my gear

my gear
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This picture was taken at my parents' house in Sheboygan, where I grew up (and where I'm storing most of my possessions). It shows what I will be taking on my trip. Here's an accounting of my stuff:

Clothes-hiking boots, pants(2 pair), sandals, socks(3 pair), underwear(4 pair), t-shirts(2), a capilene shirt,  a long sleeve/button up shirt, a micro-fiber fleece, a swimsuit, hat

Gear- backpack (55 cu. liters) first aid kit, laundry kit, toiletry kit, Lonely Planet guidebook, a book, camera, ipod, sunglasses, locks (2), sleeping bag liner, wallet, glasses, spare glasses, prescriptions, outlet adapters, travel bag emergency blanket, water filter, water bottle,

with my pack
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This might not seem like much but it subsribes to the philosophy "you can bring a lot and travel a little, or you can bring a little and travel a lot."

So while I won't have much for the next year, I'd like to thank everyone who is helping me store my "worldly" possessions that I want when I get back. It's a big help, and, according to the magazine Mother Jones, I am probably being somewhat of an inconvenience.

How much of an inconvenience? Well here are some stats. Seven square feet of commercial storage space exists for each American. One in 11 households rents storage space. Last year Americans spent $7 billion on organizational products for their homes, closets, and garages and 1 in 3 IKEA shoppers say they get more satisfaction from cleaning their closets than from being "romantically involved."

if I'm not wearing it, and it's not in my pack, it's not coming
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There's a whole lot more info. on the webpage that explains American's relationship with organization/storage. If interested here's the link:

http://www.motherjones.com/news/exhibit/2007/07/exhibit.html