Packing to Study Abroad in South America

I started writing this post last year after posting a similar one for packing for a student’s Central America service trip but it has been sitting here in draft all this time. While this study abroad trip to South America that we helped our oldest prep and pack for is long past, it has some good info so I have decided to finish it up.

Our son had an opportunity to study abroad for a month in South America, Ecuador specifically. It was during the summer and he was going with specifically with a science group.  It was just over a 4 week trip and everything had to fit in a backpack.  In his case, this include snorkel gear and a wet suit for their time researching in the Galapagos! Additionally they were spending time in the mountains and rain forest so we had to prep for a variety of weather conditions. Can you even imagine packing everything for four weeks in a back pack that include snorkeling fins, rain gear and some warmer weather wear?  Well, we did it.

At the time he was nineteen, and while he handled pretty much all of the prep on this on his own we did provide him with some guidance to make sure he truly had what he needed to be safe and comfortable. Here are some of the items he packed for this study abroad this.

Backpack – It truly all starts here.  When this one item is all you are bringing to haul everything for 4 weeks it will make or break your trip. We looked together at all different types of backpacks and he finally settled on the Osprey Porter 65. It had many features that appealed to him, but he especially liked the way the back opened all around like a suitcase so he wouldn’t need to dig for items at the top. It was just long enough to hold the snorkel fins he needed as a minimum length. He also loved that it had a lap top sleeve, adequate padding, exterior pockets and did not have the weight of a solid interior frame.

In the end it did meet his need but he wished he had forgone the need to have it zipper all around and had purchased a longer, more narrow bag with a more solid interior frame.  He loved the functionality of this bag but there were periods of time he was carrying the bag for hours and he said he was much more uncomfortable than others that had a more traditional camping style backpack that alleviated more of the way from his own body. Lesson learned.

Day Pack – I can no longer find the exact bag that he chose, but it was something like this Osprey Daylite Daypack. I think his may have been a little bigger as he needed to be able to carry layers and all of his research equipment for the day plus adequate water. This bag also served as his airplane travel carry on but was able to clip onto his larger bag when he had to carry both during foot travel.

 

Bug Spray – While we aren’t too concerned with threats from Zika virus, we took the warning serious enough to make sure he had enough bug spray with him. In addition to daily spray mosquito repellant, we also bought Sawyer permethrin treatment spray that he prepped his clothes and outer gear with before he left on is trip.  He only came home with a small handful of bites. After spending two weeks in the rain forest, I call that a win.

Hiking Shoes – This one was a little tougher, as my son doesn’t like the way heavy traditional hiking shoes fit him. And then there was the issue that if he wasn’t wearing them, he was carrying them.  Many hiking shoes are heavy!  He decided on a pair of La Sportiva Busido Trail Running Shoes. Weighing in just over 1 pound he found them to offer enough support for a longer hiking day and light enough to be in his bag when not needed. Others he considered before finding the ones he bought were the Merrell Moab Hiking Shoe and the Merrell Capra Sport Low Hiking Shoe. But the La Sportivas one out based on weight and his fit and comfort.

Water Sandals – This one was easy, both of my children love Chacos. My son already had a newer pair in good shape so this is what he brought.

Towels – We purchased a washcloth size and almost body size lightweight fast drying travel towel. It sounds like they were used a lot and he appreciated having them. He said other students did not bring this item and wished they had.

Packing Cubes – Another necessity and there is no way he would have fit everything in his bag if we didn’t invest in packing cubes for this trip. This helped him not only fit everything in his back pack but helped him stay organized. When I watched him packing up the night before he left, I laughed as he assembled everything like a 3d puzzle with each packing cube fitting just so.

Toiletries – He purchased a light weight water resistant toiletry bag to protect the rest of his belongings in his back pack in case of leaks and then packed several small sized toiletries items that he could throw away when done. In this case he could not use regular soap in many parts of where he was in Ecuador due to environmental restrictions. Honestly this made me think, if it is not good for the environment there, it certainly can’t be good for it here.  Food for thought.

Socks- This was a very important item as he needed to keep his feet dry in a very wet environment. He opted for both crew socks to be worn with the trail runners when hiking.  We also had to find breathable knee high socks to be worn with rubber wading boots in the rain forest (boots were provided there, thankfully).

Shorts – This was an easy one, my son had one requested feature for shorts for this study abroad trip – pockets and lots of them. He quickly decided on the REI 9″ Sahara Cargo shorts.

Light T-Shirts – Another easy decision was made with light weight moisture wicking crew necks from REI. Not only did he like them but he said they were very easy to rinse out and dry quickly while on the trip.

Rain Pants – We are lucky enough that we have a Sierra Trading Post store nearby so we were able to find some lightweight rain pants and matching jacket in the store.  But these Marmot Precip pants are very similar and would do the trick.

Snorkel/Fins & Wet suit – Did I mention he had to bring snorkel gear and a wet suit for extended time in the Galapagos Islands? (Yes, they were really studying – this wasn’t all fun & games!). The wet suit was another item we were able to pick up at our local Sierra Trading Post, but it was very similar to this one. He was able to wear a shortie wet suit as it was in the summer and warmer there but he was glad he had it due to the length of time he was in the water.