Gear update: six months into the round the world trip
Warning: this is a geeky post full of minutiae about what we have with us on the trip, as a follow-up to the original and the three month update. What is working well and what’s worn out. As before, even if you scroll right to the bottom, you still won’t find pictures of spectacular sunsets here. Just tragic tales of loss, breakage and theft.
It is a dull trope of online outdoor gear reviews that people often say they are “hard on their gear, but this or that item survived unscathed /or/ this rubbish gear broke in a week”. Of course what they really mean is “I adventure so damn hard constantly at 110%, that my gear often breaks before I do. I am double hard, much tougher even than Steven Seagal (one for the kids there)”.
We are halfway through our twelve month journey, and it is becoming clear that because we use or wear the few things we are carrying most days – we are hard on our gear! Not because we are double hard and only partake in the most rugged outdoor activities, but because we are putting ‘miles’ on our gear at an unusually fast rate. Stuff is starting to wear out and has needed replacing.
Since the last gear update, we have also had to break out the cold and wet weather gear. We managed to go from the start of the trip in the heatwave of the European summer of 2022 (40 degrees!) all the way through to Bali without the temperature dropping below 25 degrees. When we set out we thought this chilly time may come later in the trip somewhere around Patagonia, but western Australia and New Zealand were both somewhat chillier and damper than we expected.
Does it all still fit?
In the sense of it fitting in the available bags, yes it does. In fact it fits slightly better than it did before as we have continued to thin out a few things that have gone unused, or not replaced lost or worn out stuff.
More exciting is the news that our clothes also fit Jim and Helen better than they did before. Actually, some can now only be described as ‘baggy’, as we have lost weight due to the heady combination of lots of exercise and eating to a tight budget, often cooking with limited kitchen facilities.
But it’s an altogether different story with the kids. They’ve continued to grow at a rapid pace so some things are needing replacement now as they’re just too small. This is normal of course, but has become more obvious to us when there’s only one of most things.
Clothing and other individual stuff
Again, I’ve retained the previous lists and made notes of stand out winners, and also where changes have been made.
| Item | Qty | Notes |
| Main pack | 1 each | Jim – Peak Design Travel Backpack 45l Helen – Cotopaxi Allpa travel pack 35l Rafe – Forclaz 40l Dessa – Cotopaxi Batac 24l What is the worst that can happen? These words were uttered (not by Jim) as we checked his bag in for the first and last time for the short hop from Bali to Labuan Bajo. Well it turns out that the worst that could happen was the zipper being sheared off as the bag was evidently slung along the ground during baggage handling. This left the zipper itself still working but tricky to operate without a zip pull on it – photo lower in this post. Very sad times. Fortunately Peak Designs were epic in honouring their lifetime warranty through a simple online form, and despatched a new bag out ahead of us to our friends’ place in New Zealand – which we have now met up with. Outstanding service. |
| Packable day bag | 1 each | Jim – Patagonia ultralight black hole 20l daypack Helen – Patagonia ultralight black hole tote Still going strong and getting considerable use covering everything from beach bag to grocery shopping |
| Kindle | 1 each | |
| Phone | 1 each | |
| Wallet | 1 each | |
| Passport | 1 each | |
| International driving license | 1 each | |
| Sun hat | 1 each | Rafe is now the proud owner of a floppy North Face sun hat. Jim now has full use of his own again |
| Cap | 1 each | |
| Belt | 1 each | |
| Swimming goggles | 1 each | Odessa’s pair broke in Thailand and have been replaced. This new pair were then lost for a time in New Zealand but have since reappeared. Our goggle attrition is still on track for us having gone through about a million pairs by the end of the trip |
| Swimmers | 1 each | Did I mention that we are hard on our gear? Rafe’s original Vilebrequin (oh get him!) pair finally went through spectacularly on the backside. A combination of heavy use and his notoriously bony rear. He is now resplendent in a Quiksilver pair picked up in Wollongong, further contributing to his surfer dude looks |
| Rash vest | 1 each | Jim has been victim to another tragic episode, but fortunately not terminal. He reached such velocity (this being a function of mass) on a water slide in Bali that the material on his rash top elbow literally melted through leaving a hole, and a burnt elbow coated in melted plastic. We have patched this (the rash vest) pretty successfully with a waterproof jacket repair kit. Dessa grew out of her hooded Speedo swim top, and we replaced it with a hooded Speedo swim top at Target in LA. |
| T-Shirt | 2 each | These Icebreaker merino t-shirts are holding up OK and haven’t yet been replaced. Still utterly indispensable |
| Long sleeve t-shirt | 1 each | This is an upgrade rather than a replacement. Jim has replaced his Patagonia long sleeved sun hoodie with the so far brilliant Macpac trail top. Why? – the new one is a few grams lighter, packs better and stinks less quickly. We’ve sent the Patagonia one home. Long sleeve sun hoodies are highly underrated by the way, especially for people that have an irrational hatred of sunscreen (which is also staggeringly expensive). |
| Long sleeve shirt | 1 each | |
| Hoody / fleece | 1 each | In yet another sad episode for Jim, somewhere in Albany Western Australia we lost his brilliant and not inexpensive Patagonia R1 Techface Hoodie. Very very sad. He’s replaced it with a Macpac Ion Fleece Jacket. It is a similar weight, and warmer, but less weatherproof than the Patagonia one and the hood isn’t as awesome by any stretch |
| Insulated jacket | 1 each | Have done double duty keeping us warm in the day and sometimes during chilly campervan nights in the southern alps of New Zealand |
| Rain jacket | 1 each | |
| Trousers / dress | 1 each | Helen sent home her long sleeved dress. Now that we’re clear of Muslim countries she doesn’t need the coverage any more, and there is a low probability of posh dinners any time soon |
| Running shorts | 1 each | Jim is a renowned athlete, of course. He wore through his original Patagonia striders and now has a medium (MEDIUM!) sized pair of Asics acquired in Sydney |
| General shorts | 1 each | |
| Socks | 3 pair each | Darn Tough socks continue to be epic. A couple of the pairs were starting to go through (unsurprising given the unusually tough use) so we exercised the lifetime warranty by swapping them for new pairs at the glorious local Mountain Hardwear outfitters in Wrightwood California (in the mountains to the north of LA). Honestly, Darn Tough socks are epic enough anyway, but the lifetime warranty is next level (you can do it by post too) |
| Underwear | 3 each | |
| Buff | 1 each | We have broken out the buffs! Snow and a subzero chill wind brought this on when in the Southern California mountains |
| Gloves | 1 each | |
| Warm hat | 1 each | |
| Flip flops | 1 each | Helen hasn’t replaced her flip flops (one of which fell out of the camper van in Oman), relying instead on her Merrell sandals so they are getting even more wear than before. Rafe however was the victim of theft! His slides were purloined after he put them to one side to climb a playpark in New Brighton, Christchurch. On asking around, it is not that surprising as New Brighton seems to have a bit of a reputation. Which is borne out by this incident as his slides were ancient M&S numbers which stunk and had recently been through some dog poo. So the last laugh is ours, ha! He now has some swanky havaianas |
| Shoes / boots | 1 each | Jim’s vivobarefoot primus trail allweather’s really showed the wear, going through in a couple of areas in the upper toe material. They also stank terribly, as they never really recovered after they got inadvertently dunked in the sea off Ao Nang. He picked up a pair of Altra Lone Peaks in Los Angeles, which are still lightweight but may be a little more sturdy for forthcoming patagonia action |
| Running trainers | 1 each | |
| Headphones | 1 each | Since replacing Odessa’s headphones in Singapore, Rafe also needed a new pair of kids JBL 310s in Perth. Not only that, but Odessa has now needed a further new pair of the same JBLs, this time in Wellington New Zealand. For those counting, that’s three pairs of JBL 310’s bought on the trip so far, and we are only halfway round. Headphones are now looking like they may be rivalling swimming goggles for attrition on this trip |
| Water bottle | 1 each | Jim’s vapur was lost in Perth. Disaster. Not replaced as we still have three and they were rarely all in use at once |
| Bag tracker | 1 each | |
| Travel towel | 2 between us | |
| Face mask | 1 each | |
| Ear plugs | 1 each |
The Detailed List: General and random stuff
This will be spread across all of our bags
| Item | Notes |
| Washing line | Incredibly useful still |
| Lightweight caribiner | |
| Folding cup | We sent this home, as it was very rarely used |
| Spork | One snapped in half. Will the sad times never end? |
| First aid kit | We have topped up anti-histamines (Rafe seems to react to bug bites), painkillers and plasters. It’s definitely been a good idea having these to hand We are now also getting through the anti malarials that we had shipped ahead to New Zealand, as Vanuatu is apparently the malaria capital outside of Africa and parts of central America |
| Soap bar | We did another top up at Lush in Wellington NZ. These are still a great idea |
| Soap bar pouch | Brilliant this, it really works. Wet soap goes in, and dryness ensues – the Matador flatpak soap case is utter genius. |
| Face cloth | |
| Dry sack | The Ortleib dry bags with valves continue to be some of the best things we’ve brought with us. Get used so much |
| Sent home | |
| Sent home | |
| Ground sheet | The Matador pocket ground sheet is still brilliant |
| Travel power adapter | |
| GoPro | The Hero 9 is still doing a great job. But we have sent home the Gorilla grip stand and associated mounts we had for it as we didn’t use them |
| Cables | |
| Laptop | A Dell XPS 13 Plus. The avid reader may recall that the lefthand of the two USB-C ports failed in hardware. Against all odds and not without a deal of stress, we managed to coordinate getting a motherboard shipped and replaced by Dell under warranty in a hotel lobby in Perth Australia. So far so good |
| Keyboard and mouse | |
| Portable battery bank | |
| Travel router | |
| Small speaker | |
| Small games | A collection of games in a small pouch. We swapped out Monopoly and the Game of Life and gained a set of Exploding Kittens and top trumps as Christmas presents. Yahtzee, Cluedo and pass the pigs are still popular. The pack of cards has had some heavy Go Fish and Rummy usage |
| Silicone straw | Still not lost! |
| Folding food box with lid | Unsung hero. Together with a pair of food bag clips this gets a lot of use |
| Torch | |
| Keychain knife | For the first time in countless flights, airport security pinged this in our hand luggage on the way out of Perth for Sydney. The security guy’s insistence that ‘no airport in the world would allow this in hand baggage’ (we have considerable evidence to the contrary) was irritating, but we chose to check a bag rather than bin the knife. We were successful in carrying it through US security in LA and Miami and this useful little tool is still in our possession |
| Keychain tool | |
| Sent home | |
| Eye masks | |
| Pens, pencils and paper | |
| Sleeping bag liners | Still more useful than Jim ever thought they would be |
| Headphone splitter | allows for moments of sibling harmony while the kids watch Phineas and Ferb together in a tablet |
| Car cigarette lighter USB charger |
4 Comments
Susan
Love reading about your travels. Can’t believe you have been gone 6 months.
Jim
Thanks Susan glad you are enjoying it. Tell me about it – it doesn’t pay for us to think about the time too much!
Jenny
Alas I also lost my Vapur at the gym this week, having survived our much shorter lap of the globe.
Jim
Disaster! They are clearly cursed. Spoiler alert: we lost another recently. This will be a big feature in the next year update