Electronics Dilemma

I have way too many electronics to be a responsible backpacker. Right now I feel like I am pretty much asking to be robbed every time I leave my house. I got accepted on a Birthright trip to Israel and I am leaving on Wednesday, and as I am starting to think about what I am going to pack (since I am going to travel around the US for another couple of weeks after going to Israel), I am realizing that I have an ungodly amount of electronics that I consider invaluable.

1. iPod (with my Bose headphones of course)- With over 90 gigs of music that I refuse to be without, my iPod is mandatory on any road trip filled with long flights and bus rides through foreign territory.

2. Nook- Wifi access and 100 different books. I used to lug around 10 books at a time in my backpack, but the Nook just makes so much more sense. Now I don’t feel pressured to loan out my precious books to strangers in hostels. I am very over possessive when it comes to my books.

3. Flashlight- To read my Nook at night. Totally necessary.

4. MacBook- I just upgraded to a brand new MacBook Pro and I think I might experience separation anxiety without it.

5. BlackBerry- The BlackBerry has Wifi access like my Nook, and also has about 8 gigs of music storage space. Also, I have the option of picking up a SIM card in any country and having a local phone number for emergencies.

6. Nikon Camera- My old camera was stolen in Colombia so I bought a new one, and now that I don’t have to depend on the BlackBerry for blog photos, I don’t ever want to go back!

7. External Hard Drive- Where else would I store a terabyte of movies and TV shows to keep me entertained when I need a night off on the road? Sometimes when I travel I get sick, or a little burned out, and it’s nice to be able to pop in some headphones and curl up in my hostel bed and watch Freaks and Geeks reruns.

8. A Mountain of Chargers!!!

How the hell am I supposed to narrow this down to a manageable travel load? In the end, I will probably just bring the camera, BlackBerry, and Nook and leave everything else behind to eagerly wait my return. I hate being so attached and dependent on my electronics! Anyone else have this problem?!


P.S. Please don't read this and come rob me.