Gearing Up for Amazonia

Right now, my living room looks less like a place to relax and more like a staging area for a survival expedition. A big pile of specialized gear is taking up most of the space on my coffee table, and my algorithms now think I’m getting ready to go off the grid. 

In my last post, I talked about conquering a new language. Now I want to discuss my preparations for conquering one of the most intense ecosystems on the planet: the Amazon Rainforest.

Dressing the Part

The Amazon requires a very strict, highly specific “dress code.” It’s a hot, incredibly humid environment where things refuse to dry, and the insects are famously aggressive and potentially lethal.

To prepare, I’ve been adding to my wardrobe with ultra-packable, moisture-wicking trekking pants and long-sleeve UPF shirts designed to dry quickly and keep bugs & UV rays at bay. It's definitely not my go-to style, but it's completely necessary. To be honest, the great outdoors gear & apparel industry is basically a whole new world to me, so I've actually learned a lot in that domain as well.

I did my shopping at Columbia, Sierra, and REI.

Health Protection

To double down on safety, I spent this past weekend individually treating all of my rainforest attire with Permethrin (a specialized insect-repellent fabric treatment) and stocking up on high-strength, Picaridin bug spray. Picaridin is a DEET alternative that mimics a compound found in black pepper. It’s odorless and less corrosive than DEET too.

Sawyer is the top-rated insect repellent brand that I went with.

Luckily, I was able to cross one major medical hurdle off my list early: I already had my Yellow Fever vaccine from my 2023 Fulbright Fellowship in Ghana. Coupled with a fresh prescription of malaria medication, a reliable headlamp, and a stockpile of heavy-duty waterproof dry bags to protect my electronics from sudden jungle downpours, the medical and safety logistics are locked in!

Packing the Perfect Backpack

When your fellowship spans from the urban concrete and sun-soaked beaches of Rio to deep trek expeditions into a rainforest that’s nearly the size of the continental USA, packing becomes a logistical puzzle. Because I’ll be moving frequently between vastly different environments, I have to be able to carry absolutely everything on my back. Every item matters.

Cotopaxi is hands-down the BEST company for any type of pack you need!

One of the bigger challenges was finding gear that works for both legs of the trip. I needed clothes tough enough to handle a humid jungle trek, but stylish and casual enough that I could wear them down the streets of Rio or while meeting with community stakeholders without looking like I accidentally wandered off a mountain trail. 

It took a lot of filtering and smart shopping, but my hybrid, "packable" wardrobe is officially complete. Amazonia, here I come!