Dropped out College, Travelling the World

As the title says, I've dropped out of college in May and now I'm travelling the world. I'm starting in about a week, probably on the 19th or 20th. Starting from Chicago, Illinois, I plan on hitch-hiking north, all the way to Lake Superior, to Madeleine Island, Wisconsin. I have a friend who lives there, so I'll have a place to stay. After some time spent there, I'm going south, winding my way to the Gulf of Mexico and Florida. After Florida, it's west, to the Rocky Mountains, where I plan to do some rock-climbing/camping. I might even make my way into Mexico. So, does anybody have any advice? Suggestions? Warnings? If you're going to warn me, I've already heard it about a million times, and I've already made up my mind.

Here's my supply list:
Bag

Money ($100)


Rice (25 pounds)


Cooking Pot (1)


Clothes

Pants (3)

Shirt, Short Sleeve (3)

Shirt, Long Sleeve (2)

Sweatshirt (1)

Underwear/Socks (5)

Shoes (1)

Sandals (1)

Y-Harness w/belt (1)

H-Harness (2)

Tent - 2 person (1)

Poncho/Blanket (1)

Blanket (1)

Flashlight (1)

Batteries (?)

Water Bottle, Nalgene (1)

Water Bottle, Liter Container (1)

Med kit/Small Items

Assorted Bandages (?)

Iodine (?)

Gauze (?)

Ace Wrap (1)

Anti-biotic Cream (1)

Nail Clippers (1)

Knife (1)

Fishing Line (30 Feet)

Fishing Hook (3)

Ibuprofen (1 Bottle)

Antihistamine (?)

Safety Pins (3)

Moleskin (2)

Tweezers (1)

Medical Tape (?)

Lighter (1)

Matches, Waterproof, Strike Anywhere (?)

Prescriptions (Paroxetine)

Allergy Medicine

Vitamins/Supplements

Floss

Toothpaste

Toothbrush

Sewing Kit (1)

Toilet Paper (2)

 

you forgot :
ID(several, just in case)

Passport

 

Yeah, I guess I did. I just always carry it with me I just forgot.

 

Bring more money. I hitchhiked to Vegas from Pittsburgh, and it would have been a lot easier with more cash

 

Definantly get a food different from rice, haha.

That's really the only problem I see with your plan, sounds good to me man, I'm sure you've got it.

 

Nalgenes are too heavy, use empty gatorade bottles.

Tents are too heavy, get a silnylon tarp.

Battery flashlights are not renewable and your batteries will end up in a landfill. Get a shaker or a handcrank light.

Too many clothes. Go with one extra change.

Carry some dried beans and spices/condiments. Rice is good for simple carbs but you will need some proteins too. And some fats, so add a bottle of olive oil.

I didn't see a stove, please don't make cooking fires on the way to FL from IL, when you get into TN, SC and GA you'll see near drought conditions. If you must have a cook fire, please be careful. Wildfires have destroyed a lot already this year. Look into getting a cheap canister or alcohol stove.

Leave no trace. Anywhere. Ever.

Good luck, brother. Wish I were going too.

 

Thanks Zoomie. I plan on bringing some peanut butter (mmmmmm) for protein. The olive oil sounds like a good idea too. But, I'm going to bring all the clothes because, well, I like to feel clean. I dunno. I don't want to spend too much money on anything, though. I'm trying to go as minimalistic as possible. I might even scrap the tent and just bring a blanket. Although the tarp is a good idea. And I didn't think about the batteries thing. Oh and about the condiments, I have no sense of taste/smell so it doesn't bother me. I chose the Nalgene because to me, it's the easiest to carry, unless I rigged up some system to hang the bottles from my pack. Hey, that's a good idea. Anyways, thanks dude.

 

Perhaps you should invest in a long-term hike style tent, check out the North Face one man tents. They weigh a couple of ounces. A tarp or just a blanket is a bad idea.

 

Not really. I hike the AT and FST with just an 8x10 tarp and a down quilt. Never had a problem. North Face's lightest tent is the either the Solo 12 or Dyad 22 and weighs 2 1/2 pounds at $200+. My tarp cost $49 on sale and weighs 11 ounces. And I guarantee it will be around after anything North Face makes disintegrates.

 

Man, I wish you luck. Listen to Zoomie. I walked (literally walked, no 'hitch-hiking', only my feet) from San Francisco to Tucson (Arizona) and just got here not too long ago, which would explain my absence from after we got back from Amsterdam on 4/26. I wish you luck on your travels man, it's what I been doin' all these years and it's never done me wrong. Also you can do it without a tent. I've slept under semi's, trees, haylofts, people's porch's, etc., had no problem. (Haylofts and porch's ya gotta be discreet about) Sometimes people will let ya stay in their house too if your kind, but that takes away the beauty of Mother Earth. But it does give you a good sample of how the 'other' lives. Happy trails, man.

EDIT: Oh and something you seemed to forget (I think) is a repellant of some type to keep bugs away. Cow manure and incense will do the trick.

 

Yes a tarp is far better to keep you warm and dry actually. A tent is too far off the body to stay warm but a tarp you can just roll up in and your body temp is trapped into you more. (Thanks to years in CAP for that one)


You might find little jobs to do here and there to help ya out a little across the trek.

I think I would rather bike back than walk but then thats me. I hope you have fun out there and remember the ol public L has computers normally to keep the worl posted on your travels.

 

This works but it also repels YOU. Just put extra garlic in your food. Skeeters aren't fond of garlic. Unfortunately neither are women. Double unfortunately, bears are often attracted by the scent of garlic. So you have to weigh the odds:

Chance you'll get bitten by mosquitos on the road: 99.999999999%
Chance you'll meet an eligible young woman on the road: 24.862%
Chance you'll meet a bear on the road: 2.759%

Play the odds, man. Play the odds. Eat some garlic.

 

You have enough stuff to sustain you for a long time. Good list and good luck bro.

 

Thanks for all the help. I keep packing and unpacking and then packing again. I'm so ready to go. I'm so excited. Only a couple more days!

 

When I roadtripped around the U.S. and Canada, it was much nicer having a sleeping bag and tent/hammock. If you get gear that's designed for long trek's, it won't be so bad. The way I would look at it, the heavier the gear, the more in shape you get on your journey.

I plan on longboarding from Maine to Florida sometime in the near future.

 

Longboarding? That would be so cool. I love longboarding, except I'm not very good.

 

Yeah, most people just ride longboards for transportation and such, but there are a few of us who do something different with them.

If I do it, it will be to raise money for something, something that will benefit the skate community.

 

Dude, that's awesome.

 

Just packed and weighed everything. I have 30 pounds of equipment. I think I did good. I'll post pics of how I rigged everything together and a full inventory of my goods. I'm so excited. Come Monday, I should be on my way!

 

Does that include food and water?