I have always been passionate about packing light, ever since my first trip abroad, on a high school exchange when I somehow brought two bags plus a backpack for a 10 day stay in the suburbs of London. What was all that and what was it for? Who knows but after that I've done many trips with backpacks sold as "daypacks" as my only luggage for a couple of weeks.
India for 7 weeks, followed by a week in Beijing and a couple of weeks in California was more of a challenge. One of the best things about traveling in India is that it really teaches you to pack light. Researching the trip, and then actually going on it, both enforce that you want to have your stuff with you at all times on trains and busses, and directly under your seat, preferably locked to it. Once you get your stuff down to the minimum, you also don't want to check it on flights because you need this stuff and don't want it to get lost. So it has to fit in a true carry on bag, and reduce liquids to the one ziplock baggy.
I did some research and enjoyed reading blogs and other advice about packing light. It's a popular and fun topic. Some useful ones are:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree
www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/packlight.htm
http://www.travelite.org/
Here's what I packed:
REI "desert" travel shirt
Striped pullover shirt
black pants
convertible pants
silk long underwear
rain jacket
fleece jacket
Tilley Hat
winter hat
Hiking boots
black Teeva sandals (with velcro straps)
3 pairs underwear
2 bras
2 pairs socks
Travel sleeping bag
Alarm Clock
Luggage locks
Medicines
Insect Repellent
2 packages travel soap sheets (for shampoo, soap and laundry without carrying liquid)
5 books (Lonely Planet India, 3 novels to read/swap, Top 10 Beijing, and journal)
Camera
Cell phone
Money belt
Book light
Small roll of duct tape
Sewing kit
That includes what I wore. More than half my backpack was taken up by my medicines (of which I only used the malaria pills, 1 tylenol and 1 immodium) and (tiny) sleeping bag. I had some room for souvenirs, but did ship them a few weeks into the trip. I bought local clothes as I went, and was given an extra fleece by another traveler before going up to Darjeeling (where I also bought a wool hat which I wore over my other winter hat, it was that cold.)
The sleeping bag was key, it was the coldest winter in decades in Rajastan and I used it, along with the hotel blankets, almost every night until Mumbai. Doing a little laundry every night or two really is no big deal, as the travel experts will tell you. I always cleaned my own underwear, and had my other clothes cleaned by hotels (including my socks). When you are really packing light, it's important to remember to bring at least one extra set of clothes so that you can have laundry done (or let your other pants dry if you're doing them yourself)!
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