Spring break my senior of college found three of my close friends, and my self planning a trip to Baja California. Because we were essentially poor college students we decided to spend most of our time camping to save money, and have a less touristy experience. This meant were renting a car and bringing all of our gear with us, but still wanted to keep the amount of stuff to a minimum ( and thank god our car turned out to be a very, very small four door. It couldn’t fit all four backpacks in it). Upon further discussion we decided to each bring one carry on, and then have one checked bag for the four of us. All in all this system worked out well.

What I brought-

Camping

Sleeping Pad

<a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00453NA1E/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00453NA1E&linkCode=as2&tag=dontworrymadr-20&linkId=384090f96c858840bf0cea150ca8da4e”><img border=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B00453NA1E&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=dontworrymadr-20″ ></a><img src=”//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=dontworrymadr-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B00453NA1E” width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />

– I choose this pad with advice from my dad, a long time backpacker, and advice from the internet. Overall it worked well, it was a little bulky, but does compact down for it’s size. I would probably go back and get a smaller version.

Tent– Now I don’t have the most expensive 2 person tent (it’s actually quite cheap), but I LOVE it. It’s relatively lightweight, compacts down to a decent size, has two doors, and all the little features. I may be partial because it’s my first personal tent, but I would recommend this tent to anyone who doesn’t have to worry too much about packing. ** It has come to my attention that they no longer sell this tent :(. I will update this post again once I find a tent a like, until then I apologize for the dead link.

Water purifier

<a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NK9948M/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00NK9948M&linkCode=as2&tag=dontworrymadr-20&linkId=f02a3ab8f746037e5d6dec9afadb89c8″><img border=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B00NK9948M&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=dontworrymadr-20″ ></a><img src=”//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=dontworrymadr-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B00NK9948M” width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />

I got this for christmas from my grandpa, and I really like it. Overall we didn’t need to use it too much, but it’s very user friendly, and the charges last a long time. I’m sure I’ll have more to say when I use it for eight months, so jury’s still out.

Stove

<a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BBGQ88/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000BBGQ88&linkCode=as2&tag=dontworrymadr-20&linkId=79a7bda26775be808399530c4d97f87b”><img border=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B000BBGQ88&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=dontworrymadr-20″ ></a><img src=”//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=dontworrymadr-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B000BBGQ88″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />

My dad helped me pick this stove out, and I’m very thankful. This is such a great little stove. It’s compatible with regular gas, so we just stopped by a gas station to fill it up. It’s very compatible and durable. It was perfect for our trip

<a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06WVK7LZS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B06WVK7LZS&linkCode=as2&tag=dontworrymadr-20&linkId=1b5a6f9b1ea518e30363d32f32c5c2d6″><img border=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B06WVK7LZS&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=dontworrymadr-20″ ></a><img src=”//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=dontworrymadr-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B06WVK7LZS” width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />

-Great, reliable.

Towel

<a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XG52NYP/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B06XG52NYP&linkCode=as2&tag=dontworrymadr-20&linkId=c2ae52597c958eb1ef7982c0d170416e”><img border=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B06XG52NYP&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=dontworrymadr-20″ ></a><img src=”//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=dontworrymadr-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B06XG52NYP” width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />

Great space saver, was a little inconvenient given the amount of time spent on the beach when I was too small. Next time I will bring the biggest size because it doesn’t add too much space, and gives me the flexibility to lay on it when at the beach. I also used my sarong a lot so it wasn’t too inconvenient.

Hammock

Bringing this was a must for me. I had yet to use it and wanted to hang the hammock on the beach. This is an ok hammock. I only slept in it once over night because of the lack of a bug screen, but it was very comfortable the one night. I did notice some small holes in the fabric on the second day, which was a little alarming. But it does compact down to a nice size and is pretty light weight. ** Another product that is no longer carried. I will update when I find a comparable hammock**

Pack

<a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X194J4S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B06X194J4S&linkCode=as2&tag=dontworrymadr-20&linkId=cd2906064920fcd24898e38ed35fefb7″><img border=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B06X194J4S&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=dontworrymadr-20″ ></a><img src=”//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=dontworrymadr-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B06X194J4S” width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />

Osprey Porter 46I LOVE this pack. I brought this pack with me to Spain, and now again to Mexico. It’s just a great pack. I love the front entry so I don’t have to do as much digging. The convertibility is an awesome feature, although I spend most of the time in the backpack mode. It’s comfortable to hike in ( In Spain I hiked for 5 hours through the Sierra de Cazorla, with it fully packed, AND a pack on the front), and just the right size. I am using this pack when I travel for 8 months. 2019 update: I have now used this pack for the past 6 years and I still LOVE it. My aunt and close family friend now have (and love) this pack. Best travel purchase EVER.

Clothing–

Trying to keep it as minimal as possible I brought-

(2) swim suits

(3) Underwear

(2) Bras , one sports bra, one regular

(1) shorts

(1) Straw hat

(1) short sleeve shirt (causal enough to wear around, but fancy enough to wear to the club)

(1) dress (for the clubs)

(1) sarong ( The MOST used item in my pack. My aunt convinced me to bring it, and it has become a staple on my packing list no matter where I go)

Chocos, sandals, and Five fingers (worked great for hiking and water shoes)

Electronics–

Ipad

Canon Rebel T3- and two lenses

Odds and Ends

Journal

Cribbage board

(2) decks of cards

Snorkel set

Food went in any extra space in our packs.