OUR GEAR:
We will update our gear section with our personal reviews as we continue to put ‘um to the test with real travel.
BACKPACKS AND BAGS:
Kiko’s & Kelly's:
Women’s Osprey Waypoint 65 Men’s Osprey Waypoint 65 (7-23-14) The main backpack is a roomy 50L and the day pack 15L. Both Kiko and I have this pack and we are loving its sleek and slender design and the very comfortable harness and shoulder straps. I laugh at my pre-trip planning self, as I remember very early on actually contemplated rollers instead of backpacks. Now two months in I see rollers would never have worked for this type of trip, where every “road” is an obstacle course of holes, various obstructions, and excrement of some sort. It is larger backpack then what we carried in the past but since we have a decent size medical kit and are carrying some books for the kids’ schooling, it works out. Also we don’t want Yoda carrying more than the recommended 20% of his body weight, so Kiko carries Yoda’s shoes, pens and books . There are 4 inside zippered compartments making organizing easy. Ideally to make it perfect, Kiko and I agree, it could be about 4” shorter, which would make it closer to standard carry-on size and a better fit for the amount of stuff we find ourselves carrying. That being said, we don’t have them fully loaded and had no problem using them as a carry-on for the first leg of the trip, LIH-HNL-LAX-HOUSTON-QUITO. I checked it for domestic flights in both Ecuador and Nicaragua because the planes were small. I am not against the idea of checking it for international flights in the future as it is easier to be pack-free in the airports with the kids and one checked bag per passenger is FREE on United (and partners) for international flights! The day pack, which seemed small at first, has turned out to be an adequate size. We normally just pack up one for a 1/2 day adventure or both for a full day out. On travel days, the day pack goes across our chests rather then zipped to the designated area on the main pack. It is pretty comfortable like that and allows us to bring the small pack with our electronics and snacks into the bus, taxi, etc. 
13 liter dry bag:
(7-23-14) This bag has already proved super useful just as an extra precaution when going on boats and we want to keep our electronics protected. This one is easy to roll up and takes up no room and is super light but it is not waterproof enough for submersion. We had looked at a fully waterproof one but it was just too bulky to legitimize bringing. 
ebags packing cubes
I just knew these were going to be great. I never used them prior to this trip but visions of 4 peoples' clothing, scattered across the room, countless times around the world did not sit well with me. So we each got packing cubes, a different color for each person. Since Kiko and I use our zippered compartments in our packs we only use 2 mediums cubes each, one for tops and one for bottoms. Zuki has 3 mediums, one for tops, one for bottoms, and one for underwear and bathing suits. Yoda uses 2 mediums, one for tops, one for bottoms and 1 small for underwear. We also use one small one for our loose electronic accessories. I can not imagine this trip without these! |
Zuki's (9 3/4 year old girl):
Gregory Sage 45L (xs): (7-23-14) Zuki likes how it looks similar to the other backpackers' packs because it is a woman’s (xs) rather then a kids pack. We have it on the smallest setting and it fits nicely, with lots of straps to adjust for comfort. She is tall at about 5’ and 80 lb. Since it is packed with 3 medium packing cubes we mostly access from the top but the U-shaped front zipper comes in handy to grab or stuff something last minute. Love the that there is a waterproof cover included! When the rest of us had to purchase big plastic bags to protect our bags on the open wet boat trip to Little Corn, Zuki just pulled out her cover and was set. There are a few little compartments and the top compartment is waterproof. She is currently carrying 12 lb., which is all of her belongings except her books (which I carry), and has no problem (90% of the time) :). 
Yoda's (6 1/2 year old boy):
Deuter Fox 30L: (7-23-14) This pack makes heads turn. A lot of people are shocked to see Yoda’s little frame caring a professional looking pack. We did find that the waist band was too loose even at the tightest possible setting so in Nicaragua we had someone sew it to allow for a tighter fit. Now that the weight is on his hips it works great. He is carrying about 10 lb, just his clothes. He also uses the packing cubes to keep organized (2 medium, 1 small) so the top loading works fine. There is a "sleeping bag” zippered area on the bottom which does allow for a quick stash of something when needed. 
Travelsafe 12L travel safe:
(7-23-14) This bag has allows me to rest better at night knowing our electronics and other valuables are safe. Just the other night on seemingly-safe Little Corn Island our traveling friends had a thief enter there casita and try to drag one of their packs out. I know loosing our “stuff” wouldn’t be the end of the world but it would cause a lot of headaches and could possibly change the shape of our trip drastically. We lock up our electronics, our money, and our passports in this every single night. We also use it during the day when when go out. Always. It allowed me to not constantly have to wear that annoying, bulky money belt under my pants! I highly recommend this “safe" but only for the person that will be diligent and use it often and lock it only to very secure things. If all else fails there is usually a toilet we can lock it to! I figure it is actually worse then not taking any precautions if you don’t actaully lock it to something super secure because otherwise you are pretty much just packing up all your valuables in a nice and easy carry bag for the thief. |
OUR TECHNOLOGY:
13” macbook air
2 ipad minis- wonderful for the kids entertainment and education with games and reading. I hope to get up a blog post about a few educational programs/apps we are using but it is still a work in progress.
2 unlocked iphone 4s (We have service with T-MOBILE with unlimited international text and data for $80/month for 2 lines and we get to keep our same phone numbers. $.20/min calls anywhere if needed) This option is more expensive than purchasing sim cards in every country but it easy-peasy.
Camera -Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 (30zoom)- It took a little time to get use to the settings but I am enjoying the large zoom and small size of this camera.
GoPro 3+ with accessories- Kiko’s toy.
5 port usb charger 40 W by Anker: Absolutely love this gadget. When there is just one plug we can charge 5 electronics!
Anker ASTRO 15000mAh iphone/ipad portable charger Haven’t needed this too much but a few times it has come in handy to recharge one of our devices. Its small size and multiple charges makes it worth having along.
1.5TB LaCie Rugged usb Hard Drive This is where I am backing up all our travel photos and videos along with a online site when the internet is strong enough.
SteriPEN Ultra water Purifier Love this. It has been working great. Takes something like 46 seconds to clean one of our 18 oz hydro flasks. Love that we are not buying plastic water bottles everywhere. It is charged by USB but haven’t even needed to charge it once in 2 months!
life straw: Personal Water Filters (2) Haven’t even touched these and think I was a little overly zealous purchasing them. Will probably leave them behind at some point.
2 ipad minis- wonderful for the kids entertainment and education with games and reading. I hope to get up a blog post about a few educational programs/apps we are using but it is still a work in progress.
2 unlocked iphone 4s (We have service with T-MOBILE with unlimited international text and data for $80/month for 2 lines and we get to keep our same phone numbers. $.20/min calls anywhere if needed) This option is more expensive than purchasing sim cards in every country but it easy-peasy.
Camera -Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 (30zoom)- It took a little time to get use to the settings but I am enjoying the large zoom and small size of this camera.
GoPro 3+ with accessories- Kiko’s toy.
5 port usb charger 40 W by Anker: Absolutely love this gadget. When there is just one plug we can charge 5 electronics!
Anker ASTRO 15000mAh iphone/ipad portable charger Haven’t needed this too much but a few times it has come in handy to recharge one of our devices. Its small size and multiple charges makes it worth having along.
1.5TB LaCie Rugged usb Hard Drive This is where I am backing up all our travel photos and videos along with a online site when the internet is strong enough.
SteriPEN Ultra water Purifier Love this. It has been working great. Takes something like 46 seconds to clean one of our 18 oz hydro flasks. Love that we are not buying plastic water bottles everywhere. It is charged by USB but haven’t even needed to charge it once in 2 months!
life straw: Personal Water Filters (2) Haven’t even touched these and think I was a little overly zealous purchasing them. Will probably leave them behind at some point.
our clothing:
(approx. for each person)
2 long pants 4-5 shorts/trunks 5 short sleeve/ tank tops 2 long sleeve shirts 1 Patagonia nano puff jacket 1 rain jacket 5 pairs underwear 3 pairs of socks 1 pair of closed shoes 1 pair slippers (flipflops/thongs) 2-3 swimsuits wetsuits for kids (for Galapagos, will give away or send home) |
random items:
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