My trip to Ethiopia was very successful! I used most of my gear and here are some thoughts about the gear I carried with me.
Osprey Porter 30 Backpack
This pack is great! It is comfortable and easy to use. It has a comfortable hip belt that can be completely stowed along with the shoulder straps which makes it easy to stow the pack on a plane.
Small Backpack
This REI daypack was awesome. It was handy on airplanes and for walking around town.
Eagle Creek Packing Cubes
These are super lightweight and they kept my clothes and gear organized in the pack. They are not necessary, but are very much a nice-to-have.
OREI 3 in 1 Travel Adapter Plug
Another stellar product! Since this adapter has USB built-in, I did not need to bring a USB charger, just the USB cables. Also, this adapter plugged in just fine everywhere I went in Ethiopia.
Kindle Fire HDX 7″
One of my goals was to only bring stuff that I could have lost or stolen. That is, nothing too expensive. Rather than bring my iPad, I brought this Kindle and it worked great! Some of the places I stayed at had poor wifi reception and the Kindle could pick up a signal where my iPhone could not.
First Aid Kit
Not really necessary, but it has everything you need in a very compact size. It’s easier to start with this kit, and add some stuff to it, then to make your own first aid kit.
Ethiopia, 6th (Bradt Travel Guide)
This guide was good. It has useful maps and mostly current information. Also, it was nice to be able to write notes in it while I was planning. The only downside, is that this guide is a bit heavy.
Iphone 4
I brought my old AT&T iPhone and it was more useful than I expected. On my first morning in Ethiopia, I got a SIM card. I used my phone to coordinate with my travel companions, call hotels, call guides, check email, and more.
Sink Stopper, Clothes Line, Laundry Soap
The sink stopper was a $2 item from a hardware store similar to this: Stopper. Since I brought so little clothing, I needed to wash stuff a couple of times and these items worked great for washing up stuff.