As our imminent date creeps seductively closer, I find myself in the midst of a frenzy. Admittedly, of my own fabrication, nonetheless, there are essential to-do's which need to be tallied, organized, and ticked off the list! Maybe it's my type A personality, but I constantly worry about being able to get everything done in time, without needing to change travel plans.... The more I do, the more needs to be done....From the biggest essentials, which are obviously transport ( plane tickets, Eurail tickets), Identification & money ( duplicate Passports, licenses, credit & atm cards), Insurance ( medical & travel) we have worked our way down into gear and packing.The most important things to remember when packing are, weight, ease to clean/dry, and durability. For most all of our travel gear, we are investing in new stuff. Getting the quality materials up front will ensure it lasts, and is comfortable and easy for the length of the trip. Each of us are bringing two black pairs of pants, lightweight, nylon, 3 short sleeve shirts, 1 long sleeve shirt, 4 pairs of socks and undees. Because shoes are the biggest and often most heavy thing to pack, I have been debating whether to take two or three pair. You need at least, a multi-purpose hiking/walking shoe, and a pair of sandals. For these I have the Teva dozer ( my poppa got me a pair but I sent back as it was the wrong size- I have gargantuan size 9.5!!!) and the Keen newport H2 hiking sandal. The sandals are pricey, but are supposed to be the very best in comfort & durability. I want to also bring running shoes, as there won't be a gym to go to, and it's important to keep fit!! The running shoes will definitely crowd my bag, but I think they will be well worth it...We shall see. For those I'm taking my trusty Asic gels, which got me through 26.2 miles back in October! It is always good to keep in mind you CAN ship something back, if its too much of a hassle. In addition to your clothing, the next obvious component to your gear is the actual back-pack. The sturdiest, most versaile and lightweight packs are Dana design and Gregory. Northface and Kelty also make packs, but I think the best are the first two. It was important to have an internal frame, as some of the external ones were really cumbersome and heavy. We want to be free not tied to some HUGE pack....In any case, I ended up getting a Gregory tega. I am 5'9 and 130, and this pack is made to carry 35 bls comfortably. It is an internal frame pack that distributes weight, and hugs your frame comfortably. We both agreed we wanted medium sized packs ( 3700-4200 ci) . Anything more than that and I'm going to COMPLAIN!! Anythign less than that, and we won't have anything with us...Troy hasn't gotten his pack yet, but we need to try on a few. The one I held for him was the Dana Bridger....its 4200 ci and even has a built in "camelback" sort of water carrying/drinking system. The main thing for Troy is getting one with a frame big enough for his back. At 6'5 you can imagine its difficult...Next on our list ( but thankfully already purchased by family) are the travel accesories! These are the little things that you could easily forget but will be unhappy without! First off, we have the travel sleep sheet.....I indulged for both Troy and I and we have silk. This lightweight, quick drying material is the best, as it keeps you warm when its cold, and cool when its hot. It goes without saying to get a dark color, as you dont want white looking brownish yellow at the end ( ICK). At REI these little things go for $60 bucks each, plus shipping. I looked around on ebay, however, and found a guy selling the same ones for $14.99!! They are in the mail as we speak. Having a good towel while youre backpacking/hostelling is also essential! Because cotton is a slow-drying, heavy, smelly no-no, we both have the lightweight, quick drying towels that fit easily into our packs. This with our small vanity kits will be perfect in any hostel/camp shower :-)Other essentials we have are a first aid kit, kinetic flashlight, compass, document photocopies, cable locks, padlocks ( for hostels), pacsafe ( for overnight trains) http://www.pacsafe.com/, electric converter, swiss army tool ( with file, scissors, pliers, bottle opener, ruler etc).The only MAJOR thing left to do would be my car. I still have my 03 Acura 3.2CL and I need to GET ON selling. It's a huge hassle with fixing, and detailing, but I swore to myself I would start this weekend. Hopefully I can get a few extra thousand on the top ( thank GOD I am not upside down in the thing) and life will be grand!