What I Packed: Peru
You want to be prepared for Peru. It's not one of those countries you can throw a bikini and some summer dresses into a suitcase and call it good. You have to prepare for hot, warm, cool, cold, FREEZING, hiking, swimming, climbing, strolling, etc. Plus if you like to exercise everyday, you need to think of both workout and casual clothes. I came to Peru prepared, and it payed off. Here is what I felt was essential and came in handy.
Grayl Water Purifier
This Grayl Water Purifier saved the day numerous times. We used it to filter tap water from all our hostels, hotels, airbnbs, high altitude mountain streams, and dirty canyon streams. We bought the orange travel filter because it purifies viruses, bacterial, heavy metals, protozoa, and much more from the dirtiest water. When you are at high altitude, hydration is important. When you are in a different country, clean water is important. This is a solution to keep you hydrated safely. It is super convenient and works like a french press. Click on the pictures to learn more about each. Here are the specs from the website.
Virus protection. Removes 99.9999% of viruses (e.g. Hepatitis A, SARS, Rotavirus).
Bacteria & protozoa protection. Removes 99.9999% of disease-causing bacteria (e.g. E. coli, Salmonella) and 99.999% of protozoan cysts (e.g. Giardia, Cryptosporidium).
Improves health, flavor, odor & clarity. Filters particulates (e.g. sediment, silt), many chemicals (e.g. chlorine, benzene) and heavy metals (e.g. lead, arsenic).
Shelf life. Stored under proper conditions, an unopened Purifier Cartridge has a shelf life of 10 years. After a cartridge has been used, it lasts at least three additional years.
Lifespan. Replaceable purifier cartridge lasts 300 uses (40 gal / 150 L)
Eagle Creek Pack-It Specter Cube Set - 3pc Set
When you are carrying around a backpack, organization becomes a challenge because you are throwing a lot into one large compartment. I used these Eagle Creek organizers to separate my clothes into categories (socks, underwear, running clothes, casual shirts, pants, etc). To my surprise, in addition to making things easy to find, it made packing up easy because everything had a place and I could quickly organize and pack when we had to get up and go. I used two sets for my trip.
Compression Packing Bags
These were amazing. I am a notorious overpacker, but part of the reason is I need to pack both casual wear and workout outfits, so it's double the luggage. In Peru, it gets even trickier because there is a wide range of temperatures so I needed casual, running, and hiking clothes for warm, cool, and freezing weather. The solution came in these compression travel bags. It eliminated the problem of not having enough space for my bulky cold weather clothing items. Worked like a charm and provided even more packing organization. All you do it place your clothes in the bag, seal it, and kneel on it to squeeze all the air out. Clothes stay wrinkle free too!
Backpacking Backpack
There is a time to use a suitcase and a time to use a backpacker backpack. In Peru you want to have a backpacker backpack. The reason being you will be climbing a lot of steps and going over a lot of cobblestone, not ideal for a roller bag. With a backpacker backpack you will have much more mobility. It is also important to mention that the fit of your backpack is incredibly important and you will want to try on a few to see what fits your spinal curvature the best, because at the end of the day you want to be comfortable with the weight of your bag. You will quickly notice that different backpacks feel very different.
Down Puffy Jacket
Down or alternative down jackets are the perfect mix of extreme warmth combined with easy packing and compatibility. This is a must. Other jackets just aren't as warm, and the ones that are, are very bulky. It's a smart jacket to travel with, especially with the different climates in Peru. You can wear it while trekking in the snow at 16,000ft or walking the casual cool streets of Cusco.
Puffy jackets were perfect for our Ausangate / Rainbow Mountain Trek
Aveda Dry Shampoo
Dry shampoo saves me when I travel. I want my hair to look good but I don't want to waste precious time doing it. I have curly hair, which I love, but it's a lot of work and if I don't style it...it looks terrible. My solution is to style my hair once, then use dry shampoo for a few days. It allows me to roll out of bed, spray my hair, make a few touch ups, and I'm good to go! No extra time wasted. The brand I currently use is Aveda because it works good and is 99.8% naturally derived. It also adds a little texture and gives you that wind swept hair look as you can see I was trying to accomplish in my Machu Picchu picture below #whatgoesbehindthescenesofagoodpicture
Aveda Dry Shampoo
Canon EOS 70D
This is the camera I used while in Peru. Super versatile and I love how this comes as a package with two good lenses plus more. I also think it's important to have TWO batteries when you travel because you never want to hit up an amazing place and then run of of power. Plus cold temperatures can zap your battery life. When we hiked Ausangate/Rainbow Mountain, we were out in nature without ANY power for a couple days in very cold weather and my 2nd battery came in handy. You also want to travel with at least a 64GB memory card...I usually travel with more memory, I take a lot of pictures!
Joby GorillaPOD
When traveling solo or with a small group, this comes in handy to take couple or group shots. It is a flexible small tripod that can hold a DSLR camera. No need to depend on someone to take a photo for you, especially when you are in some remote mountains where there is no one to take a picture for you. It also has bendable limbs which allow you to set your camera in difficult situations.
Joby GorillaPOD
External Battery
Let's face it, we are incredibly dependent on our phones. I remember traveling without a smart phone when I first backpacked Europe, and while I learned many valuable skills, like how to read a map, I much rather have my GPS and google translate ready when I need them. I recommend bringing an external battery when going to Peru because you have some long hikes, long drives...a lot of long stuff basically, and making sure your phone doesn't die at an inconvenient time takes a lot of stress out of situations. When hiking Ausangate and Rainbow Mountain, there were two essentials that we passed around and shared with our fellow travelers, our Grayl Water Filter and our external battery.
Portable Charger / Battery
SmartWool Socks
Smart wool is a high quality sock that keeps your toes warm! Plain and simple. Sander knows what I'm talking about!
