What I'm bringing

For this program, we are limited to what will fit inside a backpack. That is a tall order for someone that simply cannot leave her camera and lenses behind. I am trying to pack as light as possible to make up for the fact that I'll be bringing not only my camera, but an extra lens and a computer. I will likely have achy shoulders after long days, but that is a small price to pay to be able to Skype with my husband and kiddo, and also (hopefully) capture some gorgeous scenes.

Here is what is going in my bag:

Not including what I'll be wearing on the plane, I will be packing the following (and yes, this all fits in the backpack with some room to spare):
Packable down jacket
4 pairs of wool socks (plus 1 pair cotton that I'll be wearing on the plane)
5 pairs underwear
1 pair jeans
1 pair cropped athletic pants
1 pair full length athletic pants
1 regular bra
1 sports bra
1 swimsuit
2 tank tops
2 t-shirts
3 long sleeve shirts
1 pair Crocs flats that double as shower shoes (probably the best purchase I've made for this!)
Common toiletries (toothpaste, deodorant, etc)
Imodium, just in case
Ear plugs (not taking the whole box, but that is a gift from "Santa" so I haven't opened them yet.)
Advil
Hair ties
Folding brush
Travel clothesline (because I'll likely be washing my clothes in a sink)
Organization bag for toiletries and small items
Universal plug adapter
Wet and dry bags for laundry
Camera bag insert (the full camera bag is no longer coming, as the insert can fit nicely into my cross-body purse/market bag.)
Pentax K5 camera body
35mm 2.0 lens
50-135 2.8 lens
Extra battery and SD cards
Chargers (phone, computer, camera)
Extra ziplock bags for bringing home spices, and a market bag for extra souvenirs.
Microsoft Surface (smaller than a laptop but with all the same capabilities, and it has my photo editing software on it.)
Travel journal (part of my program assignment)
Gratitude journal (something I'm doing for work)
2 pens
Passport


Not pictured:
I'll be wearing another pair of full length athletic pants, a t-shirt, tank top, and cardigan on the plane along with my Crocs Blitzen Convertible boots (which will be my main walking shoes in country.) I am also bringing ear buds, cash, my credit cards, cell phone, etc. in a convenient cross-body purse that has lots of room for picking things up along the way.

The bag:

I am using the Kelty Redwing 44 bag. After a LOT of searching for something, this seemed like the perfect fit. I wanted something that unzipped all the way or nearly all the way rather than a top-loading bag so I can keep contents organized and not have to remove everything to get to what's on the bottom. This bag also has water bottle pockets (another requirement of mine) and lots of extra pockets to organize. I have a lot of small items, so I want to be able to keep them within reach, and this does the trick. It is also extremely comfortable. I've worn it around the house loaded up to test it out and so far I really like it. I will report back at the end of the two weeks one whether or not I still like it!