Cameroon Packing List

When I was younger, before family vacations my mom would always make us packing lists so we'd know what to put in our tiny wheeled suitcases--bathing suits for trips to Florida, extra mittens for trips to Canada, and plenty of books and toys for the plane rides. Somehow, this taught me to become really good at packing without a list. Maybe it was my stubbornly independent nature, or my refusal to limit myself to such a finite list--either way, I haven't used packing lists since I was in early elementary school. However, in preparation for this trip, I decided to channel my mother's list-making skills and make an organized, cohesive packing list. This way, I could combine packing lists that had been created by other current and former Peace Corps Cameroon Volunteers, as well as add my own necessities to the list. So, based on the other packing lists I've found, along with some of my own suggestions, here is the list I've generated. I plan to update this list after a few months in Cameroon, based on items I wish I had or hadn't brought. But for now, here it is:

Packed in: 1 large wheeled duffel, 1 65L camping backpack (An Osprey Aura 65L), a carry-on roller suitcase, and tote bag

Clothing
-4 pairs light linen/cotton pants
-4 skirts knee to ankle length
-6 V neck t-shirts
-1 pair nice pants (black or khaki)
-Sarong  (for covering up)
-Lightweight scarves (for covering up)
-A few pairs of leggings (long and cropped) for layering under dresses
-2 nicer tops for fancier occasions
-Tank tops for layering and lounging
-T-shirts and tanks with sentimental value (4-5)
-3 cute dresses around knee length or longer
-2 pairs jeans (1 long, 1 cropped boyfriend pair)
-4 or 5 pairs of long running shorts
-Tons of underwear (preferably quick dry)
-Sports bras and 1-2 regular bras (I don't really like wearing bras, otherwise I would have packed more!)
-Regular socks, warm socks, hiking socks
-1 black cardigan
-1 hoodie
-2 sweaters
-Rain jacket
-1 modest bathing suit
-1 pair PJ pants, 1 pair PJ shorts
-3 baseball caps
-2 belts
-Bike shorts and gloves

Shoes
-1 pair Tevas
-1 pair Chacos
-2 pairs cute durable sandals (I looove croc jelly sandals!)
-1 pair Keens
-2 pair of comfy, nice leather sandals (Keen and Chaco make some nice ones!)
-1 pair running shoes
-1 pair waterproof hiking boots
-Rainbows
-Shower shoes

Personal hygiene and toiletries
-3 quick dry towels (2 xl for body, 1 small for face/hands)
-Small mirror
-Several small hand sanitizers
-Prescription glasses (current pair and old pair)
-Sunglasses (one nice, 2 cheap)
-Hair clips, ties, bobby pins
-1 large bottle each of shampoo, conditioner, soap (Dr. Bronner’s magic soap is great), face wash, face lotion
-3 bottles dry shampoo
-Q-tips and cotton pads
-Tweezers, nail clippers, nail file, toothbrush (2), toothpaste, floss, deodorant (4 sticks), comb, brush, razor and blades
-1 bottle of sunscreen for body and one for face
-1 bottle of strong bug spray
-Chapstick (pref w sunblock in it)
-Baby wipes (portable and for household use)
-Tampons and pads (I don't get a period because of my IUD, so I didn't bring a lot of these--just enough in case someone I knew ran out, or to give as gifts since apparently you can't really buy tampons in Cameroon. I also was told that pads can be great for preventing sweat stains, so that's why I chose to bring them)
-Makeup and nail polish; makeup remover and nail polish remover
-Makeup-removing pads
-3 month supply of all prescription meds
-Vitamins (B12, Azo, Vitamin C, Magnesium)
-Stomach and pain medication (Pepto, Alka seltzer, Advil)
-Mesh laundry bag; laundry stain remover*
-Sexual health stuff
-Perfume

Kitchen
-Measuring cups and spoons
-Ziploc bags of different sizes
-Good kitchen knife (apparently very hard to find in Cameroon)
-Coffee maker and coffee (French press)
-Leatherman Wave
-Recipes in page protectors
-Packaged mixes of iced tea
-Granola bars
-Spices (cumin, turmeric, oregano)
-Filter straw (Lifefilta)
-Vegetable peeler
-Portable cutting board

Outdoors stuff
-Quality portable umbrella
-Headlamp that charges via USB
-Solar lantern (Luci lights are great!)
-Flashlights (USB chargeable, crank-powered, and battery-powered)
-Two large water bottles
-Sleeping bag
-Leather work gloves
-Camping hammock

Electronics
-Unlocked iPhone (current and old) and several chargers
-Camera, lenses, battery, charger, memory chips
-Small shortwave/FM radio
-Kindle with tons of books
-Bluetooth speakers and charger
-Laptop and charger
-External hard drive
-5 pairs of earbuds
-3 aux cords
-Batteries of all size
-Reliable watch (durable, water-resistant, cheap)
-Travel alarm clock
-220 converter
-Goal Zero solar charger and battery packs
-Converters for plugs
-5 flash drives
-Battery packs to keep charged for when the power goes out

Entertainment
-Playing cards (several decks)
-Travel games
-Jewelry making supplies
-Coloring book, colored pencils, sharpener
-Scissors
-Several journals
-A few of my favorite books
-Ukulele, books and printed out songs to play
-Hacky sack
-Jump rope
-Games that don’t require language (Connect Four, puzzles)
-Soccer ball with needle to inflate

Communication
-TONS of pens
-Notebooks (a few small, one large)
-Addresses and phone numbers of people
-Small stationary set
-Small planner
-US stamps
-French books/sheets

Decorations/home
-Map of Africa, map of the world
-Photos from home in an album

Miscellaneous
-Heavy duty duct tape
-Two fanny packs, 1 wallet
-A few over the shoulder/tote bags
-Eye mask and travel pillow
-Masking tape, scissors, permanent marker
-Combination padlocks, safe
-Folders
-Safety pins, mini sewing kit
-Homestay gifts/things to show people: books about Maine/NOLA, stickers, temporary tattoos, tasty snacks and candy

PC Stuff
-Staging materials and paperwork
-Medical paperwork
-12x passport photos
-Immunization card
-$500 cash (some to exchange right away, some to keep as dollars until I need to exchange them)

Lists I borrowed from:
http://annadoespangea.blogspot.com/p/peace-corps-cameroon-packing-list.html
https://webbeoftheworld.wordpress.com/peace-corps-tid-bits/packing-list/
http://roundtwocameroon.blogspot.com/2008/03/packing-list.html
https://arbloch.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/updated-packing-list-for-new-pcvs/