Packing for five weeks on an overland truck (in under 8kg)

I am heading off on a trip with Overland West Africa from Sierra Leone to Ghana (via Liberia, Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire), and then I am heading solo onwards to Nigeria (through Benin and Togo).   This is my first time ever on an organised group trip, and a lot of my friends are taking bets on how long I will last travelling with other people.   I will, of course, be blogging as I go, but given my packing posts are some of the most popular, here is the list…….. brace yourself it is more than I have ever packed.

the pack

So, this time, I need a slightly bigger pack than my standard, and much beloved, travel companion – the 30L Tortuga Air, as I have to take a sleeping bag and Thermarest.  However, that doesn’t mean I need a huge bag!  And in fact, I don’t want a big bag.  More stuff is more to carry, and more to organise.  I can easily fit everything into a carry on bag, so am trialing a new bag on this trip – the Lowe Alpine Flightlight 45 litre. This pack weighs in at 800 grams and doesn’t look too dorky!.

I have hacked it mildly to keep my stuff in place where I want it to be  – by adding some velcro patches to my cable and toiletries bags to hold them on the bag lid.

I will also carry a little north face pack for when I need a day pack.   I have used the sea to summit ones before but I keep putting holes in them.  This flyweight one is a big heavier, but more robust and still lightweight (200g)

*note I considered buying two other cool bags for this trip, but while both of the alternatives were pretty groovy – the tom bihn hero’s journey (a 45l backpack/duffel with a 15l convertible backpack/shoulder bag that attaches and is configurable in multiple ways) and the Alchemy Workshops very beautiful AEL008 carry on – both of these two options were too heavy and expensive and over-engineered for West Africa

sleeping arrangements

Most of the time we will be camping, so i will be packing for a variety of temperatures, taking

• Silk sleeping inner for hot nights – this Rab one weighs 130g
• a 30 degree short Z packs sleeping bag which I love and will keep me warm if I need it (350 grams and compresses down to nothing)
• my thermarest  – indispensable mattress, but will be taking tape in case of punctures 330G
• a big luxury – rather than my blow up sea to summit pillow, which is terrific for 3-4 nights camping, I am taking a more luxurious thermarest compressible pillow which is more like an actual pillow 58cmx41cmx10cm (340g).  I will see if it is worth the additional 280grams but I suspect it will be worth it for 5 weeks of a happier neck.  If it is not worth it, it will get discarded en route

All my sleeping gear is packed together into a granite gear air zipsack so i can pull it all out together when i need it, except the pillow

CLOTHING

Here is where most people overpack….. I am taking more than usual as want to make sure I don’t have to run in really stinking running gear and we won’t have access to running hot water that often to wash clothes.  I could make do with one less of everything (I have before).  I always swear by icebreaker as you can wear it for days and it won’t stink!  The following is more than enough for all temperatures and all occasions

• Two pairs capris (mountain hardwear and montane)
• Two pairs running shorts (oiselle long roga)
• One pair long pants (mountain hardwear), mostly to hide legs from mozzies at night
• 3 Icebreaker t-shirts

• 2 icebreaker tank tops
• Icebreaker hoody
• three pairs icebreakers underwear
• three bras (one normal, two icebreaker sports bras)
• two pairs smart wool socks
• Ex officio convertible dress/skirt (just in case I need to cover my legs and look appropriate, plus I can wear at the beach)
• sarong/scarf
• swimsuit and goggles
• buff (mostly for eyeshades for sleeping but also as a headband)
• montbell waterproof jacket 236 g (probably not required but if I want to hike/run in the rain)
• mountain hardwear down jacket 206g (hopefully unnecessary but very lightweight and will keep me warm in subzero temperatures)
• raidlight cap
• sunglasses
• Altra lone peaks, for running (of course) and hiking
• Xero Amuri clouds – 260g for both – these are new, and hopefully will be more comfortable than flip-flops and better for my feet

Clothes are packed in three small compressible eagle creek packing cells.

toiletries

The biggest difference with overlanding is I won’t be able to rely as frequently on hotels for shampoo and soap, and chemists for when I need anything.  So I am packing slightly more than normal (but still not much)

Wet toiletries 

• Moisturiser, 25 g decanted in a pot
• Sunscreen (10 hour), – Riemann’s once per day P20 ( lotion), 50mls is plenty for 5 weeks as I only do my face
• Lipgloss, I use blistex– both the lip balm and the medplus conditioner
• Antiseptic savlon – 15 ml
• 100ml of hand sanitiser (normally I don’t bother, but this will be useful for 5 weeks on a truck)

• Salt deodorant stick – it works and weighs little
• Insect repellant – in block form, lasts longer
• Toothpowder – less than 20g is enough for five weeks
• Multipurpose soap – Dr Bronners will clean me, my clothes and my hair, and this is more than enough for 2 months
• Drugs – Sleeping pills/stilnocht (for overnight flights and snoring tentmates), painkillers/nurofen, anti diarrhoea/immodium, dicloflenac, and doxycycline for malaria, 2 packs of rehydration mix
• Compeed and a couple of plasters for cuts and blisters
• Earplugs (most important thing in the pack)
• Razor blade (just one replacement blade, don’t bother carrying the handle)
• Toothbrush
• Nail clippers (tiny)
• Tweezerman tweezers (tiny)
• Some cotton buds
• Hair ties
• Safety pins –  always indispensable

other

• Garmin watch and  charger
• iPhone and charger
• flip belt for runs
• platypus 1l soft bottle
• standard money belt, leg money belt, bra money stash
• macbook (under 1kg) (not shown in pictures)
• solar charger (helpful to not have to fight for the plug space on the truck), 280g
• petzl head torch and a few spare batteries
• an ultra light spoon – always helpful for when i want yogurt or baked beans
• large quick drying towel ( i have taken the handkerchief size one on trips in the past, this time I have space and desire for a bigger one that will actually cover me up coming and going from communal showers) (135g)

post trip review

So, I am now done with the trip, and a couple of thoughts on the packing.

I wouldn’t take these things again

• Sleeping bag – I used it three times, but two times were because we couldn’t figure out how to turn the aircon down.  I would have been fine using my down jacket with the sleeping silk liner those few nights it was a bit brisk (and I needed the down jacket and warm hoody for returning to London, so while I didn’t use them, I would still take them)
• Sunscreen and sunhat – I was too lazy to put the sunscreen on, and it was too hot to wear a hat
• Waterproof jacket – when it pisses down here, it is still warm, so you can use the rain as a free clean water shower, and you will dry quickly afterwards

I didn’t use any of the drugs or first aid stuff, but would take them again.  I also picked up a cheap course of ciproflaxin for $2 in Liberia as a back up, but didn’t use them.

Next time I would take an umbrella – good for wandering around in the sun and for the torrential rainfall, and take or buy a fan – helpful in the sweltering days.

Apart from that I probably could have done with one less top and one less pair of shorts, but it was nice to have some redundancy.