The pile had been growing for months in my NYC brownstone of camping equipment, books and cute outfits I imagined myself wearing on my adventure. I had accumulated over 10 hats! You would be surprised at how quickly this mound dwindled when it was time to pack it and put it on our backs. Decisions were made quickly.
The heaviest of all items were books and there were plenty of them! I wanted to be prepared and decided that they were the only irreplaceable item. I imagined it would be easier to find a fishing hook on Tortola than a book by Plato. I wanted to be equipped to live off the land and had practical paperbacks such the US Army Survival Manual, American Red Cross Lifeguarding and several on the subject of sustainable living. I also wanted to read religious, philosophical, nature books. I yearned to be exposed to all thinkers and believers. I did not desire to read any non-fiction (except for Kerouac), as I wanted to write my own story.
Although I intend to build my own fire and shelter, we packed every piece of camping equipment conceivable. It was a random sort. We brought the latest high-tech tent, an old lantern that Eddie got from his grandpa and a stove we bought at a flea market. We brought several tarps and tools: machete, knives and Swiss army knives. For the past six months, we practiced camping in Upstate New York to determine what we needed.
We brought organic and natural toiletries such as sunscreen, toothpaste, shampoo, q-tips (addicted!) and “all-purpose Badger ointment”. For clothes, I brought 3 bathing suits, 3 sarongs, 4 tee shirts, 2dresses, one jacket and ONE hat!
We brought a plastic bag that I used the entire trip. One bag, one year.
There were many things we brought that I didn’t photograph including a first aid kit, saxaphone, sewing kit, spear fishing gun and surfboards. We eventually packed everything into two large backpacks and two large duffle bags (minus the surfboards).
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