By Kevin

We’ve read many how-to-sail-around-the-world handbooks and manuals in the past 6 monnths as we’ve been getting ready to move aboard Real Life. One of the to-do items on our master checklist was “Pack personal items.”

Ok, then. So, what exactly does one pack when planning to be away from home for a year? The sailing manuals had lots to say on the topic, beside telling hopeful cruisers which spare parts to carry to the Bahamas (surely a future blog post here) or how to preserve your fresh eggs for months (slather them in petroleum jelly!).

Here is what I’ve packed. (Each of us had slight variations of this list.)

• sturdy flip-flops (they’ve been across the Atlantic with me)
• Sperry boat shoes
• foul weather boots
• boat-friendly sneakers
• foul weather full-hand sailing gloves
• 4 pair of athletic socks
• 1 belt
• 7 pair of underwear
• 3 undershirts
• 5 t-shirts
• 3 button-down, short-sleeve shirts (dinner shirts!)
• 1 pair of cotton trousers
• 1 pair of jeans
• 5 pair of shorts
• 2 pair of swim trunks (I may buy 1 more pair, as this will be a daily item)
• 2 swim shirts/rash guards
• 1 pair of long pajama pants
• 1 pair of pajama shorts
• 1 track suit
• 1 light wind breaker
• 1 light fleece jacket
• 1 rain jacket
• 1 pair of rain over-pants
• 1 set of foulies (lined jacket and trousers)
• 1 baseball cap
• 1 broad-rimmed hat
• 1 fleece cap
• 2 pair of prescription glasses
• 1 pair of prescription sunglasses
• 1 pair of non-prescription, wraparound sunglasses (polarized)
• 90 pairs of disposable contacts (enough for a year)
• toiletries for a few months (we’ll really stock up before leaving Fort Lauderdale)
• 15+ books (no technology or startup books allowed on this trip)
• Chess board and clock (you never know where you’ll find an opponent)
• Digital gear, including cameras, iPod, laptop, chargers, cables, etc.
• Automatic inflation PFD (Personal Inflation Device)