The dripping of rain on our single-wall tent, the rhythm of which had soothed us to sleep the evening before, slowly awakened us with a sense of dread. It was our fourth night sleeping in the same pasture campsite inside the granite walls of Cochamó Valley, Chile. The non-stop rain had slowed our trek to Argentina, resulting in a quickly dwindling food supply. Today we faced a choice: move east, or hike back out and take an expensive, long bus ride over the Andes to the neighboring country, all the while admitting defeat.
According to locals, it was the wettest summer in memory with significant precipitation on twenty-three of the last twenty-seven days. Rain does not usually hinder us, but the record rainfall had turned the trail, which we shared with pack mules, into a knee-deep mud and feces slurry. Our pace was slowed by cautiously crossing gushing rivers waist-deep, taking gentle steps so the sticky mud did not steal our shoes, searching for the seldom traveled trail, or avoiding machete-cut bamboo (the stumps punched holes in our clothes or worse yet, our skin).
As we organized for our venture to Villa Villega, Argentina through Cochamó Valley, we did not have a detailed trail map or reliable estimates of how far we would hike, so we bought enough food for eight days. Not only were we carrying all the food and gear necessary for the trip, but our backpacks held all that we needed for our two-year, round-the-world adventure.
h2 Travelmoon - The Big Jump
As most Americans tightened their belts during the economic crisis of 2009, we decided to allocate most of our savings to travel the world ultralight for two years. Danny's contract at UC Davis Outdoor Adventures was ending just as I was graduating, so setting out on our world tour in September was a natural choice. In August, during a family reunion, we surprised our loved ones with a wedding under the Golden Gate Bridge. A few weeks later, we flew to Guatemala City, commencing our world-wide honeymoon.
In the seven months since that flight, we have traveled through Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, and Ecuador. Whether we are changing buses in a bustling metropolis, backpacking through a granite canyon, camping on a tropical island beach, or summiting a snowy mountain, one fact remains the same: our packs are smaller and lighter than the packs of fellow backpackers that we have met along the way. Their jealous looks, and sometimes direct inquiries, prompted us to write this article.
h2 Prepared for Spontaneity
Our schedule allows us the freedom to stay in a place as long as we like, depending on our mood, the weather, or the ambiance of the place. From the beginning, Danny and I agreed that what we carried in our backpacks would never limit our explorations. The packs are light and mobile, yet contain our life essentials.
Before we departed on this extended vacation, we knew we wanted to travel the world, but had to limit our destinations by temperature and activity to ensure light packs. Although we are avid cyclists and backcountry skiers, we decided to forgo carrying this type of gear and focus on our first love, backpacking. Additionally, we prepared for snow on the ground, wet and windy storms, tropical forests, beaches, and deserts, but no tundra. Therefore, we can backpack through parks during all four seasons because our gear keeps us relatively comfortable in the heat and humidity, and warm while sleeping outside in temperatures just below freezing. Most importantly, we can carry our packs down crowded city blocks and onto small local buses.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Predictably Unpredictable Patagonia
- Gear Selection - Setting Parameters
- Sleep System - The Honeymoon Special
- Weighing Essentials
- Entertainment - Sometime It IS All Fun And Games
- The Gear List
- Onwards to Argentina
# WORDS: 3990
# PHOTOS: 15
Member Exclusive
A Premium or Unlimited Membership* is required to view the rest of this article.
* A Basic Membership is required to view Member Q&A events
Discussion
Become a member to post in the forums.
Companion forum thread to:
The Global Test: One Gear List for Two Years and Five Continents
Lucas – For both of us, we budgeted $50/day (= $1500/month or $18000/year). This includes food, ALL transportation, gear replacement, and travel insurance.
We were able to meet this goal by using local transportation as much as possible, finding very good deals online for a few key one-way flights, cooking our own meals, avoiding costly guided tours, and very basic accommodations. We spent roughly one third of the nights at hostels, one third camping, and one third with friends. You can see a more detailed break down on our travel stats page.
Bigfoot – Kristin tried to protect my image, but I did use the sarong on several different occasion. It is very comfortable and was sometimes necessary to wear so I could hand-wash my clothes.
Worse yet was in Costa Rica: I was forced to run my errands wearing my not-so-modest running shorts and Kristin's tank top. I garnered more than a few curious looks. (We had gotten bed bugs in Guatemala and the only way to get rid of them is high heat, the most common source being a clothes dryer)
Daryl – Thanks for the words of encouragement. There are a few books and people that have inspired me along the way too. I get a little sentimental thinking back now, as I am living my dream.
Matt – We needed a purifier, not a filter, and there just aren't as many choices. Despite it's weight, we are completely satisfied with our decision. In addition to using the purifier in the backcountry, we used it in kitchen and bathroom sinks throughout countries with unsafe municipal water (Guatemala, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia). We only bought 5 bottles of water in our entire journey. It was a much more environmentally responsible way to travel.
Julien – Not sure if we'll make it to Oz, which seems silly to say. We'll PM you if we do head your way. Now that we've opened ourselves to the BPL community, it'd be great to meet many of you in person!
Excellent article! Thank you for the detailed gear descriptions alongside other options you considered.
I'm curious: did you find the Double Rainbow liner useful? Did it significantly increase comfort during rainy/sunny spells? I am currently debating whether to get the liner or just use a small tarp above the Rainbow. I would prefer to use the liner, but it seems like the tarp above might offer more protection – but for more weight and fuss, and it is more likely to be blown down/away.
Hi John,
We did not find the Double Rainbow liner useful enough. I did not notice any difference in condensation level or warmth. The liner could also keep your tarptent cooler during the day, but we never spent time in it during the hottest (and therefore, most useful) time of the day. Because the liner hangs down so low, it really makes the DR feel smaller.
We eventually sent the liner home with a friend who was visiting. I just didn’t see the benefits of the DR liner, nor did it have other uses.
For about the same weight, we could use a sil-nylon tarp over the tent for extra rain protection or under as a ground tarp. We even used it independently a few times as a sun shade during hot mid-day lunch breaks. If your tarptent becomes a green house during the day, try putting your sleeping bag ON the tent – it makes a great insulated sunshade!
Thank you for the helpful reply. I had also thought about using a sleeping bag as shade – glad to know it works! Seems like it would do a better job of keeping the interior cool than a liner while keeping interior space free, assuming no shade could be found. I may still get the liner for wet season trips here in the PNW, but for 3 season use I'll rely on the sleeping bag trick if I feel shade is necessary.
My overseas experiences were not bad but fear of robbery and officious customs officials have me cowering in the civilized world. You give me reason to laugh at myself and courage to reach out. Thanks
Danny/Kristin,
I'm getting ready to head to Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina for 4 months. Will be doing a mix of camping, hostelling and packrafting. Perfect timing to read your article…THANKS!
I'm still making a decision about a stove. How often were you able to find canisters for the Superfly? Would a "regular" canister stove have worked just as well (ie: one without the special Superfly mount, a la SP Giga, etc.)? And the Whisperlight Int'l is just too much of a hassle, huh?
Thanks for your input.
Zach, the best choice of stove might depend on a bunch of details. For example, are you going to be traveling around South America on foot, by auto, or by air? Stove fuels obviously create problems at the airports. In some cases, used liquid gasoline stoves cause concerns also. At the last time that I was down there, we knew exactly where to go to find white gasoline in one large city, but as soon as we were out in the boonies, it was nearly impossible.
A butane canister stove is a lot more convenient. If you are in civilized areas, towns, or hostels, they make a lot of sense.
–B.G.–
Zach – You should be able to use your Snow Peak without any trouble. Canister fuel is typically only available in the mountain towns and really big cities. Having just gone down the Andes, I know that you'll be able to buy canisters in Quito, Huaraz, Lima, Cusco, Arequipa, La Paz, Santiago, Mendoza, Bariloche, Puerto Natales, Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, and the Lakes District in Chile. You will be unlikely to find the fuel in many other cities.
Expect to pay $5-9 for a 220 gram canister. Doite is a Chilean brand and is the most common throughout South America. It's also cheaper to buy in Chile than in other countries.
Puncture-type canisters were surprisingly prevalent. Denatured alcohol could be bought at most hardware stores, according to other backpackers. However, sometimes it took opening a few bottles of liquid chemicals to find the right one.
Buses are absolutely the best way to travel through South America. It also allows you to carry your canister stoves onward to your next destination, unlike flying. Hitching rides for shorter commutes is really common, easy, and fairly safe.
PM if you want other suggestions or hints.
Tom – sorry for the late reply, but I think we all need a push once in a while. For me it was losing my job. That was my last excuse for not traveling like this.
As far as fears go, I have been anxious prior to a few places only to get there and realize that my anxieties were unfounded. The world is significantly safer than we think of it.
In South America, we never had a worry in Chile or Argentina. Colombia is much safer than we see in the news, especially for travelers. As a continent, the only times we worried were in the capital cities, where there was the most money, people, and homeless/jobless.
Daniel can you tell me more about your experience in Colombia, did you hike in the Paramo Ecosystem?
i may be late for asking this one.
Would an alcohol/wood stove be a workable solution backpacking in South America? I like alcohol stove but prefer a backup plan. I saw you were using cartridge stove. I have one but it would not take South American cartridge i think. I would have to buy one like yours. Still i prefer alcohol.
Thanks!
So many people talk and dream of taking the plunge to do something like this but it takes special courage and guts to actually do it. Congratulations! I am sure your gear will evolve as the time goes on and I look forward to reading about it. Tell us more about Brasil? The culture there is not particularly conducive to backpacking. I look forward to more articles.
Become a member to post in the forums.