This is a list of things I’ve brought with me to The Gambia. Items marked in strikethrough are those that I brought with me that I really didn’t need to bring for whatever reason. Items marked ESSENTIAL are things I would absolutely not come here without, basically things I either use every day or for some other reason consider to be invaluable.

Clothing / Gear

• LL Bean Stowaway Rain Jacket (Gore Tex) (you won’t bring your rain jacket with you everywhere, because it’s hot to wear, and the rain will catch you off guard most of the time anyway)
• Collapsible umbrella - ESSENTIAL (I bring this with me all the time, no telling when a heavy rain will roll through)
• Mountainsmith Circuit II Backpack (6000 ci) - ESSENTIAL (it’s huge and I had a lot of stuff to carry with me over here)
• EMS Boulderado backpack (useful for short trips around the country. I’ve used this for visiting friends in the country, and I took it to WAIST with me too. Better for short trips than the Courier Bag)
• A Timbuk2 Courier Bag - ESSENTIAL (this is my day-pack, I don’t leave home without it)
• 1 pair of Chaco Z/1 sandals - ESSENTIAL (I wear these 99% of the time)
• 1 pair of Chaco Zong sandals (not necessary, but nice to have something I can easily slip into)
• 1 pair of Merrell trail runners - ESSENTIAL (or some other good, closed-toed all-terrain shoe)
• 1 pair of jeans (really nice to have in the “cold” season)
• 3 pairs of cotton khaki pants (good for work, unless you’re an agfo and work in the fields and such)
• 1 pairs of cargo shorts
• 1 pair of swimshorts (The Gambia is right on the ocean, you know)
• 1 pair of lightweight pants that zip off to shorts (These are great because they’re made of a thin, breathable material - cotton can get hot, and takes a while to dry)
• 1 wide-brim style hat (I almost never wear this)
• 2 baseball-cap style hats (keeps the sun out… there’s a lot of sun to keep out)
• 3 “professional” button-up shirts - ESSENTIAL (being able to maintain a professional appearance is very important here)
• 2 ties (for formal occasions)
• Many pairs of boxers - ESSENTIAL (I hate tighty-whiteys, and nobody sells boxers here. I actually had a bunch care-packaged over after I arrived in country and found out this nasty little fact)
• Many pairs of socks (if you have a particular kind you like, bring them - I like under armour personally)
• 6 t-shirts (you won’t need, nor will you want to wear dressy stuff in village, so bring some t-shirts)
• 1 “hoodie” sweatshirt (I hear it gets cold during part of the year?)
• My Taekwondo dobok (I have every intention of practicing my art while in The Gambia)
• 2 Towels (towels have many, many uses) (Peace Corps will provide you with a towel, but it’s good to have some spares)

Electronics / Technology

• Black Diamond Zenix IQ LED Headlamp - ESSENTIAL (I use this often when moving around my compound - hands-free action is great!)
• High-intensity mini LED flashlight - ESSENTIAL (you won’t want to wear your headlamp walking back from somewhere after it gets dark… bring a good LED flashlight)
• Lexar Jumpdrive 512MB Flash Memory Stick - ESSENTIAL (whether you’re in IT or not, you’ll want something on which to secure your documents and other digital errata. If I were to do it again, I would bring two of these, as large as possible (without breaking the bank), and load one of them up with as much useful software as I can get my hands on - the bandwidth in The Gambia is pretty narrow)
• iPod Nano (4 GB) - ESSENTIAL (for my sanity, but that’s a personal take on it)
• Jobo Giga Mini (20 GB backup device for cameras, etc.) - thanks Peter!!!!
• Belkin Travel Surge Protector (you’ll need a voltage regulator in addition to a surge protector here, and you can get both in country for relatively cheap)
• Belkin AC Anywhere Power Inverter (12v DC to 110v AC) (useful for charging stuff when driving in PC vehicles and whatnot)
• Solio Charger (solar energy charger) (it takes forever to charge, and there are enough places where you can charge something quickly that relying on slow solar is more headache than its worth… for me anyway)
• Canon Powershot S400 digital camera - ESSENTIAL (you’ll want to take lots of pictures. You can get digital images developed in Kombo at a couple different places, everyone you take pictures of will get a real thrill out of seeing themselves on your camera’s display)
• A collection of rechargeable AA and AAA batteries, with a recharger - ESSENTIAL (local batteries suck, and imported Duracells cost an arm and a leg, if you can find them. And these are better for the environment)
• Grundig Eton G4000A AM/FM/shortwave radio receiver (if I were to do it over again, I’d get a smaller shortwave radio. This one is too big to fit in my pocket, so I never bring it anywhere. A real detriment)
• Nokia 1100 GSM 900/1800 cell phone ($30 on eBay, can’t complain) (while you can buy a cell phone in country, if you look around on eBay, you can find a good deal on a GSM 900/1800 cell phone - I got mine for $30, which included shipping. If you buy in country, you’re looking at spending D1700 at least after bargaining, which amounts to roughly $70)
• Griffin iTrip (a low-watt FM transmitter for iPods) - (invest instead in a stereo-to-RCA adapter with a dual RCA cable, so you can plug your iPod directly into a stereo system’s line inputs in the back. Way cheaper, and better quality sound. These are useful though, for the rare instances where you’re in a vehicle and want music)
• MCI International Phone Card ($0.39 / min from The Gambia, bought at Costco’s) - ESSENTIAL (you want to call home, don’t you?)

Health

• Katadyn Pocket Filter (premiere, compact ceramic water filter) (not totally necessary, Peace Corps gives you a good ceramic filter, but it’s not portable. So bring one of these if you plan on going on trips where you won’t be able to count on having filtered water)

Kitchen

• Collapsible tupperware-type containers for food (keeps the bugs out - useful, but they can take up a lot of space in your bag, and you can buy them in-country)
• Bottle / can opener (you can buy these in-country)
• Zip-lock bags of various sizes

Books (note that Peace Corps maintains a pretty extensive library in their Fajara office, and PCVs trade books often, so don’t load up with too many books if you don’t want anything specific)

• Peace is Every Step, by Thich Nhat Hanh
• Deshi, by John Donohue
• Deception Point, by Dan Brown
• Living the Martial Way, by Forrest E. Morgan, Maj USAF

Miscellaneous

• A collection of mechanical pencils and lead refills
• A collection of good pens (you can buy these in country, but they’re so easy to bring with you, and the quality is better in America sooo… bring them with you)
• 3 composition-style notebooks for use as journals (I journal fairly often, it helps me stay sane and I can remember what I did in the past. Note that you can get pretty nice notebooks in Kombo for very cheap, so don’t sweat the pens and notebooks if you’re short on space)
• A durable, analog wristwatch with a spare battery - ESSENTIAL (you’ll want to be on time, but you won’t be able to find clocks anywhere. Very useful. I like analog watches, but I fully recognize that a digital watch can do a lot more, including function as an alarm clock, so if I were going to do it again I think I’d go digital.)
• Lonely Planet’s guide to Senegal and The Gambia
• Maps (World, US, Vermont, West Africa, The Gambia)
• Leatherman Surge all-purpose tool - ESSENTIAL (I use this for everything, from fixing doors in my house to fixing computers to preparing mangos for eating)
• A simple Swiss Army knife (unnecessary if you bring a Leatherman)
• Two decks of photographic playing cards: one with United States landmarks and points of interest, with the other being similar, but focusing on New England (to play cards and teach about America at the same time).
• Two pairs of devil sticks from devilsticks.org - 9, and one pair of Trigon sticks from Dube
• A good pair of scisors
• 2 bottles of Vermont Maple Syrup (originally intended as gifts, although I wound up keeping one for myself)
• 2 Nalgene bottles - ESSENTIAL (I don’t go anywhere without my Nalgenes. You can’t beat the quality and durability. Absolutely, absolutely essential, I can’t stress it enough. Vols who didn’t have these were kicking themselves in the butts after they got here because of it. They’re just awesome.)
• Large roll of Gorilla tape (it’s stronger than Duct tape, and was recently given an honorable mention in Popular Science) - ESSENTIAL (if you can’t duck it, f–k it. For real, you can use it for everything.)
• A stack of index cards (flashcards, to assist in language learning) - ESSENTIAL (I used hundreds of these during training to help me learn Wolof. Incredibly useful if you want to get good at language. Of course, you can improvise these, so get creative if you need to.)
• 2 Kryptonite combination locks (locks are useful, but Peace Corps will give you locks for your trunk and house, so unless you have something else to lock up, don’t bother bringing these)
• Some kind of tupperware or other container in which to keep electronics to prevent them from succumbing to extreme humidity, dust, etc.
• My ATM card - ESSENTIAL (there are ATMs here in Kombo, and this makes getting money from America extremely easy)
• A Mastercard Credit Card (Useless. Yes, Visa, Discover, and AMEX are useless, too. Nobody takes credit around here. It’s a cash-based economy.)
• Pictures of family and friends

Things I didn’t bring that I should have brought:

• Dell Latitude D600 Notebook Computer - Don’t let anyone tell you that bringing a computer is a bad idea, especially if you’re going to be an ICT volunteer! I’m kicking myself in the ass for not bringing mine with me (of course, I’m an ICT volunteer and being able to work at home would be so incredibly useful).
• Music Tapes - Everyone has a tape deck here, and almost nobody has CD players. Record some mixes to tape, bring it with you, share it with friends and family in country. They’ll love you for it!
• $200 in cash (to supplement your training and moving-in allowance. You’ll want to buy more than you can afford, whether it be beers at Tendaba, or that double burner for your propane stove. Note that there are a couple ATMs in Kombo that you can use, but they don’t work all the time and the transaction fees are steep)
• A small digital pedometer (I walk a lot, as do most PCVs, and it would be nice to know just how far I’m trotting every day)
• A small thermometer (I have no idea if it’s 95 or 110 outside, but I know it’s hot. It’d be nice to know just how hot. Why? Because I like to know - and knowing is half the battle! … sorry)