dream – filled with clothing in one corner and car parts in the other.

A few days prior to departure, we did a final inventory of what we still owned and were bringing on the trip. With the exception of a few things that were stashed away in a small closet at our house, all of our belongings ultimately fit neatly in a 6×4′ area on the floor.

As we looked at it, the surprising factor was the sense of satisfaction that came from deliberately choosing all of the things we wanted to take with us for the next 6 months, knowing exactly where they are, and what they’ll be used for.

We ended up packing:

• Clothing:
  • About 2 weeks worth of clothing for each of us. At best, we’ll do laundry on a bi-weekly basis. At worst, we’ll let the clothes air-clean (Susan hasn’t read this part yet).
  • In addition to the every day clothing, we’ve also packed about two boxes with “longer term” clothes for varying climates, especially as we expect to hit Chile and Argentina during their cold time of the year.
• Cooking:
  • Cooking gear and supplies, so that we can be self-sufficient wherever we end up. This includes a 2-burner stove, 5lb refillable propane tank, various cookware, as well as enough odds-and-ends to accommodate 4 people on the road as other people join the trip.
  • Fridge – while not listed in the photos below, we’ve installed one in the car as well. Part of what makes longer-term travel comfortable is the flexibility to cook ourselves whenever we are outside of major cities, so this will do just that.
• Car Love:
  • Spare car parts, tools, recovery gear and jacks to get ourselves out of whatever trouble we get ourselves in.
• Electronics:
  • We stocked up on photo and video gear to document the adventure on the road.
  • Satellite phone and a GPS tracker, along with our regular phones
  • And, of course, the Kindles for those long drives.
• Med Kit

And that’s about it. We’ll do a more in-depth post towards the end of the trip to see how our choices played out in the real world, but this is what should last us over the next 6 months.

All of the supplies for the half a year ahead

Photo and video gear, along with a sat phone, laptops, and a few miscellaneous electronics

Stowed away in the car for easy access