| 1. Some kind of battery bank. Generators only run at night here in most sites so the best plan is to charge your battery banks overnight and then charge your gear during the day. |
| 2. Ancillary to #1 – 12v car charger for your gear. Whether thats direct plug or just a USB connection. You’ll spend a lot of time driving around Abaco just due to the nature of the beast. |
| 3. Plan on making your own cables. We have cat5 and ends, however our crimps are all personal. This is whatever you see fit, at a minimum I’d say something to crimp cat5/6. |
| 4. Know if your phone will work here – the only provider is Aliv on Abaco. GoogleFi works well, Verizon international plan also works. I can’t answer your particular providers availability – just do some research. Worst case buy an Aliv sim in Nassau before you fly over. Aliv offers an unlimited voice/data plan for 7 days @ 35$ USD. |
| 5. Cash. Fuel is 5.50/gal and its cash only. ITDRC will reimburse this, but you have to be able to pay for it first. |
| 6. Sim card punch tools / paperclips, something to hit pesky reset buttons on modems/routers/whatever you run across. |
| 7. This falls into the obvious category but, bring a multitool. |
| 8. Powerstrips, preferably something small and easy to pack. |
| 9. WiFi analysis, something free just to check channel utilization from your phones. On android a decent one is wifi analyzer, iPhone check our airport utility. |
| 10. Downloads offline google maps – service is still spotty and you do not want to lose your navigation here. |
| 11. Pinglite or something quick and dirty on your phone for network diagnostics. |
| 12. Again this one should be obvious but – a flashlight or ideally a headlamp. Its pitch black out here. |
| 13. Bedroll, plan on sleeping on the floor. Tents arent a horrible option but I wouldn’t call it mandatory. |
| 14. Sleeping bag, see ‘obvious’. |
| 15. Mosquito net |
| 16. Sunglasses / sunscreen, whatever you need to protect yourself. |
| 17. Hydrocortisone – we have some but the bugs are brutal. |
| 18. Earbuds/headphones, its loud and you’ll need them to preserve your sanity. |
| 19. Microfiber towel, packs small and dries quick. |
| 20. Goldbond / foot powder of some kind. |
| 21. Entertainment – whatever that is for you. Kindles, music, movies, etc. Plan all offline for this. |
| 22. Snacks – bring more than you need. SHARE! Team Rubicon puts us up so the least we can do is share hotsauce/candy/whatever. Were eating at least 1 MRE a day so anything to improve your quality of life here. |
| 23. Some kind of electrolytes for your water. Drinking bottled water gets old really fast, Mios, individual drink mixes, whatever you can think of. Those things are gold here. |
| 24. This should be #1, Aux cord. 3.5mm to 3.5mm, having music in the car will help your sanity immensely. |
| 25. Tylenol PM or some kind of sleeping aid is a good idea. |
| 26. Backpacking staples for food – tortillas and tuna or peanut butter. I know im listing food twice, its that big of a deal. |
| 27. Undershirts – unless your lucky like me and have previously deployed you’ll only have 2 ITDRC shirts. Laundry comes and goes so bring some white tee’s or whatever to wear under them. |
| 28. Follow-up – laundry sheets or some kind of travel detergent. When you get the chance to do laundry take it. |
| 29. Bring enough socks/underwear that you can survive 7 days without washing them. Wearing gross t-shirts is one thing but not undergarments. |
| 30. Obvious again, swimtrunks. Shower availability comes and goes so sometimes the Atlantic is all you get. |