When we were preparing for departure to Mali, I found packing lists from current volunteer very helpful. Here is my couples guide to packing for Peace Corps Mali. Keep in mind, you can find a lot of items on this list in-country; however, you won’t have a chance to go shopping until a month or two into living in Mali.

Luggage/Bags

• 2 day-sized backpacks (I’d recommend the JanSport Big Student Classic Series Daypack)
• 2 camping backpacks (Ashley and I both have a JanSport Trail Series Big Bear Camping Back Pack. They are comfy and can hold more than enough for multi-week long trips)
• 3 suitcases (During air travel, we put the 2 camping packs inside the suitcases)
• 2 reusable shopping bags

Clothes for Men

• Hiking Sandals
• 4-Pair Boxers or Briefs
• Sleep Shorts
• Pajama Pants
• Hiking Pants (light weight)
• Polo
• Button-up Shirt
• 1 Pair Socks
• 1 Fabric Belt
• 1 Baseball Cap
• 1 Wide-Brimmed Hat
• Casio G-Shock Watch (this is the same model watch I saw a number of IDF soldiers wearing in Israel. High-quality and will last)
• Polarized Sunglasses
• Wallet
• 3+ Tank Tops
• Swimsuit

Gadgets

• iPod
• Waterproof portable speakers (We have the SonicImpact iPax Portable Speaker System, it gets around 14-20 hours of play time on one set of AA batteries and is great for music or podcasts).
• Long 3.5mm male-to-male audio cable to hook up speakers to iPod, computer or other device.
• 16-Pack AA Eneloop Rechargeable Batteries. Eneloop batteries hold a longer charge than other rechargeables.
• 4-Pack AAA Eneloop Rechargeable Batteries
• 28-Count Duracell AA Batteries
• 28-Count Duracell AAA Batteries
• Battery powered USB charger (We have this model: Tekkeon TekCharge, but if I had the extra money I would have purchased the upgraded model. Both of which work as a AA battery charger.)
• LED Headlamp (Having a hands-free light source comes in handy).
• High-quality iPod Charging Cable with wall-outlet (I’ve gone through 3 iPod chargers in 10 months; 2 Apple branded and one Chinese charger. Get a nice charger or two and it will save you a huge headache).
• Nice camera with case. I have a Nikon L100 12MP Digital Camera with 15x Zoom, Vibration Reduction and 3-Inch Display, but for the same price you can get the newer Nikon L120 14MP 21x Zoom Camera. When choosing a camera, be sure to find one with a strong optical zoom.
• Camera Storage Case. Make sure you get one with a zipper. It will keep the dust and the bugs out.
• Nice netbook/laptop with that is light weight with long battery life (6+ hours) and loud speakers. We brought a 13″ MacBook Pro with us, and it was perfect. However, it was stolen when we were in Madrid on vacation. We replaced it with a Toshiba netbook NB520-10P which is adequate.
• Neoprene Laptop Case. Always keep your laptop in the case when not using it. There is so much dirt and dust in Mali.
• At least two Reading Lamps – I’ve been really happy with the Energizer Trim Flex, great battery life and weather resistant. Don’t forget to get extra batteries! (These are great for reading, and to use as lighting for your hut or outside at the dinner table).
• Nintendo DS Lite with a R4 card. The R4 card lets you download games for free and play them on the NDS.
• 2 or 3 Low-cost Portable Flashlights or one high-quality flashlight.
• 2 Universal Travel Adapter
• PowerMonkey eXplorer Solar Charger. This solar charger is strong enough to charge a cell phone, NDS, or iPod.
• Short-wave radio for listening to the BBC. We have the American Red Cross FR-350, which doesn’t seem to be available anymore. If you come across one, get it. We use it daily and one set of batteries lasted 10 months (with accidentally leaving the flashlight option on for an entire day).
• Gerber multitool with pliers, saw, screw drivers, can opener, file and more. I use this for everything from cutting food to sharpening my gardening tools. Highly recommend!
• Basic Swiss Army Knife with Corkscrew and Scissors
• Knife sharpener, specifically the Smith’s PP1 Pocket Pal Knife Sharpener.
• 4GB or more SD card for your camera
• 4GB or more flash drive
• Toshiba Canvio 1 TB Portable Hard Drive. I had a Western Digital hard drive to begin with but it quit working after a couple months.
• Travel Alarm Clock. This is nice to have, but after ours died we started using our cell phone instead.
• Fly Swatters – Walgreens sells these year round. You can buy the electric ones in country.
• Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer with Wired Probe. I recommend getting one with a wired probe because it uses less batteries. However, the Acu-Rite Wireless Thermometer is a good wireless option.
• Bag of Silica Packets. These are the little packets of clear beads found in shoe boxes. They are very handy at saving water damaged electronics as they absorb humidity.