Packing and Repacking

As the departure date nears, I find myself packing and repacking my backpack and day pack. The temples, monastery, and zen centers each have a list of what to bring (and not) so I'm checking these lists against the packing list I've developed over the years. As the big day draws near, I generally feel good about the essentials and figure I can buy locally whatever else I may need. The biggest unknown for me is shoes. It will be fall when I visit Korea and the first half of my 6 weeks in Japan but I anticipate lots of rain and winter weather during the last 2 weeks of November in Japan.

I'm only bringing 2 pairs of shoes - Keen sandals (http://www.keenfootwear.com/product/shoes/men/arroyo-ii/black-olive_bombay-brown) and Birkenstock sandals; while these shoes should serve me well most of my time in Korea and Japan, neither is suitable for wet, muddy, or cold environments. It will be great if I can get by without buying a pair of mud/winter boots in Japan; I could also probably use them in London in March but don't want to lug them around SE Asia for 3 months. Both shoe types I'm bringing will be great for SE Asia; I was also thinking of taking a pair of flip flops but will buy them locally if needed.

Below are photos of me and my brand new Tortuga Backpack and Daypack fully loaded.

Backpack (14.1lbs) and daypack (10 pounds)