I have just finished packing for my trip on Friday. I got everything in my bag, sort of. Close enough that I can manage it all anyway. Out of interest, I weighed the bags: they total 23 kg (51 lbs), which is almost exactly 1/3rd of my body weight. Ack.
It turns out volunteering requires a lot of gear. Here is a list of what I’m taking:
Food for 1 week
2L of water (for emergencies only, there should be some on site)
- these first two items account for 9 kgs of the total, so at least it will be lighter on the way back!
Dust masks (2 per day)
A set of waterproofs
Steel toe-capped wellies
a roll of tape
gas stove
gas
spoon, fork, knife, chopsticks
bowl
cup
a thermos
kairo (sticky heat pads for if it’s cold at night)
A first aid kit
clothes for 8 days (I have a fresh set for each day, which constitutes luxury, but I doubt it added more than 2 kg to the total)
toothbrush & toothpaste
ear plugs (with 50 or so people sharing a single warehouse floor, these are most definitely essential)
wet wipes
microfibre towel
head scarves (for keeping sweat out of eyes, these are not a luxury)
2 packets of oreos and 2 of chocolate (bite me)
A head torch
a jumper
sleeping bag
blanket
tool set
a solar phone charger
batteries
some money
If anyone can see anything there that I don’t actually need, that might reduce the weight a bit, please don’t be shy!
Please donate to the relief effort at peaceboat.jp.
