What to Bring for a Month in a Russian Winter

T’was the night before Russia and all through the house…

I was running around trying to get my stuff organized. OK actually I am pretty much there I just have a few more things to fit into my bags. I spent a few days in South Dakota with Family for the holidays. Now we are getting organized and packing our stuff all back up to get it all to Russia. The one thing I have not done is get that special travel insurance. I plan on doing that on one of the many layovers tomorrow on the flight out.

Just so you get an idea of what we are bringing with for a month away from home in the freezing winter I will make a list of the stuff we are bringing.

Clothes

-Pants x3 one pair of jeans and two travel pants
-Shirts x4 Cotton discovery labeled shirts
-under armor thermals tops and bottoms x 2
-Patagonia thermals full set x 2
-Jackets x2 one Wool and one thin biking jacket (not water proof)
-Fleece pullover x 1
-Socks x 6 three wicking layer three thick wool
- Shorts x 1 board shorts
-boxers x 4
- T-shirt x 1 Gallaudet long sleeve cotton
-Gloves x 2 one mitten for snowboarding, one wool with fold away finger mitts
-hiking boots
-running shoes, socks, and shorts
-Beanie hat x 2

Toiletries all liquids are less than 3.5 ounces

-electric razor
-toothbrush
-chap Stick
-shampoo and conditioner
-toothpaste
- Hair Gel, I want to look nice after all
-hair brush
-extra hair ties
-Listerine
-shower gel
-baby powder
-deodorant stick

Other stuff

-laptop computer
-video camera with 3 extra tapes
-wires x 6 surge protector, mini usb, iPhone charger, laptop plug, video camera cable, and Ethernet
-iPhone and headphones
-Paper journal book
-passport
-Two wallets
-cash, travelers cheques, and credit cards (stored in various places throughout my bags
-sunglasses x 2
-plug adaptors (only the plugs as all of my electronics will work on Russian currency as well)
-waterproof bag (for dirty clothes)
-Two small books
-inflatable pillow
-First aide kit


That is about it. All of this stuff fits into two carryon bags. One larger bag is for the over head compartment and one small backpack. Heather is carrying about the same amount of clothing. She has an additional 2 books on learning Russian. When I get everything packed I will upload some photos to this post so you can see just what I am talking about.

As for my packing techniques I have found that getting rid of those organizers allows me to bring many more things. I also make copies of all my credit cards front and back and my passport and visas as well. Everything is kept in separate locations throughout my bags in little zippers or hidden in the pages of a book. This way if anything is stolen or lost I am not stuck in another country helpless.

Other than that I have one more thing I always pack and it is the most important item of all. In fact I have been on adventures with only this last item and had a marvelous time. At this point you should know what the one last thing is. If you do not then I cannot teach it. Just get out of the house and travel and you will figure this one out all on your own. See if you can figure it out. Leave comments with your guesses.